the tucker mafia is conducting a expedition in search of great snow catting territory...
will advise and post our findings
will advise and post our findings
photos or it isn't happeningthe tucker mafia is conducting a expedition in search of great snow catting territory...
will advise and post our findings
Just a heads up if you're going to run a cat down the snowmobile trails in Wyoming. Carry a very large insurance policy. And that might not even be enough. Local gentleman found that out the hard way. Had a snowmobiler run into him. The snowmobiler and his lawyer had a heyday. The snowcat owner proceeded to lose a small business and a very large sum of money. So precedence in Wyoming has been set. Just FYI.day 2 bought us up to Alpine and the massive trail system, great adventure View attachment 187324View attachment 187325View attachment 187326
Any chance you have a link to that story or any info on where and who this happened to?Just a heads up if you're going to run a cat down the snowmobile trails in Wyoming. Carry a very large insurance policy. And that might not even be enough. Local gentleman found that out the hard way. Had a snowmobiler run into him. The snowmobiler and his lawyer had a heyday. The snowcat owner proceeded to lose a small business and a very large sum of money. So precedence in Wyoming has been set. Just FYI.
Just a heads up if you're going to run a cat down the snowmobile trails in Wyoming. Carry a very large insurance policy. And that might not even be enough. Local gentleman found that out the hard way. Had a snowmobiler run into him. The snowmobiler and his lawyer had a heyday. The snowcat owner proceeded to lose a small business and a very large sum of money. So precedence in Wyoming has been set. Just FYI
Unfortunately if something would have happened, I guarantee everyone you talked to will have a memory lapse that day. Part of the problem is the way everything is ran. You talked to low-level federal employees about utilizing something ran and permitted by the state.thank you for reminding me about that situation, just reaffirms the need to always check in with the local folks first and make sure all is good to go and listen to their advice,
And I did just that, stopped in at the USFS office spoke to the entire staff, including the USFS law enforcement officer, bought the snow mobile stickers, went over trail maps, made sure all our cats were equipped with all the required safety items, all n all they were pleased I stopped in first and talked with them, and left with a very good understanding of how things work in their district, they were very happy to have us come over and enjoy the great snow and extensive trail system
Yes, a huge difference. Think about a road grader or snow plow doing their job (usually owned by a government entity) versus someone casually driving one down the road.as for the story you refer to, sad all the way around, I am not sure as to the exact situation and how it happened, couple things I would like to ask about, is there a difference in the groomer cat and our group being on the trail?
Honestly in my opinion it's a mess. Has been forever and I doubt it will get straightened out anytime soon. I know it's been discussed many times on forums. Wyoming's biggest problem is Federal lands and federal law enforcement enforcing state of Wyoming laws. That can also be enforced by sheriff's deputies, game and fish, BLM rangers, ECT. There are not specific laws that prohibit it, but you are also taking a vehicle that is usually twice the size of the vehicle the trails were designed for.both have permission to be on the trail,
the other question, is there rule book for all that use the trails in Wyoming, the local USFS never referred to one, thank you mbsieg
Was this written down anywhere? And by whom? The local forest service district ranger? As we have many different forest service districts in a very small area. What's good in one area? Definitely is not in another. A huge part of the problem. As I stated in the past, it's not the forest service that does the trails. It's Wyoming state trails. If you would like some contact info, I have never contacted them to see what their thoughts on snow cats are. Honestly, I'm afraid of what they will say.I am certainly no attorney, and this is (obviously) my opinion only.
I don’t dispute that the trails are intended for snowmobile use in winter, but that the USFS has specifically affirmed it’s perfectly okay for us to use those trails gives us legitimacy.
The problem being what is the legal definition of a snowmobile? Depending on whose definition you look at, there are different definitions. The state has one definition, the feds another. So I can slap a snowmobile sticker on a d9 caterpillar and run down the trails? And not face any repercussions?Further, all of us had the proper Wyoming registration stickers making us compliant with Wyoming law. So, we were where we were allowed to be... and operating legally.
You guys had far better etiquette than most. Snowmobilers that is for sure.I’m not sure if it was Dacx or Jack, or someone else, who said it, but on Monday morning we were reminded to turn on our rotating beacons/roof strobes and to run in single file, and on the right side of the trail.
Exactly the point I was trying to make. I know that case definitely caused a lot of cabin Snow cat owners to look at the way they operate and what paths they take.To briefly summarize, we were operating as legally and responsibly as we could have. BUT, personal injury attorney’s love to broaden the scope of law, whether it’s right or wrong, and to be forewarned is to be forewarned….
