Snow Manager Magazine Issue #1 2015

PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT #40934510

Painting Plows

Go Paperless

There’s No Business Like Snow Business

PEI government partners with local schools on a creative snow safety project

Affordable technology for snow and ice operations

Canadian cities all have a varied approach to maintaining their streets

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Go Paperless Affordable technology for snow and ice operations There’s No Business Like Snow Business Canadian cities all have a varied approach to maintaining their streets Paint the Plows Red Prince Edward Island department of transportation and infrastructure renewal partners with schools on a creative project about safety The Definitive Guide to Snow Removal Personality Types

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Sales Manager Dayna Oulion Advertising Sales Cheryl Ezinicki | Jennifer Hebert Gladwyn Nickel | Michelle Raike

Production services provided by S.G. Bennett Marketing Services www.sgbennett.com Art Director Kathy Cable

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The Perfect Pavement Mobile sensor MARWIS improves road safety

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Red is the New Green The new MacLean Municipal Vehicle delivers updated features

Managing Editor Carly Peters carlypeters@mts.net

Magazine Consultant Gladwyn Nickel

Down in Numbers City of Lowell, Massachusetts reports 30 per cent reduction in road salt use over the past two winters

A Workhorse Revamped Introducing the updated Viking proline combination body

President David Langstaff Publisher Jason Stefanik

product SHOWCASE Ounce of Prevention Anti-icing mitigates risk for big retailers

Published by: DEL Communications Inc. Suite 300, 6 Roslyn Road, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3L 0G5 Fax: (204) 668-4641

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Layout/ Design Joel Gunter Advertising Art Sheri Kidd | Dana Jensen Cover photo courtesy of Brian Simpson Subscription information available.

Please contact DEL Communications Inc. Two issues for $12.00 © Copyright 2015 DEL Communications Inc. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without prior written consent of the publisher.

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein and the reliability of the source, the publisher in no way guarantees nor warrants the information and is not responsible for errors, omissions or statements made by advertisers. Opinions and recommendations made by contributors or advertisers are not necessarily those of the publisher, its directors, officers or employees.

Publications mail agreement #40934510 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: DEL Communications Inc. Suite 300, 6 Roslyn Road, Winnipeg, MB R3L 0G5 Printed in Canada 02/2015

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ISSUE 1 - 2015 | SNOW MANAGER

Go Paperless Affordable technology for snow and ice operations

By Mike Lysecki, Chief Operating Officer, Landscape Management Network

N

obody has ever considered dumping their snow clearing equipment and going back to horses and shovels. But, if you look at the offices of many snow and ice operations the information is processed using the equivalent of a hand shovel.

Paperwork is issued to the field. It comes back (sometimes it doesn’t even make it back) with inconsistencies and errors. Office staff work hours trying to make it right, then even more hours are spent keying data in to multiple systems to ensure everything like payroll, service tracking, liability protection, is happening appropriately.

As a snow and ice contractor we knew the paperwork was killing our efficiency. There was too much paperwork, too many errors, too much data entry, too many phone calls, and too many staff required to run our operations.

A smartphone can browse the web, GPS track itself, communicate by phone or video, take pictures, map routes, measure areas, perform complex calculations, share all kinds of important information. We had powerful tools in the hands of our foreman, but we were using only five per cent of the potential with just email and phone calls.

Over the last few years, we aimed for streamlined, efficient operations using simple mobile tools that made our processes simpler, and over hundred times faster than pen-and-paper methods.

Here we’ll take a look at three of the biggest paperless technologies that we rely on for efficient snow and ice operations:

Mobile crew/shift logs: timesheets on steriods

One of our biggest motivations to go paperless was to reduce time (and inaccuracies) in record keeping, including payroll, job costing, and service tracking. Crews punched in/out upon arrival and departure at the shop, but their daily paperwork was neglected and inaccurate. Time records from the punch clock had to be reconciled with what crews had written on their paper 6

logs and hundreds of hours were spent sorting out inconsistencies. Or worse, they were swept under the rug. Hundreds of hours were then wasted just transferring (inaccurate) data from paper to spreadsheet. And, it rarely was finished properly. The following year, upon review, we didn’t even have (or trust) the data which we’d spent so many hours entering.

Not only were our results inaccurate, our profits suffered. Undocumented services/extras went unbilled, hundreds of timesheet hours “rounded-up” were paid out, and we simply couldn’t afford the overhead staff necessary to review, double-check and correct every single problem. Change was not an option; it was necessary for survival.

A decent smart-phone (or tablet) time-tracking application will enable your operations to streamline payroll, but a really good application will give your snow and ice operations an invaluable tool.

