turbinator62
Active member
I'm looking for a solar battery maintainer now. Shouldn't be to hard to set up on the container. We are off the grid. I have done several solar setups over the years. The battery is disconnected when parked.
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The continuing saga of Niksons 1402 IMP sn 129
- Thread starter turbinator62
- Start date
Look at govplanet they sell already preassembled navy solar stations for fracture of the original cost
I use these on old back up military generators (what the government uses for their vehicles, equipment….different amp versions available).
Ive only had one issue with them (the led indicator light has “burned out”, but the unit still worked perfectly after 7 years).
Bob
Amazon.com: SP-3 SolarPulse 12V Battery Solar Charger Maintainer, 3W : Automotive
Buy SP-3 SolarPulse 12V Battery Solar Charger Maintainer, 3W: Battery Chargers - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
www.amazon.com
Ive only had one issue with them (the led indicator light has “burned out”, but the unit still worked perfectly after 7 years).
Bob
turbinator62
Active member
Thanks for the info.
After a little research, I think I can put together a 10w panel, and charge controller for less than 40 bucks. I did one on a friend's container with a small sla battery for led lights. The same system should work for this.
After a little research, I think I can put together a 10w panel, and charge controller for less than 40 bucks. I did one on a friend's container with a small sla battery for led lights. The same system should work for this.
turbinator62
Active member
I recharged the battery on my smart charger and it has held a 12.6v charge for a week now. I think I'll use it to run my sons cpap machine through a small inverter when he's at the cabin with us for Thanksgiving. (Keep it separate from the cabin system.) It would also be a good battery to have around for jump starting.
Bob ,why this brand? Any advantage? I want to get one too and was not sure what did you find out that u went with this charger vs others?
Bob, lets say this 10W - https://www.amazon.com/Maintainer-W...RXKN9MF,B07GTFXYDT,B088GXV4FZ,B07R17GKBY&th=1
Hi Solrus
I bought a set of military generators for back up power and saw they had Pulsetech 12v maintainers on them. I replaced one of them in 2014 (it had been damaged in shipping)…it’s still going strong. I sought out the same brand they had on them (figured the military typically has done their homework)…..and I’ve bought enough Chinesium junk off Amazon…..this was an area I wanted high quality and reliability.
Make sense. Thank you for the clarification!Hi Solrus
I bought a set of military generators for back up power and saw they had Pulsetech 12v maintainers on them. I replaced one of them in 2014 (it had been damaged in shipping)…it’s still going strong. I sought out the same brand they had on them (figured the military typically has done their homework)…..and I’ve bought enough Chinesium junk off Amazon…..this was an area I wanted high quality and reliability.
turbinator62
Active member
We just got back from the cabin. No snow and 53 deg!! Yikes.
I usually check out the cat and prep it for the winter in October. This year I was sick in Oct. so didn't get to it till November. When we were up there a couple weeks ago I found the battery had gone bad, so replaced it and aired up all the tires. They all have tubes in them so they lose a little over the summer. The front idler tires need about 70 psi because they are what provide the track tension. The bogies are about 35 psi. The left idler was down a little but the right was flat. I filled it to 70 and put the cat back in the container. We went up for Thanksgiving and on Friday I went down to recheck the tire and it was down to 30 psi. So went to town and picked up anew tube, pulled the track and took the wheel up to the cabin where I have a small shop in the basement. It's a two piece rim so I pulled it apart and found the tube had a bad spot where the valve stem is attached. While I had it apart I made a chafing ring from duct tape. I assembled the wheel halves without the tire and wrapped the wheel joint with two layers of 2 inch tape, sticky side up and a layer over that sticky side down. That way i can take the wheel apart, put the tube in the tire, leave the ring on one side as the tire and tube go over it then slide the other side over the tire and into the tape ring. The tape will prevent the inflated tube from trying to squeeze down into the joint area of the two halves.
The easiest way to get the track off this cat is to align the lacing at the 9-10 o-clock position on the rear sprocket since that is the only position where you can get clearance to pull the inner pin out. Then take the valve stem core out to deflate the idler, and use my handy dandy Harbor Freight 8" "C" clamps (IMP track jacks) to squeeze the lacing together enough to pull the pins. Assembly is the reverse except it takes a lot of pull to squeeze the flat front tire and get the grousers over the sprocket. In this case I used the Tahoe to pull it on. God help me if I ever have to do this in deep snow.