Definitely! It's great to see large groups of cats get together. I would love to join someday. In fact, I would love to welcome you guys into my state in a lot better way than this. But facts are facts. I would hate to see one of you guys leave staring down the barrel of a multi-million dollar lawsuit.Perhaps we should investigate a group policy for our snowcat events?
My impression from a brief conversation with PP is that she more than did her homework (as usual), and the USFS basically welcomed us with open arms. The Star Valley in Wyoming typically gets great snow and is a mecca for snowmobilers due to both the trail network and vast areas of back country terrain accessible.
I’ll also mention I felt very welcome in Afton, and I am hoping the Afton “Cowboy Cat Rendezvous" becomes a yearly event.
mbseig,I'm going to play The devil's advocate here. In no means am I trying to start a fight or trying to be in a hole. Please do not take it that way
Was this written down anywhere? And by whom? The local forest service district ranger? As we have many different forest service districts in a very small area. What's good in one area? Definitely is not in another. A huge part of the problem. As I stated in the past, it's not the forest service that does the trails. It's Wyoming state trails. If you would like some contact info, I have never contacted them to see what their thoughts on snow cats are. Honestly, I'm afraid of what they will say.
The problem being what is the legal definition of a snowmobile? Depending on whose definition you look at, there are different definitions. The state has one definition, the feds another. So I can slap a snowmobile sticker on a d9 caterpillar and run down the trails? And not face any repercussions?
You guys had far better etiquette than most. Snowmobilers that is for sure.
Exactly the point I was trying to make. I know that case definitely caused a lot of cabin Snow cat owners to look at the way they operate and what paths they take.
Definitely! It's great to see large groups of cats get together. I would love to join someday. In fact, I would love to welcome you guys into my state in a lot better way than this. But facts are facts. I would hate to see one of you guys leave staring down the barrel of a multi-million dollar lawsuit.
If there's anything I can do to help I will gladly.mbseig,
I didn't take anything you said as anything other than making us aware of a potentially bad situation. You were/are trying to help, and I appreciate that. I'm sure others do as well.
Thank You!!!
I would be really curious as you are very aware farm equipment is very large. When a piece of equipment is taking up 3/4 of the road and vehicle hits that equipment, who is at fault? It definitely does happen. Years ago when I lived in Minnesota and was doing farm work, I remember being told by numerous people to not straddle the white line because basically I was giving up my right to that lane and I've heard that a few times since. I was always taught if I went over the center line I needed to yield to oncoming traffic. What are your thoughts Kirk?In my part of the world a slow-moving vehicle sign like we use on Ag equipment makes us a farm tractor in a sense.
From those that I have talked to who wear a uniform this seems to be universal with them.
I put one on my Cat on day one.
Just trying to be proactive, along with the D.O.T. reflective tape from semi-trailers applied to all sides of my machine make it quite visible.
So far so good with regards to the above.
100%. I'm not talking about from behind though. Lol I think most everybody that has ran a snow cat has ridden down snowmobile trails on snowmobiles. It's a crap shoot riding a 4-ft wide snowmobile in twisty trails where everybody seems to think they own it. There's a reason the inside of the corner never has snow on it or in it.In Iowa you hit a SMV signed vehicle/implement from behind it is the fault of the driver of the person who hit it.
I believe in Iowa a snow cat is a "unit of animal husbandry" and is exempt from most DOT rules if clearly marked.
Since a snow cat is a qualifying method of tending livestock in winter weather it can qualify as such. It can even be
paid for as a pretax business expense if you have livestock.
If you don't have livestock, I am sure the SMV sign still applies as the definition of that unit of animal husbandry is quite
Yep, I agree. I'll leave it alone from here on. I don't want to take princesses thread so far off track.wide and encompassing. But in Iowa we are in the middle of one of the largest corn and bean fields in the nation.
Laws in states do vary a lot.
Rob,You can see that my original drum had 14 holes but a previous owner drilled the 2nd set after having similar issues with loose fasteners. I also found that the drilled hole patterns were slightly out of time side to side which put more pressure on the leading sprocket. If I needed to make another I would probably make the diameter of the drum slightly smaller and then increase the height of the flanges to give it more clearance for the bolt heads and a little more material around the holes.
I did actually assemble them with bolts on the inside which worked great because they were a slight interference fit with one flat and didn’t need a wrench to hold them. I instead opted for looks over function with the low profile SHCS from the outside. I think I went to the other 3 corners and put a few small insurance tack welds to reduce the chances of the same thing happening on the others.
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