Beyond the basic resort work vehicle—the pickup truck—lurk a wide array of productive machines of all sizes and shapes. From common vehicles such as quad ATVs or Bobcat skid loaders to the unique Aebi Terratrac mowers, the only thing that might outnumber the variety of these machines is the ways we find to use them.

Ski resorts would stop operating without the use of versatile, all-purpose pickup trucks for transporting personnel and tools and hauling smaller loads of cargo. But there are a variety of machines that can do different things, move in different ways, go to different places or are just plain a better option than a pickup. Beginning with the more common, and then progressing to the unique, let’s review these machines and investigate some newer vehicles, such as the Yamaha Rhino, one of several side-by-side, two-passenger ATV-type vehicles.


THE COMMON BREED
Quad ATVs are almost as common as pickup trucks at winter resorts. Workhorse models such as the Suzuki King Quad 450 or the Honda Forman 475 have a variety of uses. For a lone worker going to a remote place with minimal tools, as lift electricians often do, or for a worker making multiple stops off the main service road, such as someone from snowmaking doing summer maintenance on hydrants, these vehicles are ideal. Driven properly and with low-pressure tires, an ATV has minimal impact on terrain. This makes them suitable to go off road to places where a pickup truck can’t or shouldn’t.

Another example: most summer hiking and biking trails are the same width as an ATV, making this a good choice for trail maintenance. Resourceful vehicle maintenance personnel have been known to put a push-frame on an ATV for moving snowmobiles around for off-season maintenance. Along with the milk crate/cargo box “borrowed” from F&B, there are certainly other field modifications to be discovered.

Of course, many areas also keep their ATVs in action during the winter. Areas with mostly manmade snow or minimal snowfall often have snow conditions that enable over-the-snow ATV travel. These vehicles can also be used for plowing snow on narrow walkways between buildings.

In this age of rising fuel costs, if an ATV will suffice in place of a truck, it is the right choice every time. And remember, the variety of ATVs matches that of pickups as well. For example, a beefed up Polaris 6x6 features an extra set of wheels and a small utility bed, useful for carrying such items as trail maintenance hand tools. ATVs are so handy in ski resort operations that they quickly move into the category of can’t-do-without once you have them.

Another fairly prevalent machine is the Bobcat Skid Steer Loader, usually just called a Bobcat. As with ATVs, these small loaders put the power of bigger, heavier equipment into a compact size with great maneuverability. Those features alone would be enough for operators to get excited about, but add the available attachments, and this little workhorse is in almost constant demand. Attachments range from brooms, blades and palette forks to mowers and trenchers, with all sorts of other specialty tools in between.

Many vehicle maintenance shops use Bobcats for muscling apart the larger pieces of equipment for repairs and service, such as snowcats. Need to pick up or unload some full 55-gallon drums? Get the Bobcat. Engine hoist? Bobcat! It is the rare vehicle maintenance manager who lets his Bobcat out of sight, and if he does, it isn’t to just anybody, and it will likely cost you. (It isn’t his Bobcat, you say? Do you want your truck fixed or not?)

The operational technology of Bobcats has moved beyond the traditional hand levers and foot pedals. The latest versions offer joystick control and all-wheel steer options. The latter both increases maneuverability and lessons cross-traction issues, which minimizes impact on terrain and wear on tires.

For the sake of full disclosure, we should note that manufacturers such as Caterpillar and Terex also offer skid steer loaders and attachments.


THE OLD, TRIED AND TRUE
We would be remiss not to mention those typically yellow-colored beasts also found at ski areas—the front end loader and backhoe—and the less-often-found grader.

Every resort that has a loader has known times when so many people want/need to use the machine that they have to take a place on the waiting list. Lift maintenance needs it to get a motor down from a drive. Lift electrical needs it to shade a trench. The slope dudes need it to move park rails around, and vehicle maintenance needs it to take apart the backhoe. One loader is never lonely, but even areas with two or three often see them all booked up.

The backhoe usually doesn’t sit around too much, either, as it seems someone always needs to dig something up. Many resorts also have a track-hoe excavator or a bulldozer, usually an older machine put out to pasture by another business, or even a vintage museum specimen. It’s all good.

The grader, for those lucky enough to have one, makes for quick and efficient repair and upkeep of our service roads. The alternative is a bone-rattling, vehicle-pounding ride until something else is done about road conditions.

Also found hanging out in the corral with the yellow machines is the dump truck. Used for plowing in the winter, resorts find lots of ways to keep these trucks busy all summer.


THE HIGH-COUNTRY BEAST
The Aebi Terratrac arrived on the scene about 20 years ago and, while not as prevalent as some of the machines we use, it has its place and loyal following. In the West, with bigger, steeper and rockier mountains, the Aebi is not utilized quite as much as in the East. Aebi of New England president Doug Beach estimates there are at least 40 ski areas from Canada south using more than 60 “tractors,” as he calls them.

“The Aebi is known for both comfort and safety, and the fact that we can go out onto very steep slopes,” says Beach. In addition to its high-angle mowing capabilities, it also features a wide array of attachments and implements. “The diversity of our tractor is just phenomenal,” he claims. “It is just a question of what you want to do.”

