Yup I kissed the Groomer today !!!

I was out riding mid season type trails(beyond perfect ) :hallo1: :thumbsup:

Well out near Windy Lake at a crest of a hill Me,my STX and the groomer met

1st I was actually doing the speed limit and on my side of the trail :thumbsup:

Problem is the Groomer(Massey Ferguson Tractor) and its drag are 8 feet wide,yes the same width of the trail :sleepy:

Had we met on a straight stretch,it would have been a nice wave and thumbs up

BUT we met at the crest of hill :dazed:

Face to face with a a huge tractor w00t

I tried to stop and climb the snow bank and almost made it BUT :crazy:

My handle bar(brake side) caught the track of the back wheel and my ski hit the drag :(

Guess when the groomer guy notice me????

Yup,as he was looking at the drag behind him NOT when in front of him :dazed:

That is what he told me

He said he was looking at the drag while driving the groomer up the hill for a couple of seconds then all of a sudden there was I behind him

Had he seen me coming he would have pulled to the side,but for the couple of 2nds he was looking behind him,we both had crested the hill at the same time :ohmy:

My damage is bent handle bars and broken trailing arm :wink:

This all happened at a split second Had I been doing 80kmph and/or in the middle of the trail,I and my sled would have been totalled :unsure:

I always ride the right side of trail

Reason had 2 friends meet at a crest of a hill in 95 and machines were totalled

The groomer driver felt real bad,I told there was hardly anyway of avoiding the collision :confused:

Trail is 8 feet wide and groomer 8 feet wide + crest of hill= accident waiting to happen

I decided not to press charges nor go through my insurance :sly:

The OFSC and our clubs don't need this sorta insurance problem :sly:

Main thing I was not hurt nor was he :thumbsup: ,just my sled unfortunately :(


Best way to avoid this accident IMO

Groom at night :sly:

That is the only thing I am mad at

Why are they grooming at 3pm in the afternoon?????

That is plain dangerous :cussing:

Good thing trails are in A1 shape I was able to ride back 40klicks back to the truck with a bent handlebar and broken trailing arm

Note

My bros had previously bent the trailing arm(last year),so that did not help it from not breaking,another reason I decided not to be so mad,I was planning on replacing it anyway and + my sled is a 95 not a 02 and up

And have a used trailing arm already in the shed

I am working all weekend so I will be monday at earliest I can take a good look at the sled and assertain if I can fix it to ride again

Got to see if any bulkhead damage or other thing I missed

Weather looks great for riding here all of next week ,that will give me the determination to fix the sled ASAP

BTW great riding to be had here in Sudbury NW HWY 144 corridor(Chelmsford/Levack/Cartier/Capreol) for the next week GUARANTEED
_________________

glad your alright could have been worse! :thumbsup:

Can't help but wonder if they were grooming in anticipation of heavy traffic due to the March school break.
Glad to here you're all right, and thanks for the trail tips.

:dazed: I was wondering who was Good2Go

Especially with over 1600 post I never heard or seen you here before :lookaround:

Then I realize it youThe Blurr521

I like your new name :thumbsup:

Are you planning on coming up Cory9?

Trails are PERFECT IMO :thumbsup:

wow glad to hear you are ok.

Freeze, I'm glad you're OK....... and accident like that could have been a tradgedy.
but....... when you say that 'you decided not to press charges' etc. , I'm pretty sure that it's you who are lucky that charges weren't laid against.

Glad to here you were ok. Is it true that in the chatter boxes it makes a loud beep when you are approaching a groomer?? This is what I had heard and just wondering if it is true????

Good to hear you were not injured! :cool: our groomers come out around 3 pm here in wisconsin and it doesnt really bother me but, our trails are double the size of the groomers

The same exact thing happened to my buddy and I 3 yrs ago. About 10:00 in the morning, came atop a little hill on a little bend in a trail, and SURPRISE!!!! There was the groomer, I took to the soft stuff on the side of the trail, and came to a stop. Ken was right behind me, avoided the groomer, but not me. It was the second day for our brand new sleds...cracked his hood, kinked the corner of my tunnel. That was the last trip before we ordered the communicators.

glad to hear you are not injured and hope you get the sled back on the trails as soon as possible , that is a situation that we all hope we don't encounter :ohmy:

Originally posted by 92Indy440@Mar 12 2004, 10:29 PM
Glad to here you were ok. Is it true that in the chatter boxes it makes a loud beep when you are approaching a groomer?? This is what I had heard and just wondering if it is true????
Yes its true or at least it used to be.We've had collett communicators since the late 80s and the groomers used to have beacons that would warn you when you were getting close.A lot of the newer style radio's are on different frequency's so I don't think the groomers bother with the beacons anymore.At least I haven't heard any for a few years.

