Thiokol grousers

[mtncrawler]

These are examples of "A" style and "B" style Spryte grousers. Easy to see how much stronger the"B" style is.

 

[mtncrawler]

And of course, "C" style which was also used on DMC and LMC machines.

 

[mtntopper]

mtncrawler,
Did you just take these pics this year? Looks like the snow is starting to fall in your area also. Our high with a little snow on the ground today was about 22 degrees. Real winter is not far off. Nice display and explanation of the evolution of the various styles of Spryte/1200 type grousers. My 1200 LMC has the C style HD grousers called J style. Just another item that makes the later model Spryte/1200 almost bullet proof.

My VMC also has a similar set of grouser that was installed to replace the lighter duty grousers from the factory. I got the machine with new track belts and the HD grousers with only 360 hours on the machine. Many snow cat owners have no idea of the cost to replace a complete set of tracks with new grousers and attaching hardware.

 

[mtncrawler]

Yea, I call them "J" type grousers too. I was showing the development of grousers on Thiokol Spryte machines and and the C-Model Spryte was the first in that line to use them. The "J" style grouser really improves performance over the early type in powder and soft snow. I think the "A" and "B" types were made for more of an all-terrian application. The wider thickness and the lesser width of surface imprint would make them eaiser to turn and not knife into the ground as much. The "J" style is just the opposite. Full width surface imprint and built thin to sink in and bite the snow. All of the A and B Model Sprytes I've seen run a full width "paddle grouser" every 7th or 8th bar.

 

[Melensdad]

There are at least two types for the Snow Tracs that I am aware of.

The first photo is one of my tracks, they are similar to the first two photos of the Thiokol grousers posted in that they taper toward the ends and are deeper in the middle. These also have "tabs" for preventing lateral sliding and they run right down the center of the track.

The second photo shows a Snow Master track, but I've seen the same set up on some Snow Tracs as well. I'm bet these are better at preventing lateral slides and for cross slope travel. The Snow Master is a wide track & long track version of the Snow Trac. The Snow Master is really a snow only machine and trying to turn on the grass will walk the unit right out of its tracks, while I can drive my Snow Trac on the grass (despite my wife's objections ) without tearing the tracks off the unit.

 

[mtncrawler]

It makes sense that the R&D guys at Aktiv and Thiokol would draw similar conclusions with their grouser designs. These Thiokol 601 grousers show that for this machine the engineers were mostly interested in all-terrain rather than specific purpose for snow.

 

[mtntopper]

The raised center also allows for easier turning on hard surfaces (less track surface in contact with the ground) and has a built in tire guide. Serves two purposes without having to add additional components to the track. The raised center is easier on the snow cat mechanicals when turning and does work well for all terrain and in less than ideal snow conditions. The J style is just much more aggressive for snow and requires more horsepower to manuever or turn the machine.

 

[Melensdad]

The raised center is easier on the snow cat mechanicals when turning and does work well for all terrain and in less than ideal snow conditions.

That is EXACTLY the reason I have considered modifying my tracks to increase the center bearing area of the track. I'm wondering if a piece of pipe, about 6" long and proper diameter to NOT QUITE fit between the cleat, welded in place, would work to raise the center section enough to accomplish a more all-terrain track???

 

[Teeoster]

I have been going thought the pain staking job of straightening all 108 of my Thiokol IMP grousers back to original specs. Once finished, I located a source that will galvanize them for me with the same finish that is used on guard rails. Cost is reasonable at $175! Any one know a good source for 3 hole backer plates??

John

 

[mtncrawler]

I really don't know much about galvanizing process and how much heat is involved but since your grousers are heat treated you might ask if doing this will de-temper them. Factory backer plates on my Cats are aluminum and rounded on the rubber side. I've heard of using steel strap and bending it into a slight "V" in a metal break so it doesn't cause the rubber belting to crack over time.

 

[Teeoster]

The Galvanizing process heats the parts up to 915 degrees, From what I can tell the heat treating process gets up in the 1600 degree range. I will make sure to check with the Galvanizer before having him dip them. I wondering if it would be a good idea to reheat treat them while they are all nice and straight. They really do not appear to be very hard, but could run the risk of making them too brittle.

We need a metalurgist on here for these questions
John

 

[IMP]

Hello, Thank you for the informative thread on snowcat grousers. I am restoring an Imp 1404 and am in need of the "A" or "B" dropped style grousers(all terrain) you posted photos of 11-6-06. It seems like most snowcat owners posting on the forum use the "J" style for snow travel. If you know of anyone who would like to sell some all terrain grousers I would be interested in them. They would have to fit my 4" wide tires and be at least 30" wide.
http://www.forumsforums.com/3_9/images/smilies/AdditionalSmiles/tiphat.gif

 

[mtntopper]

Try calling on the info below. Hope it helps...

Thiokol Imp tracks for parts.
Early drop style tracks NOT COMPLETE.
Good for parts. $300.

call 530.412.4123

 

[IMP]

I called on that add about a month ago, they are 24" grousers, My Imp is a wide track, needs 32". I will just keep looking. Thanks for your help. TF

 

[koz]

Have you tried Track Vehicle Technologies? They list Imp cleats on their parts page.

Track Vehicle Technologies
12439 Highway 15 North
Smiths Falls, Ontario, Canada
K7A 4S7
Toll Free: 1-888- 325-7929

​

http://afmi.ca/parts2.html

 

[IMP]

I will give them a try. Thanks