The Caribou Snowmobile Club decided to change from a dedicated grooming unit to a 4-track tractor when they saw a demonstration by Mountain Grooming Equipment, a dealership that has been operating in Vermont for around twenty years.
In 2013, the president of the Caribou Snowmobile Club first tried his hand at using a 4-track tractor to groom one of the club’s trails. “Track system manufacturer Soucy International had come to do a demonstration. I was able to try the tractor and I really liked it. The following year we bought a tractor with a Soucy track system. It’s the best trail grooming solution I’ve ever seen,” says Gary Marquis, club manager for over 21 years.
With over 115 members and 110 miles of trails, Caribou Snowmobile Club takes trail grooming very seriously! “We can boast some of the best groomed trails, because we do it every night. A tractor is much heavier, so it compacts the snow much more and slows down the melt at the end of the season. Also, it’s easy and quiet to drive, and because I’m in a tractor I can drive on roads as well as trails, and the visibility is always excellent,” explains Mr. Marquis.
“Tractors are designed to pull heavy loads and work long hours without stopping. They rarely break down; repairs and maintenance are cheap and they are very reliable. We’ve been using our track tractor for 3 complete winter seasons and we haven’t spent a cent on repairs! All we’ve done is basic maintenance and regularly greased the track systems. With a system like this, where everything works properly, all we have to do is our job, which is grooming the trails,” adds the president of the Caribou Snowmobile Club, whose New Holland track tractor has now completed over 1,350 hours of use and will soon be starting its fourth winter.
All-year-round use varies the work
For the owner of Mountain Grooming Equipment, Doug Wilson, another thing that makes 4-track tractors special is that they can be used all year round to carry out other jobs. “I always tell my clients that not only can they groom their trails in winter but they can use it to clear the undergrowth in the autumn. Being able to use the tractor all year round for a variety of jobs is a great advantage,” he explains. In fact, clients who only want to use the machine for trail grooming in winter can hire the tractor out to local farmers or businesses. What’s more, when they decide it’s time to replace their grooming equipment, a track tractor holds its value really well, because it can be sold on both the trail grooming market and the agricultural market, where demand is high.
A new track system to face the extremes of winter
Quebec company Soucy International is always seeking innovation, and has recently introduced a new type of rubber specifically for extreme winter conditions. “We’ve redesigned our tracks to offer greater durability, even in the most difficult winter conditions. Both the inner and outer layers are made from this new recipe rubber, so they last longer and float better too,” explains François Soucy, Vice-President, Sales, at Soucy International.
To date, in only 8 years, over 100 clubs in Canada and the United States have opted for the Soucy 4-track tractor system to groom their trails. In fact this number is growing year after year, because a durable, reliable system that allows clubs to cut their buying and maintenance costs and use their equipment all year round for different jobs, with optimum trail visibility, cannot fail to be popular!
