Calculating Ground Pressure On A SnowCat

A tracked vehicle that is designed to travel in the snow preforms best if it rides or floats near the surface of the snow rather than sinking in and pushing through the snow. This can be achieved by distributing the weight of the snowcat out over the snow through the tracks. Similar to how a person trying to walk in the snow can get up on the snow by wearing snowshoes.

 

 

Calculating a Snow Cats Ground Pressure

A tracked vehicle that is designed to travel in the snow preforms best if it rides or floats near the surface of the snow rather than sinking in and pushing through the snow. This can be achieved by distributing the weight of the snowcat out over the snow through the tracks. Similar to how a person trying to walk in the snow can get up on the snow by wearing snowshoes.

The technical term or measurement of a tracked vehicle to distribute weight is called ground pressure. Wheeled vehicles have a ground measurement, although it isn’t as critical for most applications. Ground pressure is calculated by dividing the overall weight of the tracked machine by the total area(length X Width X 2 Tracks) of the track which remains in constant contact with the snow or surface. This is most often defined as pounds per square inch (psi).

The typical ground pressure for a snow cat tractor ranges from .8 psi to 1.5 psi. It is important to know the ground pressure of your tracked vehicle so that you can make an informed decision. For instance if you are going to be pulling a groomer or drag you may want a higher psi so that you can get the traction that you may need to pull the groomer up the hill or through deep snow. If you are using it to travel across snow with no compaction you may want it lighter.