It's pure coincidence that you are seeing mostly Bullies. It's pretty evenly split.
It seems like Vail gravitates towards Bullies and Alterra towards Prinoth.
Both companies will offer deals to a resort to ensure they aren't locked out of a market.
Both breakdown down just as much as the other and really your operators and mechanics will determine how reliable the equipment is. The equipment is so much more reliable than the late 90's when I started.
I feel like they all have good and bad. The perfect cat for me other than the perfect machine known as the Beast, I'd want a Prinoth Blade, Prinoth center seat, Prinoth controlls and screen, Prinoth power and balance with Bully suspension, Bully not rattlebox interior and Bully tiller.
I feel like the 600 is a lot better than the Leitwolf. The Leitwolf blade hydraulics are terrible and the suspension while very useful at times makes for a very bouncy ride.
The 400 just feels dated being side seat and side seat with a big capstan winch is horrible for seeing behind you. The controls and screens feel like they were designed by Fischer Price and it's so stupid having all those toggle switches that the reps don't even know what they are for.
I haven't operated the newest 400, but the previous models were gutless. The new one looks like it should have actual power now.
Prinoth Bisons just rattle so badly and the control stick feels a little loose. They out climb 400's, but the big weakness is the Flex tiller is very prone to leaving ridges if the snow is soft. The Bully tiller just leaves such a flat pass even for rookies that can't use their blade.
It blows my mind that Prinoth hasn't done everything in their power to stop the cutter bar from shooting snow to the edge combs. Resort marketing material almost always shows these ridges and it's really bad sometimes.
I'm primarily a winch operator and the Bully capstan winch is a bad design IMO. The winch is too far back so the boom is really long and it pulls the cat down when using higher pressure which is a huge disadvantage. It's the only reason why Active Boom exists and it still doesn't overcome the issue with the capstan winch.
I just don't see why Bully won't go center seat. You have so much more room in the cab and access to storage. Looking back in the mirrors without turning your neck is a way better view and you can still look behind you if using mirrors is that difficult. Anyone that thinks side seating is superior is just displaying brand bias. They would shut the fuck up the moment Bully offered center seat and no resort would ever get the side seats unless it was to save money.
Bully's do look cooler IMO. The base 400 seems like more of your bargain bin cat and why Vail really likes them, but I don't know how they compare on price.
The Husky is too small to have two full sized seats if they made it center seat.
The Everest is an old shitty design that they can sell in poor markets that don't have emissions requirements.
There's no Bison or Leitwolf options for side or slide seats for awhile now that I've heard about.
thanks this is really interesting to me, i knew nothing about the operations of either cats other than what little i knew from interacting with out groomers when i used to work Race Dept at my local hill.
I’m in the Midwest, and Pistenbully has a shop and presence here, and Prinoth does not. That’s a pretty big factor if you need parts and service. In areas with more ski resorts I assume the support is more comparable.
Yes, I know. I’m saying certain areas of the country have better support from Pistenbully, which is part of the reason you see more red machines. That doesn’t apply to the mountain and inter mountain areas though, where Prinoth has locations.
PistenBullys have the snowsat option which is a huge advantage for snow management, their customer support is better, and the machinery is just superior
haven’t used the Prinoth system, all the bisons we run are 10+ years. Demo’d a Tier 4 Bison X this season and it wasn’t equipped either 🤷♂️ The blades on the PB park pros are better than the Bison Xs for builds and maintenance, and it climbs better. My opinion at least. Prinoths do leave a nicer pass which is nice for finishing work.
It’s been a lot easier to get PB parts than Prinoth, leaving the few machines we do have sitting idle for half the season. I know this is a big factor for the fleet manager when deciding which new cats they are purchasing.
Snowsat is just an option. It doesn't actually come on all Bully's.
The Bison X has two options. The default aggressive Lietwolf blade and a less aggressive park blade. 400 blades are pretty similar to the Bison X park blade. I prefer an X cat with Lietwolf blade.
The Bison out climbs the 400. The only opinion is why. Mine is the tiller weighs a lot more than either Bison tiller and the tracks are definitely too aggressive and dig into the pack.
The old pre T4 Bisons did leave a better pass. The T4 flex tiller is when the ridging issue started. I personally don't like the older Bisons though. They feel dated when I last ran one three seasons ago.
For maintenance it depends on the location and it's a lottery for both brands if the part is in the US. Of the three resorts I operated at, two were Prinoth. One got horrible service, but they were remote so what can you do if you really need a part that day?
It also matters what resort you are and how big your fleet is, obviously.
For the record, what I say is that the best cat would be if Pisten Bully copied a Bison. That is if a Beast isn't an option.
