Snocat

[Rainier10]

Pimped out my snocat this weekend.

Added a LED light at that really improved my night vision and a custom box for the bed from allied body works.

[Rainier10]

The doors are weather tight and swing up and stay open.

Inside it is 72” wide and 36” deep so I can toss all of our Rubbermaid containers and cooler in there and not have the covered in snow when I get to the cabin.

[wadu1]

Does it have lateral steering?

[actionshooter]

That's cool! What  year is it?

[LDennis24]

Get out of here!

[LDennis24]

Mods delete this thread please... 

[LDennis24]

I want one for the same purpose so bad! My wife's cabin is in the Blues and gets covered in snow every winter and I want to make it in there with the family so I have always wanted one of these. It's not in my budget right now of course. I was just looking at a cool blue one on Craigslist. Good price even.

[LDennis24]

Ok enough about me, that is an awesome machine you have! So when you open the rear box doors it's one open unit inside? What was the cost like on the custom box?

[Rainier10]

It’s a 70 something thikol.

Not sure what the steering is called but I pull the left lever to turn left and right lever to turn right when going forward.

Yes the box in the back is continuous between the doors one big cavity. It was expensive, $3,000.

The snocat was a purchase on bidadoo on eBay. It was in Kent at the bidadoo auction lot. With 20 seconds left to bid and high bid at $10,000 I placed a bid for $12,005 and won. I figured it was worth $12,000 to most people so I went $5 more and won. Pretty sure the guy that had $12,000 for a max bid was pissed.

It’s been awesome to have. It’s a three mile snowmobile ride in to our cabin. We have a tow sled for behind the snowmobiles and that was great when I was thirty but after 50 the snocat is way more comfortable.

[Boss .300 winmag]

That’s was a great buy.👍

[Southpole]

I’ve always wanted one of those!!!

[LDennis24]

I would bet you could get all of your money back out of it if you tried to sell it again. Meaning all $15,000+ They are hard to come by and popular in the right regions of the U.S. Utah and Colorado have tons of them. What engine does it have in it?

[Rainier10]

Ford straight six. Bulletproof.

[Rainier10]

Link to photos from when I purchased it

https://auctionresource.com/amp/auctions/2890/online-only-equipment-auction/160976/thiokol-chemical-corp-1202-std

[wadu1]

Yes, you have lateral steering. Same as tanks, tracked tractors.

[LDennis24]

Ford straight six. Bulletproof.

Yeah an excellent engine! You got such a good deal on that thing! The pics show it to be in amazing condition! Contact me if your ever thinking about selling it!

[Rainier10]

Ford straight six. Bulletproof.

Yeah an excellent engine! You got such a good deal on that thing! The pics show it to be in amazing condition! Contact me if your ever thinking about selling it!

I really did get a great deal. I’ll let you know if I decide to sell. I may get a Tacoma crew cab and put tracks on it at some point and sell the snocat.  Expensive to do that but you can take the tracks off in the summer and use the truck spring summer and fall.

[Boss .300 winmag]

Ford straight six. Bulletproof.

Yeah an excellent engine! You got such a good deal on that thing! The pics show it to be in amazing condition! Contact me if your ever thinking about selling it!

I really did get a great deal. I’ll let you know if I decide to sell. I may get a Tacoma crew cab and put tracks on it at some point and sell the snocat.  Expensive to do that but you can take the tracks off in the summer and use the truck spring summer and fall.

Do you need snow to run those tracks?

[Rainier10]

Ford straight six. Bulletproof.

Yeah an excellent engine! You got such a good deal on that thing! The pics show it to be in amazing condition! Contact me if your ever thinking about selling it!

I really did get a great deal. I’ll let you know if I decide to sell. I may get a Tacoma crew cab and put tracks on it at some point and sell the snocat.  Expensive to do that but you can take the tracks off in the summer and use the truck spring summer and fall.

Do you need snow to run those tracks?

Both can run on dirt but it is hard on tracks. Snow is better for both.

Neighbor has a tracked Tacoma and they are really nice. Couple neighbors have tracked side by sides.

[LDennis24]

In your experience is there a limit on snow depth with that machine?

[bearpaw]

That's an awesome machine, lucky you didn't go to jail for the price you paid, that was a steal.

[Rainier10]

In your experience is there a limit on snow depth with that machine?

I drove it up to my cabin last weekend on no snow just a 5/8 minus crushed gravel road. It snowed a little and when I took it back downhill to my lower lot there was about 2” of wet sloppy snow left.

It does best in a foot of snow or more for steering and soft ride. It’s basically a tank or bulldozer, no suspension. You need that snow to soften the ride.

Ice it is not good in. Crusty snow is fine but sheets of ice it is no bueno.

[Boss .300 winmag]

In your experience is there a limit on snow depth with that machine?

I drove it up to my cabin last weekend on no snow just a 5/8 minus crushed gravel road. It snowed a little and when I took it back downhill to my lower lot there was about 2” of wet sloppy snow left.

It does best in a foot of snow or more for steering and soft ride. It’s basically a tank or bulldozer, no suspension. You need that snow to soften the ride.

Ice it is not good in. Crusty snow is fine but sheets of ice it is no bueno.

Have you gotten stuck because of too much snow?

[Rainier10]

In your experience is there a limit on snow depth with that machine?

