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Just bought a Tucker 1643, have a few questions?

K

km2000

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Hello! my name is Kenny, Ive lurked here for a few months since being bitten by the snowcat bug last year. I recently purchased this Tucker 1643 and could not be happier! I wanted to give a special thanks to Blackfoot Tucker, I went and looked at this super imp he was selling a month or so ago. I decided not to buy it but he could not have been nicer to me! Took me back and showed me the tuckers he and Scott were working on and it just blew me away! I realized I wanted a tucker after seeing his. He sent me several links for tuckers being sold over the past month to 2, and was a wealth of knowledge answering my newbie questions on these machines. His passion (or illness as he calls it lol) is infectious! It's not often you meet good guys that are willing to help, so wanted to give him a big shout out and let him know how helpful it was to me. Hope I can be that same kind of helpful resource for others in the future one day.
I didnt grow up working on cars or motors etc so a lot of this is new to me, but I have a deep desire to learn/understand the ins and outs of these machines. I think this will be a fun project for me to work on and fix up. Some of the gauges are not working, so I'm planning to go through and maybe clean up the wiring. Theres a few little mysteries here and there I'm trying to sort out, but mechanically this thing looks like it's in great shape and has very minimal wear for its age. I had a few questions after looking through this rig, and wondered if anyone could lend some advice.
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Q1-On the dash I see this gas tank light / switch, do any of you know what this is for? The machine has one 55 gallon tank, my initial thought was that it would be for switching between tanks or something, but it only has one?
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Q2- Did these tuckers come with heated side mirrors? I see these wires running into the side mounted mirrors and can only deduce that is what they are used for? cant seem to find a switch for them, but I am sure I'll figure it out once I start going through things.
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Q3-This machine came with the factory 6 way blade on front. Ive just been curious how much weight this adds tot he front of the machine? anyone have an idea how much the blade and mount weighs?
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Q4-What kind of tools do you guys recommend to keep in the snocat for emergency situations? I just wanted to put together an emergency kit for mechanical issues that can go wrong when out and about. I've got the ratchet set and screw drivers, wrenches etc, but figured a grease gun would be handy and probably track jacks. Maybes theres a link in the forum here where this has already been discussed. I just wanted to get a good idea of the tools and parts I should have on hand.


Q5- It has dana 70 rear end. I see on the dash it has an aftermarket switch for a compressor and rear locker. The switches don't work right now, but I assume this hose coming out of the rear end is for the locker right? I cant seem to find the compressor on this thing for the life of me, but wondered if there was a standard place the compressors are generally mounted? the hose runs up through the bottom of the cab, I haven't ripped out the flooring yet to trace it but wondered if anyone had any ideas?
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Any help would be greatly appreciated. My apologies in advance, I am sure these are basic questions but I'm excited to be part of the forum here, and plan to attend some of the Snowcat events this next year! I hope to be able to contribute more here as I learn. This forum has helped me tremendously over the past few months in my research. It's fun see so many others who share this passion.
 
Kenny,

Welcome to the forum, and thanks for the kind words!

There are a lot of knowledgeable folks on here, and don't be shy about asking questions. Forum member 1BG (One Boring Guy) has a similar vintage Tucker, and he'll be a great resource for information (Super nice guy).

I'll try and answer your questions....

- The switch with the gas pump symbol is probably for an auxiliary electric fuel pump. Your engine should have a mechanical fuel pump, but the auxiliary pump can supply gasoline to the mechanical pump if your machine is at more extreme angles when the mechanical pump might otherwise struggle.

- Heated mirrors were added by a previous owner. If you look at the order sheet, at the top of the third column from the left it lists "Grote 16023" as the mirror part number, and next to that, under "Heated", it says "No". Googling "Grote 16023": it shows the mirror head to be unheated.

- I have a photocopy of an early Tucker brochure for the factory six-way blade. (Tucker called it a "Sno-Dozer, BTW.) I remember they listed the weight of the blade and supporting framework at 425 pounds. Is that accurate? I don't know. A 1600 series machine with long tracks requires a longer frame than 1500 series machine, so it would weigh a bit more.

- If you have a Tucker track jack, you're lucky. I think you can buy them from Tucker, but they are obscenely expensive.

- The order sheet says "No" about the axles having lockers, so I would assume the rear locker was added by a previous owner. (I think Tucker also installs them in both axles rather than just one.) I'm almost certain the dash switch controls a relay that sends power to the compressor. The compressor itself would require some serious amperage, so there should be a fuse for it as well.

Congratulations on getting what looks like a spectacularly nice machine! A long track, three door with factory blade is the Holy Grail of Tuckers to many, and finding one in such nice shape is probably on par with winning the lottery (okay, maybe that's a bit of a stretch).

Attending a snowcat event is a lot of fun. It's great to meet the folks behind their screen names, and there are many genuinely nice people on the forum.
 
Q3-This machine came with the factory 6 way blade on front. Ive just been curious how much weight this adds tot he front of the machine? anyone have an idea how much the blade and mount weighs?

