Case Studies

City of Beringen

The City of Beringen in Belgium has around 46,000 inhabitants and covers an area of approx. 78 km2 (30 sq. miles). In December 2018, the City purchased its first Multihog, a CX 75 compact multi purpose tractor, with a second, identical model purchased in September 2020. The two Multihogs are used to keep the City’s bike paths clear of dirt, weeds and snow in the winter time, and the base tractors share a fleet of seasonal attachments, including a leaf blower, weed brush, front sweeper, brine sprayer and a 1.5 metre (60 in) snow plow.

Brecht Rabijns, an expert in Public Space & Workspace, influenced Beringen’s decision to opt for two Multihogs, which are now used around the municipality every day of the year. As the bike paths are also used every day, they must be kept clean and clear for Beringen’s residents.

“We tested a lot of machines before we settled on the Multihog, because we wanted to be sure that we were getting the best machine, and the best value for money for the City. In the end, the Multihog outperformed the other machines during our testing process – it’s as simple as that really, it was the best machine in its class.”

Ergonomics and comfort were key factors in the City’s purchasing process, with the Multihogs replacing older, non-articulating municipal vehicles from competing manufacturers. Additionally, the compact profile of the Multihog CX tractor was much better suited to narrow bike paths, where its articulated design is useful for accessing restricted areas.

The Multihog have vastly improved productivity for Beringen thanks to their ability to clean multiple paths in one shift with the sweeping brush and leaf blower. Operational speed has also definitively increased, something Brecht is really happy with it. “With the leaf blower, we can clear the paths so much more quickly than we used to with manual labour. Leaves are guaranteed every year – we have to deal with them, and now we have a really good solution to do that.”

The health and safety benefits are obvious too, with leaf clearing no longer an arduous task calling for manual labour. “Our cycle paths are very neat in just one sweep/working passage. This ensures the safety of our residents, especially during the autumn and winter seasons.”

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