Friday, January 28, 2011

Gunfighter Grip?

Whaaaa? Shut your mouth..the flies will get in!

What's a Gunfighter Grip?

My apologies...I may have assumed too much.

The Gunfighter Grip is the tool that groomers use to control the Blade...It's an elaborate Joy Stick that the groomer manipulates with his Right Hand to control all the functions of the blade.

The Blade is the front mounted implement that does the Lion's Share of the work of the Snow Cat.

Today's Groomers all have 12-Way Blades...that is, the blade is capable of movement in 12 ways:

Up and Down...2

Swing, Left and Right...2

Curl (Angle of Attack) In and Out...2

Tilt, Right and Left...2

Two Wings, Front and Back...4

Total: 12

All these articulations are controlled by the Gunfighter Grip.

Over my 30 years behind the sticks of Grooming Machines, I've endured a plethora of Blade Controls. From No Blade on vintage Tucker Sno-Cats to today's aerospace-style Gunfighter Grips, this is the single most important interface between Groomers and the Snowpack.

As I write, I'm afraid I don't have any photos to illustrate the 12-Ways of the modern groomer's blade. Not to worry, I'll make the photos tonight and update this blog when I return to the DaveCAve in the morning...

I'm off to Beauty Sleep-Land now, thank you very much!

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