I usually check out the cat and prep it for the winter in October. This year I was sick in Oct. so didn't get to it till November. When we were up there a couple weeks ago I found the battery had gone bad, so replaced it and aired up all the tires. They all have tubes in them so they lose a little over the summer. The front idler tires need about 70 psi because they are what provide the track tension. The bogies are about 35 psi. The left idler was down a little but the right was flat. I filled it to 70 and put the cat back in the container. We went up for Thanksgiving and on Friday I went down to recheck the tire and it was down to 30 psi. So went to town and picked up anew tube, pulled the track and took the wheel up to the cabin where I have a small shop in the basement. It's a two piece rim so I pulled it apart and found the tube had a bad spot where the valve stem is attached. While I had it apart I made a chafing ring from duct tape. I assembled the wheel halves without the tire and wrapped the wheel joint with two layers of 2 inch tape, sticky side up and a layer over that sticky side down. That way i can take the wheel apart, put the tube in the tire, leave the ring on one side as the tire and tube go over it then slide the other side over the tire and into the tape ring. The tape will prevent the inflated tube from trying to squeeze down into the joint area of the two halves.
The easiest way to get the track off this cat is to align the lacing at the 9-10 o-clock position on the rear sprocket since that is the only position where you can get clearance to pull the inner pin out. Then take the valve stem core out to deflate the idler, and use my handy dandy Harbor Freight 8" "C" clamps (IMP track jacks) to squeeze the lacing together enough to pull the pins. Assembly is the reverse except it takes a lot of pull to squeeze the flat front tire and get the grousers over the sprocket. In this case I used the Tahoe to pull it on. God help me if I ever have to do this in deep snow.
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turbinator62
Active member
Here we go again! Came up to our cabin for New Years. When we got here I did a walk around and oh crap, the front idler is flat again. I just put a new tube in it last month. Had it off and in the cabin in about 20 minutes by myself. First time I've done it in the snow. Temp is 9 deg. Not that hard really. Had to bring my compressor up from the basement to warm up as it was too cold to start on the generator. Don't know why it went flat yet. I have another new tube. I'll get it back together in the morning. Grousers scraped up the edges of the rim but didn't damage it.
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Snowy Rivers
Well-known member
Speaking of Bud Nikson....anyone see or here of him lately.....???????????
PJL
Well-known member
Yeah, he's still alive. Posted on Instagram yesterday.
www.instagram.com
Nikson (@budnixon) • Instagram photos and videos
4,967 Followers, 829 Following, 3,392 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Nikson (@budnixon)
www.instagram.com
turbinator62
Active member
I haven't heard from Nik in awhile either.
I got the tire and track back together this morning. The tube I put in last month was split near the valve stem. I hope the new one does better. I have to make a run down the hill late tonight to pick up my son and his wife. It's 12 deg right now.
I got the tire and track back together this morning. The tube I put in last month was split near the valve stem. I hope the new one does better. I have to make a run down the hill late tonight to pick up my son and his wife. It's 12 deg right now.
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Snowy Rivers
Well-known member
Glad ya got the tire fixed.
Foam those front ones....
Glad Nik is OK He is not too far from me..
Foam those front ones....
Glad Nik is OK He is not too far from me..
turbinator62
Active member
The early Imps use the front idler tire pressure to maintain track tension. There is a 4 position mount for the idler axle in 1 inch increments. Once you set it you can't change it with the track on. So to install the track, you deflate the tire (10 ply 4.10/3.50-6) pull the track on and get the pins in the lacing, then reinflate the tire. (60-70 psi) You should have a visible amount of squeeze where the grousers go around it. If the tire is still loose in the tire guides, you need to move the axle forward some more. The system is simple and has worked well till now.
Snowy Rivers
Well-known member
Ahhhhh.
I did not realize that was what they Imps used.......I have not been around Imps...Only the Sprytes and 2100
Better tube ????
I did not realize that was what they Imps used.......I have not been around Imps...Only the Sprytes and 2100
Better tube ????
turbinator62
Active member
I think you're right. The fist one that went bad was 9 years old. The first replacement was the only one I could find in town. Kind of a no name brand in the garden dept. Fortunately I ordered a spare and brought it over with us. It was a Carlisle brand. Seems to be more pliable in the cold.
I made a run down the mountain at 10 last nite to pick up my kids with no problems. Good thing! It was 8 deg.
Hope every one here has a Happy New Year!
I made a run down the mountain at 10 last nite to pick up my kids with no problems. Good thing! It was 8 deg.
Hope every one here has a Happy New Year!
