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Is a Tucker for me?

Thank you, definitely great info!! Anyone know how hard it would be to add a blade to a Tucker?? After looking extensively at old listings it seems finding a great low hour machine, with four doors and a blade is somewhere between rare and uncommon?? Any suck thing as finding a Tucker blade that has been taken off? Thank you all for the info.

We actually have to go a little over 10,000' to get to there and then drop down to 9,990 at the cabin.
 
And let me expound on that last excellent point about side elevation. My experience, both as the mechanic of a number of snowcats and the guy who has to rescue our groomers when they get stuck out on the xcountry ski trails, is that lots of folks don't realize how poorly cats--tuckers or LMCs--do when sidehilling. Either the down hill track gets totally buried and it tips even more or, worse, you start having your track come off the guides...and then the fun really begins. Pleasure cruising on a flat forest road or on a previously packed side hill is easy. Carving out a road that you know is there underneath deep loose snow on a side hill is entirely another. The solution? A good front blade you can tilt to level out the road and get more snow under the downhill track.
 
im assuming when you talk about lmc products side hilling you are referring to the smaller machines like the 1500 as the alpine groomers like the 2100 do pretty good and go about any direction you steer them, the down the down side being where they fit at over 12 feet wide. any deep non drifted snow that sits for a long time will turn to sugar which changes the whole dimension of how things preform as the crystals become rounded and wont lock together it equates to driving on bb's
 
Blade ??? Isn't the concept OVER the snow travel ?? I've put hundreds and hundreds of miles each season over the last three yrs and haven't used a blade once. I go pretty much where ever I want and spend a lot of time in two mountain ranges in Wy. The Bighorns have the deepest drifts. Lots of wind drifts the roads in really bad. If I had to plow to get through that's all I would ever do. I prefer to have fun and go where I want. The snowmobiles are what will really get you. They tend to compact a 4' wide path with deep powder on both sides. Will make you a good driver quickly. Here's a video of us going to an old fire tower a couple weeks ago. Lost the road a couple times but no big deal. Lots of side hilling also but also no big deal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyejjpylwss
 
Snowtrac Nome said:
im assuming when you talk about lmc products side hilling you are referring to the smaller machines like the 1500 as the alpine groomers like the 2100 do pretty good and go about any direction you steer them,
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Yep, Don, I guess I was thinking more about the smaller machines. But even our 1800 can get into trouble pretty fast in deep stiff on a side hill with no road to help keep it more level. And, even putting aside the snow issues, if you get an LMC sideways at much of an angle it'll start to come out of its tracks....that's even with the tracks good and tight. More than once I'vehad to get tracks back on an L out in the middle of nowhere, in dep snow, injanuary temps....
 
lumping out of tracks are my worst fear I have only done it once on the 2100 that was on tundra where the track was twisted tightly and I was backing up. my other problems with side hilling have been related to wheel studs both front and rear I have upgraded to 9/16 grade 8 bolts with no more problems.
 
I tried to find a picture that would show the angle of the road cut on the road in to our cabin. This is as good as I could find. I can promise you that not even our big groomer ( LMC 3700 CF ) can handle this side hill with out plowing it to a more manageable angle.

Cletis I did watch the video's of your small snow cat, and I am impressed how well it does get around. Much better than the Razors with the quad add on tracks.
 

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Thanks Tatman. If you think about it, when they started putting out machines with factory blades, they kind of made the machines utilitarian, getting a bit away from true OVER snow travel machines so if you have to plow to get through does it really matter which machine you buy? Kinda like plowing a parking lot with a Ford or Chevy. One might start looking at the blade configuration also to make the best choice as if it has to have a blade then basically it has to have a compacted base to make it through. Two tracks have too many negatives for me for mt powder but I really think a Spryte would be hard to pass up. A Spryte on an extreme diet could be a decent mt machine.
 
most blades are easy to take on and off, but it is much safer to level the road than to risk a roll or get stranded. One of the back roads to our place drifts in every day. It is dificult to get in on a snow mobile unless the road is leveled. Impossible if you are a beginner.

