Messages

16

General Discussion / Re: Wikipedia Snowcat Pages

« on: February 24, 2007, 08:56:40 pm »

I hope this Bombardier forum will grow into a busy site someday. 

When I got involved with my Snow Trac what I found was that there is a lot of information, but very little of it is easy to find.  So I set a goal to find Snow Trac owners, and gather the information and then put it into a format that could be easily shared.  What I found along the way is that there are a lot of snowcat owners representing a lot of different brands that had the same needs that I had.  While I love my little Snow Trac, I consider snowcats in general to be my hobby.  I enjoy helping anyone who has the same interest, sharing information and promoting other sites. 

To make this site grow what you need to do is find members.  Like you my site started out as a single brand site but that changed over time, and it has had both drawbacks & benefits.  One thing that I'd like to suggest is that you cannot wait for people to find you, you have to do things to attract members.

The Wikipedia concept is a win-win concept because it helps Wikipedia + it helps people find you.

You might want to work with parts dealers and ask them to direct people to your site as well.  That is another win-win concept.  The dealers benefit because they sell parts to people and your site provides the dealership's customers support for repairs. 

Think unconventionally and focus on having fun.  That is what we are all here for and that is why we go play in the snow.

17

General Discussion / Re: Wikipedia Snowcat Pages

« on: February 24, 2007, 07:55:47 am »

Also take a look at 2 more pages on Wilipedia. 

Snow coach =  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_coach
Snowmobile =  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowmobile

Averyman's B12 is pictured on both of those pages.

18

General Discussion / Re: Wikipedia Snowcat Pages

« on: February 23, 2007, 06:26:20 am »

Go look at Wikipedia now!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombardier

There are now 3 photos uploaded to Wikipedia.  I would love to see a  good action shot, and a good view of the right side of the machines loaded up there too.  Maybe even a rear view?  If anyone can provide those it would be great.  Please also provide the year, model number, and any other information (wide, narrow, etc).

Special thanks to Averyman & Skenman for use of their photos!

I also posted up a couple Bombardier B100+ images that are from a member at my discussion pages.  But if you guys could provide me a bit more information about the body styles (I know about the B12 and the C18, but what is an R18?) and the wide/narrow gauges, the total number of units made (I think it is over 3000) the years of production, etc. then I can post all that information up there too.

19

General Discussion / Re: Wikipedia Snowcat Pages

« on: February 22, 2007, 09:14:54 pm »

Skenman, I sent you an email with some information.  Thanks for helping with this!

20

General Discussion / Re: Wikipedia Snowcat Pages

« on: February 22, 2007, 06:26:32 pm »

Can't anyone help with this project?


 

21

Metal Bombardiers / Re: Rackoholic's Bombardier

« on: February 22, 2007, 02:03:05 pm »

Didn't I see that one in Michigan somewhere?

22

General Discussion / Re: Posting pictures

« on: February 22, 2007, 04:52:29 am »

Update on image hosting services.
I've tried Imageshack and Photobucket.  Imageshack is terrible, Photobucket is much better.

I've been using Photobucket for a couple of years with good results.

23

General Discussion / Wikipedia Snowcat Pages

« on: February 21, 2007, 04:44:39 pm »

I have been working on Wikipedia to develop some various articles on different brands of snowcats.  If you are not familiar with Wikipedia, it is a world wide free on-line encyclopedia that uses volunteer contributions for topics.  If you guys could give me some input and perhaps offer some advice I would really appreciate it.

Please look at the following Wikipedia links and help me out with specific advice if you can.

Wikipedia Tucker Sno-Cat article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sno-cat
(I just started this article)

Wikipedia Kristi Snowcat article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristi_snowcat
(I'm pretty much have this one finished???)

Wikipedia Snow-Trac article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_Trac
(I'm going to add a couple more photos, but I think the content is pretty much done)

Wikipedia Bombardier article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombardier
(I have a lot of work to do to on snowcat content with this article, also I could use some photos of some old Bombardiers if any of you would like to contribute a good image or two and give me permission to use it on Wikipedia)

At some point I will also be working on Thiokol/LMC/DMC snowcats for Wikipedia but have not begun that project yet.

24

Trail Talk / Re: Lets see those pictures

« on: February 17, 2007, 07:28:56 pm »

Here are a few photos of today's ride.

We got lucky and got 12" of snow Tuesday/Wednesday and another 3" of snow last night.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y75/melensdad/Herbie%201972%20Snow%20Trac%20ST4/1-2.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y75/melensdad/Herbie%201972%20Snow%20Trac%20ST4/7.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y75/melensdad/Herbie%201972%20Snow%20Trac%20ST4/0.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y75/melensdad/Herbie%201972%20Snow%20Trac%20ST4/4.jpg

25

General Discussion / Re: Owners Manuals-Parts Lists-Sales Brochures

« on: February 12, 2007, 04:17:02 pm »

Mr. Skurka,
Id be interested to get one of those disks
when -ever your able to burn in the bombardier snowbus material.
Also would you have any copys of the Chrysler canadian 313 poly head
manuals, my 62 bomb came with one originally. and
I cannot find a manual. There are poly forum engines talk, but most refer
to american 318's same engines slight larger bore. and the 313 can ind engines
water pump housing sits 8 inches taller so a weiand manifold won't work, if
you want to go 4 bbl on the old bomb, etc.

thanks
Skenman
62 wide

NOBODY calls me "MR" unless I am in trouble   

I just received a B12 manual but have not scanned it yet.  I'm still working on several other manuals that are sitting in boxes in my office that need to be scanned first. 

