Case Quadtrac and Challenger tractors in Antarctica .

Pilatus · Jan 7, 2022

I have just been looking at the logistics of keeping Antarctic research facilities supplied with all the essentials they need. To my surprise I see that the United States use Challenger and Quadtrac tractors to haul freight sleds from McMurdo base to their South Pole Research station a journey of 900 miles there ,and 900 miles back a round trip of approximately 1800 miles!!! Unless I am mistaken I think it takes about 40 days to get to the South Pole from Mc Murdo and the same on the return journey. It must be a very boring experience driving a tractor that distance at such slow speeds if it takes 40 days to do the trip one way

!!!!!
If you Google " Challenger and Case Quadtrac tractors in Antarctica" you will find some articles with pics of the tractors in Anatarctica.
A bit of a quirky Machinery thread ,but may of be of interest to some other TFF machinery Geeks like me

Lincs Lass · Jan 7, 2022

And these scientists that are trying to save the ice caps from premature melting ,use a fleet of 600hp diesel fume belching tractors to move their equipment .
The rest of the planet is continually being told to cut greenhouse gases yet they are in the most sensitive place on earth doing just the opposite.

shumungus · Jan 7, 2022

Lincs Lass said:
And these scientists that are trying to save the ice caps from premature melting ,use a fleet of 600hp diesel fume belching tractors to move their equipment .
The rest of the planet is continually being told to cut greenhouse gases yet they are in the most sensitive place on earth doing just the opposite.

Suppose they could use electric vehicles but the 900 mile long extension lead would be a pure b!tch in the cold.

Pilatus · Jan 7, 2022

Lincs Lass said:
And these scientists that are trying to save the ice caps from premature melting ,use a fleet of 600hp diesel fume belching tractors to move their equipment .
The rest of the planet is continually being told to cut greenhouse gases yet they are in the most sensitive place on earth doing just the opposite.

It’s OK it’s all in the name of science.

glasshouse · Jan 7, 2022

Do the tracks not freeze solid?

Pilatus · Jan 8, 2022

glasshouse said:
Do the tracks not freeze solid?

A sensible, valid question.
During our 2yr stay at Bonanza Alberta, one of our old neighbours ( now deceased) told me that when using his Caterpillar D7 tractor way up North clearing seismic lines during winter months, he used to park his Cat on railroad sleepers over night to prevent the tracks freezing to the ground, as otherwise if the tracks froze to the ground it was not unknown to wreck the gearbox if one tried moving forward with the tracks frozen to the ground!!

Baker7810 · Jan 8, 2022

Just had one of the truck drivers where I work head down there to the kiwi base. Using Pisten Bully’s with them, apparently his first job is to repair a final drive on one of them out at the Ross ice shelf.

JD6920s · Jan 8, 2022

Lincs Lass said:
And these scientists that are trying to save the ice caps from premature melting ,use a fleet of 600hp diesel fume belching tractors to move their equipment .
The rest of the planet is continually being told to cut greenhouse gases yet they are in the most sensitive place on earth doing just the opposite.

Got to be a trade off in the interest of research, and anyway it has to be a much more useful cause than F1!

snarling bee · Jan 8, 2022

Lincs Lass said:
And these scientists that are trying to save the ice caps from premature melting ,use a fleet of 600hp diesel fume belching tractors to move their equipment .
The rest of the planet is continually being told to cut greenhouse gases yet they are in the most sensitive place on earth doing just the opposite.

I'm not disagreeing but as a percentage of the GHG emissions from vehicles around the world it is hardly measurable. The scientific knowledge would be more valuable. What do you suggest....horses.

Pigken · Jan 8, 2022

snarling bee said:
I'm not disagreeing but as a percentage of the GHG emissions from vehicles around the world it is hardly measurable. The scientific knowledge would be more valuable. What do you suggest....horses.

Not be fair on the horses, surely we could use MPs, in a pack horse formation, create plenty of hot air to keep other warm, love been whipped so encouragement from behind be simple. And surely if a £10 note were dangled in front they would go like Billy hoe, or just a role of wall paper and boris would be trekking like a good en.

Or just do like any locals would do and use rein deer or dogs but big machines are fantastic to watch on snow.

box · Jan 8, 2022

@Pigken for PM.

egbert · Jan 8, 2022

Pigken said:
Not be fair on the horses, surely we could use MPs, in a pack horse formation, create plenty of hot air to keep other warm, love been whipped so encouragement from behind be simple. And surely if a £10 note were dangled in front they would go like Billy hoe, or just a role of wall paper and boris would be trekking like a good en.

Or just do like any locals would do and use rein deer or dogs but big machines are fantastic to watch on snow.

er...what locals?
I think you're a pole out there.

In fact, I recall various early British led expeditions tried taking ponies.
Unsurprisingly, they got eaten fairly quickly.

Pigken · Jan 8, 2022

Pole out, oops yes.

Pigken · Jan 8, 2022

box said:
@Pigken for PM.

Er thanks, not sure could make any more of mess than we already have. But sure could make a speech with out lying, or do an interview and actually answer a question or understand the difference between right and wrong behaviour.
Any how snow men and away.

egbert · Jan 8, 2022

Pigken said:
Pole out, oops yes.

you'll need to be on it better than that if you're to get into number 10.
there's all the illicit parties to manage for a start....lotta dates to juggle dontchaknow.

Pigken · Jan 8, 2022

egbert said:
you'll need to be on it better than that if you're to get into number 10.
there's all the illicit parties to manage for a start....lotta dates to juggle dontchaknow.

Now are we still on about poles of North and or south, or if we have a dancing pole for parties inside and outside of no 10, and do we need a male one female one and gender blind fluidless gutless alternative.

alomy75 · Jan 8, 2022

MX7 said:
A sensible, valid question.
During our 2yr stay at Bonanza Alberta, one of our old neighbours ( now deceased) told me that when using his Caterpillar D7 tractor way up North clearing seismic lines during winter months, he used to park his Cat on railroad sleepers over night to prevent the tracks freezing to the ground, as otherwise if the tracks froze to the ground it was not unknown to wreck the gearbox if one tried moving forward with the tracks frozen to the ground!!

We had to do this back in the day in south Lincolnshire when ploughing up wet sloppy beet ground in the winter with our D4; you don’t need much of a frost to stick a steel track to the ground with all that surface area

76masseyman · Jan 8, 2022

alomy75 said:
We had to do this back in the day in south Lincolnshire when ploughing up wet sloppy beet ground in the winter with our D4; you don’t need much of a frost to stick a steel track to the ground with all that surface area

Dad always parked his Track Marshall on straw.

JD6920s · Jan 8, 2022

76masseyman said:
Dad always parked his Track Marshall on straw.

Dad told me about a very cold winter in the 60’s when operators would light small fires under tracked machines to defrost the tracks and aid starting in a morning.

76masseyman · Jan 8, 2022

In the 1950’s they used Ferguson tractors to reach the South Pole, so its a bit like farming I suppose.
Bit of a willy waving exercise on who uses the biggest tractor.

Case Quadtrac and Challenger tractors in Antarctica .

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