"3" way :D 1 way for each axis of adjustment ;)
Might be able to find an old parts list or manual that has the #lbs on it, but I would guess somewhere ~1100lbs just using my welders mental calculations. A blade is invaluable to have in the backcountry on remote roads, both from a nocking over wind drifts, but also for grading out roads on the side of a hill. If you got property to access that has an exposed road alongside a hill to get there, you'll be glad you have a blade! If all your driving on is open flat terrain or groomed trails, you could probably afford to ditch it.

Q1-On the dash I see this gas tank light / switch, do any of you know what this is for? The machine has one 55 gallon tank, my initial thought was that it would be for switching between tanks or something, but it only has one?

Open up the switch panel and follow the wires! If I were to guess looks like a factory switch, probably was there in the event to flip on an auxiliary tank, which your Tucker didn't come with.

Q5- It has dana 70 rear end. I see on the dash it has an aftermarket switch for a compressor and rear locker. The switches don't work right now, but I assume this hose coming out of the rear end is for the locker right? I cant seem to find the compressor on this thing for the life of me, but wondered if there was a standard place the compressors are generally mounted? the hose runs up through the bottom of the cab, I haven't ripped out the flooring yet to trace it but wondered if anyone had any ideas?

If you don't have onboard air pressure the switch won't work, and by extension the locker won't work. The ARB switch should be hooked up to an air compressor and by switching it on the compressor turns on to build up pressure, ARBs have an internal pressure relay that will shut off once you hit around 120sih PSI. You typically need around 70-100PSI to run an air locker, there should be a small air tank somewhere on the cat and an onboard compressor, follow the air lines and you'll find it! Unless someone removed it at some point, you can buy inexpensive 12V ARB and wire it up pretty simple. The switch itself should go to a an air relay valve somewhere in the cat, power the relay opens it up allowing air to go to locker, power off the relay closes and opens up a vent to release the pressure built up in the line, releasing the locker.


Welcome to the Tucker club! You got a pretty solid machine from the looks of things, you're going to learn alot :)
 
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great machine you got yourself, well done, impressive to say the least

Blackfoot Tucker will most likely be your very best source of knowledge and help, BFT is a fine gentleman and most generous with his knowledge and all
honestly Jack, '1boring guy' is pretty awesome also,
between the two of them, they absolutely got you covered and will answer every question you have without hesitation
they will be your best friends for life
 
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Welcome km2000,

Congrats great looking machine, that's a hens tooth for sure.

Well if this is a sickness, you've found the ICU, only sort of in reverse you know. All the help you get here just makes you sicker 🙂

Second the fact, that when it comes to belted track Tuckers you'd have a tough time finding anyone more knowledgeable or capable than BFT and Scott. You're in good hands there.

If you haven't run across it yet here is the thread on my rebuild of a 1989 1644c; https://www.forumsforums.com/threads/1989-tucker-1644c.86868/
You might find some useful information there.

Yours is a c model cab as is mine, Tucker started those in the early 80s, and mine has the same switch in the number 11 location. I think the wiring was a little bit standardized by this point in time, anyway mine works an auxiliary electric fuel pump as BFT described. Factory mount of the pump on mine is under the front of the engine passenger side.

Mine also has a factory blade, and I would guess the 425lbs mentioned above is close.

Also, someone correct me if I'm wrong, in the picture of the blade it looks like ice breaker wheels in the second position from the front on both sides. I don't think they will serve that function in that position.
 
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Well thank you for the comments and answers to my questions, that gives me a big head start on things.

1Boringguy, I looked through that thread for your 1644c, there's a ton of info in there! I just skimmed over it, but I think that'll be a great resource for me as well, thanks! Noted on the aux fuel pump, and the location. As far as your comment on the ice breaker wheels, is that what those are? I thought it was a replacement of the idler wheel, hence the different color? I thought the ice breaker wheels were generally white and made off of the harder materiel? Here's a better shot of the side, maybe someone can clarify.. The ice breakers go in the rear position correct?
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Pontoon princess, thank you for the kind words. In the little time I have spent here Ive read a lot of your posts, they've been very helpful!

Bennyboy, thanks for your help as well. So why does truck call this a 6 way blade? the 3 axis explanation makes more sense as you said. lol, I admit its been confusing for me to figure out out the differing functions of an 8 way blade and the 6 way blade? from what I understand the 8 way blades have the side 'flaps'( for lack of a better term?) that can be brought in and out like you see on the larger groomer machines. I'm pretty stoked to have a blade on this, I'll be doing a fair bit of travel on the wind drifted roads next year so it should make navigating those much easier. I'm sure I'll track down the compressor on here this weekend, I haven't had much time to go through this yet, but hopefully it's just a bad fuse. Thanks for your comments and feedback.