As for the engine manuals, I don't scan those even when I get them.  Some of the manuals I get are pretty thick, add engine manuals and the manuals can often reach 200 or even 300 pages.  Engine manuals are typically easy to find at major book sellers or on-line at places like Amazon.com.  Specific maintenance or operating manuals for obsolete and antique equipment, on the other hand, is often difficult or impossible to find so that is what I concentrate on trying to preserve.

I've found something interesting in that many manuals for the same machines are dramatically different from year to year.  I have probably collected a dozen or more manuals for Snow Trac ST4 units (what I own) and it amazes me how different they can be.  For my own usage I printed out and laminated several different years and made a compilation manual of my machine. 

With Kristi Snowcats, they had only a very basic hand typed manual that was photocopied.  I have one of those digitized, but the best part is that one of the actual Kristi owners gave me a bunch of hand drawn supplements and additional technical notes.  So we have been able to help out owners who have referred to a manual and didn't get the answer they needed.

Currently I'm working on a Thiokol 1404 manual as well as a Cushman Trackster manual.  I've also got a couple LMC manuals for their 1200 and 1500 series machines.  The same guy who lent me those also lent me a Bombi BR100 manual.

My goal is to simply get this stuff saved for the future.  I'm amazed at the prices people pay on Ebay for manuals!  I've seen some of these manuals bid up over US$100.  I suppose people are often in serious need and don't know there are websites like these that are dedicated to playing with these old machines we love.   

26

General Discussion / Re: Owners Manuals-Parts Lists-Sales Brochures

« on: February 05, 2007, 08:35:00 am »

There are lots of resources out in the 'verse that we all need to know about & share! 

When I was offered an area for my Snow Trac forums inside the main ForumsForums discussion website we started with just Snow Trac owners and informations.  It expanded over time.  But the one common issue that I found with owners of all old machines is the need for information.  So it is no longer my little Snow Trac area, but is now the Snowcat area and the more people who post comments then more I learn that we all need to learn

We have collected and posted almost every known Snow Trac magazine article.  There are others who have collected and posted articles for Tucker Sno-Cats.  As interest grew, the need for sharing technical tips grew and that led to searching out manuals.  You guys are lucky that they are still published.  At the ForumsForums we have been giving away manuals (digital copies) on DVD-R disks.  The manuals have all been donated by members, we scan them and then return the originals to the owners.  It has been a great way to help people keep these old snowcats up and running.

We currently have about a 8 different versions of the Snow Trac/Snow Master manuals.  1 Kristi KT2/KT3 manual with owner supplied suppliments.  Manuals for Bombardier Bombi BR100+, Thiokol 1404, Tucker 222, Tucker 300-900 series machines, Tucker 1300-1500 series machines.  And I have a few more in my office that we are currently working on like LMC 1200 and 1500 series, and Cushman Tracksters.  A couple folks have also offered me some other Bombardier manuals for the B & C bus versions so we will see how many more we can fit onto the disks. 

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y75/melensdad/Snow%20Trac%20ST4%20Pictures/manuals.jpg

27

Trail Talk / Re: Lets see those pictures

« on: January 29, 2007, 08:58:29 am »

Skurka I'm really liking your snow trac, such an interesting looking machine. Also thats some nice country in the background of the second picture.

That would be Scotland in the 2nd photo.  It was taken about 4 years ago.

The background in the first photo is my front yard, taken 2 years ago.

With any luck, there will be some photos about a year from now with it in Iceland . . . but we are still trying to figure out that trip. Actually trying to get part of the trip sponsored by National Geographic and take several Snow Tracs there, meet up with some Icelandic owners and go in search of "gnomes & fairies" as part of a documentary since Iceland is one of the few nations/cultures that embraces those as part of its mythical history.

Here is a very recent photo, just a week or two old, taken in my front yard.  You can see I upgraded the lights, added some mirrors, etc from the earlier photos.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y75/melensdad/Herbie%201972%20Snow%20Trac%20ST4/Herbie1-2007.jpg

The Snow Tracs are nifty little machines.  Easy to maintain, economical to operate and reliable too.  Its powered by a VW industrial engine, which is very similar to the VW Beetle engine.  It is also one of the only fully tracked vehicles that uses a standard steering wheel.  Mine is configured to only seat 5 people, but that is only because I took out a seat cushion adjacent to the drivers seat where 2 more people would normally sit.  By taking out that seat cushion it opens up a hidden storage area that normally would be under the seat.  It makes it more convenient to use and keeps things from rolling around the inside of the cabin, and I simply have no reason to put 7 people in my unit & frequently have only 1 or 2 passengers.