Sorry to hear about your mis-fortune, but glad nobody was hurt...

I have to admit that hearing that the most biatching-est guy on the forum with regards to permit prices is STILL out riding has me a little irked... I haven't been out in weeks, and don't really expect to be back on the trails till next winter... Looks like your $$ per ride ratio is going to be a lot better than your neighbors to the south.

Maybe a trip north is in order before the 'other' season starts.... fishing season. :p

There was no fault on the groomers behalf. They do about 5mph or less. The crest of the hill was the deciding factor on not making eye contact.

I myself, slow to about 10mph on the crest of a hill, and stand up to see as far as I can over it. Glad to see your not hurt, and there's not alot of damage.

I bet your heart felt pretty tight as soon as you saw that big thing right in front of you!!!! !!!

Poop happens :confused:

Glad to hear that you're okay. Scary situation! I hope that you get your machine up and going soon for another ride...

Renee

haha Yeah Freezerburnt i changed my name i was tired of My old one, dont really know why i choose it, i've been using the expression Good2Go alot so i decided it would be a good name for here, i wont change it again, promise :thumbsup:

with old Freezerburnt being the closest thing to superman that i know of my only concern is for the groomer, LOL.

really i am glad you are okay. :wink:

Scarey situation, glad you are okay, and thanks for the trail updates. Maybe there is hope for another ride once this shoulder heals.

Don't takes this wrong but I am glad it was you and not some throttle jockey doing 80 in the middle of the trail or we would be reading about another fatality, and ruined lives of the family and the groomer driver

Hope to ride with you some day

James

Originally posted by mtrsprt@Mar 13 2004, 01:02 PM

I myself, slow to about 10mph on the crest of a hill, and stand up to see as far as I can over it.
Wow, I'm glad I'm not riding behind you. Slowing to 10mph every time you came to the crest of a hill would sure slow down your progress, and PO the people behind you in a big way.

Originally posted by NewfieBullet@Mar 13 2004, 02:29 PM
Wow, I'm glad I'm not riding behind you. Slowing to 10mph every time you came to the crest of a hill would sure slow down your progress, and PO the people behind you in a big way.
Let me just say, the small hills that I am reffering to, aren't nothing like your picturing.

The crest of these hills are about a 30' rise at about a 45 degree angle , and are about every 500' or so on the trails where the average speed is about 20-25mph, and the trails are no wider than 8', through the thick woods.

These are not cruising trails like up north.

Originally posted by mtrsprt@Mar 13 2004, 02:49 PM
Let me just say, the small hills that I am reffering to, aren't nothing like your picturing.

The crest of these hills are about a 30' rise at about a 45 degree angle , and are about every 500' or so on the trails where the average speed is about 20-25mph, and the trails are no wider than 8', through the thick woods.

These are not cruising trails like up north.
i hear where you are coming from, riding in maine there is such a difference the more north you go, in the south and central regions you are lucky if the trails are 8 feet wide

most of the time in order to avoid another sledder you have to completely pull off on the side of the trail to allow one another to pass, through the wooded sections anyway

Originally posted by NewfieBullet@Mar 13 2004, 01:29 PM
Slowing to 10mph every time you came to the crest of a hill would sure slow down your progress,
.......not by as much as running into a groomer blade.

An 8 foot trail leaves about 4 INCHES for sleds to pass. If two sleds travelling 10 mph go past each other the closing speed is 20 mph. I don't want anybody going past me much faster than this, with virtually no space between sleds.

Would have liked to come up for a ride Freezerburnt, but the inlaws decided to visit :(

Let me makes this clear :sly:

The groomer guy did not notice me until I was behind him :dazed:

He was looking at the drag when he noticed me :ohmy:

When my sled hit ,my sled was stopped :sly: and the groomer was still moving forward as he was NOT looking ahead :unsure:

Had he noticed me I am sure there would have been no contact

He is the one that told me he was looking at the drag for those couple of 2nds that we made contact

Originally posted by FreezerBurnt@Mar 12 2004, 09:52 PM




I decided not to press charges nor go through my insurance :sly:








I'm happy everything is OK and YOU are not hurt .... but I can't believe you actually considered laying charges for a minor incident such as this ....

