Dad's new toy

[Danno77]

1977 Tucker.

This is one of the original Tuckers that they used at the Ski place he's worked since the early 80s. I remember getting to ride in it as a young boy. Kinda cool that he was able to buy it from them (he still works there).

Took it out for a spin the other day. Pretty freaking fun, will be even more fun in the winter with some snow. He's looking to put a plow on it for the driveway....

 

[firefighterjake]

How big a driveway do you guys have? Around here they use the Sno-Cats for grooming snowmobile trails and working the slopes at the ski resorts.

 

[Danno77]

How big a driveway do you guys have? Around here they use the Sno-Cats for grooming snowmobile trails and working the slopes at the ski resorts.

It's a decent sized driveway, but this is still overkill for the job. He's used an old dodge truck for years. I think he'd like to be able to plow the road all the way from his place to my grandma's place a mile away, then plow her driveway. When it gets nasty out and he's got to go to work, he just plows his way to the closest highway with the old truck. i think that truck's days are numbered, so this might be the new thing.

Realistically speaking, though, I think Dad might have told Mom it could be used for plowing just to justify the purchase. methinks it might just be a cool toy to have around... we'll see.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

That does look like fun to play on. Try to keep him out of streams. That thing could really muck up a fishery.

Matt

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Danno, that is not a good idea. No doubt there won't be enough traction for snow plowing. :cheese:

 

[Jamess67]

Danno can I be your new best friend? lol That is SWEET!

 

[wood-fan-atic]

That thing wouldn't even FIT in my driveway! :shut:

 

[mayhem]

That thing wouldn't even FIT in my driveway! :shut:

For that (and with it I suppose), you make new room.

Pretty cool. I'd be all for using that insetad of beating the hell out of my pickup in a bad storm. Pretty much guarantee you won't get the thing stuck in a snowbank. Be great for trailbreaking and skidding alot of logs out of the woods too.

 

[Skier76]

Tuckers are very cool machines! Gas or diesel?

One of my dreams is to retire on a lot of land...and have a snow cat to drive around during the winter.

Again, sweet score! I love those things.

 

[Gary_602z]

Ski Slope? Man it looks like you can see for miles around you!

Gary

 

[Danno77]

Danno can I be your new best friend? lol That is SWEET!

I don't have anything cool. you want to be friends with my Dad, lol. If he doesn't kill it, I suppose I might inherit it and several other cool toys in say, 30 or 40 years. I'm not counting on that, though, cause Dad will likely outlive me.

That thing wouldn't even FIT in my driveway! :shut:

it's really not as wide as you might thin. The width of the cab is about the same as a Suzuki Samurai, so add a couple feet to that for the tracks. Probably only a little wider than a duallie full sized truck.

Be great for trailbreaking and skidding alot of logs out of the woods too.

Tuckers are very cool machines! Gas or diesel?

It doesn't have an obscene amount of power, but it can get the job done. I'd imagine the engine is weaker than the traction, if that makes sense. It has an automatic transmission, I'm not sure how many speeds, maybe three. I seem to remember Dad saying something about it having the same 360 that his old dodge has, so he was gonna swap something or has spare parts.

Ski Slope? Man it looks like you can see for miles around you!

Snowstar is about 30 miles away. It isn't fantastic, but it's a place to go. I've been skiing there since I was a kid. I instructed there for about 4 or 5 years, worked the ski lift for a couple. my wife and sister both worked in rental for a while, my sister was an instructor for several years, too. Mom is the only one in my immediate family who hasn't worked there. http://www.skisnowstar.com/

 

[Skier76]

Cool looking area! Correct me if I'm wrong...but you park up top and ski down? Not many areas are set up like that. It's pretty unique.

 

[Danno77]

Cool looking area! Correct me if I'm wrong...but you park up top and ski down? Not many areas are set up like that. It's pretty unique.

Exactly! most of the midwest ski areas are set up surrounding a current or historic river, so basically you are skiing in some bluffs. Snowstar is VERY unimpressive, IMO. But it's a place to ski, and it's close. The fact that my dad has always worked there (or I worked there) meant that I got to ski for free. Skiing is expensive (even in the midwest), I don't know if I'd have been an avid skier if I had to pay for it all. Now that I'm grown I don't get to do it for free there anymore, but Dad can still get us discounts for tickets.

Going to Copper Mtn (again) in early December. It will be my son's first trip skiing in Colorado (and like my millionth). I'm pretty excited about it.

 

[Beetle-Kill]

Pretty cool Danno. I could use that Tucker right now, all the passes are closed so I'm stuck at work. You'll have plenty of snow in Dec., I'm about 15 min. from Copper and they got dumped on today, with more on the way.

