Hus-Ski 600 with 3 speed
Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2021 4:03 pm
Last spring I acquired this Hus-Ski 600. It was a mess. The body was rusted up. The 252 JLO had been removed but was included. The cowling was included but didn't fit, you see the trapper who had it put a Muncie 3 speed transmission from a Chevy pickup in it. He had used it to haul moose out of the backwoods. He claims to have hauled 2 at once using low gear. Gotta love that ingenuity. Thanks to gogodiablo and Jason Y in St. Malo I was able to find the missing clutch parts. I reworked an old muffler from another old sled to fashion one suitable for the JLO. repurposed a gas tank and rebuilt the tillotson 186A. I know the purest may be gringing at this moment but I had a decision to make. Restore to original or honour the creativity and ingenuity of the previous owner. There are a handful of beautiful restored Hus-Skis here in Manitoba, but none that i know exist with a Chevy 3 speed, so I decided to make the most of both. I plan to make a new cowling out of sheet metal, using the profile of the original and even including parts of the old in the new. Now the machine runs great, 3 forward and 1 reverse. I need to make and install wooden cleats for the track. it rides pretty low with just ice cleats. The seater is in need of TLC as you see in the photos. Since this machine has reverse I've chosen to use 60" snowboards until i have time to create 2 way wooden skis. In the state I found it in a factory restoration would not have been feasible but this Frankenski should be fun when I get her on the snow.
https://youtu.be/XX6l6exPM3s
https://youtu.be/SFJYgvo_UVE
https://youtu.be/XX6l6exPM3s
https://youtu.be/SFJYgvo_UVE