We saved at least a day on the trail opening because my son gave us a hand. There's something about being 30 years younger that speeds things up!

You have to pass several times with the snow machine to tap the trail. It isn't so much a width issue as a firmness issue. We also drag a pallet with a full feed bad as weight. Even so, the dogs were sinking 2-3 inches on the last run. With good snow we do tap wider on other passes. But right now it is tough.

I spoke to a neighbour yesterday. He has a camping trailer on one of the traplines. He told me that 10 skidoos went on a ride to tap a trail to a lake on that line. They all got stuck and turned around. There is a very long (km. or so) hill the had to go up. I guess they got stuck there.

I am a little skeptical because a mountain skidoo can still get around quite well. I saw lots of their trails when we went to get the new sled. They don't make trails. They make tunnels. They have big engines and treads with good paddles that dig. By keeping the gas at max and shifting your weight you can advance.

When a dog runs off trail, it takes a dive. It either gets dragged out by the others or the others are dragged to a stop. I have to be careful not to run over the wheel dogs with the sled. There is usually a line/leg tangle or something as a result. If the dogs can't sort it out, I have to. This means I have to get off trail to get to the tangle.

We had a wet snow last night and it is mild out. Perfect for tapping a trail!

Thinking, I'm sure pulling a pallet with extra weight is hard pulling for a snow machine. I'm not sure how big the pallet is, or how much weight you added? 50 # ?

That's probably not many PSI's on the snow. Curious, how deep did your machine sink, on the first pass? I'm sure that would vary with your speed too.

(I watched a video the other day, someone was on a snow machine, on lake ice. Another guy was there with a radar-gun. You could hear that engine screaming, and his machine was just a speck, off maybe 1/4 mile away? About that time the machine streaked past, and I think it regestered 138 MPH. That's crazy!)

One thing I was thinking about using to compact your trails, is a yard roller. I was thinking about making one using a 55 gallon drum, a 2" iron pipe for the axel. You'd need to make some kind of Y-type yoke to attach to your Skidoo. I was thinking about starting with 150 pounds of sand in the barrel to start. If you can pull that, maybe add another 100 # of sand.

I've got everything I'd need on the farm to make such a roller. Probably take me 2 or 3 hours?

Do a search: Yard roller or lawn roller. Honestly, they are not that expensive. If I'd make one, I'd have half that much in the price, not counting my time.

But if something like that would work for you, you'd be able to open your trails with just one pass. Maybe?

The skidoo overheated due to the warm temps. It's an old model. No fan or radiator. The feed bag is 50 lbs, I think. Regular feed bag you buy. It might even be 35.The pallet is a small one at 3 x 3 feet.

I have seen your roller. It would not work. When snow is deep you cannot roll things. You must float them. You also have to move snow to even the trail. Otherwise you get a camel backed trail that isn't much fun.The pallet evens out the trail by removing and depositing snow.

The skidoo was sinking 1 to 2 feet depending on the place and the speed.

We had a little rain and with the warm temperature the snow packed a good 6 inches.

If I had a big machine and a groomer, it would be easier. But it would not have helped in the present conditions. The guys that got stuck were all on Skandic type long track and wide track machines. Sometimes you have to stay out of the bush until Nature settles down.

The trails are now hard enough to walk on without snowshoes. You sink if you step off the trail.

Fox can walk beside the trail without sinking.

No, a barrel roller like I described wouldn't help you level out the snow. An empty barrel would float, but the way you've described that snow it was very fluffy.

If your machine was sinking a foot or 2, that was putting a strain in the engine to start with, plus trying to pull something. I wouldn't want to do that day after day, the engine would blow for sure!

Thinking about all of the different types/styles of drags that I've watched farmers use. Keep in mind this is big and heavy equipment, made to pull, with lots of torque. I've seen drags made from stuff like bridge planks, railroad cross-ties, I-beams and even railroad rails. I've seen a few that were just a big heavy chain. You'd still need some type of "yoke", but all of these were used more or less just to level out the high spots.

