Cambridgeshire County Council has acquired a Multihog to keep the pathway which runs alongside its Guided Busway free from ice and snow in the winter months. The 16 mile Busway is the longest of its kind in the world and offers residents an alternative to the notoriously congested A14. The car-free pathway is used as a maintenance track, footpath and cycleway. The snow clearing equipment designated for treating the Busway itself is too large to be used on the pathway, so Highways and Maintenance Manager Richard Kingston and his team needed to look for an alternative. “After seeing a demo of the Multihog we realised that this compact and very manoeuvrable vehicle would access all areas and so suited our requirements perfectly.” From the wide range of winter resilience attachments available for use with the Multihog, Cambridge Council chose a front mounted snow plough and rear mounted 1200L de-icing sprayer. The sprayer was preferred over a gritter to ensure very accurate spraying in a defined area, which minimises the environmental impact of stray grit. Multihog designers came up with a tailored solution for the spraying bars, which needed to be the same width as the vehicle itself and Richard was impressed with the flexibility of the manufacturer’s approach to design: “We now have a piece of kit we can put into operation at the onset of bad weather to keep the pathway cleared and safe for pedestrians and cyclists who are in close proximity to fast buses.”
If weather conditions are particularly adverse the Multihog will also be deployed for ploughing and spraying in other areas such as the town centre and on rural and narrow roads. With 4 wheel drive, a powerful 90hp engine and a top road speed of 40km/h it can easily be driven to trouble spots that other vehicles may find hard to access. The Council is looking at 52 week a year operation for the base unit by adding further attachments such as a patch planer and sweeper once the winter season is over. One thing is certain, says Richard: “the all seasonal ability of the Multihog means it is not going to be sitting in a garage for half the year.”
"Honestly, we love these machines. We work these machines to the bone, and we’ve had very little down time."
"Before the purchase, we looked at other products which compete with Multihog, but its quality and comfort is certainly better."
“My operators love the Multihog. Even the bigger operators tell me how much more comfortable it is."
"We’re cleaning the streets more efficiently, so that is definitely an environmental benefit for our city."
"The Multihogs were ideal for us. As they’re much lighter than our old machines, we can use them to remove snow from our boardwalks and sidewalks."
"The driving experience absolutely convinced me. I love driving it, the suspension is amazing. To be honest, the comfort level could not be better."
I knew it must be a really good piece of equipment, and my instincts were right - our two machines have been operating flawlessly.
“Since the purchase of our first Multihog in 2019, they have proven to be a valuable asset in our machinery fleet."
"I recognized straight away that a Multihog could serve our city well. We’ve got 8 attachments for it, and it’s taken the place of multiple machines."
"Apart from the environmental benefits, it’s also really, really comfortable to drive and I'm relieved that it has improved our operational safety."
“Our cycle paths are very neat in just one sweep/working passage. This ensures the safety of our residents, especially during autumn and winter."
“From a maintenance standpoint we have far fewer problems and downtime than other similar equipment in our fleet."
“Our MH outperforms our older snow blower by at least 200%. It can handle all types of snow with a greater output and much faster.”
"The suspension really allows an incredibly high level of driver comfort, and we’re amazed by the performance of the PTO hydraulics."
"The Multihog has performed very well on the reliability front compared to other machines. It’s a really solid and extremely strong machine."
"My colleagues are so much happier using this machine. It’s more ergonomic, warm and comfortable for them."
"Our 2 machines can do so many things, and although they’re small and compact, they’re so well built that they do the work of much larger equipment"
"The Multihog puts us at a professional level that’s unmatched by our competition"
"The Multihogs are working really well for us. The operators have found them straightforward to use and we hope to add to our range of attachments."
"The Multihog doesn’t vibrate like our old machine, and it’s so quiet I don’t even need to wear ear protection - no post-shift fatigue anymore!"
DHL at Leipzig-Halle airport operate a fleet of 12 Multihog tractors equipped with combi snow plough & brush attachments, de-icing sprayers and V snow
"It’s one machine that does it all - safely and efficiently. Very comfortable in the cabin too, which makes work more enjoyable for the operator."
"The only way to compare the Multihog to other machines is to compare the comfort of an old vintage car to a brand new car. - there is no comparison"
"At that point the snow is super dense, icy and solid; it’s pretty hard to shift, but it’s no problem for the MX. This tractor is really, really good"
"Our asphalt grinding process is faster and more efficient now, we tested it and we’re definitely covering more feet per hour than before"
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