Covered Bridges

When it comes to removing snow and ice from bridges, there are some places that large equipment just can’t get to or clear efficiently such as pedestrian areas or along a bridge’s concrete walls and on boulevards. In these situations, compact equipment excels at snow removal in pedestrian areas and casting snow if storage is available in adjacent boulevards or right of ways. Compact equipment also excels in snow removal when no storage capacity exists in the median.

The best type of compact equipment for clearing snow on a bridge depends on the jobsite. If a pedestrian area on a bridge is narrow, a compact skid steer, such as the Bobcat S70 with a width of 36 in., will efficiently remove the snow. For larger pedestrian areas or for casting or hauling snow, a large skid steer loader, say a Bobcat S330, can handle deep snowfalls.

The best attachment depends on the snow removal task at hand. A snow blade works the same as a snowplow mounted on a pickup or dump truck, with the benefit that the compact machine gets the blade where the trucks can’t reach. Snow blades are used to move snow to the side. A snow V-blade has the ability to push snow to one side or push snow to both sides at the same time. Pushing snow to both sides is beneficial when snow storage capacity is limited.

Angle brooms are the best solution for light snowfalls to keep ice from forming on pedestrian areas. If ice or compacted snow has already formed in pedestrian areas, a scraper will break up the snow and ice to leave a smooth and clean surface.

Snow buckets have a higher back to push the snow and a large capacity to move large amounts of snow to either storage areas or to load on trucks. Snow pushers move large amounts of snow. Some snow pushers have a free-floating blade that protects surfaces such as pavers or decorative concrete on pedestrian areas. The free-floating blade keeps the moldboard in contact with the surface to prevent materials from becoming damaged on uneven surfaces.

Snow blowers are effective for casting and hauling operations. Compact loaders operate in shoulders and medians to allow traffic flow to be unhindered. The snow blower can be used to make more space for new snow by casting it to storage areas. Some companies manufacture a truck-loading chute for the snow blower to completely remove snow from the bridge. A compact loader with a snow blower attachment also removes snow in tight situations such as around light poles, mileposts, crash barriers and guard rails much more effectively than larger equipment.

After snow is cleared, salt or sand often needs to be placed on bridge pedestrian areas. There are two types of spreader attachments — one is mounted on the front of compact equipment and the other is mounted on the rear. A snow blower, snow blade or angle blade in the front of the machine clears the snow while the spreader in the rear places sand or salt. Snow removal on bridges does not have to be difficult. By enlisting compact equipment and the attachments available for them, snow can be quickly removed from bridges.

Eric Morse is a public relations writer for Two Rivers Marketing, based in Des Moines, Iowa.

NOTE: These definitions are specifically for snowplows that go on machinery — not trucks. Fit one of these hard-working snowplows or salt accessories to your skid steers, tractors, wheel loaders or compact track loaders and watch great winter work results.

1. Power V-Plow — The hydraulically-powered moldboards can be positioned in the V forward position as illustrated, V’ed back, straight or angled to windrow left or right. Some manufacturers offer a joystick controller to configure the plow with the touch of a button. V-Plows are available in a wide range of sizes for sidewalk applications up to large open areas like parking lots. A good brand (like Machinability’s V35 Series) will offer plows available in 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 and 12 ft. On the larger scale, V-plows are available in 10, 11, 12, 14 and 16-ft sizes.

2. Power Side Wing Plow — Hydraulically-powered wings can rotate 180 degrees allowing you to transform your plow from a straight pusher to a pusher box plow or even a back drag plow with the push of a button. The hydraulic cylinders on the moldboard allow you to position the plow to windrow. You can even mount these plows onto smaller tractors or big wheel loaders. Some manufacturers have short 5-ft wings, which allow you to scoop under trailers and dock doors.

3. Box Plow — This is an economical plow suited to push large volumes of snow with ease. They can be hooked to your bucket, or simply bolt on a quick coupler for any quick-attach system or skid steer mount on the market. These plow styles are usually available in 8-, 10-, 12-, 14- and 16-ft models. With replaceable bolt on wings and bolt on front braces, you can be rest assured that your plow will last you longer than conventional box plows.

4. Straight Plow with Trip Moldboard — This is another economical plow suited for straight pushing and windrowing. The trip moldboard style of snowplow relieves impacts by pivoting the entire plow forward.

5. Straight Plow with Trip Edges — Typically used in sidewalk applications, these hydraulically-powered blades can be run straight or angled for windrowing and running down sidewalks. Available in 5- and 6-ft sizes with tripping edges for protection against obstructions.

6. Extendable Plow — A rare, but extremely versatile plow that is capable of being configured to suit your needs on the fly. A joystick handle allows you to control all eight hydraulic cylinders to extend, angle and even independently guillotine the side plates. The plow can be windrowing and still keep the wings pointing in the direction of travel. When you approach a laneway, guillotine the end plates closed to halt the flow of snow. Multiple sizes are available allowing you to alter the width of the plow from 8 to 14 ft or from 10 to 17 ft, which allows you to travel down narrower roadways.

7. Drop Salter — Standard three-point hitch drop salters are available in PTO-driven or hydraulically-driven versions. These simple and compact units are excellent for reliably depositing controlled amounts of salt. Manually adjustable, spring steel tensioners allow you to control the deposition rate based on your application.

Andrew Mason is an engineer at Machinability Ltd., Oakville, Ontario, Canada.