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| Tweet Topic Started: Jan 6 2013, 05:34 AM (567 Views) | |
| PB260 | Jan 6 2013, 05:34 AM Post #1 |
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G’day All, I’d like to introduce myself. I've been on the site for a week and I've been picking up lots of interesting things. I hope to chat to some of you about the things you're doing with small XC groomers. I live in a Ski Resort in Australia where I’ve been working since 82. My first ski trail work was clearing fallen trees in 85 – something that never seems to end – then later setting track with a Polaris Indy Trail a few times. Later I was introduced to the Bombi and a Trapper 600 borrowed from ski patrol. I’ve been grooming since 91 with tiller equipped hydrostatic cats and I’ve recently passed 10,000hrs on these machines. We've got 25k of trails although I sometimes groom more if I have the time. We have Australias only Biathlon facility. I’ve groomed from Antarctica to Norway and from Australia to California to Idaho to Colorado to Vermont; I’ve groomed mostly for XC but I’ve also groomed for planes; for downhill; for snowplay and tobogganing; for oversnow vehicles; for pedestrians and for dog sleds. I use groomers for snow clearing around buildings and infrastructure ranging from multistorey apartment developments to fire hydrants and garbage hutches. Machines that I’ve used include a Bombardier Bombi and Skidozer 252, Hagglunds BV206, M-trac and Nor Trac, Rolba TT150M and L, BR 400, MP Plus, BR 275, BR350, PB160, PB170, PB200D, PB220DR, PB260D, PB270DS, PB200 Paddle steer and most recently the PB100. I’ve groomed with several snomos ranging from a Trapper 600 to an Alpina, an Arctic Cat Bearcat, a few Polaris LX widetraks, a VK Pro, an Alpine II and a Bombardier Expedition. I’ve used a Suzuki 350 quad on wheels with chains, a BRP Can Am 800 on tracks and a Turboed Kubota RTV 1100 on Mattracks. What a slug! I even remember once testing a Polaris quad bike with a track underneath it! Once you got that thing bogged it stayed bogged and it was certainly easy to bog. I’ve never seen or heard of them again – anyone else seen one? Recently I’ve spent a couple of summers working as an Aircraft Ground Support Officer in Antarctica grooming landing areas for ski equipped planes. Twin Otters, CASA 212 – 400s and Baslers (the 21st century DC3). I’m going to include the links to a couple of stories that I wrote for the Australian Antarctic Division news. Sorry it’s mostly aircraft rather than groomers. I work mostly in feast or famine conditions – either too little snow or so much heavy wet %#$@ that it’s hard to deal with it. When we got the PB100 in 2005 I put 425hrs on it and in 2006 only 42. Ninety five percent of our trails are below the workshop and the 100 didn’t go below the workshop. Everything else was groomed with snomos. Good luck to everybody in the northern hemisphere. I hope you have good snow and a great winter. http://www.antarctica.gov.au/living-and-working/stations/davis/this-week-at-davis/2010/this-week-at-davis-station-26-february-2010 http://www.antarctica.gov.au/living-and-working/stations/davis/this-week-at-davis/page?id=36786&st=36786&dt=MTggTWFyY2ggMjAxMQ |
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| flyingcow | Jan 6 2013, 07:37 PM Post #2 |
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So i gather you like to play in the snow? |
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Equipment used - Suretrac TS-110 and TM-140 www.benedictasnowgang.com | |
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| vtg | Jan 6 2013, 08:24 PM Post #3 |
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Welcome aboard, PB260! I really enjoyed reading your intro as well as the couple stories you provided links to. It's really neat to hear from someone who has spent time in the Antarctic....and ski trail grooming in Australia? Well, that's just plain kewl. Sounds like you have loads of experience with lots of different types of equipment. I look forward to seeing more of your posts. Regards from Canada (do you guys call it Up Over? lol), Pete |
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| sno-cat | Jan 6 2013, 09:35 PM Post #4 |
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Nice intro and nice to have you here! in your intro you mentioned you groomed in Idaho. If so were were you grooming and at what time. thanks payton |
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| PB260 | Jan 6 2013, 11:09 PM Post #5 |
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Thanks for the complements Pete and Payton. I love your home made twin track Pete. I've had ideas for various things of my own for years - probably never have the time or money to build them though - what I'm reading here tells me that I'd be better off with a Grizzly or a Gator. I've skied in Canada Pete but most of my tiem there was driving tractors - Versatile 875?, Case, Ford, John Deere and I fondly remember an LNT 8000 Looselybuilt. Went white water canoeing on the Saskatchewan River in Jasper NP. Spent too much time on the prairie! Don't know about Up Over, I think that might havebeen when I was in Norway. Payton I was at Galena Lodge in 94/95 grooming the Galena Trails for the Blaine County Recreation District. The snow didn't arrive as early as I wanted but it was pretty good mostly. Had some fun snomobiling there packing early snow. Trying to teach another bloke how to snowmobile through deep drifts and always going back when he got bogged. Once there was 40cm (16") of fresh that groomed up really well. It was pretty evenly deposited unlike the usual dirfts. Igot to ski the Boulder Mountain Tour in minus 30 temps. That was
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| PB260 | Jan 8 2013, 07:38 AM Post #6 |
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Hey flyingcow thanks for the welcome! Yes I do like to play in the snow. Sorry I didn’t get to it straight away. I’ll try to make it up to you with this post. I keep thinking of other cats I’ve used at some stage and forgot to mention. One important one is the Mount Hotham Dinner Plain Fire Brigade oversnow pumper. It’s a Bombardier Go Tract 1600 twin cab on rubber faced steel cleats and it’s right hand drive so that’s something different. I’ve been a brigade member since the Brigade was formed – well actually earlier than that – and I’ve probably driven it as much as any body. Even one time when we had a summer storm that brought 1.5 m drifts on the road and dozens of cars got stuck. In one spot there were three 4WD’s stuck side by side – the second and third drivers must have thought they were better drivers than the first one. Anyway the pumper has a good PTO driven pump – I think it’s rated at 4000lt/min – it’s good enough to suck the mains dry so you’ve got to keep your eyes on the gauges when you’re operating it. The pumper carries 4 Breathing Apparatus, spare cylinders, many hoses and branches and a raft of other gear that might come in handy at a Barbie or even something more serious. It’s a bit of a Wally magnet – when you drive it to a fire call everyone gets their phones out to catch the excitement and it’s lucky no one gets run over. Judicious use of the siren helps but not nearly enough sometimes. I’m posting the link to the brigade’s website so you can have a look at it in the snow. Click on appliances and you’ll see it. Some of the other appliances aren’t up to date – the command vehicle is a Nissan Patrol now and the Hotham Tanker is an Isuzu twin cab with a 2000lt tank. I thought of this tonight because the sunset was incredible thanks to all the smoke from the bushfires. Enjoy, http://www.hdpfire.com/home.htm |
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