Seamlessly woven into to our payroll time-tracking system is: • Job tracking – all payroll hours must be booked to tasks so we can review – live and in real-time – updated hours spend on any/ all jobs and tasks • GPS verification – logs the GPS location each time a crew member clocks in/out of a job or task • Material tracking – when you need to track material usage at any site, crews are prompted to complete that information before they’re allowed to clock out of that site/task • Site Notes/warnings/reminders – configure automatic reminders/alerts to pop-up anytime someone clocks in to a specific site. These alerts ensure work gets done correctly and safely each and every time • Live crew log visibility – as crews clock in/out of tasks, our operations team back in the office can see a complete history of each employee’s in/out times, site notes, weather notes and more; it’s all displayed live, in real-time. No more waiting for paperwork to know what happened during an event • Customer access – customers can be given a username/password which allows them to view the status and activity at specific sites. We can choose which customers get this info, and we can customize the data we want them to be able to see. It gives us a big competitive advantage/differentiator when bidding work against other snow and ice contractors, while also reducing phone calls, mistrust and billing challenges during the entire snow season.

As crews complete timesheets, they also complete information used to ensure our operations run smoothly. Even better, crews fill out the logs correctly because their paycheques depend on the very same data.

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Mobile timesheet spotlight: LMNTime.com LMN Time was an app built for our own snow operations. It handles all the features above and more, like automatic weather notes (pulled from the nearest weather station to the phone), easy timesheet approvals, instant, real-time reporting and a sync to Quickbooks, Payor spreadsheets for accurate, instant payroll data.

Other suggestions: ExakTime, CrewTracker, HindSite, TSheets

Cloud drives: making information accessible and current Years ago all our snow trucks carried binders for information. In these binders we’d have street maps, site maps, phone numbers, checklists, maps to salt locations, maps to repair information, health and safety policies, and much more. Assembling these binders took days, sometimes even weeks to prepare. Updating binders was just about impossible. New maps, special notes and instructions, revisions etc... were issued, but only 50 per cent of that information ever seemed to find its right place back in the binder.

Affordable “cloud” drives meant the end of our snow binders.

Google Drive, Microsoft’s One Drive, Apple’s iCloud, and other offerings like Dropbox, Amazon’s EC2, and Box OneCloud all have easy to setup/use cloud storage that shares information, in realtime, with field operations.

Our cloud drives organize all our operations by type (snow, construction etc.), then by route, then by specific site. If a driver needs any information about a specific route or site, its all available via his smart phone. Cloud drives are especially handy for storing: • Staff contact info • Supplier addresses, phone numbers, hours of operation

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• S ite maps and images • Quality control checklists (site checklists, end-of-shift checklists) • Equipment manuals • Training videos • Policies, procedures, safety information, MSDS sheets • Example site map showing approved plowing locations (light blue), snow pile locations (dark blue), and approved walkways for clearing.

Cloud drive spotlght: Google Drive Google offers one of the best and easiest cloud drives available for field service work for several different reasons: • It’s easy to get setup and running • Permissions/security/access are easy to share among others • It’s simple to use and simple to activate on any smart phone • You can create online forms that collect and store data from your staff One of the highlights of Google Drive for our snow and ice operations has been the mobile forms. In just a few minutes you can learn to setup forms like Equipment Repair Request, Damage Report, End of Shift Checklist and more. Staff complete the form on their phone, and answers are stored in a Google Drive spreadsheet. You can also enable email notifications when an important/ time-sensitive form (such as a repair request) is submitted.

Other Suggestions: Apple iCloud, Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, Box.com

Online forms: Live, structured field-to-office communications Forms and checklists are key to any systemized operation, but online forms make information available instantly, in real-time, rather than hours later when paperwork gets handed in. Even more importantly, online forms use validation to prevent errors/missing information before they occur.

Paperwork is only as good as the person filling it out. Data can be left blank. Dates can filled out incorrectly. Information can be written in the wrong spots. None of this is checked until the paperwork is turned in, then administrators spend hours sorting out the inconsistencies. This can be (largely) avoided with online forms. All information can be validated to ensure completeness/accuracy before its turned in.

Behind the scenes, online forms give you a permanent, written record of all the responses for every form. This can save hundreds of data entry hours. You can also get instant email notifications of important events sent to anyone who needs to know.

Online forms spotlight: GoFormz.com GoFormz forms are easy to create and can pretty much accomplish anything you can do on paper and more. Setup your form design and then configure your field by type (date, text, image etc...) and validation rules. You can even setup fields to insert images, location (GPS), and even signatures.

