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Polaris Ranger
Topic Started: Jul 9 2007, 12:29 PM (6,075 Views)
Rwright
Newbie
[ * ]
KCnMarley
Sep 30 2007, 06:18 AM
The Pleasant Riders Snowmobile Club (PRSC) in Lake Pleasant, New York used a Ranger w/ a AFMI LL drag last year to groom a 3 mile +/- corridor trail last year.  The demo unit did had problems overheating but when it ran it did a great job. 

We received the new Ranger w/ improved tracks and cooling capacity this summer and we will find out how it performs in a few months. 



Thanks

Bob C.

Hi! Our club just purchased a Polaris Ranger primarily as a utility trail maintenance vehicle but intend on doing some grooming with it. Mind if I ask how you increased the cooling capacity on the Ranger?

I have heard about some overheating issues and would like to work those bugs out before snow flies!
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Tim P
Advanced Operator
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Guys,

Now that we are in January, and hopefully had some snow to groom with, would be interested on how these smaller units are working? Can you comment on good, bad or pros and cons. Thanks
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brsacjab
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Advanced Operator
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I've been out on it once, a few hours.

Here's my initial impressions.

tracks are soucy tracks, same aggressive tread, traction was not an issue, caveats, the trail doesn't have any steep sections, the drag doesn't "carry" a snow load.

The gear reduction of the tracks is significant, on levelish ground I kept wanting to, and did groom in high gear.

Power never seemed to be issue, there was an auxiliary engine cooling fan added to this unit, but haven't needed it. Was told the proto we had last season a few weeks would cook the seat, not an issue now, even without using the aux fan.

Seems like it's straining more against steep gears than load. High revving riding, not sure I could hear the radio if I bothered to turn it on.

The cab is more spacious than it looks, you can carry 3 people, warmth not an issue.

Manual steering, so like an old 4wd, keep those thumbs out of the steering wheel. Some trail bumps make the front steering jump one way to the other. Steering effort isn't too bad, there is "walk" in the wheel going straight forward due to the aggressive track lug pattern.

It's pulling a 5ftx10ft drag, http://afmi.ca/pdfs/xl.pdf XL5610

It does a good job, not as aggressive as the larger afmi units or a similar sized Mogul Master. It doesn't carry a snow load, so ok for trails is fair shape, but can't recondition a bombed out trail with out multiple passes as there is also no front blade for corners and banks.

I'll post more after my next groom with that unit. Has me real curious how the Kubota 1100 performs now that I've tried this gas/cvt setup.
www.dragofspeculator.com
www.endless-belt.com
Lake Pleasant trail conditions
Interactive Snowmobile Trail Conditions Map for Speculator, NY Region
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AFMI
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Operator
[ *  * ]
Morning guys ,I have been reading your posts regarding the Saratoga Ranger and you are all missing the key item here ,This is not a purpose built grooming tractor,it is an ATV conversion ,that is all ,yes it will replace a alpine or a skandic but it wont replace a Bombi or a Track Truck .We have spent quite a bit of time grooming with these machines since Ray became involved with polaris on this project and we have found that they will do the job if they are operated properly and you figure out the limits that you have to work with first thing ,Somebody commented that the drag wont haul snow ,that is totaly wrong ,you can actually haul so much snow in it that it will snuff out the machine,that was the big thing when we were asked to size a drag for it ,at first they thought you could pull a LL series with it ,you would use this behind a Bombi or TT ,there was no way it would pull it ,so we came up with the XL6610 ,it is a perfect match for it and this series was designed for the utility sled and ATV conversion market ,If you have a small trail system and under 50 miles of trail this machine will do what you need to do if operated properly.
The only minor flaw we found in it is the charging system ,they have put more lights on this thing then a 747 and when the lights are all on ,the stereo ,the wipers the heater and any other electrical opitions thier is very little power left for the drag ,Ray told us that polaris is working on solving this ,
anyways I give this package 1 and a 1/2 thumbs up . Gord Costello

If you would like to see the ranger in action ,go to youtube and find "grooming the trail to alvins place" ,this shows the ranger grooming a couple of weeks ago in Smiths Falls ,they did about 15 miles in a couple of hours ,thier is also some other stuff on you tube that you can view with the ranger .
www.afmi.ca
1-888-325-7929
<span style='font-size:8pt;line-height:100%'>Track Vehicle Technologies</span>
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brsacjab
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Advanced Operator
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I hope I'm wrong about the drag, really. I used one behind a Caliber and was pleased with that bigger unit.

