Ski Groomer Makes Perfect Tracks

Ski Groomer Makes Perfect Tracks FARM HOME Novelty Items 32-6-44 Hans and Marianne Pfaeffli of Busby, Alberta, are retired dairy farmers who enjoy cross-country skiing in their spare time. To make the sport more enjoyable, Pfaeffli built a ski trail groomer. It has 34-in. dia. wheels and axles salvaged from an old steel-wheeled plow. The wheels are spaced about 40 in. apart, framed with flat iron. Pfaeffli then welded 1 1/4 by 5/8-in. pieces of channel iron about 3 1/2 in. apart, to the outside of both wheels, tying them together. Four thick urethane strips are bolted around the outside of the packer to form rings that make grooves in the snow for skis to follow. Pfaeffli made the strips by building forms and mixing the urethane himself. "Most of the packer is metal, so it's heavy enough to do a good job of packing," Pfaeffli says. He pulls a "smoother" behind the wheels that's made from an old car hood with a pair of cut-off downhill skis bolted to the bottom. To make it more sturdy and rigid, 2 by 4's are bolted between the skis and the car hood. Pfaeffli bolted a half barrel onto the hood for carrying extra weight when necessary, to make a smoother trail. "The main things to consider are the width of the trail and if it's firm enough to ski on easily," he says. This unit can be pulled by a larger snowmobile, or in Pfaeffli's case, a tractor. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Hans

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