I drove it up to my cabin last weekend on no snow just a 5/8 minus crushed gravel road. It snowed a little and when I took it back downhill to my lower lot there was about 2” of wet sloppy snow left.

It does best in a foot of snow or more for steering and soft ride. It’s basically a tank or bulldozer, no suspension. You need that snow to soften the ride.

Ice it is not good in. Crusty snow is fine but sheets of ice it is no bueno.

Have you gotten stuck because of too much snow?

never been stuck the tracks are pretty wide and give a massive footprint. I’ve been in two feet of fresh snow with big wind drifts without issue. It will climb some pretty steep stuff too.

It’s not fast, maybe 20mph tops.

[boneaddict]

I thought you were kidding when you started this post.   Way cool.   Man I’d have fun with that, much easier to haul photo gear than sled.

[Rainier10]

I thought you were kidding when you started this post.   Way cool.   Man I’d have fun with that, much easier to haul photo gear than sled.

When I was younger I used to haul my sleds over the pass every weekend on an open deck trailer. Ice storms would coat the covers in a blanket of ice. Had to fight the buckles to get them undone, then haul Rubbermaid tubs and coolers on my lap up to cabin in multiple trips.

Got older and bought an enclosed trailer to haul sleds. No more frozen covers to fight and a nice place to put on and take off snow gear. Also bought a tow behind trailer for the sleds to get it all in one trip versus three with it on my lap.

Then seeing at night in the snow/rain on the pass got tough so I bought a container to store sleds in on east side of the mountain so I didn’t have to tow a trailer in the dark.

Most recent upgrade was the snocat to just drive up in comfort. Only have to where snow boots, no helmet, no snow gear. I can fit the dog and family inside all the gear in the cargo box.

The older I get the more I want to make life easier.

[wadu1]

How about that a 5-speed manual automatic behind the 300CID engine.

[Rainier10]

How about that a 5-speed manual automatic behind the 300CID engine.

The taped on cup holder beyond the shifter and fire extinguisher didn’t last very long.

[Angry Perch]

I thought you were kidding when you started this post.   Way cool.   Man I’d have fun with that, much easier to haul photo gear than sled.

When I was younger I used to haul my sleds over the pass every weekend on an open deck trailer. Ice storms would coat the covers in a blanket of ice. Had to fight the buckles to get them undone, then haul Rubbermaid tubs and coolers on my lap up to cabin in multiple trips.

Got older and bought an enclosed trailer to haul sleds. No more frozen covers to fight and a nice place to put on and take off snow gear. Also bought a tow behind trailer for the sleds to get it all in one trip versus three with it on my lap.

Then seeing at night in the snow/rain on the pass got tough so I bought a container to store sleds in on east side of the mountain so I didn’t have to tow a trailer in the dark.

Most recent upgrade was the snocat to just drive up in comfort. Only have to where snow boots, no helmet, no snow gear. I can fit the dog and family inside all the gear in the cargo box.

The older I get the more I want to make life easier.

Ha, I like the way you roll. Can't wait to see your toy list when you're 80!

[Rainier10]

I thought you were kidding when you started this post.   Way cool.   Man I’d have fun with that, much easier to haul photo gear than sled.

When I was younger I used to haul my sleds over the pass every weekend on an open deck trailer. Ice storms would coat the covers in a blanket of ice. Had to fight the buckles to get them undone, then haul Rubbermaid tubs and coolers on my lap up to cabin in multiple trips.

Got older and bought an enclosed trailer to haul sleds. No more frozen covers to fight and a nice place to put on and take off snow gear. Also bought a tow behind trailer for the sleds to get it all in one trip versus three with it on my lap.

Then seeing at night in the snow/rain on the pass got tough so I bought a container to store sleds in on east side of the mountain so I didn’t have to tow a trailer in the dark.

Most recent upgrade was the snocat to just drive up in comfort. Only have to where snow boots, no helmet, no snow gear. I can fit the dog and family inside all the gear in the cargo box.

The older I get the more I want to make life easier.

Ha, I like the way you roll. Can't wait to see your toy list when you're 80!

Helicopter.

[Boss .300 winmag]

I thought you were kidding when you started this post.   Way cool.   Man I’d have fun with that, much easier to haul photo gear than sled.

When I was younger I used to haul my sleds over the pass every weekend on an open deck trailer. Ice storms would coat the covers in a blanket of ice. Had to fight the buckles to get them undone, then haul Rubbermaid tubs and coolers on my lap up to cabin in multiple trips.

Got older and bought an enclosed trailer to haul sleds. No more frozen covers to fight and a nice place to put on and take off snow gear. Also bought a tow behind trailer for the sleds to get it all in one trip versus three with it on my lap.

Then seeing at night in the snow/rain on the pass got tough so I bought a container to store sleds in on east side of the mountain so I didn’t have to tow a trailer in the dark.

Most recent upgrade was the snocat to just drive up in comfort. Only have to where snow boots, no helmet, no snow gear. I can fit the dog and family inside all the gear in the cargo box.

The older I get the more I want to make life easier.

Ha, I like the way you roll. Can't wait to see your toy list when you're 80!

Helicopter.

Helo’s really aren’t that expensive to buy, it’s the maintenance, parts, and fuel that’ll get you.