Here is another little modification I did.  The standard shift knob is plain black, and mine was scratched up an ugly.  I worked with a guy who makes up custom shift knobs for hot rods/street rods and now I have a custom shift knob with the Snow Trac logo embedded into the top.  Just for the heck of it 

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y75/melensdad/Herbie%201972%20Snow%20Trac%20ST4/customshiftknob.jpg

Here is a photo of the dashboard.  The steering wheel is actually a rare steering wheel and is the same one used on the VW schwimmwagon.  VW collectors will pay roughly $400 for that steering wheel.  I just think it is ugly.  But given the value, I'm keeping it!    I've obviously mounted some non-stock items on the dash including a Jeep Clinometer, which is lighted for night use and a portable Magellin Color Meridian GPS unit.  Wiring down the back of the dash to keep the look reasonably clean.  The light swithes on the left side of the dash are also non-stock but most of the switches I used are N.O.S. Hella switches that look like they belong there.  There is a modern switch to control the PIAA roof mounted lights (marked TOP LIGHTS on the dash), I could not figure out how to wire those to an old switch and still get the multi mode beam functionality of those lights.  By the way, the PIAA lights were expensive, but WOW do they throw out a lot of light.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y75/melensdad/Herbie%201972%20Snow%20Trac%20ST4/dashboard.jpg

28

General Discussion / Re: Upgrades & Modifcations or Restore to Historic Condition?

« on: January 19, 2007, 03:47:48 pm »

I got into snowcats because I love tractors.  My last restoration was my favorite.  It was a 1956 Oliver Super 55 Diesel.  I still kick myself for selling that one.  It is now a working tractor on an apple orchard.  When I got it it was not much more than a running engine.  A barn, or something similar fell on it and while the engine was in great shape, there was a lot of work to be done to get it presentable. 

To make matters worse, at some point in its life someone painted it John Deere green & yellow.    That was just sort of the last insult.  But we turned it into a beautiful parade tractor.  I had no idea it would go onto lead a productive life again.  I figured another collector would have wanted it but I suppose it is doing what it was designed to do!

29

General Discussion / Upgrades & Modifcations or Restore to Historic Condition?

« on: January 18, 2007, 07:37:52 pm »

Ok guys, here is another question from a non-Bombardier owner.

When you guys buy these old units do you "upgrade" them with modern features or do you restore them to their original factory specifications?  Is there some collector value in these units that would make them more valuable if restored to showroom condition or does their value lay in the ability to use them?

LET ME GIVE YOU A LITTLE BACKGROUND for my question.  My Snow Trac is 34 years old and from what I can tell has no collector value.  Mine was actually featured on a British TV show so it is a "famous" Snow Trac (at least it has some small bit of history).  But all that said, it has no value as a collectable.  As I went about the continuation of the restoration, I changed the headlamps to H4 Halogens (but kept them inside the original housings) and I also added side, rear and additional front lights plus a strobe.  I also added dual rearview mirrors, upgraded the whole electrical system and rebuilt the generator.  Inside I have a Magellan Meridian Color GPS unit, an auxillary heater, a 12-volt outlet, dual batteries, and even upholstered the seats in Hawaiian fabric to add a bit of color.  Most owners of Snow Tracs I've come across have made similar "upgrades" to make their units safer.  Many also have added 2 way radios, etc.

Here are some of the photos of stuff that I have done, what have you guys done?  Why?

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y75/melensdad/Herbie%201972%20Snow%20Trac%20ST4/mirrorsandlights.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y75/melensdad/Herbie%201972%20Snow%20Trac%20ST4/dash.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y75/melensdad/Herbie%201972%20Snow%20Trac%20ST4/attachment-2.jpg

Fan helps keep the windshield from fogging in the winter and also keeps me cooler in the summer.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y75/melensdad/Herbie%201972%20Snow%20Trac%20ST4/fan.jpg


And just for fun I labeled my "ignition" button "eject"
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y75/melensdad/Herbie%201972%20Snow%20Trac%20ST4/dashboard.jpg

30

General Discussion / Re: Just Curious about Bombardiers

« on: January 18, 2007, 06:48:33 pm »

Do you think longer or wider skis would provide the type of floatation you need for deep powder snow?

I know with my Snow Trac it was available in 2 different models.  I have the standard model, but they also made a powder snow version that has wider & longer tracks.  It provides less than 0.5psi (pounds per square inch) of ground pressure versus my Snow Trac's 0.7psi of ground pressure.  The standard version is by far the most common and saw use from Antarcitca to the mountains of Norway and up into the arctic circle.  However in the deep low moisture powder snow of the the northern islands of Japan and in the dry powder snow of Utah it seems that the wider track "Snow Master" is the favored machine.  I see other brands of snowcats that seem to have optional track designs and it seems like some specific regions really require extra floatation.

A machine like a Snow Trac is equally at home in the mountains on steep slopes as it is on flat field, but as I said before, it is slow.  Top speeds are right about 22 miles per hour.