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Trail Grooming Operations
The Missaukee Trail Blazers are responsible for
the care and grooming of over 50 miles of snowmobile trails in Missaukee
County. The Miss-Kal trail as it is called, starts at the Iron
Bridge over the Manistee River in Manton. It continues East to a
point we call the "T". From the "T", it
continues South to Lake City or East to Moorestown. In order to
maintain the Trails, we had to acquisition (2) tractors and groomers from
the D.N.R. in Manton. Below are some pictures and the specifications
of the units. Groomer
1 
Groomer 1 is a Ford New Holland 8560 4x4 Turbo Diesel. Equipped with a 7314
Front End Loader, it is capable of pulling the 10' Sno-Plane groomer with
ease. Mainly used for the "Moorestown" run, this tractor
makes over 130 horse power from its 7.5 Liter power plant, to easily manuver through the hilly areas to the
East. Push button shifting, and a great heater make this tractor an
ideal snow grooming machine. Groomer
2 
Groomer 2 is a Case International 5250, 4x4 Turbo Diesel. Equipped
with a 520 Front End Loader, it is capable of pulling the 10' Sno-Plane
groomer along level surfaces. Primarily used on the trail towards
Manton, this tractor dials in at 112 horse power. Even over 10 years
old, this tractor still does its job quite
well. Automatic Transmission, Heated Cab and a user friendly control
panel, make this tractor an operators dream.
Sno-Plane
Grooming Sleds
Both tractors pull 10' Sno-Plane
Grooming sleds. The sleds work by busting the surface with a front
hinged cutter. Snow then travels to the first grader blade, which
can be lowered about 2" below the sled's rails to cut bumps out of
the trail. Snow starts to roll in what we like to call the
"log". Some of the snow escapes under the first grader
blade, filling in low spots on the trail and some makes it to the second
grader blade. This blade can also be used for cutting if the trails
are real rough. As the snow makes its way past the second grader
blade, an angled collector grabs all of the snow and funnels it under the
pan. The pan, at the back of the sled, compresses all of the snow
under it, with the full weight of the grooming sled. This is what
leaves that beautiful finish.
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