Hi.
I am a newbie (In the north country, and almost 50 too - imagine that !),
and have a desire to get a machine primarily for trail grooming for folks
here to do CC skiing and maybe for horse use.
We get some pretty deep snow here...
I found a deal on a couple of 70's Skidoo Elans for cheap, but then a guy
who knows more than me said those are very tinkery machines - to get
something instead that was newer and less needy.

I would appreciate advice regarding specific models and what I might end
up paying for something.
This is going to sound silly - but I don't want another pricey hobby, and
am OK with mixing fuel and such - I had bikes for years that needed it,
and old 2 strokes don't bother me at all.
An old iron that starts with a cord for use 10 times a year would be fine,
so long as it is inclined to start and run most of the time !!

Thanks for any advice !

mark
(computerguy@vtlink.net)

cguy welcome to SnowmobileWorld,:).

For the task that you require, I would recomend getting a long track sled(136"+) There are a few machines that fit the bill. The Skidoo Scandic, Yamaha VK 540, Polaris Widetrack and the Artic cat bear cat. These are all work duty sled that can do what you need with little fuss. Maker sure that they have NOT been worked very hard,lol. If you buy an older machine pre 1990's then you will be doing work to it, prolly every time you ride. The elan @250cc is just to small for grooming the trails. We have our own neighbourhood trails here, that are NOT OFSC. A couple guys welded up a mini drag. It works great and no more spine shanking getting to the main trail. Look to pay between 2 to 5K+ for a late model machine in good shape. Good luck Permafrost

Cguy,
Welcome to the board.

if you are going to trail groom it is going to take a bit of a special sled like mr. Perminator said.

after reading your post i find myself talking like a dairy farmer. :ohmy: :huh:

Happy Trails.

Welcome CGUY and hope you have a good stay!!!
I think the Ski-Doo skandic would be a great choice!!!

The skandic is a good choice but if you want too trail ride a little I would buy the bearcat. It has better front suspension. Welcome to the sport. :thumbsup:

Given my experience on grooming our club's trails, I found that something heavier then the previously mentioned sleds makes for a longer lasting trail.
The more weight you have to pack down and set the snow, the longer your efforts will last.
Before we bought our Bell's Welding "Trail Boss" groomer we used Skidoo Alpines. These are twin track units with a single ski up front. We used hydraulically controlled drags with ours. There are drags available that set the double cross-country skiing grooves in the trail.
We still have 5 or 6 drags kicking about our clubs storage barn. Email me if you're interested. We have both hydraulic and manual units.
These Alpines are harder to find but are quite durable so don't let age scare you off.
Good luck.

Jeff

Thanks for the input folks !
(Do I sound like a farmer ??)

My conclusions so far:

Snowmobiles are an expensive and unfamiliar hobby;

The better machines for the job are WAAAY over my budget;

I can use horses to pack snow, by simply walking them behind
me whilst wearing snowshoes !!!

So, unless someone has a gas burning beast that is fairly easy
to live with (maint. wise) and doesn't cost much to begin with -
I'll have to stick with the hay burners !!! (I've already GOT them !)

Thanks Again and Best Wishes,

mark

Since your on a budget I would look for an old Ski-doo Alpine as mentioned by trailblazer. It's like a big heavy duty Elan. The elan is just too small and under powered to do any kind of work.

It may be hard to find an alpine though. However it's a work horse with twin tracks and single ski. I remember my friends dad using one to haul wood.

I'm sure you'll find something that's in your price range. I'd look for something that's a 440cc or bigger.



Originally posted by trailblazer@Oct 3 2004, 03:50 AM

Before we bought our Bell's Welding "Trail Boss" groomer we used Skidoo Alpines. These are twin track units with a single ski up front.

Oh :sarcasm: I see

You just came here casting a lure looking for a lunker to get people upset

Now go back to your mule and relax with a nice refreshing glass of goat milk and realize how much better you are knowing gas burning beast are not better than horse puckey all over the trail so your XCskier can enjoy that wonderfull smell :lmao:

Originally posted by cguy@Oct 5 2004, 01:39 AM
My conclusions so far:
Snowmobiles are an expensive and unfamiliar hobby;
The better machines for the job are WAAAY over my budget;
I can use horses to pack snow, by simply walking them behind
me whilst wearing snowshoes !!!
So, unless someone has a gas burning beast that is fairly easy
to live with (maint. wise) and doesn't cost much to begin with -
I'll have to stick with the hay burners !!! (I've already GOT them !)
350249

i've had hay burners and they a way too much money for me to have around. two horses cost me $1200.00 per year just for shoes, others will say the vet bills will kill you too but i had sound horses and our 19.5 pound dog cost more at the vet then the two horses. it's not a $1000.00 trailer to get horses around if you haul them and the time involved mucking out the stalls everyday can't be forgotten. when i park my sled and take the key out it costs me nothing except for the insurance, but a horse eats even when you are sleeping :huh: . i'll take the sleds anyday.

Well said Paul n:)

BTW cquy,how much methane comes from Horse manure :blink:

Phew - now that's alot of heavy handed talk about livestock for me !

I used to be a biker, and now keep not one, but 2 very nice turbocharged
cars (1 for clear weather, and the other for what's it's mostly like here
in Vermont - rainy, muddy, snowy, and so on.).

My motorcycle now has 4 legs - and where I always -liked- my bikes,
I confess that I do love horses, and don't give a hoot what they cost -
my old guy is a friend to the end, and he ain't going noplace without
me !
So I keep a 4WD pickup and a trailer anyhow - and that big 'ol trailer
is the least maintenance of anything we have here !

We also have several tractors and mowers, chipper, tiller, splitter,
generators and so on here - no lack of gas burning stuff to care for....

All that having been said - no, I'm not just lurking and trying to get
folks upset - I was hoping for useful info, which I have gotten in some
abundance, along with some manure slung my way - but I'm OK with
manure, so thanks for that too.

I will look for an Alpine - that is very good info, and in the meantime
it's time to simply wait and watch for the correct opportunity - this
is a thing I am wishing for, not something I need to do in a hurry.

Best Wishes,

mark

p.s.: I have info coming so we can build a biogas digester, which is a
good thing to have with livestock around - but I won't know how much
comes from WHICH manure, sorry !!!

Holy crap here we go agan you guys be nice


p.s ask the poo guys about biogas digester there sleds use them to keep the
hamster's under the hood running at peak performance :lmao:



im just kiding guys dont beat me up to bad