BC_Dan

It was our turn to get a new groomer. Wow, is this thing nice! Instead of pulling a drag, it's got a roto-tiller on the back. Lots to learn, the joystick for the blade/tiller has 7 buttons and moves 4 ways. The gauges are all on a display, no mechanical gauges. So far, I likey! The old cat groomed at between 3-4 mph, this bad boy hits 7-8 with cruise control!

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2007 Dragon RMK 700 155", 2008 RMK 600 155", 2006 RMK 600 144", 95 Prowler 550 2-up, 1990 Indy 650, Really OLD AC Cheetah

http://www.avalanche.org/accidents.php

RJ Gleason

Is that a Tucker?

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Old Cat Rider
'93 Wildcat 700EFI
w/ Comet 108 Pro-4 clutch & 01 ZR skid

'90 Wildcat Project in progress.

Vintage (sorta)
1980 Indy Trail 440 (for sale)
1980 AC Pantera (donor engine to the 90 wildcat)


http://www.dcdrifters.net/


Senior Warden; F&AM Dryden Lodge# 472
http://www.masonicdryden472.org/

Rules of this forum are strictly enforced!

rgoers

She's a beauty!!! My son just took the safety course in NY so he can do some grooming. I guess he's missing driving big tractors, since quitting his farm job...

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2004 Polaris Trail RMK 136
1997 Ski Doo Summit 500
2000 Arctic Cat ZL550 ESR (in NY)
2000 Arctic Cat 440 Panther (sold)
1980 Arctic Cat Jag 3000 F/C (in NY)

"If it ain't broke, take it apart and find out why!"

JD8345RT

Oooh that looks fun!

What does a groomer like that cost?

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1993 Polaris XLT Special
1972 Arctic Cat Panther

charlie7447

is there a learning curve with that. nice peace of equipment.

BC_Dan

Yes on the Tucker. It's a piece of cake to drive, has automotive style controls. The joystick that controls the blade also controls the tiller and is a lot different than the other cat that had hydraulic switches. It's much easier to use, but sometimes not as fast which can make you create a sled trap pretty quickly

They make Tuckers in Medford, which is about 40 miles from where this thing parks at Lake of the Woods.

This cat was Tucker's demo model from last year, so it has a little over 1000 miles on it and was purchased used. I think I heard the price was about $200,000. Spendy little item!

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2007 Dragon RMK 700 155", 2008 RMK 600 155", 2006 RMK 600 144", 95 Prowler 550 2-up, 1990 Indy 650, Really OLD AC Cheetah

http://www.avalanche.org/accidents.php

bertschb

Dan, does the state buy the groomer and then let the club use it to groom the trails? I've actually thought about volunteering my time to groom trails in my neck of the woods when I retire but figured there would be a huge waiting list. Do you have a lot of people wanting to run your groomers? Is most grooming done at night? Sorry for all the questions - I just think it would be a hoot to run one of these things!

-Brian

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2012 Polaris Pro-RMK 800 155"
2011 Arctic Cat TZ1 Turbo LXR

BC_Dan

Oregon State Snowmobile Association owns the cats. They are purchased through money from ODOT from fuels tax. Not all local clubs are grooming clubs, but all OSSA cats are operated via clubs with volunteer operators.

Our club has two cats, one at Fish Lake, the other at Lake of the Woods. We groom mostly Mon/Fri during daylight hours, as there aren't that many riders on our trail system during the week. Other clubs do a lot of night stuff. Night grooming makes good sense, it gives the snow a chance to freeze and set up so the smooth trail lasts longer. If the snow is warmer, it only takes a few riders to turn it into garbage. We don't have enough operators to put both cats on the snow 5 days a week. The club is always looking for quality operators and we get some that run once or twice and figure it's not really as exciting as it looked. Something about going 4 mph instead of 80 just doesn't excite them all that much

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2007 Dragon RMK 700 155", 2008 RMK 600 155", 2006 RMK 600 144", 95 Prowler 550 2-up, 1990 Indy 650, Really OLD AC Cheetah

http://www.avalanche.org/accidents.php

bertschb

Thanks for the information Dan. As usual, very helpful!

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2012 Polaris Pro-RMK 800 155"
2011 Arctic Cat TZ1 Turbo LXR

mikemalibu

NICE! I know it could be a boring job. I allways give them room to do the work and give them a thumbs up when I see them. Congrats!

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94 indy storm - my hot rod
03 yamaha venture - hers
82 panther - my collector
95 xlt 600- kids sled

bertschb

I'd rather be driving a groomer (even at 4mph) than doing my day job. Any day up on the mountain is better than a day in the office. We want to do more volunteer work when we retire and this is right up my alley!

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2012 Polaris Pro-RMK 800 155"
2011 Arctic Cat TZ1 Turbo LXR

BC_Dan

Check out OSSA's web page for links for contact information to all the clubs in your area.

OSSA - Home

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2007 Dragon RMK 700 155", 2008 RMK 600 155", 2006 RMK 600 144", 95 Prowler 550 2-up, 1990 Indy 650, Really OLD AC Cheetah

http://www.avalanche.org/accidents.php

Trip

That is a pretty cool new toy.

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2002 RMK 800 144, 2004 600 XC
Canadian Avalanche Centre

smallengineguy

We have a Tucker 1000 and Tucker 2000 in our club. Pretty ruggedd drivetrains. Dislike the electrical system though. Wiper motors went out on both machines, heater motor, etc too.

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1992 Ski Doo Mach 1 (SC-10/2 suspended) March '07 SF.com Sled of the Month! (Lost in fire 4-13)
1992 Ski Doo Mach 1 original
2006 Ski Doo MXZ 500SS

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