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Painting a snowcat a new color???

BigAl

BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
OK .... Heres the deal .
Most older snowcats seem to be painted in basic safety orange or red of one shade or another . I am sure it was for visibilty and safety reasons that most factories did this .
Now we have better 2 way radio's ,GPS, new safety colors avalible , and better light systems . Why are we still going with orange or red ?

With the safety lights avalible today it seems like you could paint a snowcat any color you want and it could be seen for miles coming or going .

I switched colors on my KT7 to match my tow hauler Ford and besides I did not like the original red to begin with .

I have been kicking around the basic safety red for the Kristi KT4 when it is completed ,but I just am not sold on the color yet. Whats wrong with Black or another color ? Or a nice "blush Rose" to go with Bob S's shorts and knee socks ??
 
I was kicking around blue, but now I am thinking a nice forest green would be nice. Perhaps not the best color for a search and rescue vehicle in a pine forest, but hey, mine is a toy not some sort of an emergency vehicle.
 
Funny you should bring that up, as I have been agonizing over that same thing. I was thinking Black with yellow accents - met a fellow with a nice rig painted marroon with nice white pinstripping - looked hot! But then I think maybe I will paint it Polaris yellow to match my quad with tracks or my yellow Skidoothat I sometimes load piggyback - I have a yellow Bombardier so it might go, or it might be too much! Go figure

How about painting the top of the cab a good "locating" color similar to emergency vehicles and public trasportation.
 
All the radios, GPS units lights ect ect dont work if you have no power. Aircraft still wind up missing. Hikers with radios sat phones cell phone and Gps units still disappear. The bright colors are alot easier to spot from the air than natural tone colors. Even your Burgandy will be hard to spot unless its completely out in the open. Any type of cover and it will be very difficult to find. BUT even the brightest colors mean squat if they get covered by snow. In one of my winter survival / snowcat schools Art Seeley holds, he has a picture of a snowcat that was caught in an avalanche. They located it quickly since a small section was actually visable. The operator was alive but when the rescuer (not Art) after determining he was not physically hurt, he ran back about 100 feet and took a picture. The operator who was stuck in the cab was pretty pissed off! Anyway I choose bright colors since they are easier to spot from the air and by ground rescue crews. For personal use I would even reccomend this high visability color even more. For me when I work with the phone co. we always had a set route (usually only one way in and out). Several people knew where we were going and we had a call in system. After a certain amount of time with no contact then all kinds of shit hit the fan. Other snowcats would be called out. Helicopters would be redied if needed and all kinds of help would be orginized. For most of us we dont have that kinda power to yield at a moments notice. The best we have is the local search and rescue. BUT if "NO"one knows your stuck or broke down ect ect where does that leave you? Do you leave a route plan and a call in schedule? What color cat do you want if your stuck and stranded in -30 below with all your loved one with you? Neon orange or forest green? My 2 cents! (for ice queen who displays her military vehicles she is the exception to the rule)
 
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Snowcat Operations,

Since I am an old, out of shape guy with really short legs you have made a compelling argument for bright colors. The older I get - the older I want to get. You have convinced me - I am going with a fesh coat of original yellow paint. Guess I just have to settle for some colorful needle work on the upholstery!
 
Thought I would chime in on this matter. We feel we have found a happy medium to this quandry. We try to stay with the traditional colors 1) because of visibility and 2) to keep the cats somewhat "correct". So we have put a twist on the traditional colors. For example instead of using a solid safety orange we will use Pearl escent orange. Or we will put a lime green tinted clear coat over yellow metallic or orance metallic. You still have the visibility but up close in the sun these cats really stand out! Look into custome car magazines for great ideas!
Marc:thumb:
 
How about this? paint your cat a color that pleases you and will reasonably contrast with the terrain. Then include a dayglow orange help banner in your survival kit and drape it over the roof when needed. It could also double for shelter in the right situation.
 
As long as your able to actually drape it over. Must also be abled to be tied down rather securley as well. High winds and all ect ect. A pole mounted HELP sign would be great as well. Have a string to it so you can shake it to dislodge any snow and make it visable again.
 
