West Lothian sees its fair share of bad weather in the winter, but the area is more than prepared to deal with the effects of it thanks to two Multihog multi-purpose tractors with salt spreader, snow plough and snow blower attachments which the council uses during the winter season to clear the 950 km of roads and 1000 km of footways in its remit.
After watching a video of the Multihog in operation, Supervisor of Road Services Tom Ward and his team organised a demonstration. “The Multihog’s versatility, manoeuvrability and quality of manufacturing impressed us. Multihog’s developers also collaborate with some excellent attachment companies and by augmenting our existing winter resilience fleet with the two Multihogs, we have been able to improve the effectiveness of our snow clearing service across West Lothian.”
Operations Manager Andy Johnston explains: ”We deployed the Multihogs in two areas which have been historically problematic to clear due to narrow roads in estates, cul-de-sacs and a Public Health Service car park. Fixed snow ploughs have difficulty manoeuvring around obstacles such as parked cars in these restricted areas and they can also only clear snow in one direction.”
The Multihogs’ compact design and manoeuvrability allowed them to access all areas, and give drivers better control of where cleared snow is deposited for more even distribution. Time savings achieved were also impressive: an estate that used to take a whole day to clear using two fixed snow ploughs was done and dusted in a morning with just one Multihog, considerably improving the council’s productivity. A further bonus is the top road speed of 40 km/h which enabled the Multihog working in suburbs to quickly cover longer distances from the depot.
“The Multihogs more than exceeded our expectations and their initial performance leaves us in no doubt that we are well equipped for efficient clearance should the snow return,” says Andy Johnston. When the winter season is over West Lothian Council will be looking to maximise the investment in the vehicles by adding other applications to its remit. Tom Ward sums up: “The beauty of the Multihog is that it is never likely to sitting idle whatever the time of year.”
“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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