Before you drive the snow groomer in the snow, it must be cooled down to sub-freezing temperatures. Otherwise, it is virtually guaranteed that the sprocket wheels will be filled with snow after just a few meters, and then at best the chains can slip or, at worst, they can be damaged.

If the outside temperatures are above 0°C (32° F), as is unfortunately often the case when there is plenty of fresh snow, then it is usually just sticking snow. The name says it all, the snow likes to stick. In this case, acclimatization doesn't help either, so unfortunately you have to forgo using the snow cat.

The temperatures should always be below freezing for trouble-free operations. Unless it's old, crystalline snow that no longer sticks.

To acclimatize, I put the PistenBully in the cold garage the day before, so acclimatization goes faster. Before use, it should be left outside for at least half an hour, depending on the outside temperature, so that the drive parts have cooled down to below 0°C (32° F).

Below are photos of damaged belts: due to the increased tension of the snow filled sprocket wheel, the holes in the chains are stretched out. You can prevent this somewhat by spreading the separation point between the bands over several cleats. In the upper case (track of the PB100) I replaced the damaged areas with new pieces of belt.

If you notice that the sprocket wheels are starting to stick, stop driving IMMEDIATELY to avoid track damage!

On the originals the sprocket wheel is made of a special, snow-repellent plastic. On our models you can prevent sticking with wax or silicone spray. In my experience, metal star wheels (like those used by Pistenking) do not stick as quickly as those made from nylon sinter printing. Snow cannot stick too well to a smooth surface.