Improved winches is the theme this year in snow groomers. Both Prinoth and PistenBully have them. Enhanced electronics are also part of this year’s improvements, along with a couple of new trail grooming cats aimed at utility, snowmobile, and XC use.


PRINOTH
The Alpine lineup remains the same: the workhorse 350, the step-up Bison, and the bigger Beast. The latter two get a new Sherpa winch with increased pulling force, to a maximum of 5.3 tons and a minimum of 5. That’s a slight increase from last year. Prinoth is also introducing a new trail grooming machine, the Trooper TG.

Biggest news is the addition of WinControl to the winch system. In auto mode, WinControl auto-adjusts the uphill and downhill working pressure on the winch. That makes it easier on less-experienced drivers, who can now “get as much production out of winching as a high-end operator, with minimal effort,” says Greg Clowers , director of Western North American sales and after sales support. The winch is said to have no effect on the steering behavior of the vehicle. Experienced operators can switch to manual mode and operate the winch as in the past.

WinControl, Clowers says, “makes all aspects of winching more efficient. You can do steeper slopes easier, because you’re able to take the snow uphill. But it also reduces impact on high intermediate slopes, since you’re not displacing as much snow with your tracks.“

“The new winch is a full 5 ton; the old one was 4.8,” he adds. The old one “was 5 ton on first wrap, and then it progressively went down with each wrap. This is a full five ton through all wraps.”

Otherwise, the Prinoth lineup is little changed. The Pininfarina-designed cabs of the Bison and Beast are going through the refinement process, in response to operators’ needs and requests, Clowers says. Tillers and other implements are little changed as well.

For trail grooming, the new Trooper TG suits the requirement in the East and Midwest for an eight-foot-maximum machine.

One final thing: with the opening of a new regional distribution center in Madison, Wisc., Prinoth now has seven such centers. “We’re in the process of stocking, getting staffing to the correct level, and addressing the Midwest customer,” says Clowers. The manager, William Cox, has been in ski industry in the East and West, “so he has good knowledge of the products and of ski areas,” Clowers adds.


KÄSSBOHRER
Kässbohrer continues to pursue its two-brand strategy: the basic PistenBully 400 and more refined 600 form one brand, the Formatic the second. PistenBully is upgrading the winch on the 600 and adding some electronic capabilities to the 400 and 600. The Formatic remains little changed, but is getting a broader introduction after its initial introduction in the 2010-11 season.

“We have some add-on technology that facilitates the productivity of the 600 and 400,” says marketing manager John Glockhamer. SnowSat is a wifi-enabled, GPS and vehicle data system. This is an extension of the CAN BUS technology introduced in the 600 four years ago. “That system had some capabilities to expand, and it’s really coming to fruition,” Glockhamer says. “With the CAN BUS on the 600, we can make it plug and play, where you only have to add minimal hardware. The vehicle’s movements on the slopes show up right on the screen.” Telemetry is PistenBully’s new troubleshooting system that connects a cat with the area maintenance department, a PistenBully technical center, or even the home office in Germany, if needed. “We can do long-distance troubleshooting over the Internet, in real time, as a driver is grooming,” Glockhamer says. All that’s needed is a small add-on box with a modem card.

The PB 600 also gets a new 4.5 ton winch, up from 4 tons, for increased pulling power. It couples with Active Boom (introduced two seasons ago) which allows for greater pull when the PistenBully is off center line. An optional rope length of 1,400 meters is available with the 4.5 ton. Winch pulling force is automatically regulated (a system in use since the early 1990s).

Kässbohrer is making a concentrated push demonstrating the Formatic this year. “The Formatic 350 has some different technology, a little bit of a different feel,” Glockhamer notes. “The Formatic 350 is a stick cat with center cab, so it feels quite different from a PistenBully. Although the driver has a little less horsepower than PB 400 there are a couple of features that are unique.” Biggest is Autotrace, which keeps the tiller tracking directly behind the groomer, even on sidehills and while turning. Formatic offers a ski area a less expensive option.

“We believe it will go well,” he says. “The Formatic will be a good fit for some areas.”

For the future, Kässbohrer is researching an electric drive and the use of compressed natural gas (CNG), both as a way to reduce CO2 emissions. CNG doesn’t require the complex filtration systems that diesel engines do; those systems will become more complex (and costly) for the Tier IV diesel engines that will start appearing in groomers in 2012. On the other hand, diesel engines continue to have more power.


OHARA
The Ohara line this year is limited to the trail-grooming MM03, little changed from last year. The 685 Caliber, an even smaller, six-foot-wide trail groomer, may also be imported next fall. The MM03 is notable for meeting Tier IV emissions standards, according to U.S. distributor Paul Leck of PBL. “It offers cleaner exhaust, better cooling and fuel economy, and hopefully, improved performance,” he says.


ZAUGG
The enduring Zaugg Pipe Monsters are unchanged. They come in eight-, 13- 18- and 22-foot versions. Zaugg is also working on a lane-shaping tool for tubing parks, and this should be available by fall, Leck says. The Monsters have an established reputation for low maintenance and quick mounting, he adds.

Zaugg’s big news has been the purchase of arch-rival Rolba in the snow removal business. This expands Zaugg’s production capacity and range of offerings, which now includes all manner of snowblowers, plows, and other snow removal machines. “That’s a major focus,” Leck says.


GLOBAL CUTTER
The Global Cutter, which debuted in 2009, includes 13-, 18- and 22-foot models. The machines offer some clever features. A laser guidance system helps keep the pipe straight and contributes to accurate and efficient shaping. This can cut build time by 15 percent per season, including cat operations and snowmaking savings, says John Melville, CEO of Development Snowparks, GlobalCutter’s manufacturer.

And the laser system has other uses. Whistler Blackcomb used it last summer to help build its pipe into the ground. “We are hearing great feedback about the new pipe there,” says Melville.

GlobalCutter’s bi-directional paddle-style cutter system can recycle snow up to repair a wall or cut it down if it has been snowing. This can save a further 9 percent per season in maintenance time, as it uses less snow and fixes tracks and holes quickly, Melville adds. A heated pressure bar and finishing mats put the final surface on the pipe.


The Tier IV Timeline
Tier IV engines will become the standard by 2012 in grooming (and other off-road) vehicles; they are already in effect for onroad vehicles. Tier IV interim requires that engines produced in 2011 must comply with the Tier IV standard for particulate filtration. But many of the vehicles built in 2011 will have engines built in 2010, and so will not have to meet the Tier IV standard. Then, in 2014, Tier IV final takes effect, and nitrogen oxide emissions must meet the much-reduced Tier IV level.

“The big challenges are how do you begin to fit all this extra filtration hardware that you have to add,” says PistenBully’s John Glockhamer. “It looks easy, but it’s challenging.”