My 'new' Hus-Ski 444.

A place to ask all your questions about Hus Skis or just a great place to spread a little of that Yellow Pride.
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Skiroule6869
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Joined:Fri Mar 11, 2016 5:40 pm
My 'new' Hus-Ski 444.

Post by Skiroule6869 » Sat Mar 12, 2016 5:20 pm

Hi, I'm new to the site and just bought (yesterday) a Bolens Hus-Ski 444. I've wanted one of these, or a Diablo, for decades but they've always been just a bit out of my reach financially. The only reason I could swing this one was because it needs a LOT of work! Basically, it's complete other than the seat and backrest cushions, and someone put later model steel (although they are Bolens!) skis on the seater.

Rust wise the seater tool box bottom is a bit soft, and the tractor unit has some holes underneath the engine, but I've got 20 years of fab experience, so no worries there. I do however have tons of questions about the wood portion of this project, but I'll try and keep it pretty basic to begin with.

1. I suspect mine has had a cleat replacement already. Currently each cleat consists of a block of wood sandwiched between two strips of aluminum. I'm assuming it had a wood cleat with a steel strip originally? Pics of a 'correct' one would be awesome! Plus, what kind of wood is best and what dimension are the blocks?

2. Same question on the wood sliderails...mine has hardly any left and what is there isn't good enough for a pattern.

3. At the rear of my 'tractor' unit, the swivel mount for the seater is rusted solid. I'm going to try some penetrating fluid but don't expect it to do much. It looks welded in. Are these available still so I could weld a new one in?

4. Finally (for now) how do I tell what year my Hus-Ski is? The little reading I've done so far looks like they were built in '66 and '67?

Thanks for putting up with all the annoying questions of this new 444 owner!

Skiroule6869
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Joined:Fri Mar 11, 2016 5:40 pm

Re: My 'new' Hus-Ski 444.

Post by Skiroule6869 » Tue Mar 15, 2016 7:12 pm

Hello all,

I had a good 8 hour garage day yesterday and pretty much blew the sled all apart so I could see what needs to be done. Here are my findings:

*I'm pretty confident my sled is a 1966. The Dymo tape on the inside of the handlebar support says 1965 1913.

*The chassis on the tractor unit will need a fair amount of metal work. Both U-channel engine mounts are badly rotted, and the pan between them doesn't look much better. I'm planning to cut it all out as one piece and take the whole thing to the same sheet metal shop I used when I was after patch panels for my old Jeep. Other than that and having to remake and weld on one of the rear sliderail 'feet' it's in pretty good shape.

*Both tracks will need to be remade. The belting looks OK for a sled that would only see around the yard use, but I'd like to take it off the property once in awhile, so I'm getting price quotes on new belting. Still haven't figured out what type of wood would be best to use for the cleats, or what type of metal (if any) it should have on the outer cleat. I'm assuming it should have something, to keep the wear on the wood to a minimum?

*Two of the cast aluminum track cogs have chunks broken out of them. Anybody have a pair they'd be willing to sell me? I'll have to check again and see if they're front or rear.

Although the carburetor was seized, the engine itself rolls over nice and has good compression, so that's a postive! Also, the fuel tank appears to have been filled with oil after it's last use, so it looks brand new inside. :D

More soon. -Marc.

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Barrie2777
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Re: My 'new' Hus-Ski 444.

Post by Barrie2777 » Tue Mar 15, 2016 7:56 pm

Wow Marc ! You certainly hit this forum like a march storm. Glad to welcome you to this forum. There are a bunch of guys that can answer all your questions. I'll start with the wood question. Maple maple maple. Although some hus skis had elm parts , for most parts maple was used. I do make all wooden parts and belting for hus-skis. The cleats for your machine measure 3/4" x 1-1/2" x 12" long. The wood clear is protected by a metal ice cleat which is available as a reproduction.

Are you sure the dyno tape says 1965 1913? It should read 651913.

Your cogs can be welded.

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jayvee43
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Re: My 'new' Hus-Ski 444.

Post by jayvee43 » Wed Mar 16, 2016 9:00 am

Welcome to the forum Marc. You're in good hands here. The knowledge and parts availability for restorations and refurbishing these old marvels is equal to NONE!!!

I too had a swivel mount for the seater that was rusted solid. I took my time. penetrating fluid, low heat. I used a propane torch, and made it smoke, and put fluid and smoke and tap this way, that way, gently. fluid let sit, heat fluid and voila. Back to normal. Lots of brown liquid (wish I could bottle that juice and make money selling it :lol: ) But. I didn't have to replace it in the end.

