Bombardier Skandic 97-26076 Light Over Snow Vehicle

[Robin Craig]

I have been after one of these for a while as smaller vehicles interest me and no one else seems to be collecting them plus it has a practical purpose for winter travel at home on the island around the farm in winter as we don't have any work owned snow machines here in winter. Who knows, I might even buy a trail pass and go off island.

This popped up on GC Surplus a few weeks ago and like a fool I bid and like a lucky person I won. It was listed with many declarations of damage and not turning over and in need of repairs but I was prepared for that and bid to win. Anyone can go see what I paid if you know how. I missed one of these in Alberta about a year ago and as the CF seems to be buying gawdy coloured commercial off the shelf (COTS) units and often not adding the wire cutter I knew that the supply of these was dwindling. The place of sale being Ottawa was convenient as I pass through there quite often. I didn't go view it in person, I could not get away for that.

So, long story short, it is home and after an hour of due diligence and tinkering, despite no battery and a missing dead man's tether we have it running now.

It is going to get some TLC and parts bought for it and it will slowly get tidied but not overly so, an in service look and status is all I am after currently. The seat has been an in service repair by someone so it will stay like that for a while as things like a better condition track is higher on my list.

I will live in the yard at work ths winter in an enclosure as our ready vehicle for property patrols on the farm and likely for some hunting work with my co worker and general running around. We have over 600 acres under our charge.

I am looking for any photos of CF snowmobiles in service particularly anything they may have been towing such as pulks or komatiks.

[Robin Craig]

From information to hand from various sources we know that it cost the CF $9717 when new and served with both 2 Combat Engineer Regiment and 3rd Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment both at Petawawa and wherever they went.

This version of the Skandic is known as a wide track (WT) although in previous model years there was also a Super Wide Track of a similar outward appearance.

It has had quite a bump at the front and that needs to get encouraged back The ripple in the lower black plastic just alongside of the battery is a symptom of the impact damage and will come out we feel when things are aligned again, this is a high priority after some carb work which I am outsourcing before it runs any more.

Very happy to have this machine.

[Howard Smith]

Nice save Robin - I had considered a hunt for one of these too! I believe our boys had them too.

[Robin Craig]

Thanks Howard,

When you say "Our Boys" whom do you mean?

[Howard Smith]

Brits...

( did't know there is a 10 character minimum posting requirement!!)

[Robin Craig]

I had thought I had updated this thread but I haven't in a while it seems.

So, as I mentioned the sled had suffered from a sudden stop against something hard. This had caused front end frame bending under the hood and the aluminum bumper bar had been part of that. All in all the fiberglass hood wouldn't close reasonably.

We reefed the front frame members back into shape by putting a lumpy guy on the end of a 4 foot pry bar and bouncing and checking repeatedly, one of the few times having a bunch of extra pounds has paid off. Eventually we got it back to a reasonably close condition. For a motor pool ready machine I am happy with that. If it runs and steers properly and is safe and reliable and tidy that is good enough for me. Anything more would require a complete strip down as too much of the engine is in the way.

During the winter there was a snow mobile swap meet locally and I went along to collect some parts I had bought from a guy in Quebec who was also attending. I did not want to pay money over the internet for gear I had not seen and would be expensive to ship and damage would be very likely.

I had agreed to buy a used bumper and a used hood and a barely used track. All of these parts are no longer available through the dealer and the white fiberglass hood was only made for this contract I am led to believe. The most important was the track as mine has a very miles left before it is going to shred. Its ok for local trips but in a year or so I will change it.

[Robin Craig]

Despite being a used take off bumper, it had a few kinks that needed taking out. We found the ye olde craftsman approach with a sledge hammer and a few blocks of wood encouraged it well, it now follows the profile nicely.

I elected to swap the hood as the old one had awful cracking from the extra weight of the wire cutter which strains it. The old hood also was very weak at the hinge points where the rivets pass through.

Finally the front end looks good and not like a person with a broken jaw and all slewed to one side.

I had some new CFR numbers made up at my local 3M Trimline shop and love their work. It is close enough for me on the colour.

On the controls, we replaced the kill switch lanyard and all those parts which were missing and bypassed to allow it to run.

[Robin Craig]

Once all this work had been done it was time for a test run around the property at work and a pose for a picture outside. I was mindful of not straying too far from any route that the tractor could recover me from.

Despite having done carb work and fresh new fuel the machine suffered from classic fuel starvation issues and surged and spluttered at times which I managed to overcome and nurse the machine back to the shop. We elected to pull the fuel lines out of the tank including the strainer at the end and the filter. They were all heavily soiled and in a poor state of repair. We also took the diaphragm pump apart and it looked old. Also we found some slight cracks in the lines connecting all these items.

I ordered up new parts and the following week put them all in and what a difference it makes and what an elevation in my feelings of reliability. That was well founded as it ran well on the next test run and was a hoot to rip around on the frozen fields and trails on the farm. It fires right up and not so much as a single hiccup.

I am satisfied now that the machine is usable and safe. Hopefully I will take it down to York PA in the summer. It will go away in a vermin free box in the meantime.

At the swap meet over the winter I found this vintage Grabber wire cutter in a box. It is very similar in many aspects, even the same some might say. It does however lack the other two mounting points of the tripod style like mine has, but I suspect the maker was the same and a low volume cottage industry at the time. Can anyone shed any light?

[Robin Craig]

If anyone can rotate that image please do. I have tried 3 times to resolve it but it wont take.

[Darrell Zinck]

Hi Robin

OK?

regards
Darrell

[Robert Bergeron]

Awesome looking sled there my friend. Spent a lot of time on those in my younger days !

[Robin Craig]

Darrell thank you for that, gremlins inhabit our computer at times.

Robert, can you please tell us more of your exploits on such machines, where, why, what kit was carried, what was towed, what were the ups and downs. I would be negligent if I did call you out for that.