Blackfoot Tucker - I sincerely appreciate the help and guidance! you sent me the link for this machine less then an hr after it got listed for sale and told me if I was interested to call asap. I did and I think thats the only reason I got to take this home with me.
I'll trace the wires back on the heated mirrors and see how they are powering them, I think the switch may be linked to the flasher light on top of their cab by the looks of it. I am kinda curious to see what the heating element in the mirror looks like? I noticed on my maiden voyage they do get a bit of snow and ice thrown on them, so should be good to have. As far as the track jack goes, I saw a post on here from a member that had fashioned up a heavy duty racket strap that looked like it would be a easy cost effective way to mimic the jack.
I think 'Sno-dozer' sounds a lot cooler than a 6 way blade, so maybe I'll start referring to the whole blade assembly using that terminology lol. I'll bet you're right though, it prob weighs a bit more the the stated 425lbs. It increases the length and weight of the machine, but I'm sure I'll be happy I have it once I get into some more wind drifted areas.

Thanks for the feedback guys, much appreciated!
 
Km2000,

I'm not the foremost expert, but I believe there are earlier and later versions of de-icer wheels. These are a later version. Maybe someone has used them as just another idler wheel, but if you have them why not have them doing the job. Take your finger nail and check the hardness of the black ones and the de-icer wheel. It's a noticeable difference. And yes should be on the rear wheel location of the track carrier as I understand. I'm not up on the earlier versions but someone here will be.
 
Kenny,

1BG is absolutely correct. Over the years Tucker has used different de-icer wheel configurations. The white ones I believe you're thinking of were a modular wheel with a steel center section and plastic rings that bolted to it. When the rings wore down, you could buy new rings. (I'm quite sure Tucker used UHMW plastic for the rings.) Tucker no longer carries replacement rings, though they can be made without too much difficulty. For a number of years in the eighties the de-icer wheels were made of a dark purple urethane, which is what yours look like. Later on they used a blue colored material which I believe is also urethane.

The actual Tucker track jacks are a simple design that works very well. They're made to use a 1/2" drive ratchet/breaker bar/impact wrench and there's a telescoping center section using a length of threaded rod with an acme thread. At each end of the jack they have a bracket that's about six inches wide with two roughly 1/2" diameter slightly bent rods that extend about four inches. The rods grab the grouser on each side of the center ice cleats. As you pull the track tighter, it pulls both sides evenly. (There was an earlier version of the Tucker track jack that was based on an old-school automotive bumper jack from the days of chrome steel bumpers.)

The Thiokol track jack system uses two jacks, one on each side of center. I've used both Thiokol and Tucker track jacks, and really prefer the Tucker design. (In theory I have one at Scott's shop, but it's been MIA for a couple of years.) My only gripe is there isn't much to the Tucker track jacks, yet they're surprisingly costly. The ratchet strap method requires two straps, one on each side of center. It works okay, but the no-kidding track jack is significantly nicer.

It's one of those "right tool for the job" situations, and once you use a Tucker jack, going back to ratchet straps is frustrating.
 
to the point of inferior thiokol track jack design, Should you get an over the snow machine as opposed to a thru the snow machine one jack in the center is tough as the outside belts don't get enough tension to draw up. I my opinion the track jacks that grab the outsides of the grousers are the best and do the least amount of stretching of the belts. Thiokol 601 jacks.. hands down the best. tuckers jacks are second and the generic c clamp jacks from bombardier are a simply just ok. The beauty of a tucker are the simplicity of perceived straight driving. over the snow machines will tend to drift left or right if the track tension is not proper.

$.02 unsolicited no less. 8-)
 
to the Point of the ice breaker. the second from the front looks to be a different material, Shove a philips screw driver into it firmly, If it leaves a plus sign it is not an ice breaker. the replacement wheels from fall line are typically yellow, the guy in MN has that off tanish color the guy in maine is typically black. Tuckers RK wheel ice breaker is a blueish green color in the early 2000s' and has become bluer since. they are currently bright blue.

there are two grousers in this thread. One is the HD one is standard, should you see a thin line start to develop along the top, consider hard surface welding them before they begin to fatigue to failure.
one thing that the current crowd of belted tucker owners have gotten away from is the ice kiels, for many years tucker sold weld on kiels. they are very important to proper operation. your machine may have a bit of a shake to it. (on firm surfaces) that is not normal. grousers in good shape have a leading and trailing edge on the center tab can only be described as a manual hand can opener.
as the grouser comes over the front idler a single point makes contact with the ground/snow. as the weight comes onto the grouser you get a gentle loading and smooth rotation to the flat position where the other end of the tang engages the ground. when the grouser is allowed to where as low as both examples in this thread they slap onto the ground like an unstable ankle. Somewhere in one of my piles of surplus parts I have a handful of NOS weld on replacement keels. If you ever ride in a rubber belted tucker that has good grousers you will think it is a roller cat.


$.02 of useless drivel
 
"I am kinda curious to see what the heating element in the mirror looks like?" I had to replace a heated mirror on a fire engine. for a well north of $140K engine, I was disappointed. there were 3 bayonet tail lights soldered together and held in place by silicon seal on the back of the mirror.
 
I have heated tucker mirrors for a 2007-2014 2000 XL tucker, I see a little orange pad in there, like the chicken waterer heater style.
 
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