Hence the reason not to go through insurance :sly:

I know of many that would of went that way and have told me to do that BUT

I personnaly don't want my insurance any higher be it personnal or OFSC insurance

My sled has maybe $200-300 damages ei Trailing arm,bent handlebar and scuffed windshield and as for me nothing except a new pair of drawers :p

Had I been hurt or lots of damage then that would be a diferent story :confused:

glad to hear that your okay,,,,, I have never had a run in with the groomer, and hope I never do,,,,

Glade your OK and the machine isn't too bad. And your right that going thru your insurance isn't worth it, and in this particular situation I think your a gentlemen and a scholar not to hold the OFSC responsible....ship happens. I would have liked to see the groomers face as he saw you and you machine wreck by the trail. lol

Glad to see you are ok Freezie , it really surprizes me that there are not more accidents like this that happen. Grooming during the day in bushes and hills scares the heck out of me , had too many close calls .

At least your sled faired better than my County P/U when a drunk driver took me head on friday morning while I was at work.
http://www.sciencehilldrifters.com/truck3.jpeg

now that's the definition of "fubar"

I really hope you walked away from that....... no, let me re-state that, I will be freak'n amazed if you walked away from that.

Those crests are trouble. I move far right as possible to clear an oncoming sled but a groomer, that's scary. On Friday night my far right cresting style cost me a bent up ski. I caught a rock running the edge. Actually happened a few times where I clipped loose large rocks on the trail. Not sure how a few of them got there but they were on top of the snow, not pressed in or half burried but sitting on top. ( Mind you there were lots of buried ones also)


We don't ride as fast over these but still at a decent clip. With the slower speed of the groomer and the increased height I can see him before the crest and take evasive action. I know I've come up on groomers and the operator was looking behind for short ways setting up the drag. I've never had a close call with the groomer though. Sure makes you think. A few seconds can make a huge difference if you are real close or moving at a good pace.

Dave, that's one nasty wreck, you OK?

Did the drunk get hurt in the crash or shortly after? Grrr.

Hey, wanna go in on a lottery ticket?

And they say sleds are dangerous.

From OFSC site: click here for more (http://www.ofsc.on.ca/Trails/UsingTrails.asp)

"Operators know that there may be grooming or other maintenance activities under way at any time of the day or night which may take up the whole or any part of the trail and have the right of way."

Freeze- Sorry to hear you had that run in with the froomer.Glad youre OK as it could have been worse, a lot worse.As others have mentioned to you, as I will- Congratulations on being an honest rider and not sueing everyone everytime theres a minor accident. Some guys just don't get the picture with insurance companies.For every claim someone makes, the only people who will suffer in the long run is us, not the insurance company! When is the last time anyone ever heard of an insurance company GOING OUT OF BUSINESS??? As in your case, I would have done the exact thing, seeing it wasn't a large bill and no one was hurt move on with it!! Hey- it could have been you in the groomer!! I also commend all the volunteers who do the best they can while grooming and without them, there would be no trails!! As for that TC.com forums-I am done posting over there as I see they gave you somewhat of a hard time when you posted about this accident. Get the old girl fixed and ride on!!! Pete

Originally posted by konkinj@Mar 15 2004, 04:03 PM
I really hope you walked away from that....... no, let me re-state that, I will be freak'n amazed if you walked away from that.
Well I wouldn't say walked away ....but I'm still alive . It will be a few weeks before I walk again .
....never had though of the lottery ticket thing but sounds like an option.
Someone up above was definatly looking out for me . The other guy had minor injuries , but the law and courts are not done with him yet. crash photo's (http://www.sciencehilldrifters.com/crash.html)

INDYSKS- glad to hear you are OK after that one!! Now thats a CRASH!!! Im sure there will be some insurance claims on that one as there should be! Good Luck.One good thing though ( 1st youre not injured real seriously) and the sledding seasons over.

Ya TC.com

Grizz must know the mod as my post back to him was removed yet his is still there

I guess I hit a nerve with the lack of moderation comment when responding back to the personnal attack grizz made to me

Hmmmm

RWS

That as pretty ignorant for you to post that,does it make you fell better then the rest of us? :sarcasm:

you don't get the point of me posting this incident don't you???

The point is it can happen to anyone at anytime,be carefull while riding :thumbsup:

I hate it when people twist a post around to find a villain :cussing:

Dave I hope you have a speedy recovery :thumbsup:

Freeze, glad your alright, and it wasn't major.

Indy, wow, its truly a miracle that your doing OK. Speedy recovery. Atleast the sledding season is over.

FishHog

glad to hear you are alright that could have been a very bad situation. I was in a similar situation a few yeasr ago but met the groomer on a blind corner. Had to drive my sled into the trees. Same thing though in the middle of the day and he was watchin to the rear. What do you do eh, we complain that they don't grom then we complain that they do groom. :p At least you are still riding. Well were riding