By Derek on Unrecorded Date: Edit

I am an owner of a Bombardier Bombi snowcat (2100 lbs, 24 inch tracks, four cylinder Ford engine). I use it for backcountry ski access. It has a ground psi of .58/lbs/sq. inch. I was wondering what some of the six and eight wheelers have for a psi with tracks? And what your experiences are with these tracked machines in deep, soft snow. I am thinking about possibly buying one because they are lighter, and more versatile than the snowcat. Thanks.

By Fred Sowerwine, Montana's Max dealer (Fred4dot) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Derek, I will only speak on the max. I can't find my note on machine weights, but if I remember right, the Max II with tracks, top windshield, roll bar and winch, unloaded was .5 PSI - about .85 loaded. The Max IV with same equipment was .53 unloaded .88 loaded. The max uses a 15" wide solid rubber belt (no gaps in the track to let the soft stuff sift through) with a waffle like pattern that cups the snow as it compresses it (works like a suction cup on ice). The 900T max IV (and I presume the 950T) have bigger drive pulleys and give a little more ground speed to get the benefit of momentum just a little.

Aside from stated PSI on the ground, balance of the machine is important in the deep soft stuff. The Max is very well balanced and allows it to be balanced when loaded. The less the load, the better (lower) the PSI on the ground. The Max is excellent in the deep dry stuff (we call it "cold smoke"), but you have to stay off the throttle - yes, the max can spin themselves stuck pretty quick if you aren't aware of what is happening.