Ice Resurfacer

Overview

An ice resurfacer is the ride-on machine that smooths a hockey or skating rink between sessions, doing in a single slow lap what would otherwise be impossible by hand. As it drives, it shaves a thin layer off the scarred surface, collects those shavings, washes grit and old water out of the grooves, and lays down a film of clean hot water that freezes into a fresh sheet. Hot water is used deliberately: it melts slightly into the old ice for a better bond and de-gasses so it freezes clearer and harder. The whole job takes under ten minutes per sheet. The familiar boxy shape is mostly tankage, a large tank of clean flooding water, a smaller wash-water tank, and a high snow tank that fills with shaved ice and later dumps it outside. Machines run on gasoline, propane, or, increasingly, battery-electric power to keep exhaust out of the enclosed rink air.

How it works

The machine drives on a four-wheel-drive Chassis & Drive, powered by either the Engine, cooled by a Radiator and Coolant Pump, or an electric pack. The real work happens at the rear Conditioner: a shave blade skims the ice, and a horizontal auger sweeps the shavings to a vertical auger that throws them up into the snow tank.

Two water circuits follow the blade. The Wash Water System sprays and squeegees dirty water out of the cut, recovering it, while the Flood Water System meters hot water from the ice-making tank onto the clean surface, both driven by motor-driven pumps and valve control. The shavings collect in the Snow Tank, which a hydraulic system raises to dump. The operator runs it all from a seat and control console with an display.