New cat for school

[BushMogulMaster]

Just took delivery of a brand new cat on campus at CMC. Just a little bugger: a PB100. Will be used primarily for nordic trail grooming, whilst our BR400 will remain our alpine groomer.

Definitely a nice cat, albeit tiny. 167 rated hp Benz power plant, nice blade and tiller range of motion, very comfortable operator's cabin, shiny red! She's a beaut!

Yeah... school sucks.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Boner City!!

 

[Beetlenut]

Boner City!!

You scare me on several levels!

 

[Glenn]

That's sweet. What's the torque rating on that? Turbo diesel?

Why do they store the cats with the tracks off? I always wondered that. Less stress? Less chance of the tracks dry rotting?

 

[deadheadskier]

What's the price tag on something like that?

 

[bvibert]

Aw man I was hoping to see a picture like this:

 

[BushMogulMaster]

That's sweet. What's the torque rating on that? Turbo diesel?

Why do they store the cats with the tracks off? I always wondered that. Less stress? Less chance of the tracks dry rotting?

I'll have a look at the torque rating and get back to you on that.

To answer your second question: for a variety of reasons. Tracks are under tension when on the machine. The longer you leave tension on the tracks, the more they stretch. If you're not in operating season, you don't want tracks to stretch. You can reduce their life by half if you leave them tensioned and outside. The tension can be released with tracks still on the cat, but then the machine is sitting on one side of the tracks while the other side gets UV damage. Makes for uneven wear. Also, there are usually a couple of broken or cracked grousers that need repair, so you're going to detrack the cat anyway.

Also, most areas don't have enough shop space to store all of the cats for the summer, but at least you can take the tracks off and keep those inside to prevent additional UV/water damage on the track belts and grousers.

 

[BushMogulMaster]

What's the price tag on something like that?

Six digits. I'm not really at liberty to give you an exact number. Each quote is specific based on configuration and to whom the machine is being sold.

 

[Glenn]

I'll have a look at the torque rating and get back to you on that.

To answer your second question: for a variety of reasons. Tracks are under tension when on the machine. The longer you leave tension on the tracks, the more they stretch. If you're not in operating season, you don't want tracks to stretch. You can reduce their life by half if you leave them tensioned and outside. The tension can be released with tracks still on the cat, but then the machine is sitting on one side of the tracks while the other side gets UV damage. Makes for uneven wear. Also, there are usually a couple of broken or cracked grousers that need repair, so you're going to detrack the cat anyway.

Also, most areas don't have enough shop space to store all of the cats for the summer, but at least you can take the tracks off and keep those inside to prevent additional UV/water damage on the track belts and grousers.

Excellent info. I love hearing about stuff like that.

It really is amazing how wide the tracks are and how much they add to the overall width of the cat. Gotta have that flotation though!

I might as well go for broke....if I'm not one click away from your ignore list with all my questions. :lol:

What's the service schedule like on a typical groomer? I'd assume there's plenty of zerks to attend too. How about hydraulic fluid? How often is that changed out? I'm assuming engine oil is fairly fixed...based on operating hours. Are the drivelines hydrostatic or gear n' oil based?

 

[billski]

Excellent info. I love hearing about stuff like that.

It really is amazing how wide the tracks are and how much they add to the overall width of the cat. Gotta have that flotation though!

I might as well go for broke....if I'm not one click away from your ignore list with all my questions. :lol:

What's the service schedule like on a typical groomer? I'd assume there's plenty of zerks to attend too. How about hydraulic fluid? How often is that changed out? I'm assuming engine oil is fairly fixed...based on operating hours. Are the drivelines hydrostatic or gear n' oil based?

Glenn must be fixin' to buy one

 

[vcunning]

Glenn must be fixin' to buy one

Glenn,

I think there might be a used one for sale on Route 9, just before the White House. I saw it a few weeks ago when I was up at MS.

 

[ski_resort_observer]

Just took delivery of a brand new cat on campus at CMC. Just a little bugger: a PB100. Will be used primarily for nordic trail grooming, whilst our BR400 will remain our alpine groomer.

Definitely a nice cat, albeit tiny. 167 rated hp Benz power plant, nice blade and tiller range of motion, very comfortable operator's cabin, shiny red! She's a beaut!

Yeah... school sucks.

Too bad your not going to be able to use that cute little thing this winter. Their lose in our gain. :lol:

 

[drjeff]

Glenn,

I think there might be a used one for sale on Route 9, just before the White House. I saw it a few weeks ago when I was up at MS.

Hey, I had my eye on that cat for a second. (then about 1 second later my wife saw me looking at it and whacked me on the side of the head )

 

[BushMogulMaster]

Excellent info. I love hearing about stuff like that.

It really is amazing how wide the tracks are and how much they add to the overall width of the cat. Gotta have that flotation though!

I might as well go for broke....if I'm not one click away from your ignore list with all my questions. :lol:

What's the service schedule like on a typical groomer? I'd assume there's plenty of zerks to attend too. How about hydraulic fluid? How often is that changed out? I'm assuming engine oil is fairly fixed...based on operating hours. Are the drivelines hydrostatic or gear n' oil based?

Questions like this are great, and they keep me on my toes.

I'll grab the service list and let you know. It varies by manufacturer, designed use, and model. Each service item is based on hours, and there is also a punch list for annual preventative maintenance.

