Unlike automobile manufacturers, snowcat manufacturers do not unveil a new version of each model every year. PistenBully and Prinoth both introduced their latest platforms last year, the PistenBully 600 and Prinoth Bison. You might expect little change this year, but no! PistenBully introduced the 400 in February, and Ohara will finally have a demo of its Deer Forte on snow in the U.S. this spring.

There are other changes, too. Prinoth is offering a slightly different version of the Bison called the Bison X. The company has also made some minor changes to the Bison. PistenBully announced a merger with Paana, a Finnish company that has produced Nordic grooming vehicles for over 25 years. Enter a new vehicle, the PB Paana.

Here’s a look at what the manufacturers are saying. We caught up with Prinoth and PistenBully at the NSAA Western trade fair at Snowbird, then talked with PB marketing manager John Glockhamer and Ohara distributor Paul Leck of PBL by phone to get the late-breaking news.


PISTENBULLY

The weekend after both NSAA regional trade shows ended, PistenBully debuted the much-rumored PB400 at Hunter Mountain, N.Y. “The 400 is the replacement to our very successful The Edge,” said Glockhamer. “We wanted to pull some features from both the Edge and the 600.”

Although the frame design is new, PistenBully maintained the same frame width and length as the Edge, giving the machine similar handling feel and capabilities. The 400 power plant is a step up, featuring a Cummins 2SL9 Tier III 8.9L engine with 370 hp, delivering 1,120 foot pounds of torque. Like the 600, the 400 also has complete digital PSX controls and wireless sensors, eliminating potentiometers, which can wear out. The 400 has kept the same joystick and switches and relays as the Edge. Customers can opt for either sticks or a steering wheel.

The cabin uses the same four-point suspension found on the 600 with gas/oil shocks. The 400 comes with H11 halogen bulbs, with Xenon lights as an option. “The H11 bulb provides 50 percent more light than the H3, but consumes the same amount of energy,” said Glockhamer. The 400 also features a screen, but it does not have the touch capacity of the 600. The operating page on the 400 screen features bar graphs monitoring operating systems. Diagnostic pages are accessed by turning a knob.

The PB 400 also comes as a winch cat. New glass production technology has eliminated the need for additional protective windows on the winch machines.

In PB’s segment at the NSAA western show, Glockhamer announced the company’s new Paana. Paana machines have been long established as the outright leaders in the Scandinavian cross-country ski-trail segment. Sporting a one-man cab and only 7’3” wide, the PB Paana is powered by a Cummins 4.5L diesel (Tier III compliant). The PB Paana also features a double tiller; one self contained on the track pan, and another small tiller in front of each track setter. The track setters meet FIS standards, but can also be adjusted in two ways: The two tracks can be adjusted in or out, or the individual skier’s stance can be adjusted (wider for example, in the case of long downhill runs). This double tilling system also enables one-pass track setting in tough snow conditions. In February, one demo PB Paana was making the rounds in the U.S. eastern region.

PistenBully service manager Rod Elwell also gave an in-depth presentation on the PB 600 touch screen. He demonstrated the unique capacities for both operators and mechanics to either make micro adjustments to various functions or to delve into diagnostic systems that, until now, were out of reach unless a tech was on site with a laptop.

For the operator, options such as down pressure, tiller depth and parallel hitch position can all be adjusted as desired. A lead operator training novices, for example, can advise them how to set their machines up for optimum performance and continuity of the finished product. Other variable options found on the touch screen for operators include such things as pulse wiper timing and sequencing, dome light shutoff timing and steering sensitivity. One page on the screen features graphs or meters for tracking hourly usage on the tiller, winch, engine, and fuel.

An optional feature of the touch screen that interested many is a color video camera mounted in the rear of the vehicle that can either come on automatically when in reverse, to be displayed on the screen, or that can be switched on as needed. Whether for reversing while winching or monitoring slope quality, this rear camera option is likely to be a hit with operators.

The touch screen also has far-reaching benefits for maintenance technicians. Password-enabled maintenance screens allow techs deeper into the diagnostic pages of the computer. Every working component, switch, actuator or sensor has its own spot on a maintenance screen, which shows whether the component is operating properly or not. In addition, codes can be entered into certain areas to allow for diagnosis of systems, or to access graphs indicating operator usage trends. These features have eliminated the need for a tech to connect a laptop for diagnostic purposes. An additional function in the planning stages is a modem that will enable PistenBully company techs remote access to a vehicle’s computer. Talk about customer service!

A final note. PistenBully introduced a new three-piece Z-Flex tiller after last year; it’s now offered as an option to the standard Multiflex tiller. Unlike the old LMC tri-flex tiller many operators remember, the Z-flex is coupled to the lift frame to the two outside cutter bars. The middle cutter bar is the inside track to track length, to better till the twilight zone between the tracks that doesn’t get the same compression as the outside areas. In addition, the Z-flex tiller cut depth is “fulcrummed” off the finisher system, so one can change the cut depth without changing the pressure on the finisher, providing a more consistent finished product.


PRINOTH

Change is the watchword for Prinoth, too, where the focus was on the new Bison X. One key change: this cat has two settings on the push frame for the blade lift cylinder. Prinoths’ Chris Perkins stated that this new option is a result of feedback from operators who found that blades in the park configuration only were too “nervous” for flat track grooming. In laymen’s terms, nervous means herky-jerky. “Now the operator has the option to change the lift cylinder settings, which takes about 10 minutes,” said Perkins. The Bison X also has reconfigured hydraulic controls that enable the operator to move both the front and rear lift frames at once, a multitasking maneuver favored by many terrain park operators. In addition, 12 inches of upper reach have been added to the tiller, for grooming higher hits or road banks.

