Groomer5 is now on the snow!

[NS Gearhead]

I've just recently taken up walking in the wooded trails behind my house in an effort to fend off the "spare tire". LOL Others in the neighborhood seem to walk them and take their dogs for walks. I'd be interested in packing down the snow to make it easyer for everyone. The old two fourwheeler ruts sure are difficult to walk in! So, I've got a couple questions for ya; why use the sled tracks on the drum surface? Why not something smooth like a lawn roller? Also, before I saw this I was thinking that a tow behind "V" plow would move the middle hump out to where the atvs tires would pack it down... but then the center wouldn't get backed... thoughts on this?

I may have just answered my own question; I could see braking going down hill being difficult if the drum was smooth and wanting to pass you! LOL

 

[jimgerken]

A smooth roller won't turn. Also, I prefer to end up with some texture on the surface, not smooth like a snowmobile groomer leaves it. I find it freezes deeper and stronger if left with texture. And the texture gives some traction too, for feet and tires.
As far as the V plow idea: I guess thats another way to do it. I am trying to keep all the snow on the trail I can, not blade any off. Study sled groomers, they have good ideas too.

 

[mscheer772]

Jimgerken sounds like a cool project.
Have you ever used a cultipacker, did it work?
I have 2 packers, one is a four footer and the other an 8 footer. Do you think these would work, or do you think would end up plowing the snow instead of firming it up.

-Mike-

ps a cultipacker is a round solid cylinder with grooves and serrated blades spaced ever 6-12 inches

 

[FatTire]

The red paint on your G4 looks so good. Don't tell me you got that powder coated?

 

[jimgerken]

Cultipacker- well its worth a try, but I have been leaning toward INCREASING the drum diameter on the next version. Decreasing drum diameter would surely have trouble turning in deep snow, even mine now will occasionally stall in deep snow. And I guess it would end up too heavy too. But try it if you can, and report back, you may be on to something.

Red- It's Rust Oleum High Performance Regal Red in the big can (20 ounce or so?) spray bomb. Nothing special, but several coates over primer. I think the primer was Red Oxide spray primer.

 

[CDN Farm Boy]

I'd guess the cultipacker would be both too heavy and too small of diameter for initial packing. It would be interesting to see what it did as a second pass after your G5 and before the freshly packed snow had a chance to freeze solid.

 

[FatTire]

Cultipacker- well its worth a try, but I have been leaning toward INCREASING the drum diameter on the next version. Decreasing drum diameter would surely have trouble turning in deep snow, even mine now will occasionally stall in deep snow. And I guess it would end up too heavy too. But try it if you can, and report back, you may be on to something.

Red- It's Rust Oleum High Performance Regal Red in the big can (20 ounce or so?) spray bomb. Nothing special, but several coates over primer. I think the primer was Red Oxide spray primer.

I'm gonna reset my expectations for what's possible from a rattle can next time I have to paint something...