BEHAVIOR
Drives nimbly over snow and other soft surfaces that would defeat a wheeled vehicle.
HABITAT
Seen grooming ski slopes and hauling people and equipment in polar regions. A mainstay for ground-based polar research.
HOW IT WORKS
There are many variations of the basic design. Tucker Sno-Cats use
four sets of tread, while other manufacturers use two. The front two
tracks provide steering on the Tuckers. Two-belt models typically use
brakes to steer: the driver applies the brake to the side that he wants to turn toward.
Wide rubber belts are mounted on a fiberglass housing or on a series of pulleys that guide and tension the belt. The belts spread the load (upward of a couple of tons) over a large area so the pressure exerted on the surface is less than a pound per square inch. A drive sprocket coming from the transmission drives the belts.
INTERESTING FACTS
When Sir Vivian Fuchs led the first expedition to cross Antarctica (1957–58), he used four Tucker Sno-Cats. The machines ran at temperatures down to –70° F and gobbled gas at 1.5 miles per gallon while hauling sleds behind them. The first motorized sled was patented in 1916 by Ray H. Muscott, #1188981. Muscott’s model used skis on the front and tracks on the back.
A field guide to automotive technology
Ed Sobey
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