Snow groomers
- Thread starter bigkev
- Start date
Sno-Bandit Gary
New member
It depends on the type of terrain you are grooming. Check with the neighboring clubs in your area to see what the plus's and minuses are on their equipment. We have an older Tucker with an Arrowhead drag. Being it is an older Tucker there is allot on maintenance involved.
Gary
www.RomeSnoBandits.com
Gary
www.RomeSnoBandits.com
As said previously, the type of terrain makes a huge difference. Our club grooms alot of road ditches which are normally pretty deep from the wind. Lots of floatation and horsepower helps in these situations. We use a Bombardier BR180 with large tracks. Pisten Bully is also very similar. Some of the ag tractor conversions are quite heavy and dont float quite as well. In continuous woods grooming the ag conversions or tuckers work very well and have probably a smoother ride with there independent (four) tracks. Also our club's miles have Alot of road crossings so havin a blade on the front helps push the plow wedges out of the way. We also pull an arrowhead sled i believe which are very versatile.
Again see what type of terrain you mostly have to match it up to the right machine! Good Luck!
Again see what type of terrain you mostly have to match it up to the right machine! Good Luck!
Snow Cats do work well for that type.... I believe they are the Tucker brand. usually most of them have blades on the front.. that helps. Most of the newer ones have all-rubber tracks. They seem to be a little less maintenance. Snow cats are probably the most common in the midwest, so service might be easier.
packerlandrider
Active member
We have had two Tuckers, one with the steel tracks and our present one is a '98 with rubber tracks. The old one could get through anything but was so rough that you couldnt ride it down the road without being shook up. Our present Tucker we have gotten stuck more where there is places with 5-6 foot drifts, but still strong enough and with the large surface area of the tracks it can get through alot (had it in our swamp pulling our Track Truck out busting through ice and going through a foot or two of mud and water to pull it out). Also I have heard that the newer models have much bigger paddles on them to do better in the deep snow.
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oldguy
Member
If you have high ground, not much for tight corners, easy driveway approaches, the best bang for the buck is any make tractor. They cost less to fix, can be used for other things then grooming and are more durable. Tractors without tracks are the very cheapest to run. Look for a tracker with at least 100 hp. More than 100 hp if it has tracks.
The big three tracked machines makers are Trucker, Bombardier and Trail Bullies (Piston Bully). These groomers are the best for swampy areas, steep side hills, high driveway approaches and tight corners. The newer the groomer, the more power and better fuel mileage you’ll get. Resale on these types of groomers is the worst, but it also provides you better deal on used ones. New track units are going to be in the $135,000.00 to $160,000.00 price range. Look for 150hp or more on a tracked machine.
When it comes to drags, the length and width would directly depend on how much power you have and how wide and twisty your trails are.
As far who makes the best makes the best groomers or Drags, it’s like asking what’s better a Ford or Chevy.
The big three tracked machines makers are Trucker, Bombardier and Trail Bullies (Piston Bully). These groomers are the best for swampy areas, steep side hills, high driveway approaches and tight corners. The newer the groomer, the more power and better fuel mileage you’ll get. Resale on these types of groomers is the worst, but it also provides you better deal on used ones. New track units are going to be in the $135,000.00 to $160,000.00 price range. Look for 150hp or more on a tracked machine.
When it comes to drags, the length and width would directly depend on how much power you have and how wide and twisty your trails are.
As far who makes the best makes the best groomers or Drags, it’s like asking what’s better a Ford or Chevy.
groomerdave
New member
John Deere
John Deere with the Soucy Tracks. Most Durable groomer out there. Tuckers suck, too much maintenance, short life. Just My Opinion, I'm sure that there is alot of people that agree.
http://www.soucy-track.com/en/surfaceuse/surfaceuse.asp
Think Snow! - Dave
John Deere with the Soucy Tracks. Most Durable groomer out there. Tuckers suck, too much maintenance, short life. Just My Opinion, I'm sure that there is alot of people that agree.
http://www.soucy-track.com/en/surfaceuse/surfaceuse.asp
Think Snow! - Dave
G
G
Guest
We used an older Tucker when trail grooming started here. It had the steel tracks and it was a constant job keeping them in one piece. Also it liked to eat transmissions. This is farm country so tractors of all shapes and sizes are available. Now they use tracked JD's, tracked Cats(duh) and the latest Case/IH 500 hp Quadtrack. We groom mostly ditches here and our main groomer is 10 feet wide. Not sure of the make. Also the guy who has the grooming contract bought a new Piston Bully with the blade on the front for tuning up the crossings and other tight areas we have. He used to have Bombardier track jobs but had durability issues and overheating problems so that is why he went to the Piston Bully. None of this stuff is cheap. The only thing that tends to happen to the farm tractors is that they get stuck because they are so heavy. Tuckers and Bombers cost money just to keep going.