Snub Nose Tracked Vehicle

Snub Nose Tracked Vehicle SNOWBLOWERS Snowblowers 21-6-26 "It turns like a greased pig in an alley. There's nowhere it won't go," says Archerwill, Sask., farmer Charlie Johnson about a highly maneuverable "snub nose" tracked vehicle he built for pushing snow and hunting moose. It's powered by a 4-cyl. 1600 cc engine and automatic transmission out of a Datsun car. Johnson built the steering mechanism using the main components - planetary drives, brakes and gears - out of a junked Cletrac dozer. He positioned the front drive sprockets higher than the idler wheels, same as some military tanks, so it'll climb over obstacles better. The vehicle is fitted with a pair of 18-in. wide tracks off an old Bombardier snow vehicle. Scrap iron was used to build a 5 1/2-ft. wide snow blade. The blade has a section of grader blade on the bottom for a cutting edge. It adjusts from side to side and raises and lowers with a 2-in. dia. hydraulic cylinder driven by a power steering motor out of an old car. Two pins in the front mounting bracket mount and dismount the blade in a jiffy. An 8,000-lb. winch off a 3/4-ton 4-WD pickup mounts on the rear. "Top speed of the 11-ft. long vehicle is 20 mph on hard surface roads. It'll push through a couple feet of snow no problem," Johnson says. "The only improvement I'd make is to upgrade the steering system to a steering wheel instead of two levers." Out-of-pocket expense was $3,500. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Charlie Johnson, Box 54, Archerwill, Sask., Canada SOE OBO (ph 306 323-4620).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.