Snow surface grooming apparatus

Abstract

A snow grooming apparatus is adapted for being drawn by a towing vehicle on a snow surface such as a ski slope. A drawing yolk engages the towing vehicle and pivots on a main chassis of the apparatus. The main chassis rides on a pair of spaced apart runners and supports plural snow shearing blades which are angled for directing snow laterally with respect to the center of the apparatus. An hydraulic actuating system is adapted for vertically positioning a ski centered with respect to the runners and forward of the center of mass of the main chassis. Thus, when this ski is extended downwardly, the main chassis and the snow shearing blades are raised. A pair of wheels of a secondary chassis are movable such that the main chassis may be supported above a snow or road surface between the pair of wheels and the hitching means. Alternately, the pair of wheels may be drawn up, above the surface with the main chassis supported on its runners when the ski is raised. The apparatus, when running on a snow field or along a trail, smoothes the snow surface. The blades shear off the peaks and move this now loose snow laterally back and forth between the runners so as to fill-in the valleys and thus leave a relatively smooth surface. The rear end of the chassis is weighted placed in contact with the surface to smooth the trail.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A snow grooming apparatus adapted for being drawn by a towing vehicle along a line of travel over a surface, the snow grooming apparatus comprising a pivoted hitching means joining the apparatus to the towing vehicle; a main chassis providing at least one pair of snow shearing blades angled relative to the line of travel; a vertically positionable ski engaged with the main chassis for vertically positioning the main chassis and the at least one pair of snow shearing blades; a secondary chassis pivotally engaged rearwardly with the main chassis and adapted for supporting the main chassis on a rolling support means; whereby, the main chassis may be supported above the surface between the rolling support means and the hitching means, and also may be lowered so that the main chassis is supported on the ski for selectively vertically positioning the at least one pair of snow shearing blades.  
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the hitching means is pivotally adjustable for transferring a selected portion of the weight of the apparatus to the towing vehicle and for raising the forward end of the main chassis above the surface.  
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the main chassis provides opposing and spaced apart runners directed along the line of travel and adapted for supporting the main chassis on the surface.  
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the at least one pair of snow shearing blades comprises a plurality of snow shearing blades angled for moving snow laterally relative to the line of travel.  
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising a storage box mounted rearwardly on the main chassis.  
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the ski is adapted for raising a forward end of the main chassis when the ski is lowered and for lowering the forward end of the main chassis when the ski is raised.  
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the pivoting hitching means, the positionable ski and the secondary chassis are each movable by a hydraulic means.