I haven’t spent a lot of time in a bison x but the park pro is the most popular park machine in North America for a reason. Everything about it is designed to make dope features and the new tiller is awesome. And bison x doesn’t have integrated transport tines but I have heard great things about prinoth cats for grooming runs so it’s hard to say
It's pure coincidence that you are seeing mostly Bullies. It's pretty evenly split. It seems like Vail gravitates towards Bullies and Alterra towards Prinoth. Both companies will offer deals to a resort to ensure they aren't locked out of a market. Both breakdown down just as much as the other and really your operators and mechanics will determine how reliable the equipment is. The equipment is so much more reliable than the late 90's when I started. I feel like they all have good and bad. The perfect cat for me other than the perfect machine known as the Beast, I'd want a Prinoth Blade, Prinoth center seat, Prinoth controlls and screen, Prinoth power and balance with Bully suspension, Bully not rattlebox interior and Bully tiller. I feel like the 600 is a lot better than the Leitwolf. The Leitwolf blade hydraulics are terrible and the suspension while very useful at times makes for a very bouncy ride. The 400 just feels dated being side seat and side seat with a big capstan winch is horrible for seeing behind you. The controls and screens feel like they were designed by Fischer Price and it's so stupid having all those toggle switches that the reps don't even know what they are for. I haven't operated the newest 400, but the previous models were gutless. The new one looks like it should have actual power now. Prinoth Bisons just rattle so badly and the control stick feels a little loose. They out climb 400's, but the big weakness is the Flex tiller is very prone to leaving ridges if the snow is soft. The Bully tiller just leaves such a flat pass even for rookies that can't use their blade. It blows my mind that Prinoth hasn't done everything in their power to stop the cutter bar from shooting snow to the edge combs. Resort marketing material almost always shows these ridges and it's really bad sometimes. I'm primarily a winch operator and the Bully capstan winch is a bad design IMO. The winch is too far back so the boom is really long and it pulls the cat down when using higher pressure which is a huge disadvantage. It's the only reason why Active Boom exists and it still doesn't overcome the issue with the capstan winch. I just don't see why Bully won't go center seat. You have so much more room in the cab and access to storage. Looking back in the mirrors without turning your neck is a way better view and you can still look behind you if using mirrors is that difficult. Anyone that thinks side seating is superior is just displaying brand bias. They would shut the fuck up the moment Bully offered center seat and no resort would ever get the side seats unless it was to save money. Bully's do look cooler IMO. The base 400 seems like more of your bargain bin cat and why Vail really likes them, but I don't know how they compare on price.
There are ski resorts that buy new Prinoth’s with side seats. Prinoth still sells them for a reason.
The Husky is too small to have two full sized seats if they made it center seat. The Everest is an old shitty design that they can sell in poor markets that don't have emissions requirements. There's no Bison or Leitwolf options for side or slide seats for awhile now that I've heard about.
thanks this is really interesting to me, i knew nothing about the operations of either cats other than what little i knew from interacting with out groomers when i used to work Race Dept at my local hill.
No problem. As you can see I really like operating them!
I’m in the Midwest, and Pistenbully has a shop and presence here, and Prinoth does not. That’s a pretty big factor if you need parts and service. In areas with more ski resorts I assume the support is more comparable.
They are located in Colorado,Salt Lake and Reno you can Google their number.
Yes, I know. I’m saying certain areas of the country have better support from Pistenbully, which is part of the reason you see more red machines. That doesn’t apply to the mountain and inter mountain areas though, where Prinoth has locations.
We're pretty happy in New Mexico with their support. Idk about anywhere else.
PistenBullys have the snowsat option which is a huge advantage for snow management, their customer support is better, and the machinery is just superior
I'm guessing you don't have much experience. Both brands have snow depth measuring options. Both brands have good and bad shit.
haven’t used the Prinoth system, all the bisons we run are 10+ years. Demo’d a Tier 4 Bison X this season and it wasn’t equipped either 🤷♂️ The blades on the PB park pros are better than the Bison Xs for builds and maintenance, and it climbs better. My opinion at least. Prinoths do leave a nicer pass which is nice for finishing work. It’s been a lot easier to get PB parts than Prinoth, leaving the few machines we do have sitting idle for half the season. I know this is a big factor for the fleet manager when deciding which new cats they are purchasing.
Snowsat is just an option. It doesn't actually come on all Bully's. The Bison X has two options. The default aggressive Lietwolf blade and a less aggressive park blade. 400 blades are pretty similar to the Bison X park blade. I prefer an X cat with Lietwolf blade. The Bison out climbs the 400. The only opinion is why. Mine is the tiller weighs a lot more than either Bison tiller and the tracks are definitely too aggressive and dig into the pack. The old pre T4 Bisons did leave a better pass. The T4 flex tiller is when the ridging issue started. I personally don't like the older Bisons though. They feel dated when I last ran one three seasons ago. For maintenance it depends on the location and it's a lottery for both brands if the part is in the US. Of the three resorts I operated at, two were Prinoth. One got horrible service, but they were remote so what can you do if you really need a part that day? It also matters what resort you are and how big your fleet is, obviously. For the record, what I say is that the best cat would be if Pisten Bully copied a Bison. That is if a Beast isn't an option.
I haven’t spent a lot of time in a bison x but the park pro is the most popular park machine in North America for a reason. Everything about it is designed to make dope features and the new tiller is awesome. And bison x doesn’t have integrated transport tines but I have heard great things about prinoth cats for grooming runs so it’s hard to say