Here is a pic of one of the areas that drifts in daily. It is hard to see, but the right side of the road was built up while the left side was dug out. Where the right side of the track ends would have been the top of the snow and drops off to the right at an angle, after plowing there is more level area to right. The snow can get very light, so light you can not make a snow ball. The cat wants to slide down when side hilling in these conditions. Sometimes the snow density is so low the growsers will not bite into the snow to drive back up to the road.

I have video of a LMC 3700 CF that is stuck on nearly level ground in this area. The tracks both spin, but the snow is so deep and light it is basically high centered on a very slight incline.
 

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I see no down sides of 2 track verses a 4 track model and both my 2 track models out preform a bv 206. I like the tucker 4 track for ride quality but unless you get a modern terra the tuckers aren't any faster than most of the 2 track models with some of them being faster. finding a blade on a 2 track will be a lot less work than finding a tucker with a blade and passenger compartment. I think you should look at your requirements about snow conditions and agility than buy what suits you the best for the amount of money your putting out. there are some nice pb hydro drive machines out there for an affordable price also to upgrade to a blade is relatively in expensive compared to a tucker. Tucker makes a great machine with a good support network. the, Thiokol family machines were good and are still in use today ,the pb and bombardier are still around too . all these machines are excellent choices when equipped for your conditions. if you want to use then where they weren't intended to be used like I do you will find your self modifying it. I would suggest not confining your self to one brand only but do some home work and see what is available out there and also see what others are successfully using. see if you can tag along on a ride and evaluate what works best and than go shopping. when looking for a larger machine I had a requirement of simplicity and no computers the Thiokol 2100 met my needs just right and they were quite affordable too. I give you this example so you can make a decision that will best fit your needs . I would still like to look into a tucker to have a good platform to rent out to the film industry. likely I wont buy one until I sign a deal, but you never know some day soon I may need another wright off.
 
tomelroy said:
most blades are easy to take on and off, but it is much safer to level the road than to risk a roll or get stranded. One of the back roads to our place drifts in every day. It is dificult to get in on a snow mobile unless the road is leveled. Impossible if you are a beginner.

Here is a pic of one of the areas that drifts in daily. It is hard to see, but the right side of the road was built up while the left side was dug out. Where the right side of the track ends would have been the top of the snow and drops off to the right at an angle, after plowing there is more level area to right. The snow can get very light, so light you can not make a snow ball. The cat wants to slide down when side hilling in these conditions. Sometimes the snow density is so low the growsers will not bite into the snow to drive back up to the road.

I have video of a LMC 3700 CF that is stuck on nearly level ground in this area. The tracks both spin, but the snow is so deep and light it is basically high centered on a very slight incline.
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that would be neat to see no body ever sticks up their o shits, just their superman shots. and usually I'm too busy trying to figure out how to get out of my o shit when I do one.
 
Well that's bad news. The only reason I got the LMC was to rescue the Tucker when it gets stuck!!!! This is our old Tucker running on the flat in 70 inches of new snow. ( it has two jump seats in the back and can carry 4) The people in the back are pretty cramped like the seats in the first extended cab pickups. That's why I bought the new Tucker. Getting to many complaints from the wife as it seemed when ever we take someone with us she ends up sitting in the back. I have posted this video before. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVBxQkI9HTw
 
That would be weird. I have been in fresh deep snow where the tracks were buried for over half the length but the PB200 still moved along no problem. Also had some deep wet stuff that built up on the sprockets so bad the tracks became banjo tight. I had to keep stopping and chisel them off.
 
I haven't had a chance to get into real deep stuff with the 2100 yet as the last 2 winters have kind of sucked wet I was up in one of the passes earlier this year and the Thiokol had no problem with 6 feet of fresh powder.
 
wbuffetjr1 said:
Thank you, definitely great info!! Anyone know how hard it would be to add a blade to a Tucker?? After looking extensively at old listings it seems finding a great low hour machine, with four doors and a blade is somewhere between rare and uncommon?? Any suck thing as finding a Tucker blade that has been taken off? Thank you all for the info.

