Traverse City in northern Michigan is a city of almost 16,000 inhabitants and its location means that it gets on average 120” (300 cm) of snow each winter. The city operates two Multihog CX compact tractors for use in autumn, winter and spring. The machines were delivered in 2021, one month apart, and to date have racked up almost 600 hours between them.
According to Joel Tapio, Vehicle & Equipment Technician for Traverse City, the machines are used with Metec snow blowers in the winter, and with self-designed and manufactured leaf pushers in autumn and spring. The main purpose of the Multihogs is snow removal on 103 miles (166 km) of the City’s sidewalks and wooden boardwalks.
The second task for the City’s Multihogs is leaf removal throughout its neighbourhoods. The Loose Leaf Pick Up program is an eco-friendly initiative which prevents leaves from ending up in landfill and catch basins. The leaves are then turned into rich topsoil for the Parks Division’s flower beds. Traverse City carries out the leaf collection twice per year (once in autumn, once in spring), using leaf pusher attachments which they manufactured in-house. They were adapted to fit on the Multihogs, and now serve as very useful tools in this green composting initiative.
Joel explains one of the main reasons that Traverse City chose Multihog over other maintenance vehicles: “We have a lot of boardwalks in our City, and the curb weight of the Multihog CX allows us to drive across them. Our other machines exceeded the weight restrictions, so we couldn’t use them. The Multihogs were ideal for us, as they’re much lighter than our old machines. That was a big plus point for us when it came to making a decision. It has allowed us to remove snow from our sidewalks and boardwalks much more efficiently.”
Having proved their versatility in their first season, the City is now considering other tasks to keep the Multihogs busy year round, including broom and mower attachments for summer use.
According to Joel, the Multihogs have really made a difference to the Traverse fleet and are much-loved by operators. “Operators love to run our Multihogs! The suspension improves cab comfort greatly compared to other tractors in the fleet. Aside from that, they’ve really helped us to clear snow quickly from our many sidewalks, trails and boardwalks. For tractors with such power, they really are so compact, nimble and relatively lightweight – all features which are important to us.”
“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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