Snow Tracs in Wales, UK actually have snow to run on!!!

[Melensdad]

I got an email from ICE QUEEN in Wales. They actually have enough snow to run her Snow Tracs!!!

This might be the first time in the past 2 or 3 years?

I took the liberty of posting her photos for all to see I'll be going out to play a little later today, we've got 12" of snow due by the end of the day here.

 

[muleman]

It seems everyone over there is getting snow this week. Hope it lasts long enough to let her get some good runs in. Must be frustrating to have one and rarely get snow.

 

[Snowtrac Nome]

back a while back i was contemplating a big wheel conversion on my st-4 with a 2 band track i was looking to do something like ice queens snow trac she has the 2 band track with the big wheel any body know how this works i havn't had any more problems with the front bogies since they were gut apart abd rebuilt that front bogie does have limited travel i'm still thinking about trying it

 

[Melensdad]

Got an email from my sister, she got a foot of snow where she lives, just about 40 miles west of London.

And in another email from Ice Queen it appears that the coastal and higher elevations of Wales got more than she got, but she's still glad to have gotten what she got!

Here is another photo from Ice Queen, showing some of her yard toys. . .

 

[Alaska Snow Cat]

Man this global warming thing is worse than I thought!

 

[Ice Queen]

Thank you Bob for posting my photos for me. Here's one of the tracks in the snow, just to prove it does go! I am looking forward to seeing pictures of Bob's snowtrac out playing. We have had no snow for three or four days now and none is expected for a few days, just hope that this lot waits for the next.

 

[John Lumley]

I am in north east england and we have approx 2 feet everywhere and alot of deep drifts!! shame my snow trac is in the shed waiting for parts! should get them today though.

 

[Melensdad]

John, pretty country you have up there. We criss-crossed all of the English-Scottish border regions a couple times and that is some nice rolling green (we were there for the summer) land in your area.

Nice to see you get snow too. I was beginning to think that Ice Queen would never see any snow in her part of Wales, but it looks like all of the UK got some of the fluffy white stuff.

I was surprised to see PALM TREES in Wales when we went to visit Ice Queen!

 

[John Lumley]

Ah right where did you go? we are in the hills at blanchland. Yeah we get quite a bit up here most years as we are quite a high up hill farm, yes most of the uk has had a good covering. Its going to be here for a while yet as it is very cold.

 

[Melensdad]

Ah right where did you go?

Well we were in Edinburgh, Scotland and drove south to the border area, visited many small towns, including the town of HUME (also HOME) which is my wife's family's place of origin and has one of the early Hume Castles. That was on the Scottish side. But we sort of bounced around the whole area. Then a couple weeks later we ended up in York for a week and drove north and northwest from York to visit the sights. We are fans of history and we often spent whole days just walking through ruins of old castles, monestaries and cathedrals. Of course the Roman ruins along Hadrian's Wall, with the various forts and things were of interest too. So we visited both sides of the border lands along the Scottish/English border in the north and northeast.

Not sure yet, but we may be back there this year??? My sister now lives a short distance to the west of London, and we want to get back to see Anita (Ice Queen) in Wales again. We also want to get back up to Scotland, perhaps up to the islands along the northern coast and maybe up to Iceland too.

 

[Ice Queen]

I took the snowtrac out again today, we have had no more snow, but went to play in what we have. It stalled on me, a favourite occupation that it has, unless the choke is out most of the time and a foot on the accelerator. It is very difficult to start, usually I have to pour petrol in the top of the carburettor, I keep the air filter off because of this and keep my fingers crossed. It turns over very slowly, as though it has a flat battery, but this is not so - has anyone any ideas what I can do to cure this problem? Is the starter motor the problem, or do you think it is an earth problem? Any suggestions, anyone? Incidentally I borrowed the battery off my car and took it up the field, but it made no difference. I was wondering how I was going to get it back from the field (I don't like to leave it there in case the sheep start trimming bits off), but then it started and I managed to get it out of the field, but I do need to sort this problem out.

 

[Lyndon]

1)It is possible, and even likely that the problem is the starter bushing. It's a about 1 CM in diameter and lives IN the bell housing of the variator/transaxel. It supports the gear end of the starter motor. As it wears out the armature of the starter will start to rub the field winding. 2)If you have had the variator out, check to see that the braided ground strap that connects the body to the transaxel got put back on. 3)Try taking a volt meter and reading from the Negative Battery Terminal, to the Variator or engine block, then have someone try to start it. If you get any significant reading at all (ore than 1/2 a Volt)then you have a ground problem. Run a piece of #4 (Copper wire)or larger from the negative of the battery to the Variator or Engine. I generally used one of the holes that was designed for picking up the engine, but they are a bit hard to get to once the variator is assembled. They are on top/center of the engine very near where it mates to the Variator/Transaxel Bell housing. I hope this helps.

 

[aulen2002]

Try cleaning/adjusting the carb? That might fix the choke thing. My J5 cranks slow, but when the fuel hits, it fires and runs.

 

[John Lumley]

I would say it will almost definatly be the bush in the bell housing of the gearbox, when its worn out the starter earths out and does not spin over fast enough. My snow trac had the same problem, as soon as I changed the bush it was fine.

 

[John Lumley]

Got my new parts today to get my snow trac running so had a quick blast out, will be going on a propper run tomorrow.

 

[Snowtrac Nome]

i have had the same problem more like ice queens wouldnt crank warm but rols over good cold found bad field windings in te starter also if you have a timing problem pre ignition can also cause that along with a lot of your other problems if timing has changed die to point wear the other postes are right thouge the most common problem is the bushing being bad nt your rotor dragging on your stator

 

[Ice Queen]

Thanks for all the information, I will get someone to have a look at it when I can as I am not sure how to do it myself. I have a feeling that a bad earth is part of the problem as where it is attached is not very good. Somebody has knicked our snow - damn!

 

[Snowtrac Nome]

Thanks for all the information, I will get someone to have a look at it when I can as I am not sure how to do it myself. I have a feeling that a bad earth is part of the problem as where it is attached is not very good. Somebody has knicked our snow - damn!

point gap should be .018 inch and you need a little lube on the cam so your bumper dosnt wear away your carb should be adjusted to lean idle cut out than back 1/2 turn and if your engine is in good mechanical order with no induction leaks you would like to see 17 to 18 inches of vaccuum at idle also pull the spark plugs if there has been a missfire one will be blacker than the others or even wet pulling the pluggs will tell a lot about whats happening in your engine kind of like the doctor wanting a stool sample it will help you to diagnose what is happening in side your engine.

 

[John Lumley]

The snow is starting to melt

 

[Ice Queen]

Lovely pictures John, I see yours is an ex-military snowtrac, have you any idea of its military number -- RN --?

 

[John Lumley]

Thanks! yes ex-military, not sure of the number though, cant find a chassis plate on it? Wasn't sure if it's located somwhere else other than on the rear of the snowtrac.

 

[Melensdad]

The snow is starting to melt

So is ours. But its still plenty early enough in the season to get lots more. Hopefully the same is true for you folks

 

[Ice Queen]

On the left hand wing, as you look from in front of the snowtrac, try carefully rubbing the paint off as that is where the RN number was painted. The plate was located on the left hand side of the dashboard - if the plate is missing, which it probably is, you should still see some tell tale holes.