Glasgow City Council, Scotland’s largest local authority, has quadrupled productivity in its carriageway permanent patching programme since it took delivery of an MH90 Multihog multipurpose tractor fitted with a patch planer attachment. It has also improved operational health and safety by reducing the exposure of its workforce to the risks of hand-arm vibration.
A spell of harsh winters has made efficient patch planing more of a priority in recent years, and Road Operations Manager David Russell and his team were keen to investigate alternatives to traditional methods as he explains: “With a road network of 1,750 km to maintain, manual operations with a five man squad using a team of jackhammers were quite slow and laborious. Depending on the size of potholes and their proximity to each other we could expect to cover around 50 to 100 m² a day. We were very impressed when we saw a demo of the Multihog / patch planer combination and realised it could help us to speed up repair work.”
The Multihog patch planer was developed to offer faster, cleaner and quieter planing compared to other machines on the market. It enables road surfaces to be planed to a width of 400mm and a depth of 125mm and saves on the costs of infill materials by accurately removing only what is necessary. This produces a sound base for reinstatement and helps to reduce transport and recycling costs by creating a re-usable material.
The Multihog has definitely proved its worth at Glasgow as the impressive statistics demonstrate: the five man team can now reinstate between 200 and 400 m² a day, so is at least four times more productive. Repairs are finished much more quickly, reducing the disruption to traffic flow in the very busy city. David’s previous experience with other planers was that they were too lightweight for this very heavy duty application, but his verdict is that “the Multihog’s solid construction and powerful hydraulics make it more than up to the job. Its road speed of 40km/h also enables it to travel independently around the city from one job to the next rather than having to be loaded on and off a trailer and this manoeuvrability is much more convenient. Like every other local authority in the UK we had a huge problem with potholes mainly due to the recent extreme winters. Our programme of permanent patching repairs using the Multihog has made a great contribution towards rectifying the situation.”
“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"
"The Multihog is a different animal from anything we’ve ever had – the articulation, rubberised tyres and 4-wheel drive ticks a lot of our boxes."
“We try to improve our operations with each new purchase of equipment & this has certainly been the case with the acquisition of our Multihogs"
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