My Snow Cat Season Is Over

[mtntopper]

We have been snowed out and using the snow cat or snow machine to access our home since 12-15-07 until today 04-21-08. I started opening the road yesterday and in the process must destroy what is left of the snow trail. The Kubota L39 worked hard to move mostly heavy wet snow and slush up to about 3 foot deep from many parts of the road. I have a short section of road of about 3/8ths of a mile that still has 6 foot drifts and we are bypassing this by going through a neighbors property. It will be another couple weeks before I try to clear the snow in that section of trees.

Here is how I remove the snow cat trail that took so long to make and officially end my snow cat season and begin spring.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UurQAwB1eJY"]YouTube - snow plowing[/ame]

 

[howierd3866]

I think you need a bigger tractor and one with HEAT....glad it you today its like high 80's here....have fun Howard

 

[mtntopper]

I think you need a bigger tractor and one with HEAT....glad it you today its like high 80's here....have fun Howard

With my summer jobs on the mountain the Kubota L39 is a great size of tractor. If I had a cab it would be beat to pieces. As to heat what is that? I live in a winter environment which is year round, like it and dress accordingly. The L39 will go and do jobs where the larger tractors fear to tread. We do fencing, piling slash and other in jobs where this size is just right. If I need a bigger tractor the closest year round neighbor 12 miles down the road has a Case 580. We trade according to need on tractor use.

 

[Doc]

Your season ends just as my boating season begins. All you need now is a boat to really keep you busy in your off season.

The youtube video is not working for some reason.

Edit to add: Video working just fine. I was on another computer behind a proxy server that doesn't allow You Tube videos.

 

[fogtender]

We have been snowed out and using the snow cat or snow machine to access our home since 12-15-07 until today 04-21-08. I started opening the road yesterday and in the process must destroy what is left of the snow trail. The Kubota L39 worked hard to move mostly heavy wet snow and slush up to about 3 foot deep from many parts of the road. I have a short section of road of about 3/8ths of a mile that still has 6 foot drifts and we are bypassing this by going through a neighbors property. It will be another couple weeks before I try to clear the snow in that section of trees.

Here is how I remove the snow cat trail that took so long to make and officially end my snow cat season and begin spring.
YouTube - snow plowing

Wow, you either have a remote mike on the tractor, or that is one loud critter!!!

 

[Thiokol2track]

Your season ends just as my boating season begins. All you need now is a boat to really keep you busy in your off season.

The youtube video is not working for some reason.

Edit to add: Video working just fine. I was on another computer behind a proxy server that doesn't allow You Tube videos.

Doc, AMEN to the boating season ! Its been a pretty long winter, and time to put the Cats away, and bring the boats out to play!

 

[Pigtails]

Wow, you either have a remote mike on the tractor, or that is one loud critter!!!

Fog Tender, MT bought me a new camera and I was trying it out. It works better than our $700.00 one. Just a little Olympus FE digital camera. Pd $189.00 for it..

 

[mtntopper]

Wow, you either have a remote mike on the tractor, or that is one loud critter!!!

The tractor is not that loud, so the camera microphone must be super sensitive. It is a stock one year old Kubota. They are normally quiet but I was working it at about max rpms in the wet slushy snow.

 

[mtncrawler]

May 2nd, winter isn't over yet. At least not up high in Colorado.

 

[pixie]

You are so lucky, Mtncrawler

Our frost heaves are even gone

 

[Lyndon]

It snowed every day for the last 5 day's, since I got back to Prudhoe. It's also blowing. It's the "Real" ARCTIC Stuff too, like you see in the movies. 50 foot visability.There's a 12 foot snow drift that goes right up and over my office trailer. The drifts form really fast, and trucks easily get bogged down in them. There is a brand new Comoplast parked at S-Pad, here at Milne Pt., that is completely buried in a snow drift. When I went out to that pad, about 3 miles from the camp, to inspect some cables, there were several vehicles, all 4 wheel drive, stuck and blocking the road. After they pulled out the first 2, a third got stuck and the Pad Area Operator sent us all back to the camp. If I can get ahold of the company camera, I'll try and get a picture of the buried Snow Cat, if and when they let us out to go back to work. Spring is definately not here yet. All the Ice Roads are still open and in use, as is the Sea Ice road to NorthStar Island. Duty calls and I have to get back to work, but I'll make an effort to get some Pic's.

 

[Lyndon]

Well, No Pictures today! Phase 2!( All travel restricted to convoy's). All pad roads are closed, It's my office or the Camp.