Greg Clowers of Prinoth described the recent move to Caterpillar C9 engines in the 350, Bison and Bison X. Since the several hundred engines a year Prinoth may acquire from Caterpillar is a tiny market, Clowers said, “For them to understand our market and immediate needs is remarkable. They understand that our issues need to be addressed within three days.” Snowbird’s assistant hill maintenance director, Andy Burton, agreed. “I think going with the Cat motor is the best thing they did,” he said. “That motor is more reliable and has more power and torque.”

Clowers also praised the planned upgrade to the Leitner/Poma and Prinoth facilities in Grand Junction, increasing the size of each facility and moving both to the Bookcliff Industrial Park near the Grand Junction airport. Clowers stated that there is a real push for both Leitner/Poma and Prinoth to go green and utilize all of the latest environmental technologies in this expansion effort. That idea fits well with the fact that another Leitner Technologies company, Lightwind, is developing wind powered energy.

Prinoth is also offering The University of Prinoth, which is designed to increase efficiency by reducing problems. “The goal of this program is to identify the capacity of your vehicle, what your options are, and how to apply it all to your slopes,” said Clowers. He said the program is designed to run over the course of four years, with the thought that operators, as they gain experience, will have different topics to be addressed.

Last but not least, Prinoth’s John Shwartz discussed the increasingly stringent federal off-road vehicle emissions standards in California, a state that often is ahead of federal standards in the push for all things green. While most new snowcats offered by each manufacturer already sport Tier III emissions-compliant engines, which will be required on all new machines in a few years, California in its “step ahead” mindset is considering legislation that would require both retrofitting and faster turnover rates of older machines to new Tier IV standards in the not-too-distant future. That caught everyone’s attention. Without getting too technical, an upgrade to a Tier IV emission control system is said to cost up to $140,000 at present.

These California emissions standards are geared toward off-road diesel equipment such as dozers and graders, and while snowcats are included in this category, the harshest requirements will not be fully in effect for several years. In addition, the CSIA in conjunction with the cat suppliers is seeking exemptions for snowcats.


PBL ENTERPRISES/OHARA

Ohara Snowcats and U.S. distributor PBL Enterprises are poised to enter the U.S. market. The Caliber line already has several vehicles working in the U.S., and the Deer Forte DF357 demo cat should be operating in the U.S. by presstime.

The Deer Forte DF 357 is a class IV Alpine groomer with a 325 hp CAT C9 Tier III compliant engine. This cat features optional steering controls—a steering wheel or stick controls are available. The DF357 comes standard with steel asymmetric tracks, a front quick-connect All-Way blade, and choice of rigid, bi-flex or tri-flex tiller.

The Ohara Caliber is a small utility snowcat billed as economical and easy to operate. Two-person and 10-person cabs are available. With optional attachments, the Caliber can be used for year-round applications. A flail mower, tiller, snow blowers, and several different types of blades and buckets can be attached to either the front or the back of the machine.


PBL ENTERPRISES/ZAUGG

Leck reports that everything on the implements side of things with the Zaugg product line is going very well. The 22-foot Pipe Monster is the only FIS approved cutter, and the company’s smallest cutter, the Tubing Designer, is proving popular. According to Leck, the Tubing Designer really knocks down the cost of tubing park labor. Engineering is under way to fit the Tubing Designer to the smaller Caliber snowcat.

On the implement front, Leck also notes a concerted effort is underway to market loader-mounted Zaugg Monobloc snow blowers. These heavy-duty snow blowers operate independently of the machines they mount to. Currently there are three sizes operating in the U.S.


FEEDBACK FROM THE FIELD

Sometimes, trying to find and/or pin down the groomers who operate these high-tech grooming machines, with their elusive nocturnal habits and colorful nicknames, can be a challenge. For Prinoth’s Bison, word was to talk to Smoothie at Tamarack. Problem was, nobody knew his real name. A call to Tamarack eventually was routed to Brian Amundson, who carries the title of snow surfaces manager at Tamarack.

“We are quite happy with the Bison,” says Amundson. “They’ve made some upgrades from the 350 with a new pump configuration, new blade, and tiller frame that all work really well.”

Tamarack also runs the PB 600. Lewis Miller is Tamarack’s lead operator, and says when they need to really cover acreage, the PB 600 is the machine of choice.

A feature on late-model machines that is often downplayed, but might be as important to the operators as anything, is the sound systems. The satellite radio capabilities on both the Bison and PB 600 are nice, but drivers are equally excited to see auxiliary ports for connecting their personal digital music players.

It’s easier to find maintenance techs and to get their feedback. We found a good source in Mel Uhl, the vehicle maintenance supervisor at Park City. Uhl runs both Prinoth 350s and PB 600s. Echoing many of the users of both companies’ machines, he says that there were little issues with each machine, as to be expected, but nothing major. One manufacturer’s equipment tended to go longer before requiring attention, but when it did, was more difficult to work on.

The main question mark with the PB 600, according to Uhl, “was seeing operating costs over the season, and summer maintenance needs.” No big issues arose.

Uhl also echoed a couple other comments we heard from the operators. “They’re all excellent machines, but they also tend to be job-specific. That’s why we have both,” he said.

It is obvious that the two main manufacturers each have excellent product, loaded with features that make for a smoother, more efficient, better-running, user-friendly vehicle. It is exciting to know that additional options are on the way with the Ohara brand. The task is to identify the capacity of the vehicles and how to apply them to your slopes.