Rich Nixon
No Prior Knowledge of "Flyers"
just looking for some cool buds to talk about clean cuts and stuff with. just dropped a dime:
Rich, why is cleaning corners so difficult? Is it because you have to use a machine with a square face to run over arcs?
I've thought about making a hybrid between a Zamboni and a Roomba to clean corners of rinks, but I don't know what it would take to make such a concept feasible. My guess is that the Roomboni would have to have water tanks attach to the top, so it could squeegee the corners, yet have enough traction to not slip around on ice.
just looking for some cool buds to talk about clean cuts and stuff with. just dropped a dime:
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I’ve never counted, how many trips around the rink does it take? It used to drive my weird brain crazy seeing the Zamboni have to go back for that last little sliver they always seemed to leave. Now I figure that’s just how it is, don’t wanna risk missing spots elsewhere, but if you line it up perfectly can you eliminate that last pass? Or is it the same every time?
I’ve never counted, how many trips around the rink does it take? It used to drive my weird brain crazy seeing the Zamboni have to go back for that last little sliver they always seemed to leave. Now I figure that’s just how it is, don’t wanna risk missing spots elsewhere, but if you line it up perfectly can you eliminate that last pass? Or is it the same every time?
Never drove a Z, but drove an Olympia for five years. I miss it!
Hey Rich, where is that rink located in the picture?
Looks like the jersey shore arena in New Jersey from my bored night shift sleuthing. Was going to find OP name and social security but figured it would come across as more psychotic than funnyHey Rich, where is that rink located in the picture?
I've often wondered why the Zamboni doesn't have an expansion feature on it like a gang mower. One nice slow pass around the perimeter and then open the expansion attachment, a couple more passes and done.
So a rink is 85 feet wide. A Zamboni blade is about 6.5 feet wide. That's about 13 total passes. Typically folks do either 2 or 3 trips around the circumference, meaning they knock out 4 or 6 trips up and down before their first middle pass. But it's an odd number, so it depends on where you start your pattern to the Zamboni entrance as to whether you'll need to go up one more time before you get off, if that makes sense.
Also, humans aren't perfect. On the outer rings it is easy to line up with no overlap--you just look down to the left and you can line the tires up to the wet ice. But when you start making middle passes, you have to line up to the far side--you're looking to the right across a 10 foot long, 6-7 foot wide machine that you can't actually see over. So you have to figure out where your cut line is relative to your sight line, which is not easy. A lot of rinks will put tape on the spot on the machine's nose that you have to line up, but since everyone is a different height and sits in the saddle differently, it's not exact. Tricky stuff to be honest. So that's how you end up with overlap/random gaps--it is hard to line up once you are done circling the outside.
This chart makes it look like you can get it perfectly aligned and not need to make the extra pass, but I don't think I've ever seen anyone do it.
I've often wondered why the Zamboni doesn't have an expansion feature on it like a gang mower. One nice slow pass around the perimeter and then open the expansion attachment, a couple more passes and done.
What's everyone's thoughts on the NHL's best ice? I believe its MSG's first time on the list. I wonder if a lighter concert schedule allowed them to maintain better ice?
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It's interesting to me, because I'd always assumed climate and crew experience had the most to do with Minnesota, Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Montreal's ice reputation (Edmonton in particular). You know, GOOD ICE GUYS in GOOD HAWKEY PLACES.
Vegas seems surprising at first but I could see various reasons for it. Given that it's a newer facility (like Rogers) and that franchise seems to spare no expense on anything, they've got new machines running like new in friendly conditions for them, and they likely hired a good staff.
Interesting weather there. No real humidity, is waaaaaaaay easier on the icemaking machines and the ice itself. Also depite high daily peak temperatures, it doesn't sustain those peaks for more than an hour or two each day before a rapid descent. From October to April, average overnight lows are all below 45F, including a couple months in the 20s...despite average highs being 60s-80s in that time. Seems way easier to keep good ice in Vegas than in, say, Florida, where you just get muggy awfulness all year round.
Seeing MSG on that list is interesting because you usually hear complaints about their surface, precisely because of how crazy busy that building is between its insane concert schedule and the Knicks. I think your lighter schedule theory might be solid here.
Or maybe it's that NEW YAWK TAP WAWTAH BEST IN DA WORLD BABY that they always talk about.
They wanted me to do it every night after the last group got off the ice.How often do drivers cut down the edge buildup, once or twice a week?
It covers the entire picture.Hey Rich, where is that rink located in the picture?