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When operating a groomer with sticks do you set the throttle or use the foot throttle?
Operated the Beast 500 the last few nights using both. Noticed there is a difference in the amount of fuel used when using it with the foot throttle. We had a demo from Prinoth that was the Lietner Wolf which was the only way to run it was with the foot throttle.

That's interesting that a stick cat wouldn't have the option to set the throttle. One of the main reasons I prefer sticks is because you can set the throttle. It's just seems so much easier than having to be on the pedal all night, although as you said it is more fuel efficient with the foot throttle because there are times when you can ease off it a bit and save fuel

You had to use the throttle on the old Pisten Bully 260's. A couple hours of that was enough to drive you crazy...at least for me.

How much of a fuel savings are you talking about? Were the conditions identical each night, and did you groom the same terrain?

Yukon wrote:You had to use the throttle on the old Pisten Bully 260's. A couple hours of that was enough to drive you crazy...at least for me.

How much of a fuel savings are you talking about? Were the conditions identical each night, and did you groom the same terrain?

Yukon were I groom all the terrain is the same. Most of the time we are fueling up in 5 hours. Ran for 7 hours using foot throttle. Not sure of the exact fuel consumption on the Beast is, but 2 extra hours of grooming before fueling again. Conditions were the same but we groom the same speed in any condition. Average speed 7 to 8 mph.

i believe both manufacturers recommend setting the throttle rpm's on the lower end of the scale, only using your foot to climb or push when needed. but, that's not where the operators like to run the rpm's is it? strange since that is the top of the torque band or power, that's why they put it there. extra rpm's does create more speed if the tiller is spinning at full rpm robbing about 100 hp out of the system,takes more power so engine is drinking more fuel. faster track speed usually means you have have to crank up tiller speed to keep up compounding the issue. read your manufacturers recommendations in the manuals, then if you drive better with your foot, and you aren't letting the computer run in full anti-stall cause the rpm's are below the calibrated range, then do so. personally after a ten hr shift on the pedal, my knee would never let me ski in the morning, i'll stick to setting the hand throttle and tickling the pedal to get first tracks. see ya out there