Once in a blue moon, you'll see someone out pulling a yard roller with their lawn mower. I've seen them made from a barrel, filled with concrete, like I described above. Others made from an old hot water tank. I've seen a couple yard rollers made from the roller of a big belt sanding machine, those things are solid steel. About all one man can do to pick up one end of the thing. Something like that, you'd never budge it with a snow mobile.

I'm not sure how it'd work, you'd need some kind of "yoke"/spreader deal. It's possible something like a set of tire chains, behind your machine would both help pack, level and even out things.

Or, it might be best to just drag a pallet. lol. Carry on.

I'll be thinking.

While we're talking about snow, I'll add this little tidbit.

A while back my brother bought a dumptruck with a snow blade. The truck itself is a 2wd F350, with dual wheels. Three or 4 months ago, brother and I were talking, I told him to get one of the guys out there to help him get the blade mounted. The brand of the blade is: Western, seems to be well built and heavy. I had a set of tire chains that he can make fit. Then he bought a set of triple-chains, they are wimpy and were still $200.

Anyway, he's got 6 or 8 ton of limestone chips in the dump bed, the blade is mounted, chains ready if he needs them. He's got the truck parked at the upper shed, pointed toward the road, ready to go.

I walked by the truck the other week, the first thing I noticed, it doesn't have much ground clearance. I looked at it, sitting on level ground with the blade up, it has about 5 inches of clearance. That's not much.

My brother is a poultry grower, and he needs to keep his road to the chicken houses in decent shape. I mean if the birds need feed, they need feed. The farm lane goes down around the side of the ridge for about a 1/2 mile. Like about all farm lanes, it has a little high spot or crown between the tire tracks. He told me the other day that it'll beat you pieces, just going down the lane. The blade mount will catch every hump and water-break you cross.

The blade and mount are just too heavy for the 2 wheel drive F350.

On a paved road or parking lot it'd be ideal. With the weigt on the back and a set of chains, it would flip a lot of snow. Anyway, something you want to keep in mind before you'd buy a snow blade.

I have never heard of a 2WD plow truck. I have heard of it in tractors. They don't cut it.

We got close to a foot of snow Friday/Saturday.

I will check, most of our DOH snow trucks are 4WD. I know the town has a couple FWD trucks too. Not positive, but we also have a couple 2WD dump trucks, with spreader beds, the old green ones.

Like here in town, this town isn't level by any means. But with 8 or 10 tons of salt/gravel and chains going down Chipley Lane, it'll do the job. If you stay on it.

The DOH also has road graders, 6 wheel drive, they are tough when you've got chains on all 6.

I have a 4wd farm tractor, with a bucket and drag blade, I've used it a little bit this winter. Not sure exactly what it weighs? The back tires are filled with fluid. It does a good job. It's a 40 hp Kabota, if you lock the back axel together, something is going to go.

I'll add a little bit more. My brother found this F350 online. When he bought it, it had a salt/spreader bed, and the snow blade, all in one deal. The truck was owned by a hospital, in southern Virginia. The blade still has the paint on it, so it's never been used much.

I assume they only used the truck, just to keep their driveways and parking lots cleaned off. On a mostly level and paved parking lot, with not much snow to start with, and a load of salt, it would work good.

I just talked to my parts man, he told me that you can buy extra leaf springs, and probably lift up the frame another 2 inches. I think the parts would be around $200. Another 2 inches of ground clearance would take care of the high spots in the farm lane.

I'll run that past my brother, that's up to him. It seems like a nice pretty nice little dumper. But he's thinking about buying a 4wd dump truck.

We had 2 days of rain and warm temperatures. The snow took a hit.

The temperature has now dropped but the trails should be rock hard. Due to the rain and heat, it will also be bumpy. Every dark spot forms a depression. Under every branch there is a little less snow and the relief of the ground is evident on the top of the snow.

It will be fast sledding.