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Snowy Rivers
Well-known member
Have a great weekend..
turbinator62
Active member
Pulled the cat out last month for summer maintenance, oil change, tire pressure check, etc. I found the right front bogie behind the idler (the idler went flat last winter) to be completely flat. In order to get the wheel off, you have to take the nuts off the 2 axle bolts on the outer spring pack and remove the U bolts that hold it to the cross member. Then you can pull off the spring pack, and after letting the air out of the idler, spread the track enough to get the wheel and tire out. The other way is to remove the track, jack it up real high, take the axle bolt out completely and drop the wheel out the bottom. I chose the first method. Since I knew I would be working alone, I needed a way to hold the inner axle bolt head while I removed the nut. (Unfortunately, I don't have Orangutan arms) With the track off, you can reach through to hold the bolt head which is how I did it on the original assembly.
Before we went over this weekend, I made a tool to hold the bolt head while I turned the nut. It is a 3/4" combination wrench with the open end part cut off, the box end straightened, and some 1/4" holes drilled in it. I made a hook bolt from a long 1/4" bolt bent in a u on the inner end to hook over the spring leaf and a knurled knob threaded to be able to tighten it. The other end has a piece of 1/4 X 3/4 flat bar with two screws that span the thickness of the spring to limit rotation. You could use this tool on the 1402, 1404 and maybe the 1450.
It beats scraping up your arms trying to reach in there from the outside.
Put in a new tube and all the tires appear to be good. I'll check it again in the fall.
Before we went over this weekend, I made a tool to hold the bolt head while I turned the nut. It is a 3/4" combination wrench with the open end part cut off, the box end straightened, and some 1/4" holes drilled in it. I made a hook bolt from a long 1/4" bolt bent in a u on the inner end to hook over the spring leaf and a knurled knob threaded to be able to tighten it. The other end has a piece of 1/4 X 3/4 flat bar with two screws that span the thickness of the spring to limit rotation. You could use this tool on the 1402, 1404 and maybe the 1450.
It beats scraping up your arms trying to reach in there from the outside.
Put in a new tube and all the tires appear to be good. I'll check it again in the fall.
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turbinator62
Active member
At some point in my cat's past, 2 of the bogie wheels were replaced with units that are different than the other 6. It really isn't noticeable until you try to assemble them onto the spring packs. When I had the running gear apart while redoing the springs, I found that 2 of the wheels are wider than the others. The 2 wide ones, with the tire installed, barely clears the edges of the springs, (1/16") while the other 6 are 3/4" clearance or more. The wide wheels are about 5 inches between the beads, the others are about 3 inches. The tires are the same. There was nothing I could do about it at the time, so I made it work. I was always concerned about something getting jammed between the tire sidewall and spring.
You can see the difference between the wheel on the left and the wheel on the right in the first picture. The formed stampings are different. The hub is the same. The valve stems come out at a different angle as well.
I have a garden cart that I pull behind my 4 wheeler at the cabin. After 20 years the tires (wheel barrow type) and sleeve bearings went bad, so I replaced them with wider ball bearing wheels. I got to looking at the old wheels and they appeared to be the same stamping and wall thickness as the narrow cat wheels with the exception of the hub. After some thought I decided to try to modify them.
The first step was to remove the old hub. I made an aluminum bushing to act as a pilot for a 1 3/4 hole saw and cut the hubs out, then chucked it up in an 8" 4 jaw chuck in the lathe and bored the holes to 1.875" which is the OD of the original hub. Trying to dial in a stamped steel part was time consuming. The best you can do with something like this is about .030 TIR, but that should be good enough for a slow turning wheel. The new wheels were tubeless, so I had to relocate the valve stem hole so that an inner tube can be installed. I will weld a plug in the original hole.
I have a length of 1.875 X 1/8 wall 4130 tubing for the hub. (left over from the landing gear on my plane project) We will be going to the cabin for Labor Day and I will remove the 2 wide wheels, and bring them home so I can get accurate measurements on length, bore etc. A single straight bore for a press fit of the bearing race and seal is all that's required. Then weld it in the wheel, paint it orange mount the tires and hope it works!
More to follow.
You can see the difference between the wheel on the left and the wheel on the right in the first picture. The formed stampings are different. The hub is the same. The valve stems come out at a different angle as well.
I have a garden cart that I pull behind my 4 wheeler at the cabin. After 20 years the tires (wheel barrow type) and sleeve bearings went bad, so I replaced them with wider ball bearing wheels. I got to looking at the old wheels and they appeared to be the same stamping and wall thickness as the narrow cat wheels with the exception of the hub. After some thought I decided to try to modify them.
The first step was to remove the old hub. I made an aluminum bushing to act as a pilot for a 1 3/4 hole saw and cut the hubs out, then chucked it up in an 8" 4 jaw chuck in the lathe and bored the holes to 1.875" which is the OD of the original hub. Trying to dial in a stamped steel part was time consuming. The best you can do with something like this is about .030 TIR, but that should be good enough for a slow turning wheel. The new wheels were tubeless, so I had to relocate the valve stem hole so that an inner tube can be installed. I will weld a plug in the original hole.
