Case Studies

City of West Lafayette, IN

The City of West Lafayette lies north west of Indianapolis in an area covering almost 14 sq. miles. Densely populated and home to Purdue University, maintaining its streets, sidewalks and bike paths is quite a task, but one which Streets Commissioner Ben Anderson is passionate about. “With our climate, we certainly need robust and reliable winter equipment, but in recent years I’ve been thinking about how that equipment could work outside of winter for us. I didn’t have one specific task in mind for the Multihog, but I recognized straight away that a multi-purpose machine like this could really serve our city well. We’ve got eight attachments for it now, and it’s taken the place of multiple machines in our fleet. Both economically and operationally, it just makes sense.”

The City opted for the MXC unit, a model popular in regions with harsher climates, thanks to its reputation as a ‘workhorse’ when it comes to blowing snow. It works all over the City and allows road crews to safely and easily carry out road cleaning tasks. It has a range of attachments which can be fitted on any given day, including two snow plows, a 400 US gal de-icing sprayer, street sweeper, boom mower, ditch cleaner, circular saw hedge cutter and a snow blower with chute extension of over 10 ft. The snow blower in particular is used for clearing paths at Purdue University, a major educational institution based in the City. Ben explains that they use the machine to keep this essential facility open for students. “In winter season, we use it with the snow blower on pedestrian paths and bike lanes at Purdue, and it’s been invaluable in removing snow from sidewalks too.”

As Streets Commissioner, Ben is always trying to find ways to save time, money and resources for the City’s taxpayers. and having a machine that could perform several different tasks was a priority for him when it was time to purchase. “We are always trying to find new and creative ways to do stuff that’s been done for hundreds of years. Improving service and reducing the amount of time that we’re out there getting the job done all results in savings for the taxpayer.” To this end, he believes that the Multihog is an investment which is paying for itself. “Honestly, we underestimated how much time this machine was going to save us. We’ve been especially surprised with the cul-de-sacs we have to maintain. They previously took us 4.5 hours to clear with a regular plow, now with the Multihog it takes 1.5 hours, tops. And that’s all down to its maneuverability.” The City also had some existing attachments in its inventory, and so a converter plate was made for the Multihog to utilize those, further reducing taxpayer spend on equipment.

As the first Multihog in Indiana, Ben admits that he was both excited and a little hesitant to take on a new brand he did not have prior experience with. However, almost 2 years on, he’s confident it was the right decision. “I did look at machines from other manufacturers, but I kept coming back to Multihog. It was ticking a lot of boxes for me; multi-functional, well-built and super comfortable for the operator, which is important. It was also recommended by our local dealer, Brown Equipment Company, who we’ve been working with for fifty years. They’re a partner we trust, so we know we can rely on them for training, parts and service support. That’s an important factor when you’re operating essential equipment, especially during winter storms.”