# 75 Arctic Cat Cheetah 440 good for IF?



## catfishtom210 (Jan 8, 2003)

I have a line on an old Arctic Cat that is supposed to be in great shape. It is a 75 Cheetah 440 for $350. Is anyone familiar with this machine and if so would it make a good sled for ice fishing? I want to pull a sled with shanties, auger, etc. and at times with a buddy on the sled too.

Also, is it going to be tough to find parts for a sled this old? I assume this will be take premix gas which I further assume is a disadvantage.

Is there anything I should look for when I look at the sled. I've never owned a snowmobile before but decided I'm getting tired of dragging my stuff and thought now would be the best time to buy.

If it's clean is it worth buying?

Thanks in advance,
Tom


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## Banditto (Jun 9, 2000)

not worth it... you can find a 3 wheeler for that price if you look around. that sled is air cooled, super old. anything break and it will be a bear to get parts/repair.


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## Duck-Hunter (Mar 31, 2005)

I bought a 72 yamaha enticer 340 and used it just for ice fishing. it worked great.

I have used a 2 wheel drive quad for years pulling my ice fishing stuff. If you are not on packed down snow you will be going no where fast, also if it slushy the wheeler is useless that is why i bought the old junker sled. It pulled my clam voyager, 20lb propane tank and heater, all our gear, gas auger and a passenger on the back no problems. 

I bought the enticer for $300 and it was in great shape for the year and ran like a champ. using it just for icefishing it was not bad on oil. It should be oil injected i might be wrong im not that educated on old sleds. which means you just keep the oil resivour filled and put straight gas in the gas tank.


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## DetroitIron (Dec 4, 2003)

I'm under the impression that you should get it. Dont worry if its air cooled, that is less things to go wrong (ie, no radiator, water pump, etc). Also, those old school bogey wheel sleds can go anywhere, you dont need to drive them on snow to lubricate the snow slides, like you have to do on new sleds. 


I had an old 1973 Ski Doo 340, that I'd still have if my bro in law didnt screw them up. That thing was the perfect ice fishin sled. I think the old sleds are the perfect thing to drag your stuff out on to the ice. Less likely to get stuck in drifts and slush, and as I stated above, you wont have to worry about driving through "snow", which you literally have to do with a newer sled to cool the engine, as the "radiator" is under the track tunnel and relies on snow to cool, as well as lubricating the "slides" on the track. 

If its a good sled, I say go for it.


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## ricochet (May 10, 2008)

I use a 1972 Evinrude myself and is reliable, i would jack up the back end and check the condition of the track, gotta love those vintage sleds,Reliability is the key what takes you out has to get you back


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## love2fish93 (Jul 22, 2007)

yamaha enticer has my vote, they run forever as long as you keep oil in them, they come relatively cheap, and theres parts for em all over the place.


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## Fishfoote (Jan 2, 2001)

I had a 77 Cheetah. It ran good and I was able to get pretty much any parts needed on line. That said, older sleds do not do very well in deep snow, especially if there's any slush. Their running boards float the track up off the ice. Personally, I would rather have an air cooled machine since they tend to be lighter though.


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## BillyMan (Feb 8, 2009)

Need not to worry about finding parts, check babbits online i bet they got 98% of that sled....few things to look for, engine compression, miles, suspension..not a big deal but if you plan on fabbing up a rear rack it might bottom out alot if theres a lot of weight. nothing wrong with mixing gas you know for sure its lubricated. although i hate to say this use amsoil...my 1965 merc outboard hates it but my 79 trail cat loves it. pick up an extra drive belt couple spark plugs...and just for the heck of it can of starting fluid throw that stuff in the back and youll thank yourself later. sometimes those old sleds can foul plugs quick and be a bear to pull start..oh yeah and an extra pull cord. if it starts and idols make sure it operates well at low speeds. if it does that it will do what you want.


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## Ralph Smith (Apr 1, 2003)

BillyMan said:


> Need not to worry about finding parts, check babbits online i bet they got 98% of that sled....few things to look for, engine compression, miles, suspension..not a big deal but if you plan on fabbing up a rear rack it might bottom out alot if theres a lot of weight. nothing wrong with mixing gas you know for sure its lubricated. although i hate to say this use amsoil...my 1965 merc outboard hates it but my 79 trail cat loves it. pick up an extra drive belt couple spark plugs...and just for the heck of it can of starting fluid throw that stuff in the back and youll thank yourself later. sometimes those old sleds can foul plugs quick and be a bear to pull start..oh yeah and an extra pull cord. if it starts and idols make sure it operates well at low speeds. if it does that it will do what you want.


 It will be a gas/oil mix, only the old yammies were oil injected. As mentioned, belts,pull cord and plugs are the 3 main things you may need out there, and the starting fluid. It should have a cleated track, so check it well where cleats are fastened, thats where they go bad on those alot. The cleats don't give alot of traction on ice, but will help. Get some carbide runners and replace your wear bars with them, turning will be much easier on ice also. 



ricochet said:


> I use a 1972 Evinrude myself and is reliable, i would jack up the back end and check the condition of the track, gotta love those vintage sleds,Reliability is the key what takes you out has to get you back


What kind you have, I have a skeeter that year.


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## ricochet (May 10, 2008)

My Evinrude is a TW-30-Q with reverse and electric start .has the 437cc opposed twin, more power than i need, under seat storage , a good sled for ice-fishing. It gets good maintenance, do not like walking.When i was younger my mother had a 1968 Skeeter so i was familiar with the brand. They made them good back then ,this thing is heavy-duty


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## Ralph Smith (Apr 1, 2003)

ricochet said:


> My Evinrude is a TW-30-Q with reverse and electric start .has the 437cc opposed twin, more power than i need, under seat storage , a good sled for ice-fishing. It gets good maintenance, do not like walking.When i was younger my mother had a 1968 Skeeter so i was familiar with the brand. They made them good back then ,this thing is heavy-duty


Never heard of that model, but sounds the same as my skeeter. Elec.,reverse,20" track and same engine. Those opposed twins put out some torque!


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