Other Suggestions: Google Forms, Wufoo, Formstack, Zoho Creator.

Mike Lysecki served as the Director of Snow Operations at TBG Landscape for eight years, and is now director of the Landscape Management Network, which builds mobile estimating and timetracking tools for landscape and snow industry contractors. ❆ ISSUE 1 - 2015 | SNOW MANAGER

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There’s No Business Like Snow Business Canadian cities all have a varied approach to maintaining their streets

Crédit photoS Ville de Québec

By Emily Pike

T

he job of clearing city streets of unwanted snow is not an easy task.

The public wants it done NOW, and with as little inconvenience to them as possible, but they still want it done for a minimal amount of their taxpayer dollars.

No easy feat for the cities who juggle using public servants or contracting the service out to private companies, buying their equipment or leasing it, when to clear the snow… the list can go on.

Recently, Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman expressed his dissatisfaction at the job the private contractors were doing of clearing the streets and was considering 10

giving more of the workload to the city staff. This raises a question about what the ideal snow clearing strategy is. With many variables in the four Canadian cities compared here, such as population, city age, and therefore street quality and size, as well as things like how quickly snow melts or how likely it is to freeze, the ways to tackle Old Man Winter have to be just as varied.

For this article, Winnipeg, Toronto, Quebec City, and St. John’s have been asked to share their experience with clearing snow on their city streets.

There’s snow easy answer Public versus private is a political debate that rages on for governments in providing services, and snow removal strategies are not immune. Balancing a budget while satisfying snow removal needs is a delicate task.

Winnipeg has an almost even divide with ISSUE 1 - 2015 | SNOW MANAGER

51 per cent of the snow removal in their city being done by city staff along with supplemental equipment which is owned privately. In this scenario, the city clears snow from an area and calls in back-up from contractors with private equipment to supplement city work. The remaining 49 per cent goes to private contractors who bid on, and are subsequently responsible for, snow clearing services in a specific area of the city. Like most cities, budget is a consideration in that split, along with equipment availability, and usage of the construction and maintenance industry in and around the city.

Quebec also splits the labour up equally at 50/50, with many reasons contributing to that choice, including local difficulties, labour convention conditions, strategy, as well as the historic operation of snow removal in the city.

“It is important to keep a balance between city versus contract,” shares Eric Langlois from Quebec’s public work service.

By activity, approximately 90 per cent of the salting operations in Toronto are performed by contractors and 100 per cent of the plowing. Toronto plows the sidewalks and bus stops, a task also performed 100 per cent by contractors.

“Although the bulk of winter maintenance services have historically been delivered by contractors in Toronto, in recent years the percentage has been increasing,” says Trevor Tenn, manager of road operations with the City of Toronto.

St. John’s has gone predominately with a public workforce, with contracted work currently limited to salting and plowing a few isolated low-priority roads and also for hiring additional dump trucks to carry SNOW MANAGER | www.snowmanager.ca

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away accumulated snow when required.

Additional contracting is under consideration, however, St. John’s unionized environment places limits on the extent of contracted work.

“There are restrictions to contracting out work in the Collective Agreement.

The limited availability of qualified contractors and equipment to provide the required level of service and to ensure competitive bids is another factor,” says Paul Mackey, deputy city manager of public works with the City of St. John’s.

It’s snow trouble How and where to clear the snow is as differing as the names of the four cities compared here, with St. John’s being the only one that takes a first strike at snowstorms, undoubtedly to try to stay ahead of their more than three metres of snow each year.

If time and conditions permit, in St. John’s they anti-ice priority roadways (those deemed to be level one and steep hills) with brine before a storm hits, and pre-wetted salt is applied to all roads when the snow starts, to prevent bonding to the pavement. Plowing with trucks

starts as soon as there is any measurable accumulation and front-end loaders and graders are brought in once snow accumulation exceeds 10 centimetres.

In Winnipeg, streets deemed priority one are cleared once the snow accumulation reaches three centimetres. Priority two streets and (with some caveats) back lanes are started on once snow accumulation reaches five centimetres. Priority three streets need to have 10 centimetres of snow accumulated before they are cleared.

In Toronto, snow plowing begins when 2.5 centimetres of snow has accumulated on expressways, when five centimetres of snow has accumulated on arterials and collectors, and when eight centimetres has accumulated on local roadways, (but the snow has to have stopped for local roadways to be plowed).

On level one and two main streets in Quebec, the plowing and spreading start as soon as the snowfall begins, and on residential streets the plowing starts after five centimetres of snowfall.

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tion. Renting versus owning is just one of many considerations for cities.

