The SnowWolf 2024-2025 Mandate: Do More With Less
To ensure safety and access, facility personnel are often tasked with clearing snow from roads, parking lots, and other common areas at hospitals, clinics, airports, ski resorts, transport hubs, schools, colleges, and universities, as well as retail, commercial, and industrial sites. In situations where the grounds are extensive, traffic is heavy, and prolonged access restrictions are impractical, many facilities choose to utilize in-house personnel for snow removal rather than relying on third-party services.
Due to the high cost of specialized snow clearing equipment, most facility managers opt to purchase snow clearing attachments compatible with existing skid steers or wheel loaders, which are also used for other tasks.
Often, the initial cost for the snowplow or snow pusher is the primary driver. However, the primary challenge with most fixed box snow pusher attachments is the lack of flexibility to back drag or angle. Those that offer these features tend to be bulky, restricting the skid steer’s maneuverability. Given operators may only remove snow seasonally, not to mention high turnover in these types of positions, the equipment controls should also be easy to learn and simple to use.
Considering these factors, investing in more adaptable and agile snow removal attachments may involve a slightly higher initial cost but enhances the efficiency and quality of snow clearing with reduced training.
One option, from Minnesota-based SnowWolf Plows, is its patented AutoWing QuattroPlows. Founded in Minnesota in the 1990s, SnowWolf offers a variety of models and sizes of snowplows, pushers, blowers, and other snow removal accessories that are compatible with skid steers, wheel loaders, front-end loaders, tractors, and other machinery.
The AutoWing QuattroPlows are available for machines weighing from 6,000 to 30,000 pounds and widths from 8’ to over 14’- specialized attachments that allow operators to switch between angle plowing, wide-angle plowing, pushing, and back dragging on the fly.
A key feature of the SnowWolf AutoWing design is the ability to move the side wings 165 degrees on the go, depending on the width of pass you wish to take, the amount of snow you wish to carry, or whether you are pushing snow forward or back dragging. This allows operators to efficiently clear wider swaths of snow without manually adjusting the plow’s position, increasing productivity and reducing the need for additional passes.
The AutoWing is also unique because it only requires one hydraulic circuit for efficient operation. Just plug in your two hoses and go. No machine set up is required, no wiring is necessary, and no specialized controls are needed, meaning you can move the Quattro Plow from machine to machine in minutes. The attachment can be angled left or right, and the desired wing position obtained right from the standard auxiliary function located on your machine’s joystick. This user-friendly design greatly shortens the time required for operator training allowing them to become proficient much faster and be able to clear more acres of snow per hour.
The increased efficiency of snow removal can substantially improve operations. The customers are reporting the time required to clear a complex site can be reduced by 30% or more.
SnowWolf’s snowplow attachments are also available with ActivEdge, a unique design involving multiple cutting-edge sections with individual adjustability and adaptability. The floating cutting edges allow for more precise snow removal even on varied surfaces and minimizes the need for excessive salt or deicing agents.
Due to its ability to conform to surface contours, the ActivEdge more effectively clears the area, reducing the necessity for additional passes. The equipment requires almost no maintenance and is designed to withstand the rigors of commercial snow clearing.
By selecting more flexible and nimble snow removal attachments instead of the lowest priced options, facility managers can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their annual snow clearing efforts. When the return on investment is carefully analyzed, it becomes evident that the initial higher investment in advanced attachments pays off, making them an indispensable component of facility snow removal strategies.
For more information, call SnowWolf at 800.905.2265; email ; or visit www.snowwolfplows.com.