snow roller for XC snow

   / snow roller for XC snow
  • Thread Starter
#11  
I'd like to see how it's assembled. Do you have much weight inside the culvert piece? Solid? What is the rear rake made out of?

I dont x-ski a ton, but still like the idea of rolling/packing my trails whenever we get a good snow - because compacted snow takes a lot longer to melt! Might circle around and drive downhill on my sledding hill with it too, to keep the kids able to go sledding longer. Unfortunately down here in the southeast corner of the state, it seems we just can't expect winter temps to stay below freezing consistently anymore. If we get 3-4 weeks or more of sustained snowpack in a winter, thats doing pretty good.

May I ask what you'll be towing it with?? The roller is not filled with anything, but air. It wouldn't last very long is it had a bunch of weight added to it. Having said that I will likely add a weight peg to the front of the frame, and to the compaction pan. Below is a photo of the last roller I built with its pan and weight peg as it was being built.
 

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   / snow roller for XC snow #13  
Arly, I would be towing it with my tractor. 30 HP diesel, ~3600 lbs, 4WD.

Thanks for the pics. I figured the culvert was empty inside but just wanted to make sure. You don't want to plow the snow, after all.

But in other news, how stir crazy are you going up there in the yoop with NO SNOW on the ground in DECEMBER?!? Ugh this winter is quite delayed. Really feeling bad for the ski hill operators at this point. No opening day in sight yet.

Mont Ripley—Streaming | Webcams | Michigan Technological University
 
   / snow roller for XC snow #14  
it's no speed demon and I haven't tried pulling a drag or roller yet but it does ok. 4th and 5th gear are useless in deep powder and I start in second gear all the time because I have the first generation pods where the sprocket is about half the diameter of the tire so speed is cut in half.
 
   / snow roller for XC snow
  • Thread Starter
#15  
Here are the end caps i worked on today and are 2ft by 3/16 thick. Here you'll see 2 stacked on each other in all photos. Why not measure and cut them once?? The larger hole is for access and disassemble the roller and will have a flat bolted over it which is the nest thing to be built. Clear as mud???
 

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   / snow roller for XC snow
  • Thread Starter
#16  
The end caps were fully assembled today and a mock-up built afterwards.
 

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   / snow roller for XC snow #17  
I didn't realized you had extra structure inside. I had assumed you used the culvert as a structural member.
 
   / snow roller for XC snow
  • Thread Starter
#18  
I didn't realized you had extra structure inside. I had assumed you used the culvert as a structural member.

James, YTS did add install angle irons to the inside in there original design like you see I'm doing. They subsequently removed them and just used 1 ft long something into the culvert and bolt the end caps to those. No shock, they eventually break off at the bolting points. These culverts are rather poor structural members and flex much. I will use some washers on 1/4 bolts to each end of the angle irons inside the culvert and I might use 8, grade 5 bolts per member with nylon cap nuts.

I painted and finished parts today and will post photos shortly.
 
   / snow roller for XC snow
  • Thread Starter
#19  
I was able to finish the inside angles today and paint a few parts. In the 1st photo, that part will be welded to the front frame member and will be towed from it after it hitch is built and installed. But what is it???
 

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   / snow roller for XC snow
  • Thread Starter
#20  
The internal angles were added. Not properly bolted but holes all drilled. Each memeber will have 7, grade 5, 1/4" bolts.
 

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