Toronto owns all of the equipment that is operated by city staff, but they also rent a few front-end loaders to assist with operations.

“Due to the large number of specialized equipment that is required and the fact that this equipment is not used year round, we find it more economical to contract out the operation,” responds Tenn when asked what the rationale is behind the divide between public and private labour operations.

For St. John’s, the opposite is true.

“We own the majority of our snow clearing equipment. Much of this equipment is multi-purpose and is used in summer operations as well. Some of the heavier equipment (front-end loaders) is leased, with maintenance agreements for the winter season only,” shares Mackey.

In Quebec, the division of rented and owned equipment isn’t as clear-cut.

“We own and rent equipment. Some graders are rented – with operators. Some loaders are also rented – without operators. The loaders are quick-coupled with snowplows and snowblower heads that we own,” relays Langlois.

Winnipeg uses a combination of rented and owned equipment as well.

“Many of the winter operations equipment is required for specialized service and may not complement our year-round maintenance service. Utilizing the rent versus own strategy provides both the ISSUE 1 - 2015 | SNOW MANAGER

citizens of Winnipeg and the construction industry with an optimized strategy for cost benefit and use benefits,” shares Jim Berezowsky, manager of streets maintenance with the City of Winnipeg.

There is snow wealth like knowledge What the cities wish you knew about snow removal is as varied as their methods for tackling the fluffy white mess.

Quebec would like you to not park on the streets when there’s snow, so that the plows can come through more easily.

Winnipeg would like to clear something up as well.

“There is a perception of a difference between the various snow removal services provided in the city and in fact, all snow removal services are under the snow removal and ice control policy administered

by City staff.”

Both Toronto and St John’s would like a little patience and understanding.

“Snow clearing is a complex operation with many variables, and as such, things don’t always run as smoothly as planned.

We have a skilled and dedicated team of professionals giving their best efforts to provide a superior level of service, however, sometimes things go wrong and patience is required,” explains Mackey Toronto’s sentiments are similar: “It takes time to clear snow in an urban environment. The public has high expectations that as soon as the snow has stopped that the roads will return to normal driving conditions. That is an unrealistic expectation.”

Most of the public has probably been guilty at some point of wanting a clean and summery road as soon as the storm clears.

Snow right answer While there are undoubtedly some who think of cozy fireplaces, mugs of hot chocolate and afternoons skiing pristine white mountains, for most winter says shovels and snow tires and headaches, none more so than the cities who are responsible for clearing the snow from our streets and sidewalks. So what’s the answer to ridding our roads of the winter wonder as best as possible? It would appear there is ‘snow’ simple one, but if budget wasn’t an issue, Winnipeg would put geothermal heating under all the city streets. Perhaps the heatwave of the future? ❆ SNOW MANAGER | www.snowmanager.ca

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Paint the Plows Red Prince Edward Island department of transportation and infrastructure renewal partners with schools on a creative project about safety

By Melanie Franner

A

snow plow can be a dangerous thing – that’s why the Prince Edward Island department of transportation and infrastructure renewal decided to launch a program that gets kids up close and personal with the province’s snow plow equipment. Currently in its second year, the program provides elementary schoolchildren with a chance to paint the plows in an array of colours and motifs prior to sending those plows out into the field.

“The idea for the program came from the department staff,” explains Robert 14

Vessey, transportation and infrastructure renewal minister, PEI. “It’s an awareness campaign that allows the kids to see firsthand the working parts of a plow and why they need to keep safety in mind.”

According to Vessey, the plows or “wings” are delivered to the participating schools in the September/October time period. The kids apply creativity via brushstrokes and paint and then the plows are sent off to the department’s body shop for a layer of lacquer that will help seal the paint job until the end of the winter.

“In late October or November, some of

the plows go back to the school so that the kids can see their handiwork and get a chance to walk around the equipment and maybe even sit in the cab,” continues Vessey. “The drivers are only too proud to take the plows back to the schools.”

All in a day’s work The PEI department of transportation and infrastructure renewal has a total of 66 pieces of equipment with blades – all of which could potentially be canvases for the area’s aspiring artists. The paint itself is provided by the department and repreISSUE 1 - 2015 | SNOW MANAGER

sents extra “materials kicking around”.

Fifteen schools throughout the Charlottetown, Summerside, and Georgetown areas have participated in the first couple years of the program. The grades have ranged from one to 12.

“If we get requests from more schools that want to participate, we will certainly look at the feasibility of doing so,” says Vessey.

P is for paint Prince Street School in Charlottetown was one of the schools to participate in the painting program. School guidance counsellor Marti Pendleton oversaw the project.

