This snowmobile was considered a workhorse of the Arctic Cat lineup in the late 1970's and early 1980's. Typically a popular sled with utilitarian type riders—maybe those who used a snowmobile for the job, at work or for strictly trail riding. Good on the trails, not so good on open terrain.
These machines typically sported a fan-cooled Suzuki engine and were noted for their reliability. However, in a number of online forums, comments seem to indicate they had a reputation as being rather nasty to start.
According to one discussion forum, "the 1975 Arctic Cat Trail Cat was one of Edgar Hetteen's (founder of Arctic Cat) pet projects. However, in the aspect of performance it was a giant flop. To be honest, I get embarrassed every time I think about a Cat with a Briggs & Stratton engine. But this Cat made some serious leaps that were not powered by its engine. The design of the Trail Cat was like looking into a crystal ball at what was coming, but would not be seen until late in the following decade. I often wonder if that Cat had been given an engine with a little meat on its bones, what that would have done to the design standard in the entire snowmobiling industry of the mid-seventies.”
Here is what some early Arctic Cat ad copy had to say about the Trail Cat, “Bumps disappear under the advanced technology that Arctic Cat applies to the trail with the 1980 Trail Cat. Trail Cat's remarkable suspension system is an Arctic first in the consumer sled market. Everyone knows the problem: trails, no matter how beautiful or scenic, eventually erode and rivet your attention to a few impending feet in front of your snowmobile. The result is a ride that envies the main attraction at an amusement park. In developing Trail Cat, Arctic Cat engineers took the sophisticated ride characteristics of the Cats one step further, utilizing a new long travel slide rail suspension system. Coil springs over the shocks up-front on the skis combine with torsion springs on the front arm and external coil springs over shocks on the rear arm to produce a smooth and comfortable ride. Trail Cat purrs with agreeable accoutrements; illuminated gas and oil gauges, a choice or 340 or 440 fan cooled, oil injected engine.”
The ad summed up the Trail Cat by stating, “It's an impressive achievement in the evolution of Arctic engineering.”
So do you have an old sled sighting or story to share? Did you ever own a Arctic Cat Trail Cat? Share your stories and photos with us: [email protected]
