If you are looking for the Best Snowmobile snow groomer there are many things to think about.
side by side ski tracks laid for racing courses or just enjoying the snow.
Like how much wear and tear on your snowmobile will grooming cause? Can or should you build your own? The cost of owning a snow groomer pulled by your snowmobile? What kind of uses will you use your snow groomer? Do you really want a snow groomer or do you want a snow drag? What are the added costs of running a snow groomer behind your snowmobile? Are there safety features for snow grooming? How much upkeep is there on your snow groomer? Can you get parts for your snowmobile snow groomer. What happens when you get stuck on your snowmobile while snow grooming? Should you even pull a snow groomer behind your snowmobile? What makes the best snowmobile snow groomer comes down to many factors.
The answers from our experience.
Answering all these questions is probably not possible but we will give our experience and our customers experiences over many years. Hopefully this helps you decide what the best snowmobile snow groomer out there is.
What snowmobiles work to pull snow groomers.
There are a set of what I call work sleds that are often wide track snowmobiles that are just meant to haul and or pull stuff. These might be the best snowmobiles to groom snow on. Especially since they can often go at slower speeds.
I will list the ones our customers use.
Yamaha VK
Skidoo Skandic
Polaris Titan
Polaris Voyager
Arctic cat Norseman
Arctic cat Bearcat (We think the last year these were made was 2020?)
We own a Skandic and it works great. Our customers have shown us that this is the most popular work snowmobile that people use to pull snow groomers with. We might only own it because it was the one we could get.
simply grooming with skandic snowmobile a classic ski track
Can I use my current snowmobile to pull a snow groomer?
Most likely yes. There are only a few snowmobiles where you cannot attach some kind of hitch to it to pull a snow groomer. We think this is a very important thing to note. Lots of people need to snow groom their roads, trails, paths and ski or sledding hills. But it is not a full time job. In fact they probably use their snowmobile for lots more than grooming snow. Sometimes you need to groom snow and not having to buy a specific snowmobile to pull a snow groomer is wise money wise. Are you wanting to buy a mountain sled or a touring sled to ride all day. You should definitely buy a snowmobile that is meant for the majority of your use. Because of this we have made specific attachments so you can pull a snow groomer with almost any snowmobile. There might already be an option to pull things behind your snowmobile.
Stuck while snow grooming
If you snowmobile much you have probably been stuck. It is easier to get stuck when pulling a snow groomer than just snowmobiling. Getting unstuck can be difficult. So one thing to think about is can you move the snow groomer by yourself. If you are in deep snow and you are not able to move the groomer then things get hard quickly. Tidd Tech has a story with pictures of them getting unstuck snow grooming. Tiddtech.com/how-to-get-a-snow-groomer-unstuck/
Snow grooming whoops out of snowmobile trails.
There are lots of snow groomers out there. Different snow groomers work better in different conditions. Arrowhead builds a snow groomer that is fairly long and does a good job of taking out snowmobile whoops. The Ginzu from Yellowstone does a good job of taking out snowmobile whoops. There are bigger badder even better snow groomers for snowmobile trails. But these are not pulled by a snowmobile.
Snow grooming safety.
This seems to be something that is missed in many applications of snow grooming. We know stories of people trying to use a homemade groomer or even heavy weight groomers the snow groomer caught and the snowmobile driver is launched over the front of the snowmobile. We believe it important to have sheer pins and even have sheer bolts in some places such that those places are meant to break so that you do not injure the driver, break your snowmobile or your snow groomer. Safety first is key. Especially because most snow grooming is done alone and you can be far away from help. Things can still go wrong and having a cell phone or a radio is super important when snow grooming.
Snow grooming deep powder.
Lots of snow groomers are made to groom snowmobile paths and thinking about getting the snow groomer on top of the snow is forgotten about. In fact lots of snow groomers are actually snow drags. If you get 2 to 3 feet of powder and try to groom it. It is easy to get snow piled up on top of your snow groomer when grooming in the powder. This can lead to getting stuck easier. So one of the key things of snow groomers is can they get on top of the powder and actually compact it. Having snow go over the groomer and land back in the trail does not leave a nice corduroy trail. You just do not want to be hitting this clumps of snow later. This can also leave the trail not level. Another key factor is can your snowmobile pull the groomer in the powder. This is usually not a power issue but a traction issue. Lastly if and mostly like when you get stuck can you get the snow groomer out by yourself. We think of snow grooming as a job that should not take more than one person. Most snowmobiles are single rider anyway. Some would say groom twice. That way the powder is already knocked down. Yes making 2 passes can work but there is no reason if your snow groomer is designed to work in deep powder.
Skandic small trail snow grooming
Snow grooming for fat bike trails
Snow grooming for fat bike trails has its own needs. Sometimes you just need to remove snow. Too much snow when it is powder or slushy can just make fat biking not much fun. Some bike trails have very sharp corners. Even so sharp you have to pick up your snowmobile to get around them. Having a light weight groomer and nimble snowmobile can be key when grooming for fat bike trails. Freezing trails after it has been warm can leave a rutted fat bike trail. Can your snow groomer cut the tops of the ruts and make the trail smooth again?