But for starters, yeah, lots of zerks, especially on the lifting frames. You have to do bearing inspections on the wheels. Hydraulic oil (which is usually just a 10 weight oil in snowcats) is changed regularly, as is ATF in the hydrostat system (which powers the driveline and rotating implements like tillers and pipe cutters).

Doesn't hurt to do the occasional fuel tank flush to remove particulate and condensation/water buildup. Also, you've got filters to replace just like on your car (except most snowcats have 2-3 fuel filters, an ATF filter, a Hydraulic Oil filter, a motor oil filter, and a coolant filter). You also clean (or replace as necessary) the air filter.

You've gotta give all of the hydraulic cylinders a once over, checking for scoring, rust, warping/bending, leaks, etc.

Track work usually includes replacing or welding cracked/broken grousers, inspecting belts for serious wearing (and possibly doing a splice), looking the tire guides over for damage, and checking the lacings and bolts.

You also look over all of your hydrostat lines, especially the high pressure lines. Most snowcat hydrostat systems are pushing up to 6000psi on the high pressure side. You want to find hose issues before you develop a hole. So much as a pin hole and you can dump your entire ~20 gallons of ATF in less than half a minute. Not to mention that if you are near the hose that breaks and 6000psi hits your skin, it will break the skin, infest subcutaneously, and cause almost immediate gangrene. So you want to keep up with those hoses!

Other than that, you mostly just do maintenance based on operator input. If the cat is pulling to the left, for example, you might check the the hydrostat motor on the left side and verify pressures in the lines and in the motor itself. Or if it's an older cat, maybe your mechanical linkage stick is just out of adjustment, and all you need to do is turn a nut.

That's it in a nutshell. I'll check the service manuals and see if there is anything else of note, and give you an idea of the timing for service (hours).

 

[BushMogulMaster]

Too bad your not going to be able to use that cute little thing this winter. Their lose in our gain. :lol:

Well, I'll be operating bigger machines at the Bush, so no complaints from me. And if I make it to Mary Jane for a couple days in Feb for the mogulskiing.net Bumpapalooza 2009, I might swing down to Leadvegas to take the new kitty for a spin.

 

[vcunning]

Hey, I had my eye on that cat for a second. (then about 1 second later my wife saw me looking at it and whacked me on the side of the head )

Maybe we (Glenn, DrJeff and me) can split it 3 ways? Are you guys in?

 

[drjeff]

Maybe we (Glenn, DrJeff and me) can split it 3 ways? Are you guys in?

V, let's just say that I wish you could see the look on S's face when I ran that one by her

 

[Glenn]

Questions like this are great, and they keep me on my toes.

I'll grab the service list and let you know. It varies by manufacturer, designed use, and model. Each service item is based on hours, and there is also a punch list for annual preventative maintenance.

But for starters, yeah, lots of zerks, especially on the lifting frames. You have to do bearing inspections on the wheels. Hydraulic oil (which is usually just a 10 weight oil in snowcats) is changed regularly, as is ATF in the hydrostat system (which powers the driveline and rotating implements like tillers and pipe cutters).

Doesn't hurt to do the occasional fuel tank flush to remove particulate and condensation/water buildup. Also, you've got filters to replace just like on your car (except most snowcats have 2-3 fuel filters, an ATF filter, a Hydraulic Oil filter, a motor oil filter, and a coolant filter). You also clean (or replace as necessary) the air filter.

You've gotta give all of the hydraulic cylinders a once over, checking for scoring, rust, warping/bending, leaks, etc.

Track work usually includes replacing or welding cracked/broken grousers, inspecting belts for serious wearing (and possibly doing a splice), looking the tire guides over for damage, and checking the lacings and bolts.

You also look over all of your hydrostat lines, especially the high pressure lines. Most snowcat hydrostat systems are pushing up to 6000psi on the high pressure side. You want to find hose issues before you develop a hole. So much as a pin hole and you can dump your entire ~20 gallons of ATF in less than half a minute. Not to mention that if you are near the hose that breaks and 6000psi hits your skin, it will break the skin, infest subcutaneously, and cause almost immediate gangrene. So you want to keep up with those hoses!

Other than that, you mostly just do maintenance based on operator input. If the cat is pulling to the left, for example, you might check the the hydrostat motor on the left side and verify pressures in the lines and in the motor itself. Or if it's an older cat, maybe your mechanical linkage stick is just out of adjustment, and all you need to do is turn a nut.

That's it in a nutshell. I'll check the service manuals and see if there is anything else of note, and give you an idea of the timing for service (hours).

Awesome info! I've seen so many cats and groomers over the years...but never had a chance to look at one up close. I need to start making contacts at Mt. Snow...I'd love to get out in one of them and just see how they work "out in the field". 8)

 

[Glenn]

Maybe we (Glenn, DrJeff and me) can split it 3 ways? Are you guys in?

That would be beyond sweet! And I have seen that one on 9. Every time we drive by: "ooooooooh! Look hon! I need one of those!"

 

[vcunning]

V, let's just say that I wish you could see the look on S's face when I ran that one by her

Hmmm . . . I wasn't going to ask permission on this one with my wife, just forgiveness.

I'll stop the next time up and see if I can get a phone number and price tag. It might be a great investment. Right? Probably better than stocks.