Following demonstrations by their local dealer, the town of Truckee trialled a Multihog multi-purpose tractor with a cold planer for 4 weeks in the summer of 2017. It was enough to convince the California town that a Multihog would be the perfect year-round addition to their maintenance fleet and shortly afterwards they placed an order for an MXC 120 tractor along with a 24” Simex cold planer, which was delivered in spring of 2018.
Truckee shares the Multihog between two divisions of their Public Works department – its main purpose during the summer months is asphalt grinding and pothole repair on all of the town’s roadways, but during the winter months a snow blower is fitted to clear around 9 miles of sidewalks, trails and smaller roadways by the fleet, facilities and landscaping division. The year-round functionality of the Multihog, shared between various divisions of Public Works dept. makes the MXC a smart and cost-effective choice for the municipal budget.
Truckee’s Street Maintenance Manager Thom Ravey explains the town’s purchasing decision: “Our local dealer called us up and offered to demo the Multihog – he was pretty persistent, so we thought it must be something worth seeing! After the demo we hired a unit for 4 weeks and it was clear pretty quickly that the Multihog was totally outperforming the mini loader we already had. The MXC is purpose-built to carry snow blowers and patch planers, and this is reflected in the hydraulic setup – which is totally different to the hydraulics of the loader we had been using.”
Thom says the performance and visibility of the Multihog influenced their choice, along with the fact that the cabin is superior to any other machine his team has seen: “Our operators have been vocal about the comfort that the Multihog cab offers. Road speed is also important as the winter operators have a lot of locations to cover, so it’s a lot more efficient when they can clear an area and then drive to the next at 25mph.”
What benefits does Thom think the Multihog brings to Truckee? “Our asphalt grinding process is faster and more efficient now, we tested it and we’re definitely covering more feet per hour than with our old equipment. Our operators are happier and more comfortable, and with the visibility in the Multihog cabin they’re also much safer.”
Local dealer support is naturally also important for Truckee, and Alpine Smith Inc. delivers in this regard too: “Darin at Alpine Smith is really good – very knowledgeable and professional, and he’s been super responsive to our questions at all times. He completed training with our operators on-site shortly after delivery, and I have no doubts about the level of service he’ll provide as our Multihog dealer”.
"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"
"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."
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