Welcome to another installment of Chisel Chat!
UPDATE: April 5th, 2024
Today we are dropping some more details on the next evolution of the Snomaxx chisel, the new RavenMaxx! This new chisel combines some of the best features of our popular Snomaxx chisels and Raven Chisels for even more snow drag performance. The Snomaxx is being phased out by the replacement RavenMaxx.
RavenMaxx 1-piece integral backer snow race chisels take our winning standard Raven architecture and add a more aggressive 7 degree angle, wider .700" tip and larger base diameter. Designed to excel in high HP turbo machines or to be mixed in with standard Raven chisels for multi surface preparation. Constructed from billet 7075 aluminum and fully CNC machined on state of the art equipment, this stud combines the maximum amount of snow thrust and penetration. The RavenMaxx is about 6% lighter than the previous Snomaxx chisel.
Like all our aluminum snow drag chisels, they feature high strength 5/16 - 24 roll formed threads.
Lengths are measured as overall height from face of track.
Check tunnel clearances carefully and install with loctite. For use with dual ply tracks and for race use only.
Original Post:
Today I'd like to discuss one of the things I get asked about alot, and that is the differences between the aluminum chisels that we sell. The three versions we currently sell are the Raven, Scorpion, and Snomaxx. (as pictured left to right in the photo). They are available in a variety of lengths but for today's discussion and comparison I'm going to use 1.75" versions of each (just because that is what I happened to have sitting on my desk).
The Raven is the lightest of the 3. In fact, it is about 29% lighter than the Snomaxx. It measures approx. 1/2" wide at the thrusting surface. That thrusting surface is also angled so that if the track allows the chisel to deflect slightly under hard load, the thrusting surface stays vertical. Applications that favor the Raven are where the desire is for the lightest weight run at high speed, the greatest penetration, and conditions that are potentially a little icy at times (low or poor snow conditions). These chisels have an integral support plate as part of their structure and are measured as to their height above the track surface.
The next is the very popular Scorpion. This chisel does not include an integral support plate design and is shown here with an aluminum support plate for comparison purposes (support plate sold separately). The Scorpions are the lowest cost of the 3 versions of aluminum chisels and are a little wider measuring 5/8" at the tip. They are measured like traditional chisels in case you would like to mix them with steel chisels in your pattern. The ones shown in these pictures are the 1.63 length that once installed with a support plate measure 1.75" above the track's surface.
The third version is the Snomaxx. It will provide maximum snow drag thrusting as they measure a full 3/4" wide at the tip! While the extra width provides maximum snow thrust, they will not penetrate in marginal conditions like the Raven will. With that large a surface, they are also naturally the heaviest of the three versions, although still lighter than a steel chisel. If the snow conditions are decent, it's hard to beat the thrust of the Snomaxx.
All three will require a base stud and while many people use an old cut down 5/16" steel chisel, we offer titanium base studs built to the proper length for the ultimate in light-weight performance.
For our full line of traction products and current pricing please feel free to visit our traction section: https://www.maxcelerationracing.com/shop?Category=Traction
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