Snow grooming for walking trails
Walking in deep snow can wear you out quickly. But a nice walk on a groomed trail can be quite enjoyable. So snow grooming walking trails can be awesome. The things to consider when grooming walking trails is can you pack the snow well enough to not let your walkers sink in. Can you fill in the pegging holes if someone has walked before you groom? Can you rough up icy spots so the walking path is not slippery.
Snow grooming sledding hills.
The first key to a good sledding hill is to groom it before it gets used. Otherwise you get ditches and/or big piles of snow. Some sledding hills are wide open, or trails and others are roads. Either way, laying a good corduroy makes sledding safer and most often more fun. Sometimes you need to rough up the snow before sledding again.
Snow grooming Classic ski trails.
Classic cross country ski tracks being laid side by side
For those who love to cross country ski having tracks laid out for you just make things so nice. The groomers have cleaned the trail of fallen limbs or trees so you do not have to even carry saws or other implements to clean trail. It is much easier for a snowmobile to carry a saw and ax than to carry one with you cross country skiing. Packing down the sides for your ski poles and having the groom cut out drifts is just making a playground extra nice.
The Skidoo Skandic snowmobile easily pulls the snowmaster 48 snow groomer and a trakor leaving nice cross country classic tracks.
There are a set of companies who build snow groomers that are not pulled by Snowmobiles.
These are much larger snow groomers. Often a lot of the snow grooming is done by the plow on the front for these larger snow groomers. But just so you know they were not missed in this review. The snow groomers that are too large to be pulled by a snowmobile are made by Prinoth, PistenBully and SnoBoss. All these are pulled by tractors or snocats or similar sized machine. Some are built as part of the tractor or snowcat.
Arrowhead
Yellowstone Ginzu
Tidd tech
Happy trails. I have no experience with this groomer and all my information is just from reading the website.
| All rankings based on 1-5 stars or N/A | snowgroomers sno-blaster | snowgroomers Trakor | snowgroomers park ranger special 72 | snowgroomers park ranger special 48 | snowgroomers pathmaster | GinzuGroomer 60" | GinzuGroomer 84" | GinzuGroomer 108" | Arrowhead mini groomer 8' | Arrowhead mini groomer 9' 6" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free shipping | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | ||||
| Made in USA/Canada | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | ||||
| Freight shipping - | UPS | UPS | UPS | UPS | UPS | Freight | Freight | Freight | Freight | Freight | ||||
| UPS standard shipping | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | ||||
| assembly required | Assembly required | Assembly required | Assembly required | Assembly required | Assembly required | Some | Some | Some | Fully assembled | Fully assembled | ||||
| fat bike road | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 0 star ☆☆☆☆☆ | 3 stars ★★☆☆☆ | 3 stars ★★★☆☆ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | ||||
| fat bike trail | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 2 stars ★★☆☆☆ | 3 stars ★★★☆☆ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | 2 stars ★★☆☆☆ | 2 stars ★★☆☆☆ | 1 stars ★☆☆☆☆ | 2 stars ★★☆☆☆ | 1 stars ★☆☆☆☆ | ||||
| fat bike trail snow removal | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | ||||
| towing snowmobile life | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 3 stars ★★★☆☆ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 3 stars ★★★☆☆ | 2 stars ★★☆☆☆ | 1 star ★☆☆☆☆ | 2 stars ★★☆☆☆ | 1 star ★☆☆☆☆ | ||||
| sledding hill | 2 stars ★★☆☆☆ | 0 star ☆☆☆☆☆ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | ||||
| remote adjustments | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | ||||
| Available parts | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 1 star ★☆☆☆☆ | 1 star ★☆☆☆☆ | 1 star ★☆☆☆☆ | 1 star ★☆☆☆☆ | 1 star ★☆☆☆☆ | ||||
| One person get unstuck | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 3 stars ★★★☆☆ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 1 star ★☆☆☆☆ | 1 star ★☆☆☆☆ | 0 star ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 star ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 star ☆☆☆☆☆ | ||||
| use in reverse | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 2 stars ★★☆☆☆ | 2 stars ★★☆☆☆ | ||||
| safety lights/sign | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | ||||
| safety designed in. ie breakaway pins bolts | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | ||||
| Deep powder grooming. 18" plus | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 2 stars ★★☆☆☆ | 2 stars ★★☆☆☆ | 2 stars ★★☆☆☆ | 2 stars ★★☆☆☆ | 2 stars ★★☆☆☆ | ||||
| classic track laying | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 1 star ★☆☆☆☆ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | N/A | N/A | ||||
| classic and skate skiing trail together | N/A | 1 star ★☆☆☆☆ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 1 star ★☆☆☆☆ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | N/A | N/A | ||||
| gas efficiency | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 3 stars ★★★☆☆ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 2 stars ★★☆☆☆ | 1 star ★☆☆☆☆ | 1 star ★☆☆☆☆ | 1 star ★☆☆☆☆ | 1 star ★☆☆☆☆ | ||||
| Built to last -- wear parts -- powder coated | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | ||||
| mogul masher | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ | 3 stars ★★★☆☆ | 3 stars ★★★☆☆ | 3 stars ★★★☆☆ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | 4 stars ★★★★☆ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | ||||
| leaves nice corduroy | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | 5 stars ★★★★★ | ||||