We actually have to go a little over 10,000' to get to there and then drop down to 9,990 at the cabin.
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one tucker blade is for sale on the other forum grooming talk
http://s8.zetaboards.com/snowgroomingtalk/topic/8524488/1/#new
 
only if you have to have a tucker as you see other machines also have the same capability'
 
the best thing to do is buy a nice LMC/Thiokol/DMC cat with a blade, then keep your eyes open for the tucker with a blade. It is best to have more than one cat anyway!
 
Utah Wilson has had a hard time convincing his wife of that. seems to her a second cat is like a second wife. I have to admit even though I can only drive one at a time I like having 2.
 
Snowtrac Nome said:
only if you have to have a tucker as you see other machines also have the same capability'
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I admit I am limiting my options by being close minded BUT I want a Tucker.

tomelroy said:
the best thing to do is buy a nice LMC/Thiokol/DMC cat with a blade, then keep your eyes open for the tucker with a blade. It is best to have more than one cat anyway!
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Haha! I could POSSIBLY convince the wife that we need two cats once we live out there. It definitely wouldn't fly while we still live in Atlanta. You should have heard the sales pitch I gave her for one cat! lol

I have not entirely given up on adding a blade to the right Tucker. I am still on the hunt for the bracket that goes from the front axle to the frame and the correct front bracket for a 1644 front engine. If I could find those two things I wouldn't be scared to take on adding one.
 
On my 4th snowcat,hang in there and wait for what you want(way too much hassle to always try and modify everything like I used to do!):neutral:
 
wbuffetjr1 said:
I admit I am limiting my options by being close minded BUT I want a Tucker.



Haha! I could POSSIBLY convince the wife that we need two cats once we live out there. It definitely wouldn't fly while we still live in Atlanta. You should have heard the sales pitch I gave her for one cat! lol

I have not entirely given up on adding a blade to the right Tucker. I am still on the hunt for the bracket that goes from the front axle to the frame and the correct front bracket for a 1644 front engine. If I could find those two things I wouldn't be scared to take on adding one.
Click to expand...

wbuffetjr, If you are blading a road with the hill up on the left and the hill down on the right, you will do OK with a blade on a front engine Tucker. When you have to blade on a reverse hill side situation it becomes harder to do as you can't see that side. The engine behind the operator makes blade work a breeze but you may not have the passenger room you need.
Nice to know before you buy, go use the machine you buy or one like it.
 
that's a good point, with my Thiokol I have the engine up front but I am able to see both sides. sitting in an engine forward tucker would give a real challenge to see where your right side track is, makes it real easy to run a track right off the edge of a shelf.
 
I have been operating snow vehicles for 40 years. I started in Thiokol 1404, DMC/LMC 1450, LMC 1500, Pisten Bully 100, and now a Tucker Terra 2000XL. The only machines I have had blades on are the PB100, LMC 1500, and the Tucker. Most of my time has been in Northern California and Nevada in what is known as Sierra Cement and all of my time is in the back country going to communications sites.

I purchased the Tucker because of the great ride, quite, and it's deep snow ability. I have to admit that I had to learn how to operate the Tucker after all my experience in 2 track machines. I found you do not operate a Tucker like a two track machine, and yes I have been stuck in the Tucker. I have never been stuck so bad that I couldn't get out with a little shoveling or winch. The one thing the is obvious is the high CG. It will not side-hill anything like a 2 track machine. Hence the need for a blade. I can however run in deep snow that a two track machine would struggle with. Most of my customers are much more comfortable with cutting a road in either type on machine.

It's a decision you will have to make for your conditions. We tow our Tucker all over to many different sites, and it's a great machine. There are at least five Tuckers here in the Truckee area. Four are used to get to cabins, and mine is the only one that works for a living,, I think.

Here are a few of pictures of our Sno-Cat at work.
 

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Here is a link to a video of my Tucker coming down a hill. The YouTube video of the Tucker at Dyer Mt in deep snow is a site we go to, but the video belongs to and was taken by another communications company. I think they like their Tucker!

[ame="www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJbemv8MJwc"]www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJbemv8MJwc[/ame]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5xymCB2i-Q

Good Luck!
 
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