Volvo Compact Wheel Loaders Move Half a Million Cubic Yards of Snow

February blanketed much of the eastern United States, including the CE office, in piles of heavy snow. When clouds finally parted and the snow let up, there was only one question on the minds of those snowed in, “How am I going to get to work?” Volvo stepped in with the answer — wheel loaders.

Throughout the winter storm season, Mark Bywalec and the guys at D&B Landscaping of Livonia, Mich., just outside of Detroit, had their work cut out for them. More than 25,000 people making their way to and from the Henry Ford Health System, depend on D&B Landscaping to clear the way. To battle the massive dumps, the crews employed two Volvo L20Bs, a Volvo L25B, and a Volvo L40B.

When 35 percent of D&B’s business is snow removal, the firm demands a machine that can withstand the rigors of winter work. “We were spending thousands each spring replacing the tires on the skid loaders,” said Daniel Bywalec, President of D&B Landscaping. “Running the skid loaders on the asphalt and concrete surfaces with that steering mechanism ate up sets of tires. Each tire cost $250 to replace. We also had to replace the hydraulic pumps – at about $2,000 each…The Volvos are now a few years old and we still have the original tires and pumps.”

Check out the full story on Volvo’s Web site.