Specialised Heavy Machinery- Snow Groomers


My interest in machinery started like most small lads because of my dad and a handful of second hand books. Lego embellished my enthusiasm. My pa was a final trim grader operator for 25 years finishing on a Cat 120G grader. My dad managed three macadamia nut farms, and often required trees pushed out and plantations developed. I rode a few times on Cat D6D and Komatsu D160 dozers. In the early 90s my dad and I visited Stahmann farms at Morree in NW NSW in Australia to buy a pecan harvester. Dad had the harvester shipped to a Macadamia nut farm where he converted it from a front drive rear wheel steer, removing the rear axle and replacing it with a single hydraulic powered single rear wheel. The advantage was to increase the turning circle at the ends of the tight steep rows. My interest picked up speed when Dad gave me a copy of a Deutz engine brochure which was full of specialized machines pictures using Deutz power. When the internet sprang up, this propelled my interest ever further. One machine pictured was a Prinoth snow groomer, similar to a bulldozer but a much lighter front cab mount version. Kässbohrer Gelandfahrzeuge manufactures snow groomers also, and with some correspondence and a Europe trip booked and a lot of luck, I visited the Pisten Bully Factory in Laupheim, Germany in
2010. My family found it a point of fun to explain that I was probably the first person in Australia to make a web page on Pisten Bully snow groomers, but I guess it shows that the internet opens options for interest and enthusiasm. This leads me to share with you what I have found and opportunities to share.

One website I spent a lot of time at is: http://www.snow-groomer.com that has a lot of photos of different snow groomers.

The main advantage with snow groomers is the weight distribution over a large area due to the width of the tracks and a low centre of gravity. The blade at the front of the machine is ideal for levelling uneven ski runs and for building mougals due to a multi directional blade. Options also include wings that fold in/out to carry or spread snow. The Park Blade option has two fork blades that fold out for lifting up to 1000kg.






 A tiller mounted on the rear of the machine chops hard snow and relays it into a smooth surface.

More later....

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