An example: Wachusett Mountain, Mass., totals 400,000 visits a winter on just 110 skiable acres. Keeping the slopes in tip-top shape is thus a high priority. But environmental concerns over nesting birds with whom the resort shares its state-leased land have limited the mowing window. So the area recently upgraded from an older 42-horsepower model to a new 82-hp unit to mow the slopes more quickly and efficiently.

It is important to have a good finesse type operator for these machines. That’s why, at Snowbasin in northern Utah, longtime employee (and Aebi operator) Shane Harris spends the last couple months each fall operating the Aebi—no matter what his other current responsibilities may be.

Not unlike ATVs, people also find other uses for their Aebis. They are often outfitted in winter with plow and snowblower attachments. The creative bunch at Wachusett, for example, has manufactured a boom attachment to their Aebis’ front hitch for lifting heavier chairs off lifts for maintenance work.

And these beasts are becoming more user-friendly, too. The latest models have upgraded air filtration systems and optional air conditioning, along with computer monitoring control systems. “People that have an older model tractor would be really surprised at the upgrades in technology and operator comfort,” says Beach.


A NEW BREED?
Is a pickup too big, and an ATV too small? Cross a pickup truck with an ATV and you get a utility vehicle (UTV) such as the Polaris Ranger or the Yamaha Rhino (a machine sometimes described as a golf cart on steroids). The idea might seem new, but companies such as Kawasaki with the Mule series, John Deere and others have been making something similar for many years. In fact, Mammoth Mountain, Calif., has had Mules for so long that, according to Clifford Mann, director of mountain operations, they are retiring some Mules and looking to purchase Rhinos.

Recent versions of UTVs are sportier in design and capabilities. As a result, they offer a wide range of options, in multiple models from more than a dozen manufacturers. The increase in models coincides with the boom in popularity of ATVs in the last 10 years. For ski resort operations, the basic platform of this vehicle seems to fit, and as with the ATV, “they are a lot cheaper than trucks,” says Mann. “We try to get as many people out of trucks as we can.”

This is not to say UTVs come cheap; 4WD models start at about $9,000. But as fuel costs rise, the guess here is that other resorts will follow Mammoth’s lead.

For a working UTV there are important features to consider, such as the size and load capacity of the cargo box. We found capacities ranging from 400 to 2,000 pounds. Seat configurations from two to four people influence cargo box size and load capacity. Both gas and diesel engines are available, along with 4x2 and 4x4 wheel drives. Some companies are even manufacturing electric-powered UTVs, but most of these are at least partially based on golf cart components, which limits their capabilities. One caution: Almost every UTV has a rollover protection system (ROPS), but only about half are certified by OSHA.

One final note: UTVs are addictive. “They’re a lot of fun to drive,” Mann admits. So fun, in fact, that Mammoth Mountain founder and former owner Dave McCoy has a fleet of Yamaha Rhinos for exploring the Eastern Sierra with family and friends.

But the real draw is their utility, we hasten to add. For example, Bobcat offers several UTV models. Gas-fueled versions use Kawasaki engines, diesel versions use Kubota engines. The beefiest Bobcat UTV, the Toolcat 5600, has a 2,000-pound cargo capacity, a 4,000-pound towing capacity, and accepts 40 different attachments. As with its other machines, Bobcat offers a wide variety of implements for its UTVs.


RARE BREEDS
We would be remiss without mentioning some of the less common vehicles and a few endangered species. Whether it is due to only occasional need, or economics or limited capabilities, there are a few workhorse type machines only sometimes found at our resorts.

Take, for instance, the boomtruck. If it was up to lift maintenance managers, these vehicles would remain common. But it is tough to justify the expense when you can make do without or rent one when needed. For the lucky few who own one, the ability to not just lift, but self load/unload and transport the goods means that several operations departments make use of these machines.

Timber skidders are becoming even more rare. A skidder can be handy when logging off new trails, where they are used to pull or drag around a variety of stuff. Often they sport a large plow blade. Rarer still are Unimogs, a strange breed of all-terrain medium-duty truck built by Mercedes Benz, featuring super high ground clearance. Even rarer is the walking excavator, such as the Menzi muck or the Schaeff muck. Any lift construction crew laborer will tell you that the rare sighting of one of these incredible climbing/digging machines is great indeed.

There are even a few farm tractors out there, especially at resorts near agricultural operations, and some ski resorts that also operate golf courses have vehicles that see dual use, such as compact tractors and Aebi mowers. Again, the creative minds of our personnel come into play here. You’d be surprised to know what vehicles your staff have used to, say, pull out a stump or de-tension a little counterweight.

Alas, the truly endangered breeds include Sprite snowcats fitted with “summer” tracks, old Dodge army 4x4’s, and the “deuce and a half” 4x6 army trucks. There are likely even rarer or stranger machines still in use out there that we’ve missed. As with the vehicles themselves, there is almost no limit to the imagination and ingenuity of our crews.

Still, it never hurts to give them the right tool for the job.