New "ORANGE " part II

[loggah]

Well i guess i could keep my eyes open for it !!! Those are some pretty nice pictures, the one under power is great! The other day i finished building my "temporary" skis for the tucker and trailer. The Tucker purists might not think much of them tho! I used 1/4" x9" steel plate with an Oak stiffener in the middle. I bent the ends up identical to the wooden ones i had as a pattern, i bent them cold with a come along and then stress relieved them with a torch so they stayed in position,and then welded on the steel brace. I tried to bend them back and they didn't want to move so there good to go . When i heated them i got a lot of color,like case hardening,now if i could only do that to a bunch of my old Winchesters i would be rolling in cash !!!!! Heres a few pics of the finished "temporary" skis !

 

[loggah]

After really looking at those picture,im thinking that Franconia tucker is being used in Belmont , at Gunstock in the Lakes region,and it sure looks like old Fritzie running it. Im thinking Gunstock bought that Franconia machine and hadnt repainted it yet !!! The background just doesn't look at all like Franconia Notch.

 

[Track Addict]

Thought it was a little flat in the background also .

Nice skis best of both worlds. Think we can allow some modern wear improvements. Was just thinking today after your fiberglass ski comment I wonder why you don't use steel?

 

[loggah]

I went back and looked thru the "Tuckers in Nashua N.H." thread! check out number 55 frame ,it shows Fritzie in the Franconia Notch snowcat in Belmont ,Guess it aint in my area anymore .

 

[Pontoon Princess]

good on the skis, look like they will last forever, and keep you on the sno

 

[loggah]

Jinn,There a bit heavier then the factory wooden ones. but they should slide better on packed snow.

 

[Pontoon Princess]

mr loggah think they will work just fine, as, pretty sure you are not traveling long distances and or to far into the back woods and untracked power sno, enjoy the adventure

 

[Track Addict]

Looked like a nice day for a re creation at Cannon this morning .6 degrees hope the heaters work well.

 

[loggah]

Pretty sure the Torpedo would be a little chilly up there today !

 

[Track Addict]

Don,

Friend my reached out to the Gregg family and I received this back today about your torpedo.


photo #4 looks exactly like the Original 1949 Cannon Mt. Tucker that my father sold to me back in 1970 or thereabouts...as it has that exactly wooden, slanted roof...and was given and delivered from me to Gary Cripps in Holderness in June of 1989.

 

[loggah]

Brian, I been talking with David Gregg for a few years now,supposed to get together with him this spring for Tucker info. I been running both the Tuckers quite a bit getting the bugs out. One of these days i got to get Gary to come up and take a ride in his old machine,both tuckers are going good at the moment.

 

[Track Addict]

You must know about your other one being passed around also?

Glad you have the connection and this history is still told!

 

[DAVENET]

You know Don, without pics it's hard to determine how well those two cats are actually running!

 

[Pontoon Princess]

You know Don, without pics it's hard to determine how well those two cats are actually running!

and Mr Net, photos of your machine would be nice, love to see how you are coming along...

 

[loggah]

Well, The tuckers are doing O.K., but my photographer has been sick for about three weeks !!!! cold with coughing fits.The first nice warm day that she will come out of the house i will have her take pictures. I have a road across from my house that goes up to my brothers camp,been going up and down it ,it has a pretty steep grade in the beginning ,and so far no problems. I do need to put some teflon or something on the skis whenever i stop they try to freeze down.

 

[DAVENET]

and Mr Net, photos of your machine would be nice, love to see how you are coming along...

I've run into a snag on my ice tracks (that I quizzed Sno-Drifter about)that has me at a temporary halt. 90% of the roller holes in the grousers are full round holes w/ no flat spot to hold the bearing stud. It appears to be that the nuts may have loosened up a little, then rounded out the hole. Previous owner "fixed' by welding the stud to the grouser. which may have been fine, until the tack weld broke. So . . . sorting out an effective way to add weld to create a perch, file it flat, then continue on.

 

[Pontoon Princess]

mr loggah, sir,

have you thought about using the factory supplied landing gear to raise the skis up...

 

[loggah]

They freeze down if i just stop on the trail for a few minutes !!! thats the problem with steel skis i guess. i do put the wheels down at night or when i put them in the building, the sled skis also freeze down also.my buddys horse logging scoots do the same thing,to break them loose he pulls of at an angle with the horses. I am looking at getting some dump truck body liner and bolting it to the bottoms with countersunk screws.

 

[Pontoon Princess]

oh yeah, forgot you built those fabulous "steel" skis,

maybe bring a torch with you, seat heaters for the skis, build a fire to boil some water, run them up onto some 2X4's or....

just order some new hickory wood skis from tuckerville

 

[sno-drifter]

They freeze down if i just stop on the trail for a few minutes !!! thats the problem with steel skis i guess. i do put the wheels down at night or when i put them in the building, the sled skis also freeze down also.my buddys horse logging scoots do the same thing,to break them loose he pulls of at an angle with the horses. I am looking at getting some dump truck body liner and bolting it to the bottoms with countersunk screws.

How about paint with bed liner.

 

[loggah]

Scott,Thats an idea ! i went to seem brother Ray thats a mechanic for the local power co. ,they have some plastic bucket truck tub liners that failed dielectric tests , i think i can cut strips out of it to screw to the steel bottoms.

 

[loggah]

Well i got my sticky,freezing ski problem licked i think ! I got a plastic bucket liner from my brother,that had been condemned and cut it into 8" wide strips. The plastic is about 3/8" thick .I drilled and tapped the steel skis and bolted the plastic on with flat head machine screws. about 20 screws in each ski ,and i did both tuckers. It has been warm and raining here for a couple days so i haven't tried them out yet ,but i'm sure it will work. I still have to do the trailer skis. Heres a few pictures.The first picture is work in progress,the second one laying on the track is ready to put back on.

 

[Track Addict]

No torpedos here today! Last know pic in service taken on echo lake down to the left.

Must have been quite an experience driving that up and down Cannon.

 

[sno-drifter]

They freeze down if i just stop on the trail for a few minutes !!! thats the problem with steel skis i guess. i do put the wheels down at night or when i put them in the building, the sled skis also freeze down also.my buddys horse logging scoots do the same thing,to break them loose he pulls of at an angle with the horses. I am looking at getting some dump truck body liner and bolting it to the bottoms with countersunk screws.

I don't know why I did not remember when you first talked about your skis. I put an epoxy coating on the skies on a one ton tow behind Tucker trailer back in the '70's.These are the factory hickory skis. I can't recall any conditions where the snow stuck to them but cold out here is usually in the 20's not the sub zero stuff you folks get. The product is called Gluvit https://www.westmarine.com/buy/travaco--gluvit-epoxy-waterproof-sealer--P004_120_005_503
We use it on drift boats aluminum and wood so that the boat slides over rocks rather than hanging up and gouging the hull. Might try it out before coating everything with it.