Tucker Sno-Cat

The Tucker Sno-Cat is a tracked vehicle or a family of tracked vehicles for snow conditions, manufactured in Medford, Oregon.

Different models have been used for expeditions in the Arctic and the Antarctic during the second half of the 20th century. It differs from other truck-sized snow vehicles, commonly known as snowcats, by its use of four independently mounted sets of tracks.

While the majority of Tucker Sno-Cats utilized four sets of tracks, a few experimental models and early production models used two sets of tracks. Initially Tucker Sno-Cats employed two front-mounted steering skis and two sets of tracks mounted to the rear. However, there are at least three production models that only employed dual tracks—the small 222 Tucker Kitten, the 322, and the 323 models were all two-track Tucker Sno-Cats with a conventional front engine design. There are at least two variants of the Tucker Kitten, some have square corner doors while others have rounded corner doors. The Kitten was powered by a 10 hp engine. Additionally there was at least one prototype featuring two tracks and a mid-engine design.

The more common four track Tucker Sno-Cats are considered to be the classic Sno-Cats in American history and have been used extensively in both polar regions for exploration, as well as for transportation, trail grooming and industrial applications. The body style could be configured in many ways and sedan styles, enclosed cargo styles and open bed configurations were all available. Model numbers designated the configuration of the unit, for example a Model 342 was a "300" series, four-track, two-door Tucker Sno-Cat. A Model 443 would be a "400" series, four-track, three-door unit. In the early models, there were ultimately series 200 through 900, with the higher numbers being larger units. The 500 series Tuckers employed extra wide tracks which allowed them to carry heavy loads in very deep soft snow conditions. The early model Tucker Sno-Cats all utilized a unique steel track that revolved around a steel pontoon, the steel pontoons were eventually replaced by fiberglass pontoons. As the models evolved, the steel tracks were replaced with a suspension system that employed rubber belts that were carried by a series of small wheels. Fastened to the exterior of the rubber belts are cleats, also called grousers, made of metal, to offer traction on the snow.

While Tucker is still in business, its early competitors have not fared well in the face of competition. Other notable players in the North American snowcat market included Thiokol, Bombardier, KRISTI snowcat and Swedish manufacturer Aktiv Snow Trac. All the historic competitors to Tucker Sno-Cat made two-track snowcats.

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Wikipedia