Ray is great to deal with, knowledgeable.

I agree on the charging system, couldn't keep up despite the motor wailing along at grooming speed.

Cost 50% more than a used BR110 with a MM8x16 this fall...

Watched the youtube vid, wish our trails were that straight and level :D
www.dragofspeculator.com
www.endless-belt.com
Lake Pleasant trail conditions
Interactive Snowmobile Trail Conditions Map for Speculator, NY Region
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brsacjab
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Advanced Operator
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OK, well, spent a few more hours using the ranger this past week.

It had been down again for a broken drive shaft, front right, not sure of the story on how that happened...

While that repair was happening, we moved the batteries to the box on the rear deck, so you could actually access the drive belt cover without removing the batteries. That's a hint for production.

The actuator was removed from the wheels, they didn't drop far or fast enough anyway.

Drove much like last time, revved up, no trouble pulling the drag, it scrapes well.

Tried figuring out the radio for a few moments, then realized I wouldn't be able to hear it anyway, loud cab from revving engine, shouting conversations.

As has been said the electrical system can't keep up, get the alternator flashing icon on the dash at times, gotta look for lights or fans to turn off for a while...kinda surprising as I would suspect the UTV is designed for work environments where accessories would be added...

It's warmer than a skandic, seats another person too.

Likes flatter trail running, could see this unit on a railbed or road that wasn't wooped and is groomed regularly, your not going to recondition a trail with this unit. I made 4 passes on one trail section to get the bumps down, the larger moguls and corner banks remaining.

Kinda a lot of money for what it is...the price of three scandic configurations or a used larger groomer.

Here's a bunch of pictures; Photos Here

We're trying a Yamaha Grizzly 700 EPS with tracks pulling a Mogul Master 804, it's a monster ! :scool:
It steers like nothing, can turn on a dime, tons of torque, really comfortable, haven' t been able to get it stuck yet, we've tried...even put new blades on the drag. :grm:
www.dragofspeculator.com
www.endless-belt.com
Lake Pleasant trail conditions
Interactive Snowmobile Trail Conditions Map for Speculator, NY Region
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brsacjab
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Advanced Operator
[ *  *  * ]
You Tube video of the Ranger cruising
:snow:
www.dragofspeculator.com
www.endless-belt.com
Lake Pleasant trail conditions
Interactive Snowmobile Trail Conditions Map for Speculator, NY Region
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lakeeffectsledhead
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Newbie
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brsacjab,

I've been researching this for our club a lot lately. I was wondering if you could email me your video so I can show it at our next meeting? Our club house doesn't have internet, so I'm not able to log on and view the videos on youtube.

I agree that this setup is by no means a purpose built trail grooming setup. However, if done properly it will do what it is intended to do. We have 62 miles of trail, of which 85% is cornfield and only a few small hills in the wooded sections. We have an old Tucker with steel cleats, but in low snow conditions this is overkill for us and does more damage than good. Therefore, I am looking for ways to utilize the Polaris Ranger that the state provided for us to get the the groomed more often. Due to a tight budget, we will weld up our own drag and purchase a set of tracks. The state only allows us to groom 12 times a year (it's Indiana), and in a good year we may groom only 6-7 times. This year we've groomed only once so far, and even then we only did half the trail because the clutch went out on the Tucker. So this equipment won't be overworked.

Here's a couple more Ranger grooming links from youtube:

Ranger setup

Ranger grooming trail

Tony
Michiana Trail Riders Coalition-Trail Maintenance-webmasterMTRC
Edwardsburg Snowmobile Club-member
Gobles Drift Busters Snowmobile Club-member
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