How it all began
FJZ: Biographical Timeline
The Early Machines
Next Generations
The Man Behind the Machine

Frank Zamboni (center) installs
the conveyor chain on experimental
Prototype No. 3 in 1947
with Ross Chesebro (right), while
rink manager Ray Schloemer looks on.

In March of 1942, Frank bought a tractor and started experimenting. His first attempt -- a machine built into a sled towed behind a tractor -- neither smoothed the surface nor picked up the "snow" adequately. Repeated experiments with the design proved fruitless. But Frank had another idea, and in 1947 he began tinkering with a completely different approach: a machine that would shave the ice, remove the shavings, wash and squeegee the ice, and hold snow in an elevated tank large enough to last for an entire resurfacing job.

This prototype was built at the rear of Iceland skating rink in Paramount, California. The machine had water tanks in the front and a snow tank at the rear. Only the front wheels were powered and for this he used a front steering axel from a war surplus truck. The unit was powered by a Jeep engine and transmission that were also purchased from war surplus. On this chassis, he tried different conveyor systems including the paddle and chain that is shown in the above photograph. He abandoned experimental  prototype No. 3 in late 1947 as unsuccessful, because the blade chattered, the snow tank did not carry enough snow and he found that it was impractical to run the two-wheel drive machine on the ice unless it had tire chains for traction.

To overcome the inadequacies he encountered on experimental Model No. 3, Frank decided to develop a completely new design. For this machine, he purchased another surplus front steering truck axel so he would have both four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering. In addition, parts from the previous prototype were used in building the new machine. The new machine's adjustable blade could be held firmly in place by the operator, thus keeping it from chattering or digging into the ice.

By the summer of 1949 he was able to get a good sheet of ice consistently, and the "Model A Zamboni Ice Resurfacer" became a working reality. Frank applied for a patent and in 1953, Patent Application No. 93,478 was granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office..

The Model A 
after being taken 
out of service and 
before being dismantled.

The Model A in Action

Model A (1949)

The first Zamboni ice-resurfacing machine, built and used at the Paramount Iceland Skating Rink, had four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering on a hand-built chassis using war surplus axles and engine parts. The surplus parts actually include a hydraulic cylinder from either a Douglas A-20 or A-26 bomber. The Model A was built, tested, modified and retested at Paramount Iceland. A cover was added at the front over the conveyor chain to keep snow from falling onto the fresh ice surface. It also had an in-tank snow-melting system along with a wash water system. Early photos of the machine show a different configuration of the large wooden snow tank, prior to its modification. The wooden side was hinged so snow could be shoveled out. 

The Model A introduced the "Wash Water" system -- a black tank over the galvanized water tank dropped water into a distributor pulled on the ice at the rear that washed the ice before being pumped back into the bucket. The system duplicated the process of washing the ice that was previously accomplished by several people using a large hose and squeegees over the entire rink surface. The washing operation was necessary to clean the ice prior to applying the final coat of water, greatly enhancing the finished sheet of ice. The concept was incorporated into Frank's basic and broadest patent (2,642,679), which was incorporated into many of the ice resurfacer models manufactured by Zamboni. Eventually, the Model A's snow tank was modified for a more "finished" appearance. One important change made by Frank to the Model A was the elimination of the original four-wheel steering. 

When using the Model A equipped with four-wheel steering on his rink, he discovered that when the machine was driven close to the boards and the operator tried to steer away from them, the rear wheels would steer into the wall while the front wheels turned away, thus jamming the machine against the wall until it could be pushed sideways to free it. He disconnected the steering on the rear axel and the problem disappeared. He decided that the best configuration would have four-wheel drive and two-wheel front steering, which made the Jeep an ideal chassis on which to build later models.

During its term of service, the Model A was never used on any ice surface other than Paramount Iceland's. It was taken out of service and replaced by a newer model in 1953. After a number of years, the snow tank was dismantled to accommodate movement around the side of the rink and under the angular concrete pillar supporting its roof. In 1996, the machine began a lengthy restoration process and has been restored to its original condition. The machine normally resides at Paramount Iceland, adjacent to the rink.

Model B (1950)

In 1950, Olympic skating star Sonja Henie's traveling ice show was practicing at Paramount Iceland, and she saw the Model A in action. She had to have one and asked Frank if he could build one in time for an upcoming Chicago performance. The deadline was tough, but Frank worked day and night, then loaded all of the resurfacer parts into a U-Haul® trailer. He towed the trailer to Chicago behind the Jeep he would install the parts on and assembled the Model B there.

A total of four Model B machines were built: The Pasadena, Calif., Winter Garden purchased the first; Sonja ordered two, one of which ended up on tour with her in Europe (and was eventually dismantled there); and Ice Capades purchased the fourth -- a machine that was restored and has spent many years on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth, Minnesota. Read about the Odyssey of  Machine No. 4. With orders arriving for the Model B machines, Frank founded the Frank J. Zamboni Company.