 

[Skier76]

Cool looking area! Correct me if I'm wrong...but you park up top and ski down? Not many areas are set up like that. It's pretty unique.

Exactly! most of the midwest ski areas are set up surrounding a current or historic river, so basically you are skiing in some bluffs. Snowstar is VERY unimpressive, IMO. But it's a place to ski, and it's close. The fact that my dad has always worked there (or I worked there) meant that I got to ski for free. Skiing is expensive (even in the midwest), I don't know if I'd have been an avid skier if I had to pay for it all. Now that I'm grown I don't get to do it for free there anymore, but Dad can still get us discounts for tickets.

Going to Copper Mtn (again) in early December. It will be my son's first trip skiing in Colorado (and like my millionth). I'm pretty excited about it.

Small hills are great. Most people start off on smaller hills before they progress to places up North here in New England. I grew up in the Western past of Mass and skied there a lot. I taught my wife to ski on a small hill in CT before taking her up to VT. Smaller hills are good to learn on; less intimidating.

 

[Danno77]

Cool looking area! Correct me if I'm wrong...but you park up top and ski down? Not many areas are set up like that. It's pretty unique.

Exactly! most of the midwest ski areas are set up surrounding a current or historic river, so basically you are skiing in some bluffs. Snowstar is VERY unimpressive, IMO. But it's a place to ski, and it's close. The fact that my dad has always worked there (or I worked there) meant that I got to ski for free. Skiing is expensive (even in the midwest), I don't know if I'd have been an avid skier if I had to pay for it all. Now that I'm grown I don't get to do it for free there anymore, but Dad can still get us discounts for tickets.

Going to Copper Mtn (again) in early December. It will be my son's first trip skiing in Colorado (and like my millionth). I'm pretty excited about it.

Small hills are great. Most people start off on smaller hills before they progress to places up North here in New England. I grew up in the Western past of Mass and skied there a lot. I taught my wife to ski on a small hill in CT before taking her up to VT. Smaller hills are good to learn on; less intimidating.

Snowstar is definitely a great place to learn. I generally recommend lessons, but I do remember my first time skiing. I was in 5th grade, so much older than my children when they learned. Dad had to work on the lift and he helped me get some equipment out of rental before they opened up. He said, "this is how you slow down" and made a wedge shape with his arms. then he said something about finding him for lunch money and walked up to the lift with me standing there wondering which hill to take, the green to my left or the blue to my right. I don't remember the first run, but I do remember taking the black diamond that day and not like some of the other newbies. I was NOT that guy screaming in a straight line down the hill. I made some (probably) crappy turns and kept it slow. Fast forward 7 years and I was giving lessons without having ever taken a formal lesson myself. I read a lot of books, watched a lot of videos, and practiced technique (A LOT). Don't know how it would have turned out if I hadn't started on a small hill.

 

[Flatbedford]

Who would think there are ski area out your way. I thought that until I stumbled across this one about 20 years ago. http://www.chestnutmtn.com/

 

[Danno77]

Who would think there are ski area out your way. I thought that until I stumbled across this one about 20 years ago. http://www.chestnutmtn.com/

That's a much nicer place to ski (IMHO) than Snowstar, but crowds can be annoying. There is also a place called Sundown Mountain near there. There are several more places up in Wisconsin that are even better! For our Ten year anniversary last year we went to Cascade Mountain, but there is another place called Devil's Head that is equally good. There is a lot of debate about which is the better of those two, and whether or not it's the best skiing in the midwest.

 

[Flatbedford]

Skiing in the Midwest just doesn't sound right. Kinda like surfing in the Midwest. That's the magic if our country. We have so much different stuff all over the darn place. Don't tell me you surf out there.

 

[Danno77]

Skiing in the Midwest just doesn't sound right. Kinda like surfing in the Midwest. That's the magic if our country. We have so much different stuff all over the darn place. Don't tell me you surf out there.

I dunno, the waves in Lake Michigan get pretty Gnarly, dude.

 

[Flatbedford]

On the same trip that I found the ski area, I also saw Indiana Dunes Park. There was a pretty good surf there. Maybe they do surf? At least you don't get a mouth full of salt water when you wipe out in the Great Lakes.

 

[Danno77]

On the same trip that I found the ski area, I also saw Indiana Dunes Park. There was a pretty good surf there. Maybe they do surf? At least you don't get a mouth full of salt water when you wipe out in the Great Lakes.

We love the Dunes. We go there every couple of years. A mouthful of water from there is wayyyyy more disgusting than from the ocean. trust me. This sign is posted all over the place....

 

[Flatbedford]

Yum! I guess salt water isn't so bad after all.