mtntopper said:
Ok, now we need a little info as to what you liked and or disliked about the snow cats you operated. I am sure each person has their own personal favorites. Everyone else likes to here the pros and cons of different cats. Just give us a little info as to your personal preferences. Its like candy we are not all going to agree as to the same flavor, but we all like it.
Bill
Oh boy.... It's hard to keep them all separated in my head anymore lol.
The Spryte and the 2100 were about useless when I ran them. They had been to hell and back twice. Plus, we were trying to use them at a ski resort to tow snow making equipment up the slopes. Neither of them worked so great. They were way underpowered and just plain old not user friendly. The non-hydro skid steer sucked. Especially when trying to turn uphill...you couldn't pull on the lever hard enough to make it turn.
I think the old steel track Tuckers give about the best ride behind the Terra (which are very smooth, very quiet, and very fast!). In deep fluffy powder snow, they can't be beat as far as flotation goes. But again, put it on a ski slope with something heavy hitched to it and you have to be really careful or you'll get in trouble. Some of our snowmakers used to get the machine I now own in some VERY precarious positions...I'd be the one to go rescue it. However, for hauling around the maple sap tank in gently rolling fields/woods, I wouldn't rather own a different machine.
The steel/rubber tracked Tuckers are the roughest riding machine out there, but they work much better for dragging stuff around on the hills. Before we owned any actual "groomers" at the ski area, we used to groom with an '82 1542 and a 16' roller or 14' powder maker (3 "rollers" made of expanded metal). I can count on one hand the number of times I didn't make it up the hill in all the years of running it.
The DMC 3700 and LMC 3700C's are basically identical machines. The LMC's have some nicer options like tiller follow and up/down pressure and more power (260hp from a 3208 Cat) but both machines worked well. For a small ski resort I still think the LMC 3700 gives the best bang for the buck.
We also have a 3700 CFS (cab forward super). The best comparison I can make to this machine is a Pisten Bully 200. They're about the same size. The LMC is definately built less expensively (it's like the difference between a Chevy and Mercedes...they both get you where you want to go, but one is lots nicer to drive). For example, the LMC uses mechanical linkage to the hydro pumps for steering where the PB is all fly by wire. On the other hand, the LMC has TONS more power. The Super has a 3176 Cat rated at 365 horse (the non-supers had 3208 Cats rated at 290), I believe the PB 200 was rated at 265hp if I remember correctly. (PB has since replaced the 200 with the "Edge" model..it's the same machine, only with PB 300 power, pumps, and motors. The 300 was rated at 330hp the last I knew).
Pisten Bully's are by FAR, the best machine out there in my opinion. For $200,000+, they better be. I could spend hours and hours in a PB and not get fatigued, not so for anything else I've ever run. (Run a steel/rubber tracked Tucker for 16 hours sometime...). Everything about the machines is top notch. Mercedes engines, Rexroth hydraulics, the fit and finish and all the creature comforts don't compare with anything else.
On the hill as well, they can't be beaten. Size alone probably has a lot to do with it in addition to track design, but I could push snow and climb hills like they weren't even there. For whatever reason, the PB 300's I ran with 330 horse seemed to have more power than the 365hp LMC 3700CFS. I don't really know why, but I'm assuming it has something to do with hydraulic efficiency and the ratios of the reduction boxes and planetaries.
Well, there's the rundown of some of my opinions. If anyone has any machine specific questions, don't hesitate to ask!