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| Light Weight Groomer Reviews?; Groomer Questions | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Nov 22 2009, 09:17 PM (4,792 Views) | |
| NGroomer | Nov 22 2009, 09:17 PM Post #1 |
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Newbie
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We just started up a ski team last year and although we are having fun, our trails need work! Currently we have is a one person snowmobile which we use to drag an old fence and a homemade tracker. There is a possibility that we will have a two-person snowmobile to work with this year and we have raised~$1350 to spend on a skate groomer. I'm looking for advice on getting a good inexpensive lightweight groomer. I know that snowgroomer offers a Sno-master 48 that is priced pretty reasonably. Has anyone used this groomer, if so how is it? What are the other good inexpensive lightweight groomers out there? I am new to the grooming business and really could use some advice on getting started. Thanks in advance, Nat Woodruff |
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| couchsachraga | Nov 22 2009, 10:11 PM Post #2 |
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You can do a lot with an old used snowmobile trail groomer (and it won't cost much either if you look around (a few hundred)). Be careful of what snowmobile you use - some are not meant for grooming and you may end up burning it up (literally). Good used xc grooming equipment cheap is very hard to find (at least what I consider cheap:) ). you may be able to find a Tidd Tech Trail Tenderizer, which would work well (4' wide unless you get a Skandic WT / SWT, Yamaha Viking or Alpine, then you should be OK with a 6'). I know of the groomer you speak, but have not used one. A friend of mine purchased one, and sold it after one season and got a Tidd (upstate NY grooming conditions). I do not know the exact reasons he sold it. He was (and is) grooming a course used for races at all levels. I did speak with him about, as I was thinking of getting one as well, but he agreed with my concerns around durability in the woods (I have some tight trails, and a lot of rocks and stumps - he grooms a golf course plus some hills...very different). I would recommend building a roller - attached are images of my home-made barrel roller which works great. I would also highly recommend saving up $$ and getting a YTS Ginzu Groomer, or Tidd Tech G2 groomer. They are lightyears ahead of anything else for XC grooming with a snowmobile (a snowcat and tiller is the only thing better in my mind, and grooming with a sled tends to be much cheaper per mile). I would be happy to answer any questions you have, here or via PM or phone. There are many here more knowledgeable than I am - hopefully they will chime in too. I've groomed for abotu 20 years now, starting back when I was on the high school XC team and working part time at a ski center in the Adirondacks. These days I upkeep about 20km of my own trails with older equipment (it's what I can afford at the moment), and am very excited to be using equipment less than 15 years old for this year (previously was 30 or 40 year old technology) (Alpine II and old steel GinzuGroomer). Welcome! |
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| Boldy | Dec 18 2009, 07:11 PM Post #3 |
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Advanced Operator
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| couchsachraga | Dec 18 2009, 07:18 PM Post #4 |
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Advanced Operator
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Boldy - I saw no text, but noticed in your profile you have a Jaca - I've only ever heard about them, but the look like really intriguing units - where did you get yours, and how do you like it? |
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| Boldy | Dec 18 2009, 07:43 PM Post #5 |
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Advanced Operator
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Good advice above, I would add that if you have a small sled you won't be able to use a Ginzu or similar groomer. You'll need a work sled to haul these - Skandic SWT, VK Pro. You should be able to haul a roller with a comb on the back to give you a skating surface. It's limited in it's use but it works for your budget. With a roller you wouldn't be able to rework the snow. Question about the Jaca: Yes we used a Jaca for 5 years and it worked great but will only do so much with crust. It has a cutting bar and pan for putting down the surface. We find the Ginzu much better at dealing with crust. We got ours from a local dealer. I'm not sure if he still sells them or not but I could find out for you. He also sells Ginzu I believe. |
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| vkbcnorth | Dec 27 2009, 01:14 AM Post #6 |
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I am grooming with a VK Pro and a Snowmaster48 with the Razor. The Snowmaster works very well. It's lightweight and has very little resistance. The razor blade slices the snow into powder rather than trying to move the snow. It's the only groomer that I can pull over our cross-country trails - they have very steep pitches and tight turns. Not your usual trails. Our trails are also very rough - it was a rough-cut "cat" track 20 years ago. If your trails were graded like a road, you may not need the razor. The attached photo shows the comb pattern after one pass with the razor in place. Each time it's groomed, it will become more level. |
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| vkbcnorth | Jan 31 2010, 03:42 PM Post #7 |
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Here is a video clip showing the Snowmaster 48 and our VK Pro. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxfHR97KUCw |
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