 

[couchloafer]

I had the priveledge and pleasure of spending the day at Snowcat Pat's place yesterday. Still plenty of snow up in the mountains here in Idaho. Found several more areas of necessary maintance required on #447. Pat truely has a slice of heaven out his back door. We took a ride up in the Snow Trac to a place Pat calls Snowcat Peak. Pat and John snowboarded all the way back to Pat's back door. Was a very cool day. Thanks again Pat!!
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkf1-NpRfQM"]YouTube - May 10, 2008 Pat snow trac #447[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYCvDFSE4PY"]YouTube - May 10, 2008 John snow trac #447[/ame]
and here are Pat and John heading for home........
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BktXUxJ8wGI"]YouTube - May 10, 2008 Pat and John snow trac #447[/ame]

one of the coolest snow cats I have seen is this one Pat built from scratch, I believe he said around 20 years ago. Has a weisel rearend and a 302 V-8......that V-8 sounds really cool running in a snowcat (Pat please chime in if I have anything wrong)

 

[couchloafer]

Here are some pictures of Pat's cat.......

 

[couchloafer]

couple more pics

 

[mtncrawler]

I see alot of good potential ski lines in those trees!

 

[couchloafer]

Yep.........should be good for weeks to come, you should get some warm weather wax and get up here!

 

[Snowcat Pat]

It was great having Kevin and John come up with their Snow Trac, Thanks for the free ride to the top and for letting me drive that awesome little machine. The Snow Trac is as interesting as any snow vehicle I've ridden in, the variator is pure genius. And the ride... well I am studying that suspension! For 20 years I've been trying to tame the bouncing around in our "Big Imp" (or "The old '88" or "Frankenspryte").

I hope you will visit us again, and I'll drive a snowboard run for you!

Heres a few pics of Kevin driving down.
I learned photography from reading Powder Magazine.
I think your machine looks best with the snowboards on there.
-Pat

 

[Bobcat]

Same pictures with the typical Slow Trac 'exaggeration factor' removed. What next, blend out the winch cable?

 

[Snowcat Pat]

Our snowcat season is over too. We had one last excursion over to the base of Tiger Peak for a 2500 vertical feet hike and ride. But now the old '88 is sitting on boards to be washed off and put in the barn. It has a bunch of maintenance and upgrades to get this summer including 35 inch wide tracks. I want to put a small engine in it too. The 302/C4 auto has way too much power and the 3 mpg won't do anymore.

Just 'cause the snowcat season is over does not mean the snowboard season is done!

-Pat

 

[couchloafer]

LOL........Bob the only winch cable needing blended out would be the one attached to a Krusty to get it out into a place like Pat's backyard..........

 

[couchloafer]

Awesome pictures Pat........thanks for a great trip.....is the road clear enough to bring the drag out?

 

[Snowcat Pat]

I was able to drive the Subaru in for the first time this year about four days ago but now we are having a rain event. Plan to bring it out on a dry day minimize the impact on the road during the spring break up conditions.

I saw Snowcat Ops using a winch on this forum. I never have. I figured trying to pull a snowcat with a winch would snap the cable, but it worked for him.
I have pulled out a lot of snowmobiles with a snowcat. Ask John about that.

 

[mtntopper]

We got about 2 to 3 foot of wet heavy snow again last night. It is snapping trees and my regular 4X4 vehicles are worthless. I got the LMC 1200 out to pull the pickup out to clear the trees. I got up at 1 am this morning to the sound of trees snapping under the heavy snow load. We had trees snap and fall on both ends of Pigtails Jeep, but did no damage. It is still snowing, raining, sleeting and we have thunder mixed in for a chorus.

We also made a trip in the snow cat around the local neighborhood cabin area to check on a couple summer residents who are in their early 80's and stay at their cabin in the summer months. They just got here a couple days ago from Arizona and I do believe they arrived to soon. It will be a couple days before we can get our 4X4 vehicles to the main road. We did get them to openings in the trees to try to prevent trees from falling on them. We have one cracked leaner on the back of our home that laid over on the roof last night and is still there. To wet and nasty to anything but try to prevent more damage today.

The first pic was at about 1 am when I discovered the trees were snapping. The second pic was later today as the snow continues to stack up. Where is summer? I would even take a little global warming!!!

 

[XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq]

It's a strange weather front we are having out west. Last week went from the low 40's to the high 90's and now were back in the 40's again.

It's gonna be a crappy year for the garden.

 

[NorthernRedneck]

It's been raining/snowing on and off for the past month up here. I think we've only seen the sun about 4 days the past month. Crazy weather!