For years, groomer manufacturers and resorts have been preparing to deal with the stringent Tier 4 Final diesel emissions standard. Within the next year, those preparations will culminate in the introduction of new Tier 4 Final machines, first from Prinoth and then PistenBully, as the supply of older Tier 3 diesel engines dwindles and eventually disappears. Within a year or so, all new cats will come with Tier 4 Final engines.

The inevitability of Tier 4 has spurred both companies to rethink their lineups. Both are offering more efficient machines, from Prinoth’s New Bison and New Leitwolf to PistenBully’s PB 600 E+ diesel-electric cat. But both continue to tweak the state of the art overall. Here’s a look at how the future is shaping up.


Prinoth
This is an exciting year for Prinoth, with three important new models coming into the market. “The future is now for Prinoth,” says director of sales Dave Hunter.

A company that prides itself on innovation, Prinoth was the first to market with Tier 4 diesel engines. Currently, five demo machines in North America are fitted with Tier 4 Final engines. While some diesel equipment manufacturers may have enough “grandfathered” inventory to build machines with Tier 3 engines for the short term, EPA regulations effective this year mandate that all new engines of all horsepower ratings and intended applications meet the strict Tier 4 Final standards.

And Prinoth doesn’t plan to stop at Tier 4. Under its “Clean Motion” initiative, the company’s long-term goal is a zero-emissions snowcat.


New Bison
In the front-line alpine grooming fleet, Prinoth is releasing the New Bison. It combines the best features of the long-running BR-350 with those of the first generation Bison, and will replace those models in the future.

The New Bison, while incorporating the best of previous models, is a completely new platform. It is powered by a 400hp Tier 4 Caterpillar engine. Some concerns were raised within the industry that the strict emissions standards of Tier 4 diesels, mandated by the EPA, would reduce performance and power. Prinoth, however, reports that the new engine is not only quieter and reduces NOx and particulate emissions by 90 percent, it has increased power, performance, and reliability, owing in part to a common rail injection system that replaces the outdated HEUI (hydraulic electronic unit injection) fuel injection system used on earlier Caterpillar engine models.

With the adoption of the new engine, Prinoth returned to the drawing board to completely update and redesign the Bison. The updates include new styling and vastly improved front and side visibility, with larger and reengineered windows.

The New Bison X will also include a feature that is guaranteed to be welcomed by park groomers around the country: A sliding seat, which can be moved from the standard center position to the left-side position, providing the operator with better visibility for cutting and shaping, and for work involving precision backing.

Prinoth likes to tout the suitability of the Bison X for park work; many top-tier park events and venues, it says, consistently count on Prinoth machines due to the Bison X’s pushing and climbing abilities. Prinoth, in fact, makes a point of staying closely connected to what’s going on in the park and freestyle terrain industry. According to Hunter, the shaping tools and features of the Bison X are in direct response to feedback from the field.


New Leitwolf
Prinoth cites the New Leitwolf as the “next big thing” for the company in North America. The Leitwolf was a model previously only found in Europe, but has now been redesigned and brought to the North American market.

The New Leitwolf is intended to compete directly with PistenBully’s PB 600, with which it is comparable in size and specification. It is about a foot wider than the Bison but narrower than the Beast, and boasts some unique features that blend European technology from the Leitner snowcats with ideas from the Prinoth lineage.

Available in 500hp and 535hp versions, the New Leitwolf is powered by a Mercedes diesel power plant. The tiller features parallel movement, keeping it in line with the direction of travel to prevent buckling and to increase stability on steeper slopes. This allows the tiller to be moved side-to-side, but without turning the combs against the direction of travel. That means straighter and cleaner corduroy.

The track suspension can be hydraulically raised and lowered during operation. With the suspension lowered, climbing and pushing are improved due to maximizing ground contact. With the suspension raised, this contact is reduced, allowing better turning response, and lessening stresses on the machine from sudden direction changes.

There are currently three Leitwolfs in North America, including one used to prepare the downhill course for the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Vail/Beaver Creek, Colo. Beaver Creek’s assistant grooming manager Geoff Marriner says that he heard only compliments from the 14 operators who spent time in the machine.

Marriner is especially impressed with the parallel tiller movement: “You never have to worry about your corduroy being deformed, and your cutter bar is always tracking with you (allowing increased sidehill capabilities and an improved product). I can’t believe it took someone this long to come out with [parallel movement] in America.” Overall, Marriner says, the Leitwolf was a big hit across the board in prepping for the World Championships.


New Husky
In the smaller machine line, the Husky has also been completely redesigned. The New Husky is primarily geared toward cross-country grooming, but also finds applications at alpine ski areas, such as lift ramp and maze work, roads, tubing areas, etc.

Powered by a 228hp inline-4-cylinder Mercedes diesel Tier 4 Final engine, the New Husky features a reinforced rear lift frame and an improved cargo deck. The look of the machine was also revamped, and it now strikingly resembles a small version of the New Bison.


Bottom Line
All of these new machines and new features are exciting to read about, to write about, and to try out in the field. But when it comes down to it, the factor that matters is the quality of the skiing surface produced by the machines. And Prinoth is convinced it has that nailed. “Prinoth’s finish has proven itself time and again,” says Hunter. He cites the Ski Magazine reader survey top-10 lists for best grooming, in which Prinoth machines were used in 8 of ten resorts in the east, and ten of ten in the west. Hunter continues: “We have the perfect finish; we have the best finish. That’s what we will continue to strive for every day. At the end of the day, that’s what’s left behind.”


PistenBully
PistenBully may not be releasing new models just yet, but it has plenty of excitement to report as well. A new engine/drive system, further tweaks on the Park Pro, and good results from SNOWsat position PistenBully for the future.


