Woody’s unveils sharpened stud for sleds
OE supplier riding a wave of snow success
By Dave McMahon
Senior Editor
The new Grand Master Pro sharpened 60-degree angled stud is the standard Grand Master stud for Ski-Doo and Arctic Cat single-ply tracks in lightweight performance sleds.
It’s just the latest in a series of positive steps for Michigan-based Woody’s, the sled traction gurus who serve as a supplier for OEMs Arctic Cat, Ski-Doo and Yamaha.
“This year is the biggest year we’ve had since 1999,” Larry Tiede, Woody’s manufacturers representative for research and development, told Powersports Business during the LeMans Corp. NVP Dealer Showcase in Madison, Wis. “We are back to two full shifts. Things are wonderful and we are very happy. The last two seasons of good snow have given us the ability to have dealers actually sell product. The product is moving and distributors are forecasting another good winter, so they’re ordering accordingly. Even the manufacturers had a better preseason than they expected, and we’re seeing increased orders from manufacturers.”
The newly unveiled stud is the latest offering in the five-year-old Grand Master line, and gives performance riders an enhanced stud.
“The standard, single-ply stud was a very trail-worthy stud, but with the new lightweight, performance-based sleds, the guys are looking for a more aggressive point and angle,” Tiede said. “The guys out playing on the lake wanted something to penetrate a little better, so we came out with the Grand Master Pro with a sharpened tip. A guy buys an 800cc high performance snowmobile and we needed to sell him a stud that fits that performance range.”
