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Fatbike grooming contraption

Jozz

Joe Dalton
Apr 18, 2002
5,887
7,424
SADL
Over the years we saw many different tools and machinery to groom fatbike trails. From the time consuming snowshoe packing, to the somewhat bothersome and unreliable snowdog, to the ski doo Tundra highway maker.

Behold the MTT-154 lithium powered remote controlled snowbot!

1000005130.jpg
 

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,999
9,661
AK
Needs to be about 1.5x as wide to get the sides reinforced IME. The main issue with all the snow-dog sized stuff is its basically for making a walking path to your mailbox. Need two independent tracks (for turning and reverse) and wide enough to compress enough so the end result isnt everyone slipping off the abrupt edges into nothingness.

Will be interesting to see, but the hand built stuff with snowshoes and snowshoves is always better here (than the “groomed”)
 

Jozz

Joe Dalton
Apr 18, 2002
5,887
7,424
SADL
Needs to be about 1.5x as wide to get the sides reinforced IME. The main issue with all the snow-dog sized stuff is its basically for making a walking path to your mailbox. Need two independent tracks (for turning and reverse) and wide enough to compress enough so the end result isnt everyone slipping off the abrupt edges into nothingness.

Will be interesting to see, but the hand built stuff with snowshoes and snowshoves is always better here (than the “groomed”)
It's 24 inches wide. They did not receive the winter grooming attachment yet which will be 30 inches wide. The thing actually turns by its pivot point (look at the hydraulic cylinder at the hitch point). He literally did a 180 in his garage!
It's controlled by an Atari style joystick.

That thing can also be used on summer hiking trail. It climbs in rocks and roots and mud like a tank.

Oh, cost $40k
 

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,999
9,661
AK
It's 24 inches wide. They did not receive the winter grooming attachment yet which will be 30 inches wide. The thing actually turns by its pivot point (look at the hydraulic cylinder at the hitch point). He literally did a 180 in his garage!
It's controlled by an Atari style joystick.

That thing can also be used on summer hiking trail. It climbs in rocks and roots and mud like a tank.

Oh, cost $40k
That sounds promising!
 

Jozz

Joe Dalton
Apr 18, 2002
5,887
7,424
SADL
Snowdog's are such turds.
They are good at what they were designed for. Ice fishing on a lake. On mountain trails they are so hard to control. And not powerful enough to conquer more than six inches of snow.

And yes, they are turds!
 

canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
20,524
19,533
Canaderp
I can only picture snow dogs or even this battery robot with trailer thing barrel rolling down a slope after sliding off a bench cut :rofl:
 

Rockland

Turbo Monkey
Apr 24, 2003
1,871
265
Left hand path
They are good at what they were designed for. Ice fishing on a lake. On mountain trails they are so hard to control. And not powerful enough to conquer more than six inches of snow.

And yes, they are turds!
We modified ours with an articulated bar. It's helped steering some. Still not great.
273141071_10224945125608411_4258023915659479539_n.jpg
 

Rockland

Turbo Monkey
Apr 24, 2003
1,871
265
Left hand path
Do you have to navigate steep up and down, or steep side hills?
Yup. It's not a magic bullet on off-cambers, but it does help. When you reach "full lock" with the bar tilted over, the chain is taught, limiting any further tilt. You end up in a stronger body position to keep the dog from roll over.
 

Jozz

Joe Dalton
Apr 18, 2002
5,887
7,424
SADL
I'll have to take your word for it.

Just kidding

LOL




Get a narrower sled. Tundras is fattys


Is that really that much narrower?

No. Probably a second pass with the snowturd. Plastic sled is a bit wider than the track. Tundra leaves skid marks outside the thread.