We'd like to see a pic or two if you can manage it. On this forum, were picture fans.

Again Welcome. And Between Barrie and Bruce you will be able to find everything you're looking for.

Jesse
1971 Snowbug
1967 Diablo rouge 500

Skiroule6869
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Joined:Fri Mar 11, 2016 5:40 pm

Re: My 'new' Hus-Ski 444.

Post by Skiroule6869 » Fri Mar 18, 2016 9:23 am

Barrie, how much is your track belting? I'd need all four...my tracks might work for running a sled around the yard, but not much more than that. Thanks! BTW, has anyone had to cut out and replace the engine mounts/area under the engine on one of these before? Mine is pitted bad and has quite a few holes. I'm sure after sandblasting it'll be swiss cheese! -Marc.

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Barrie2777
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Re: My 'new' Hus-Ski 444.

Post by Barrie2777 » Fri Mar 18, 2016 12:59 pm

The belting cost is $300 CAN$. That includes the holes done by CNC and the lacing installed.

Skiroule6869
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Re: My 'new' Hus-Ski 444.

Post by Skiroule6869 » Fri Mar 18, 2016 3:52 pm

Barrie, you were right, the tape on mine says 651913. That's what I get for reading it upside down! Well I just came in from a less than productive garage day. In fact I'm pretty discouraged at the moment.

As previously mentioned, the engine compartment floor on my sled is holes and bad pitting. Rather than try and patch, I opted to cut out the whole piece in one shot and start from scratch. The removal went fairly well, but everywhere I look on the tractor I find more serious rust. For example, cutting out the floor gave me access to the inside of the floor brace, which I'm sure hasn't seen the light of day since the mid '60s. Inside made me cringe...big rust chunks and a lot of pitting. Same thing with the rear slide rail tube...mine had the foot tab broken off, so I ground what was left off in preparation for making a new one. Even though it was welded shut, the inside was more rust chunks and pitting.

The handlebars on my machine were broken off when I got it, and I spent quite a bit of time heat bending the ends back from being kinked into something I could reattach to the rest of the machine. Same deal there, whenever I moved either piece, a shower of rust chunks and pitting like crazy on the inside. It's almost like someone funneled salt water into every tube and cross member after each use!

For a change of pace I moved to the engine. After popping the flywheel and cleaning the points it now has spark! So, a small victory. Then more bad news: I discovered a crack on the inner sheave of the clutch, which was already pretty rusty to begin with. While trying to remove the clutch for reconditioning, a chunk actually broke off.

I'm not afraid of a rough project, and have had quite a few in the past, but the ratio of good parts to things that need to be flat out replaced isn't looking very good!

Time to take a step back and contemplate my next move. The price on the tracks sounds like a great deal, I just need to decide if I want to press forward with this machine or????

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Barrie2777
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Re: My 'new' Hus-Ski 444.

Post by Barrie2777 » Fri Mar 18, 2016 4:45 pm

:o The wonderful thing about rust is that it puffs up to many times it's original size. Lots of flakes can come off before weakening of the tubing. Pounding on the tubing with a hammer will indicate its strength. The handlebars on my 444 broke two years after the restoration. Not due to rust but just because they are prone to breaking due to stresses from driving.

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Go Go Diablo
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Re: My 'new' Hus-Ski 444.

Post by Go Go Diablo » Sun Mar 20, 2016 8:45 pm

I've had needs in the past for such parts on a 444 that include the fender and engine mount framework. Here is a picture of the new frame on a fender.

Sorry, I don't offer the frame anymore, but I'm confident you will be able to recreate what you need.
Hus Ski Skirt 01.jpg
Hus Ski Skirt 01.jpg (528.27KiB)Viewed 7983 times
Too many Diablos and parts to count.
Yamaha 600 SX

crowbait
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Re: My 'new' Hus-Ski 444.

Post by crowbait » Fri Feb 02, 2024 6:05 am

Barrie2777 wrote:
Tue Mar 15, 2016 7:56 pm
Wow Marc ! You certainly hit this forum like a march storm. Glad to welcome you to this forum. There are a bunch of guys that can answer all your questions. I'll start with the wood question. Maple maple maple. Although some hus skis had elm parts , for most parts maple was used. I do make all wooden parts and belting for hus-skis. The cleats for your machine measure 3/4" x 1-1/2" x 12" long. The wood clear is protected by a metal ice cleat which is available as a reproduction.

Are you sure the dyno tape says 1965 1913? It should read 651913.

Your cogs can be welded.
what is best to treat wooden cleats that are oak ?

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