Especially with older machines I've always liked factory color. I wouldn't paint a John Deere tractor purple, a Caterpillar earthmover pink, or a Fire truck blue either. That being said, somebody please paint your snowcat purple with pink pokadots and a blue flame job. Tastefully, I mean.
 
Here's a tough situation though... the Thiokol 601's used by the Air Force were a darkish blue (as seen in the Weatherby's 601 Restore). Of course the original design color was orange and then when the Air Force took a liking to the 601 they adopted it in blue. For those of us cherrying out our cats that have different paint designs it's difficult to make the decision...keep it 100% original and risk life and limb (depending on how you use your cat of course), or modify the 'originality' to go to a safe orange?

Difficult decision but mileage varies depending on how far a person takes their cat, the radio gear, etc...all the stuf SnOps discussed.

Interesting decisions.
 
The most important thing you can do everytime you go on an excursion in the great white outback is to have a "VERY" reliable person with your trip route, destination and times you are to contact them. If you do not check in with in reasonable time then they need to contact the local Search and Rescue group (a call to 911 will get the local SAR teams jumpen). Also we should establish who is closest to who with another good reliable snowcat. These people should get together anyway and establish an undersatnding that I will come and help you will you come and help me if needed relationship. This way if your local SAR teams dont have snowcats at least one that is kinda close is known about and could be called for help. I am willing to travel to help someone in need. So go ahead and paint your cat whatever color you want. I say paint it a bright color but its not my cat. The decision is yours. I was just trying to point out that if I were lost I would want every bit of help I can get! The most important thing you can do though is have someone know weather or not you are lost. Its kinda hard for someone to find you if they are not looking for you. I also carry flares, flare guns, dies (bright orange and red spread on the snow is kinda hard to miss from the air), flags, redundant comm gear (make sure your check in person has the frequencies you will be on) The list goes on and on. Maybe we should go over this as I set up one of my cats? Anyway its just one piece of a big puzzle. If you want the original historical element of your cat to be brought out then do it! BUT if it were me I would go bright. Thats all.
 
That's excellent advice. It'll be a hard decision but how about a compromise?
Maybe I'll paint my roof the most brilliant orange I can find and then the rest will be the original Air Force blue. ????

Who knows...an option.
 
See if your local SAR or Sherriffs dept has a plane or helicopter. OR if there is a local air patrol unit stationed close by. If not then dont bother with a bright roof. Go all Air Force Blue. I would paint a big Airforce logo on the roof that matched the era the Airforce had the thiokol. That would be cool if anyone saw it and still be visable as long as no snow was on it from the air. We have started to set up a snowcat club with members world wide here on the Forums. Maybe we can have a check in section and have other members (myself included) establish a watch on whos out in there cats? This in addition to your local Check in person would seem to be a good way to make sure your back home warm and cozzy in bed instead of cold and freezing in your broke down or lost cat.
 
Air Force blue with a bright orange air force star on top. That should really contrast and stand out. No one on the ground would notice the star on top except from above and in the air....:thumb:
 
Yea, I think it's probably the best option for me for the 601.
I'll take the air/land risk issue so i can maintain enough originality while attempting to save my hide. ;)

In reality I don't need much emergency coloring given I'm only using it for cabin access a couple of miles in. But, as I get more adventurous then I'd like to have planned for emergency purposes so the AirForce Markings/Orange roof with Blue body should suffice.

I plan on a very healthy (or unhealthy?) dose of radio gear, GPS, satellite internet, extra battery power, extra fuel cell, small Honda generator, etc...so should be ok for whatever I can lose myself in. :pat: I just need to add that on without losing too much original look so it will all be 'stealth' cosmetics internally. Externally it will have to be a slimline 'lump' on the roof with antennae, of course. The lump will have to be orange, of course.

Anybody ever heard of some sort of telescoping aerial device that could extend maybe 60 feet with a low-frequency strobe on top? That would be kind of interesting.
 
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Dont get the space blankets that are all nice and folded either. In Sub zero weather when you try and unfold them you get 52 nice rectangular peices! Get the kind that are rolled up and have the orange side that Bob P is taliking about. Also dont just get the shiney on both sides ones. In snow the nice reflective mirror like surface turns white! I have a thread under survival gear. I have details on the kits inside.
 
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