The Model C was the first
machine with a raised driver's seat.
The driver here is Iceland employee
Neal Creedon (1952 photo).
The next generation of
Zamboni machines, still built on a
complete Jeep®, had significant design
changes. Frank elevated the driver's
position and dropped the snow tank to
allow better driver visibility and
greater snow capacity. The first of the
series was the Model C.
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In a memorable
incident, Frank drove
one of his Model C machines
450 miles up the coast of
California to Berkeley
Iceland.
Read more about Berkeley Iceland. Along the way, a key came
out of the steering wheel
shaft, and Frank lost
steering control. The
machine, with him driving,
veered off into the oleander
bushes on the highway median
and stopped. Frank managed
to get the key back into the
shaft, however, and
proceeded on to deliver the
machine. |
The second of the series was
the Model D -- a machine
differing only slightly from the Model
C. The Model D's redesigned dump tank
had a "stepped" look. The
change did not affect or enhance
operation, however, and was later
shelved. The third machine was the Model
E.
Model E (1954)
Introduced
in 1954, the Model E was the first Zamboni machine
that could be mass produced. Between
1954 and 1955, 20 of these models were
manufactured and sold. The first use
of a Zamboni machine for an NHL game
has been the subject of discussion for
many years, so Zamboni contacted
Bob Skrak who helped Frank Zamboni in
the early days. Bob actually took
machines around the country to introduce
the arena managers to the “invention”,
which could significantly improve their
ice sheet’s surface and enhance the
quality of the ice for skating and
hockey.
Bob worked for Ice Capades and would use the
Zamboni machine (No. 4 primarily) to
resurface for the ice shows. On New Years
Day in 1954, Bob was on hand in the Boston
Garden for the ice show and there was an NHL
Bruins hockey game to be played that day in
the arena. Bob took the machine out on the
ice and resurfaced for the Bruins game and
the management was impressed with the
results. The only thing that stood in the
way of having a machine on hand in the
arena: that they would have to take out
seats from the arena’s configuration to
accommodate a machine going out on to the
ice, as the arenas were not originally
designed with room for the machine to
navigate from its storage area to the ice
surface.
The Bruins ordered a machine and according
to our records, it was delivered in the Fall
of 1954 for the team’s use. In 1988, the
Boston Bruins had a new Zamboni machine on
order and requested that the vintage
machine, Model E 21 be fully restored by the
Zamboni Company. When the restored machine
was delivered and turned over in an on ice
ceremony at Boston Garden, it was announced
that E 21 would be delivered to the Hockey
Hall of Fame as a part of their historic
collection in Toronto, Canada.
In the mid-50s, the popularity
of ice skating increased dramatically,
as did new rink construction. Frank
found that rink owners wanted machines
with more snow and water capacity, so he
redesigned the resurfacer, abandoned a
complete Jeep as a platform, and
substituted a Jeep chassis that he
bought directly from the Willys factory.
Model F (1956)
In 1956, Frank redesigned the
machine using a stripped Jeep chassis.
By using the chassis as a foundation,
Frank was able to increase both water-
and snow-carrying capacities. On some
versions of the Model F, he extended the
panels on the sides of the machine and
raised the snow tank by 6 inches -- an
adaptation that added 20 cubic feet.
This gave his customers the extra
capacity they needed.
See the old Model F in action.
(1.3mb
MPEG movie.)
HD Series (1964)
Frank
never stopped experimenting with new
innov ations and enhancements. In 1964,
he introduced the HD Series, with its
completely new vertical auger system to
convey the snow and a quick-dumping snow
tank. The revolutionary aspects of the
HD remain the standard of the industry
today -- more than 30 years after they
were brought to market.The Model HD
was the first production dumping machine
not built on a Jeep chassis
500 Series (1978 to Present)
The 500 Series introduced the
liquid-cooled engine vs. earlier
air-cooled systems. And with the 552
came another new technology: it's a
fully electric machine, using battery
technology. The Model 500 and Model 552
are the series of Zamboni machines most
commonly used on the ice today. The
combination of the Winter Olympics and
televised sports has had a tremendous
impact on the ice skating industry. From
Sonja Henie and her Olympic
achievements, to ice show performances
around the world, to the continued
growth in popularity of ice hockey --
the Zamboni machine comes into the lives
and homes of ice sport enthusiasts
everywhere.
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From the 1949
Model A to the 500
Series resurfacers of today,
Frank Zamboni's desire to
develop the best possible
product for his first
customers remains as strong
in his successors over 50
years later. As Frank often
pointed out to rink owners,
a comment indicative of his
own lifelong mission:
"The principal product
you have to sell is the ice
itself." |
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