Winter snow grooming and ATV riding

[jimgerken]

This winter was the third year I groomed trails on mine and my neighbor's land, private ATV trails, for winter ATV use. I pull the groomer behind an Apache tracked Can Am 800 4X4 Outlander. The first winter I experimented with a two wheeled cart with a stiff plastic mud flap dragging behind it. That pulled too hard once it was weighted properly to actually work. Next I tried a pc of rubber comfort mat (like you buy to stand on in your workshop, 3 feet square, lots of open holes), hitched to the tow vehicle with a cable laced thru the mat diagonaly and looped back, with added blades bolted underneath to keep the mat tracking straight, and about 15 pounds added weight on top. That worked pretty well, but wasn't effective enough when the larger snows started coming. This winter I was given a used-up snowmobile track from a friend, and designed a roller-like groomer. It has evolved a bit through the season, and now works like a dream. The idea is to level and pack the snow so it sets up hard and then we can ride on the trail with 2 wheel drive sport ATVs, which is a total blast! Generally it takes two passes to get the width I am looking for (7 feet). A lot of the packing is done by the tracked ATV itself, and the groomer/roller fills in the gap between the ATV tracks. Here is a groomer rig pic I took recently.

 

[jimgerken]

More pics showing details of groomer, and one showing results of a single pass in 5 inch deep snow...

 

[atgreene]

Nice!

I groom trails with my Big Boss for the local club, as well as with a few other machines. It makes gathering maple sap easier as well.

I'd rather groom than ride myself. Relaxing to go out and putter.

 

[jimgerken]

I enjoy grooming too, I travel along at about 10mph, the wildlife is almost used to me coming through so they run a little ways and stop and watch me go by, I stay warmer due to the machine's heat and slow travel speed, and its fun to see the progress of the trail condition. However, the next day, after its all set up and useable, I break out this machine, and the fun multiplies....

 

[lefty squeeker]

i want to come ride with you guys, sounds like a blast

 

[jimgerken]

What do you ride Lefty?

 

[20 20]

Did you ever check the snowmobile groomers{towable type}, they have different styles. year back we'd use anything from pallets to bed springs with some type of weight on top. I have seen some small towable home built untis that seem to work pretty good. Some year I want to get the tracks for our rhino and do the grooming, more my speed

 

[jimgerken]

I looked (internet search) at many of the small pull-types for behind snowmobiles and ATVs, and I got some ideas from the websites. The cost of those were too high for me, and they all seemed to be wanting to grade the surface smooth and then leave a really smooth troweled-like finish. I found that leaving the surface rough (like the track imprint) made it freeze deeper so it holds up better (learned from the difference between the effect of the drag mat and the roller -- the drag mat made it smooth, but didnt disturb a significant depth of snow to make a good hard base. the roller makes a deeper stronger pack and leaves it rough which helps wheeled traction somewhat). And I don't really care to grade it smooth (level the impressions), because I groom after each new snow, so it always looks great if I simply pack the new stuff. If the trails got more traffic I guess I'd have to do more of the remediation (grade to fill holes) before smoothing and packing. But so far, simply roller packing the new snow (of 3-6 inches) always brings it back to a really fun ATV surface. It also may be that our ATV rider's expectations are lower than snowmobilers. We like the little moguls and stuff, and we like a rough finish to enhance tire bite, but snowmobilers like a pristine flat surface without any ski marks on it.

 

[20 20]

Years back we'd ride all the time in the winter on ATV's. Then came the POLITICS ! The clubs blamed the ATV's for tearing up trails{horse dung}. The hot head sled owners where causing way more damage, I owned both at the time. Most folks realized the issues but the clubs had the power. To make a long story short it caused a lot of local land being closed because of the BS from the clubs . I owned a 350 polaris ATV and made a set of skys for the front{off an old snowmobile} this was back in 92. We would ride miles each trip, leave in the morning and get back late at night, 12:00pm or later.

 

[lefty squeeker]

What do you ride Lefty?

i've got an arctic cat 700efi, the wife's is a 'cat 400, and an older kodiak for guests. and of course the massey. pic in my signature is from our christmas snow storm, about 8" at out place with good drifts to blast thru.