Do you have spare parts for your lifts, snowmaking, or snowcats? If the question was only for new parts, you would probably say yes. If you were asked about used parts, you might say no.
You probably do not have a parts store you can run to for some not so common parts, instead you need to find which distributor has it and wait for it to ship. If you need it tomorrow, then you have to pay for expedited shipping.
What about major components like a gearbox for your lift, tiller pump, fan blade, etc.? These are not parts you would have on the shelf and can be rather costly to get (thinking gearbox).
Would you consider buying used parts to keep in stock for future use?
At the time I write this post, on the CHS Classifieds pages, we have a parts Yan double chair, a parts Hall double chair, and even a complete triple chair. We also have Lenko fanguns and some used snowcats. The Yan lift was priced at $25,000 for everything, which includes the gearbox, auxiliary Cummins motor, chairs, grips, sheaves and many other parts. To order a new gearbox in the middle of winter would have a significant time delay, a great expense, and a long downtime for the lift.
What about having a parts cat? The Scaly Mountain Outdoor Center in 2015 purchased a PB 280 through the CHS Classifieds AND an identical parts machine. The parts machine was 99% complete. In 2019, they purchased another PB 280 and the parts machine has provided parts for both good cats. They only put 50 to 100 hours on the machines a year. Having spare parts on hand saves on downtime and expense.
Keep an eye on the CHS Classifieds and consider purchasing parts from the listings we have. If we don’t have that brand lift, cat, or snowmaker you need parts for, place an “in search of” ad with us. You might be surprised at what resorts have in their boneyards!
Sincerely,
Jason Sawin
Owner
CHS Snowmakers