I have a length of 1.875 X 1/8 wall 4130 tubing for the hub. (left over from the landing gear on my plane project) We will be going to the cabin for Labor Day and I will remove the 2 wide wheels, and bring them home so I can get accurate measurements on length, bore etc. A single straight bore for a press fit of the bearing race and seal is all that's required. Then weld it in the wheel, paint it orange mount the tires and hope it works!
More to follow.
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turbinator62
Active member
I got the new wheels modified for my 1402. I ended up using a 4" piece of 2" dia. 4130 tube with a .188 wall. I bored it to 1.781 X .940 deep for a press fit of the wheel bearing race and seal. I centered it up in the bored hole in the wheel and tig welded it in. They rotate within about .030 runout which is pretty good for a stamped steel rim.
You can see the difference in width between the 4" and 3". I know these were used on small boat trailers from the 60's but I'm wondering if maybe they fit a 1450 since they are a heavier rim. The 4" was made to use a tubeless valve stem.
Hope to get them installed this next weekend when we go back to the cabin.
You can see the difference in width between the 4" and 3". I know these were used on small boat trailers from the 60's but I'm wondering if maybe they fit a 1450 since they are a heavier rim. The 4" was made to use a tubeless valve stem.
Hope to get them installed this next weekend when we go back to the cabin.
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turbinator62
Active member
Got the two new front bogies installed. All the tire pressures are good so it should be good to go. Tomorrow I'll go down and pull the engine cowl and look the engine and exhaust over real good. Winter is not far off. It went from hot to cold here in less than a week.
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turbinator62
Active member
We finally made it back to the cabin. We had 2 trips planned that got messed up by weather and then a 3 week bout with covid. We just got feeling better so decided to make a run..
I wanted to get things ready for winter but it beat me to it. We have never had this much snow this early in November. Its only 5-6 inches but with our steep roads, ice, and drop off edges I gave up trying to drive up in our Tahoe. I could have chained it up but I would have got all wet and cold and isn't that the whole reason to have a snowcat?
I only got to drive it once last year. This is the earliest I have ever used it. No flat tires this time thankfully. Hopefully we will have a good winter this year, but then, this is Washington, so you never know.
I wanted to get things ready for winter but it beat me to it. We have never had this much snow this early in November. Its only 5-6 inches but with our steep roads, ice, and drop off edges I gave up trying to drive up in our Tahoe. I could have chained it up but I would have got all wet and cold and isn't that the whole reason to have a snowcat?
I only got to drive it once last year. This is the earliest I have ever used it. No flat tires this time thankfully. Hopefully we will have a good winter this year, but then, this is Washington, so you never know.
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turbinator62
Active member
Just finished inspecting the engine on the cat. I had planned on doing it last month but didn't get over here due to covid. So I got to do it in the snow.
Every thing was clean with no oil or exhaust leaks. My CO detector keeps chirping though, even with new batteries. Do they have a limited life? Mine is 10 years old already. (Time flies). Last picture is this morning's sunrise.
Every thing was clean with no oil or exhaust leaks. My CO detector keeps chirping though, even with new batteries. Do they have a limited life? Mine is 10 years old already. (Time flies). Last picture is this morning's sunrise.
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turbinator62
Active member
Thanks Tom. Seems like 10 years went by fast.
turbinator62
Active member
Happy New Year everyone. This morning dawned bright and sunny in Ellensburg Wa. Let's hope that's a harbinger of the coming year.
We had our New Years party and fireworks at our good fiends cabin last nite with about 40 people from nearby cabins. Lots of snowmobiles and tracked side by sides. I had the only cat. Everything is working perfectly. (For now!)
We had temps of -10° for about 3 days 2 weeks ago which froze and exploded 1 can of root beer (in a full case) and a bottle of beer in the fridge. (It was off with the door open) but that was it. It was 14 inside. I always drain the water system in winter so that was fine. Takes about a day to get everything warmed up. Its 71 inside and 33 out right now.
Life is good!
We had our New Years party and fireworks at our good fiends cabin last nite with about 40 people from nearby cabins. Lots of snowmobiles and tracked side by sides. I had the only cat. Everything is working perfectly. (For now!)
We had temps of -10° for about 3 days 2 weeks ago which froze and exploded 1 can of root beer (in a full case) and a bottle of beer in the fridge. (It was off with the door open) but that was it. It was 14 inside. I always drain the water system in winter so that was fine. Takes about a day to get everything warmed up. Its 71 inside and 33 out right now.
Life is good!
