As an Ice rink developer we are tasked with coming up with solutions for an industry that historically has left the smaller guys behind. Everyone has a standard for NHL & Olympic sized ice surfaces. Specs. exist for these rinks and typically there are very few variations in the construction or refrigeration components. At DSB Management & Associates we offer unique solutions using our GEOIce TM heat pumps as the most energy efficient refrigeration system on the market today. Our geothermal solution is manufactured for us by Geosmart Energy of Cambridge Ontario. But this article is about Ice Resurfacing and the void we discovered for smaller rinks, public or private, and the options available to deliver top quality ice.
Historically most people have heard the name Zamboni, whether it be in passing or attending a local hockey game. Zamboni always comes up as an observation point or admiration of Frank Zambonis creation, in-fact Wikipedia says “An ice resurfacer is a vehicle or hand-pushed device used to clean and smooth the surface of a sheet of ice, usually in an ice rink. The first ice resurfacer was developed by American inventor and engineer Frank Zamboni in 1949 in the city of Paramount, California.[1] As such, an ice resurfacer is often referred to as a “Zamboni” as a genericized trademark.” it is a globally respected brand, and as Wikipedia states it has become synonymous with all ice resurfacing units.
Ice resurfacing, either automated or manual, all are referred to as Zamboni’s. When I grew up in small town Saskatchewan, We had every sport venue needed to keep us busy including an unheated ice arena with our own Zamboni. I like to think of it as Zamboni services. The first application was to remove the snow build up. As eager young hockey stars we would slap on our blades in between periods of “the Seniors” games and push plywood scrapers angled to the center of the ice to gather the snow. Lap by lap we would move the snow buildup or ice shavings to the back of the arena where it would be shoveled into the snow melt box, not a pit, an elevated plywood box where we would have the honor of running hot water over the snow to melt it down the drain, (man we have come along way with energy efficiency and water conservation).
The next phase; as soon as we left the ice, on came the highlight of every arena in my day, the ice resurfacing unit was man-handled and hauled onto the ice. This was typically made up of 2-45 gallon drums welded together end to end. It had an open top filled with hot water mounted on a wooden skid with a rope attached to the front runners. The drums would feed a pipe drilled with 3/16″ holes about 3″ on center, connected to a 2″ ball valve controlling the flow of water dropping onto a chamois or towel pulled behind the tank. All of this adapted technology being pulled by our skilled technician that we called “the human Zamboni”. This still applies on many outdoor and indoor rinks where ingenious groups have devised the alternative to an automated system that does not exist for their own personal rink or a small practice rink etc. Until Now!!
DSB Management And Associates, under our GEOIce TM brand has developed a complete line of what we term as “Mini-Zam” TMP solutions.
No we do not have the sophistication of the Zamboni line of products, but what we do have are 3 separate power units sized for various applications and various turning radius, all self propelled, Radio or driver controlled, electric that pull a functioning resurfacing system that can either gather snow and flood simultaneously or you can add thickness control, or ice removal capabilities with the 316 stainless steel blade designed for a close shave or a deep removal/height reduction. (Cutaway Section of Model 3 Resurfacer, with outdoor neoprene attachment shown and cloth removed, blade, and weight plates attached)
These units are robust, silent running on nylon skids, designed not to stick when flooding in minus 30 and below, They have adjustable heights to match any of the power units and have the option of being lifted in place by a linear actuator. All power units are electric with rechargeable batteries, with speed controls, forward and reverse with zero turn, 12′ and 6′ turning radius.
As for the title of this blog “Mobility, Golf Carts & Zamboni’s, Who Knew?”, this is where it gets exciting. For each of the power units designed, the closer I got to refinement the more I could see the diversity in function for each option.
I started with a Golf cart, tore it down and redesigned it to function in a miniaturized fashion to fit a specific application where I have an ice rink in a concrete box a story and a half below grade with no ingress or egress but we needed to be able to resurface the ice as best as we could. The alternatives on the market basically came down to offering the “Human Zamboni” or develop something to fit the need. Option 1 allowed me to deliver the function necessary. But as I was building this, the turning radius was a concern. Not necessarily on the ice surface. The dashers are designed with a 12′ radius exactly what I could manage with the cart option, but in the storage of the Mini-Zam. Once the Mini-Zam leaves the ice surface there is limited room to turn into the mechanical room assigned because the only exit off the ice surface is in the 12′ radius dasher.
So Option 2 was born.
I took the electric concept of the mini golf cart, eliminated 1 of the front wheels and had a custom ETrike built with load capacity to carry the flood tank on a rack over the rear wheels with enough power to pull a fully loaded resurfacing unit behind with cutting blades engaged to to continuously shave the ice surface controlling the thickness to the optimum 1-1.25″ thickness. This unit gave me a 6.5′ turning radius which could easily fit into the mechanical room provided. But then I thought, wait a minute, if someone needs to remove the ice without creating a swimming pool, they have to be able to do more than shave .5 to 1mm at a time. They need a robust unit that has the weight and power to pull the ice resurfacer fully loaded with up to 200 kgs of downforce to actually cut the ice. This unit would have to Positraction, direct drive, and would create by design a zero turn radius for absolute control moving in and out of the mechanical room. This is option 3;
a 6 wheel drive, 3000 watt power unit with zero turn capabilities, 250 kg load capacity, the ability to push or pull or up to 1000 pounds, is completely remote controlled, outfitted with a camera and remote screen, large LED headlights for ice inspection as your moving it can be ridden while flooding or applying ice in. It comes with a misting attachment to ensure adhesion when making first ice for seasonal rinks, and is fun to operate.
Through each of the developments above the obvious alternative uses were staring us down, consider this. Option 1; Mini-Zam power Unit, Golf cart for 2 max 4 with a maximum load of 600 pounds. I had the rear seat designed to fit the tank and act as a seat if desired complete with cushion shipped separately, and I even downsized the canopy and windshield. It can also be used as a mobility scooter for both on and off roads. Option 2: A beautiful single seat golf cart with bag attachment pairs well with the Mini-Zam functionality. When you strip down the golf accessory remove the tank you have a wonderful Mobility alternative that is easy to mount, fun to drive and fast enough to be road worthy. Design 3; This one was a bit tricky for multifunction, but then I realized, if I add a blade to the front of the unit, that both lifts and turns it can move the snow build up to the center of the ice. This allows the function to increase where you do not have to flood the ice every time or manually connect the snow box. But now with the blade attached, option 3, can now be used to remotely plough a driveway sidewalk or laneway with enough power and strength to do the job quickly, and can be applied in outdoor rinks with fixed boards for moving the snow to a removeable location. With the Lights and camera mounted on the power unit, it can be operated from the warmth of a nearby vehicle in a safe controlled manner. But based on the design it can be used for in yard towing or moving items year round either pulling or pushing. Then I thought, wait a minute can I apply this technology for road maintenance if I was to attach a blade for mowing, yes I can. Can I remove 2 wheels for better hill climbing, Yes I can. Can I convert the unit to a track mount system for clearing ditches at 45 degrees, Yes I can. If I widen the base just a bit could I cut a 1000 mm swath with brush up to 1″ thick. Yes I can.
That is how we developed the idea of “Mobility, Golf Carts & Zamboni’s, Who Knew?” with the added benefit of multi function and or stand alone commuting. Along the way we discovered some very creative groups who we have partnered with to offer other electric powered creative commuting and mobility ideas that will be listed in our store page sooner than later. I can say that because I don’t have to design them, they are already done and market ready
