TRAIL MAINTENANCE

1/28/10

Even if we don't have any snow to groom, there's always work to be done to make sure our equipment is top shape to maintain the trails.

In the photos below, Gene Knox and Fern Dumoulin are greasing the fittings on the drag.

Gene and Fern adjust and tighten the blades on the drag ...
... and pump lubricant into all the grease fittings.

PHOTOS OF THORNTON BRIDGE REPAIR
September 2004
 

The rain and ice of December 2003 caused the Thornton Bridge to shift and tilt.  The support beneath the laminated wood side beams was moved off the underlying channel iron, making the bridge unsafe for passage of the Tucker and drag. 

The work crew on Saturday, September 25, 2004, consisted of Ivan Arsenault, Gene Knox, Roger Miller, Gordon Phillips, and Tom Reed. (Click on photo to see larger image.)
                     
                     

Repairs began by removing the planking on the

bridge and removing the old wood side beams.
 
                     
Next, each end of the bridge needed to be leveled and shimmed.
 

                     

New solid wooden beams were prepared and placed on the bridge.
 

                     

The beams were spliced together and set in place.
 

                                               

At the end of the day, after about 7 hours of work,  everything

was in place and ready to be re-planked. 

At 8:15 a.m. on Wednesday, October 29, 2004, the work crew of Ivan Arsenault, Dick Bonnell, Maurice Dorey, Gordon Phillips, Gene Knox, Tom Reed, Maurice Roy, and Clayton Sargent gathered to re-plank Thornton Bridge.
 
                      
Club President Rob Cameron stopped by around 9:30 a.m. to see how work was progressing and the job was just about finished!
 
                      

Dick Bonnell was on hand to weld some bolts to the I-beams

so that the decking can be secured to the beams with iron straps.
 
                      

The old ramp to the bridge was reused,

but one of the planks needed to be replaced.
 

Thornton Bridge Completed!

 

FALL 2003 TRAIL WORK

The purchase of the Tucker Terra 2000 and 9-foot drag in the spring of 2003, necessitated the widening of bridges and trails to accommodate the larger equipment.  Work on these projects was completed in the fall of 2003.  Our thanks to the hard-working people who volunteered their time to improve the trails!

Excavator work was done on ITS 82 from Black Bridge (Route 120) to Isthmus Road, and on the High School trail.  Many rocks and stumps were removed, which will make a significant improvement on these trails.

Some of the rocks and boulders removed from ITS 82

After the excavation work, the trails needed to be mulched with hay. 

Mulching the old-fashioned way ... by hand!

Gordon Phillips, Gene Knox, Tom Reed,

and Ivan Arsenault at work.

Mulching by machine ... it's faster, but still

a lot of work! 

It takes a four man team to do the

work ... even by machine!

Here's Gene Knox spraying mulched hay from the

business end of the chopper.  He has the distinction

of having walked almost every trail backwards!

Each winter when we're riding our smooth trails, we'll think of all the hard work by these fellows.

 

THANK YOU WORKERS

 

We had wonderful response from club members in helping with trail work in the fall of 2003!  Work sessions on November 2, November 9, November 16, and November 23 were well attended.   Many thanks to all of you who gave your time to prepare the trails for this winter! (Click here to see pictures of trail workers.)

 

Fern Dumoulin, one of our old faithfuls, is shown here brushing a trail.

The following pictures were taken during a trail maintenance work session by Gene Knox, one of the trail workers.

Gordon Phillips, Ivan Arsenault, and Clayton Sargent

Placing new planks on a bridge on ITS 82

Gordon moves a rock out of the Swain Pond Trail

Newly re-planked bridge on ITS 82,

just off the Beliveau Road

Fern discovers a new way to park his ATV!

Remember to renew your club membership!  When you join the Rumford Polar Bears Snowmobile Club, you make it possible for continued improvement in the trail system.

 

 HOME
NEWS & EVENTS I MAPS I TRAIL REPORT I DINING AND LODGING
TRAIL SCENES I MEMBERSHIP I LINKS I SAFETY I LANDOWNERS

 
Rumford Polar Bears Snowmobile Club
President - Ron E. Russell
Treasurer - Bob Stickney
Vice President - John Blais
Secretary - Louise Stickney
Trail Masters - Tom Reed, Fern Dumoulin, & Gene Knox

Email: info@snowmobilerumford.com
Phone: (207) 364-3848
Meeting Location: Sam's Restaurant
Time: 7:00pm
Date: 2nd & 4th Thursday of the month September through April

 

Website design by Phil Poirier,
Protean Graphics
Affordable Web Design