PB 600 E+
As rising operating costs intersected with a greater environmental awareness, PistenBully sought an alternative to the hydrostat/diesel model that snowcat manufacturers had been using since the 1980s. The result was the PB 600 E+, first released in 2012 and now available worldwide.

The 600 E+ is a diesel-electric snowcat. Its 400hp Mercedes-Benz diesel engine generates electricity that powers electric motors at the tracks and tiller.

For the snowcat industry, this sort of out-of-the-box thinking marks a tangible step toward the future. The diesel-electric engine reduces greenhouse gas and NOx emissions by 20 percent and provides better performance while using less engine power and fuel. That’s because electric motors are 90 to 95 percent efficient, compared to their hydrostatic counterparts, which max out in the high-60 percent range. Once PistenBully switches to Tier 4 engines, the clean diesel-electric combination will mean extremely minimal environmental impact.

PistenBully designed the electrical side of the 600 E+ for maximum parts compatibility. For example, all five components on the drive side (track generators and motors, and tiller motor) are interchangeable, and can function as either generators or motors. Their function is simply determined by computer control. This allows a great deal of flexibility when repairs are needed, and reduces the number of parts needed on the shelf.

Additionally, the track drive motors on the sprockets are designed with regenerative capabilities; on downhill passes, they use back pressure to generate electricity, which is fed to the tiller motor.

The operation of the system is slightly different than a traditional hydro/diesel machine. Rather than interfacing directly with the engine to set desired throttle position, the operator of the 600 E+ creates a particular power demand that the computer provides immediately. The diesel engine operates at a constant low speed (1000 rpm), generating electricity for the motors, which are always ready to meet increasing demand. The steady operation of the diesel is part of the equation for efficiency, as ramping up rpm for power on traditional snowcats results in an immediate increase in fuel consumption.

The most noticeable difference is in performance: immediate pushing power. Where a hydrostat will place a heavy load on the engine to meet a pushing demand resulting in a brief lag while the engine catches up, the power for the load with an electric motor is immediately ready, and the available torque is extremely high from a standing start.

For operators, the layout and feel of the controls is little changed from the PB 600. The only difference: An additional indicator on the LCD screen shows the presence of ready voltage in the system.

For mechanics, there is definitely a learning curve. The PB 600 E+ uses a 600-volt system, unlike previous snowcat systems. PistenBully offers training and certification for mechanics to learn how to safely and effectively work on the new systems.

The first PB 600 E+ deliveries in North America took place in December 2014, when Crystal Mountain, Wash., put two into service. Crystal’s VP of mountain ops, Scott Bowen, is impressed with their performance so far. By late January, groomers had run up about 150 hours on each of the machines, with no problems. Bowen says he’s finding that the increase in fuel economy is even better than the advertised 20 percent. The machines are easy to service, he points out, as there are no hydraulic lines or tanks to worry about, and no more hydraulic spills. “[It’s] an amazing machine. We’re doing a push job now, and the torque is just incredible. They’re pushing workhorses,” Bowen reports.


Tier 4
While PistenBully has enough stock of Tier 3 engines to last through most of this year, it expects to be integrating Tier 4 Final engines by next year. Three demo PB 400s are now in the U.S. with Tier 4 Final engines, outputting 400hp and 1200 ft. lbs. of torque, compared with the 370hp and 1120 ft. lbs. found in their Tier 3 counterparts. Like Prinoth, PistenBully’s tests on its Tier 4 machines show an increase in power and performance, and comparable fuel usage to Tier 3 machines.


Park Pro
Last year’s annual report covered the PB 400 Park Pro in depth, but a quick recap and update is in order. The Park Pro, released in 2014, is designed for terrain park building and maintenance. High points include a new blade with built-in rigging points and strap hooks, an improved blade screen, new teeth on the bottom of the blade, which leaves corduroy while back blading, and the automatic forks seen in previous years on the Switch Blade.

The blade joystick was completely redesigned, moving all of the primary implement functions right to the operator’s fingertips. A one-touch straight-blade button was added, along with a one-touch tiller lock button.

For this year, another one-touch button has been added for raising the tiller wings together, which will come in handy in tight situations where multiple quick reactions are necessary. A new feature on the computer display shows the operator the machine’s fore/aft and side/side level in degrees, to increase precision in feature building and maintenance.


SNOWsat
PistenBully’s SNOWsat system is a fleet management and snow depth measuring system. The fleet management aspect provides key metrics about fuel consumption and productivity, helping management run an efficient operation. But the snow depth measurement is the major selling point.

PistenBully admits that the system—antennae, receivers, and computers—is capital-intensive to install, but claims the payback is clear in the long run. The system collects and analyzes differential GPS data that allows it to compare snow surface level to the terrain below. This provides accurate snow depths with a margin of error of just 3cm. This makes snow placement and movement much more accurate and efficient, and can create real savings: It allows the resort to maintain an adequate snow base on each trail, without wasting money on excess snowmaking or unnecessary pushing.


Bottom Line
Once again, it comes down to the finished product. And PistenBully is also proud of the snow surface its cats make.

Citing the aggressive tooth pattern on the AlpineFlex Tiller, along with a variable snow flap, a “windshield wiper design” finisher, which follows the contour of the pass, and the high energy of the urethane comb, PistenBully’s American marketing manager John Glockhamer promises that the best and most defined corduroy finish comes from a PistenBully.

The AlpineFlex was designed to create a quality, lasting surface. Glockhamer says that what matters is “how well it skis through the day.” Still, the initial visual impression matters, too. In this area, Glockhamer says PistenBully excels, because of the seamless and uninterrupted aesthetic quality of the corduroy.