A Great Macungie visit with Kay from Germany!

[numi]

Alvis pre-pro wheels.
numi

[kay]

This looks like nothing more than a "Dad to the rescue" special to me: loose tyres have been forced onto the existing rollers (hence the factory axle ends) in order to permit the Snow-Trac to roll (rather than skid) across a surface, thereby maintaining its play value (and preserving the furniture!).

It's amazing how easily the obvious can be overseen - which means I believe you are right!
When I examined Dick's Snow Tracs during the Macungie show, I was just 100 % concentrated on the look of the roller rivets.
I never wasted a thought about any tires being fit to them!

But now that I watched the close-up pictures I took from Dick's models (to show the original riveting of the rollers), I clearly can see that there are tires that were just press fit onto the rollers!

Dang!

Sorry, Dick!!
Kay

[SMS88]

Good camera work by Kay Now we are all clear without breaking out a loupe or getting a loupe owner to bust a move LOL!

To deal with Dick´s final point, that these hubs dont match hay tailers , can anybody match that small hub boss to a #40 Hay trailer - perhaps a blue or a red one? Because I have 1 in tan and 2 in yellow and they all have much wider wheel boss so while the radial pattern looks two pack era I havent personally seen such a small centre boss on a solid bpw with circumference grooves before so until we do see such tyres on another (ANY) model we cant completely rule out Dick´s theory.

[Idris]

To deal with Dick´s final point, that these hubs dont match hay tailers , can anybody match that small hub boss to a #40 Hay trailer - perhaps a blue or a red one? Because I have 1 in tan and 2 in yellow and they all have much wider wheel boss so while the radial pattern looks two pack era I havent personally seen such a small centre boss on a solid bpw with circumference grooves before so until we do see such tyres on another (ANY) model we cant completely rule out Dick´s theory.

Why would they match Hay Trailer hubs when they're the original Snow-Trac "wheels"? Furthermore, who's to say that they're Lesney tyres?

[kwakers]

I am going to have to check all three of my Snow Tracs now to make sure all three have the same tire treatment shown by Kay. The tires may fit So perfectly over 'Stock' Lesney Snow Trac hubs, it is beyond belief. As with Kay, I concentrated so much on the original axle ends as on Nick's Alvis (pictured very nicely here by Numi!!), I never thought they could have ever been two piece. The thought never even crossed my mind until mboxmike's Post this A.M. Numi's close-up picture of Nick's Alvis is also a 'shocker' by showing us all possibly the same treatment on that unique Toy. Were there really three 'Snow Trac' Dads with the same idea scattered all over the U.S., while Nick's Alvis was done by yet another Dad, as well as mboxmike's???? Kudos to mboxmike for seeing the strange combination for what it is.
I must now compare the inside molding of a removed tire from a common 60s Farm Wagon to those on the perfectly fitted Snow Trac and Alvis wheels shown here. It is 1:30 A.M., and I am up at 6 for work. What a strange turn of events, my 3 Snow Tracs are still packed from Macungie, otherwise I might never get to bed tonight....... If mboxmike has his Snow Trac handy, he may beat me to this comparison by the time I am home from work tomorrow to dig mine out.......kwakers

[kwakers]

A new thought at 2 A.M. in the morning......Nick's black hubs were installed at the factory because of their factory axle ends, and may have been in fact Snow Trac rollers because of the unique outward appearance of their center hubs and the very tight fit of those outer black tires? The hubs are black rather than the yellow or green hubs as used on the 'stock' plastic tired early regular wheel Alvis models. The black outer tires, to perfectly match those black inner hubs (rollers?), would have been installed at the factory on his model rather than just a Dad's quick fix as Idris' theory suggests?? Were any later Alvis models fitted with these black hubs other than Nick's? Off to Bed Once Again at 2:19.......kwakers

[Idris]

[quote="kwakers]Nick's black hubs were installed at the factory because of their factory axle ends, and may have been in fact Snow Trac rollers because of the unique outward appearance of their center hubs...[/quote]

I don't think they are Snow-Trac rollers since they appear to be missing the shallow centre boss. (In fact, looking at the photograph, I would expect the wheels to be one piece mouldings rather than hub and tyre combinations.)

[SMS88]

A new thought at 2 A.M. in the morning......Nick's black hubs were installed at the factory because of their factory axle ends, and may have been in fact Snow Trac rollers because of the unique outward appearance of their center hubs and the very tight fit of those outer black tires? The hubs are black rather than the yellow or green hubs as used on the 'stock' plastic tired early regular wheel Alvis models. The black outer tires, to perfectly match those black inner hubs (rollers?), would have been installed at the factory on his model rather than just a Dad's quick fix as Idris' theory suggests?? Were any later Alvis models fitted with these black hubs other than Nick's? Off to Bed Once Again at 2:19.......kwakers

Yes! I see it now, just pulled out my own standard sno trac and an Alvis - not hard to fit a tyre from an Alvis to the original black sno trac hub either by heating up the tyre or trimming the inner edge a little to make for a very tight fit. So here we have original bog standard sno tracs that folks have jammed on tyres from a hay trailer or Alvis - any sno trac can be adapted by anyone with 4 spare tyres like this one in seconds . Previously I hadnt seen that the hubs were separate and in fact bog standard black sno truck hubs

[Dr Jazz]

Hi Kay and Dick

So great read about your meeting. Dick i like your style !!

Kay show us your treasures!!

Jazz

[numi]

Wheels from the SF Hay trailer.
numi