Grooming history

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ohiosledder

Member
I was having a random thought last night as I was trying to fall asleep. When did grooming start? I haven't found much information on it, other than a few articles I have found, it seems like it might have started in the 70's? I think it would be neat hear about the history and see some of the early machines used, particularly in the U.P. After seeing some vintage sleds last week, I kept wondering how far they went, especially if they weren't on an organized, groomed trail system like we have today.
 
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wiscrev

Well-known member
I would think 30-40 miles would be the limit back in the early 70's. Too much wrenching to take care of.
 
favoritos

favoritos

Well-known member
I don't know the exact time frame but Gene at Bingos and Jerry at Vansville talked about the same methods. Old barrels rigged as rollers and dirt field drags were used. Main goals were trying to pack a little and fill in the holes. They didn't use the term grooming. They talked about trying to level out a trail. I think the main goal was trying to make it easier for friends and family to go for a ride.

Funny how things have changed. Sleds today can take bigger bumps, have more traction, clearance, and power. Grooming now lets us ride serious miles without working too hard. The other side is that we also have a whole lot of people trying get off the trail and ride something that isn't groomed.
 
mike1970

mike1970

Member
When my dad introduced me to snowmobiling in the mid-70s, we used to go to Northern Minnesota near the small town of Bigfork. There was an older gentleman that my dad got to know, who groomed the trails there. His name was Millard Smith. He used a Ski-Doo Scandic and pulled a bed spring. I have to say in all my years of riding, even though the trails have gotten wider and the equipment has gotten bigger and more sophisticated, Millard's trails were some of the best I've ridden.
 
mike1970

mike1970

Member
Also, there was a company in northern MN, (maybe Penguilly?) who made one of the first open cab twin track machines that would pull a drag. I think maybe 1974 or 75 were the first models.
 
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old abe

Well-known member
mike1970 said:
Also, there was a company in northern MN, (maybe Penguilly?) who made one of the first open cab twin track machines that would pull a drag. I think maybe 1974 or 75 were the first models.
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Yes I believe Doo, Bombardier made one. My neighbor who was from Minne had one. Single ski out front, I would say late 60's, early 70's build? If my memory serves me right, in the early 70's, was the first Commercially Produced groomer I had seen in use. That was at Black River Falls, WI, in the State Park, and being operated by the Park Service. It was a Bombardier tractor, and drag. They later had a Tucker also. That my friends was back in the good old snow years! We could go to SW Sonny, or at the most would have to travel to the BKRF areas, and always found really good snow ridding conditions. Yeah, well, times change, just as they say. o_O
 
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BigSix

BigSix

Active member
When going round and round in our 1.5 acre back yard in the 1970s, it would get rough after a few hours. My dad had a spike tooth cultivator for field work. We removed the spikes and dragged the cultivator frame around behind the Johnson Skee-Horse. This worked quite well.
 
gary_in_neenah

gary_in_neenah

Super Moderator
Staff member
A neighbor kid built one in shop class. Guess it worked OK being pulled by snowmobile but very slow going. He'd have to make several passes over the same trail to get rid of the woops. I don't recall anything like we have now until the early 80's, mostly used equipment from the ski hills.
 
wiharley02

wiharley02

Member
mike1970 said:
When my dad introduced me to snowmobiling in the mid-70s, we used to go to Northern Minnesota near the small town of Bigfork. There was an older gentleman that my dad got to know, who groomed the trails there. His name was Millard Smith. He used a Ski-Doo Scandic and pulled a bed spring. I have to say in all my years of riding, even though the trails have gotten wider and the equipment has gotten bigger and more sophisticated, Millard's trails were some of the best I've ridden.
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I too have heard stories from old timers (original club members) in Wisconsin (central and southern area), that trails were groomed with a sled pulling a mattress bed spring (probably threw the mattress on the burn pile then retrieved the steel wire/frame/spring assembly). I would guess this was in the 60's or 70's, when there were no official trails yet, you would just ride the ditches/right-of-ways/edges of fields wherever you wanted to go. This is what I heard anyways, growing up in Dodge County WI. (I didn't come into the picture until 84).
 
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warner

Active member
here is a pic of my 1972 Bombardier skidozer model SV200. Ford straight 6 gas engine and auto trans, i do have the front blade for it as well.
fun toy to play with in the winter, yes it will get stuck.
 

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indy_500

indy_500

Well-known member
united said:
Indy tell us about your groomer into the sled shed
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Ha! I used to hand build one out of wood every fall from age 10-15. Put hundred and hundreds of miles on in a 3 acre field next to my house growing up. My very first was a modified pallet, then they got bigger and more sophisticated every year. Wish I still had some pics, would ride for an hour or 2 every evening and then spend half an hour grooming everything. Loved waking up to a perfectly flat groomed yard every day!
 
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jr37

Well-known member
This a modified Army Weasel that the club built when I was a kid, mid to late '70s. With a shop built drag. Before this they used homemade drags behind their sleds. Marathon County, WI. I've got better pictures somewhere, but I'd have to dig for them. Also know of a shop built twin track Scorpion in the area that was used for grooming in the mid '70s. Don't remember if it worked or not. I'll dig someday and see if I've got a picture of it.
 

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elf

Well-known member
Growing up in Burnett County my dad worked for the county and was one of the people who helped establish the first trails in that area. I remember them grooming in the late 60's/early 70's with a bull dozer pulling a drag. And they had a ski doo Alpine (?) single ski/twin track that they pulled a small drag with. Then going riding with a bunch of families on the weekends and about 1/2 the sleds made it home. My brother and rode on a sleigh where you could stand on the back. Good times! There was even a picture of us on the old Wonderland trails map.
 
pclark

pclark

Well-known member
warner said:
here is a pic of my 1972 Bombardier skidozer model SV200. Ford straight 6 gas engine and auto trans, i do have the front blade for it as well.
fun toy to play with in the winter, yes it will get stuck.
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Very cool! Love to see pics of it in daylight.
 
mezz

mezz

Well-known member
Tuckers were the first used here in the early 80's. They were prone to breakdowns quite frequenty as these were previously used for ski hill grooming & weren't designed for high mileage. Prior to that, there were no groomers much less official trails. It sure has come a long way.
 
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jr37

Well-known member
mezz said:
Tuckers were the first used here in the early 80's. They were prone to breakdowns quite frequenty as these were previously used for ski hill grooming & weren't designed for high mileage. Prior to that, there were no groomers much less official trails. It sure has come a long way.
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I remember a Tucker broke down on the trail between Calumet and Copper Harbor around 1990, or very early '90s. It had been vandalized, pretty sad deal.
 
cobalt_502

cobalt_502

Member
indy_500 said:
Ha! I used to hand build one out of wood every fall from age 10-15. Put hundred and hundreds of miles on in a 3 acre field next to my house growing up. My very first was a modified pallet, then they got bigger and more sophisticated every year. Wish I still had some pics, would ride for an hour or 2 every evening and then spend half an hour grooming everything. Loved waking up to a perfectly flat groomed yard every day!
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I live in Greenville too, were you on School road growing up, for some reason I thought you did years ago and I would look for you out in the field behind the homes.
 
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