“We got together a working group of EAL students, along with some other students who had parents from different countries or those who needed a bit of empowerment,” she says. “In total, we had about 50 to 55 students involved.”

Those students ranged from kindergarten to grade six and represented 16 different countries, including Canada and the U.S. “The kids were really excited,” continues Pendleton, who adds that the kids had about a two-and-a-half week time frame to perfect their artistic composition – one that represented each of the 16 countries with colours from their respective flags.

The PEI department of transportation and infrastructure renewal brought the freshly lacquered plow back to the school so that the students could see their handiwork. And despite the slight glitch of having accidentally painted their motif upside down, the students were thrilled to see the result.

“The department people talked about the need for safety around snow blades and about how the blade will be used,” says Pendleton. “The students really enjoyed both the discussion about safety and the painting program.”

Today, the plows are out and about the highways and byways of PEI. And students and teachers alike at Prince Street School are keeping their eyes out for one lone plow of very special significance.

“There are no reports back yet from anyone has seen it,” concludes Pendleton.

“But we’re all looking.” ❆ SNOW MANAGER | www.snowmanager.ca

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The Definitive Guide to Snow Removal Personality Types

By Hilary Sargent and Roberto Scalese, Boston.com staff

1. The Mediocre Shoveler:

3. The Libertarian:

You know the type. Probably because you are this type. The mediocre shoveler understands the need for shoveling. He doesn’t procrastinate. But he also doesn’t do a great job. He gets a decent percentage of snow out of the driveway and clears a path, of sorts, along the sidewalk. Then he throws copious amounts of ice melt on the rest. With a job less than well done, he then proceeds to a warm, indoor area, buries himself under a mountain of warm, fuzzy blankets, orders a pizza, and starts marathoning “Breaking Bad” on Netflix.

There are no rules for the libertarian. His goal is to shovel his place as efficiently and cheaply as possible. Dump snow in the street? Sure. Over in the neighbour’s yard? Absolutely. Does his snow pile half-bury the next guy’s car? Sorry, them’s the breaks.

The libertarian lives by the motto “Where the hell else am I supposed to put it?”

4. The Angry Snow Plower: 2. The Incrementalist: The incrementalist is outside every two hours, shoveling as the storm rages on because somehow “that’s easier than doing it all at the end of the storm.” Anything more than three inches deserves another round in the ring, even if it means a 3 a.m. round of shoveling. Sure, she spends a net time of five hours shoveling, but it’s easier. Somehow.

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You know the angry snow plower. Just when you finally clear the snow from the end of your driveway, you inevitably hear the sound. The plow turns the corner and all of a sudden you find a large embankment of snow in the area you just cleared. Stifled chuckles can be heard in the distance as the plow goes on to crush more shovelers’ hopes and dreams. He’s been plowing for the last 15 hours so he’ll make sure you aren’t happy either. His mortal enemy is ‘The Boxer.’

ISSUE 1 - 2015 | SNOW MANAGER

5. The Boxer: If you ask ‘The Boxer,’ snow plow drivers have one mission, and one mission only. ‘The Boxer’ knows that if he leaves his post, a snow plow driver is likely to ruin any recently cleared sidewalk in their path. (sung to the tune of the Simon and Garfunkel song) In the cleared drive stands The Boxer; And a fighter by his mood; And he carries the reminders; Of ev’ry plow that ruined his; Clean sidewalk til he cried out; In his anger and his shame; “I just cleared this!

I just cleared this!”; But the snowpile still returns.

8. The Anti-Shoveler: The anti-shoveler understands that there’s some law about shoveling the sidewalk in front of his house. He just doesn’t care.

The tire marks from his car spinning out of his driveway are the only signs of snow removal on this property. His car windows are cleared with the only snow-clearing tool in his arsenal: windshield wipers. And a quick ride on the highway will blow all that snow off the roof. That car driving behind him on the receiving end of the snow dump? Whatever.

6. The Perfectionist: Not a single flake of visible snow is left on the ground by the perfectionist. The corners of his snow banks are perfect 90-degree angles. The sidewalk in front of his home looks as though it was shoveled by a team of robots, each wielding a yardstick. The perfectionist is all about timing. He checks weather maps and determines when the last flake is scheduled to fall to the ground.

And then he seizes the moment, careful never to risk letting a rogue flake ruin his snow-free paradise.

9. The Procrastinator: The procrastinator believes, despite the weather forecast calling for a deep-freeze after the snowstorm, that maybe the sun will come out just enough to melt all the snow. If his car is parked on a side street, he’s likely to let the snow surrounding it rest and mature for between one and three weeks. Perhaps, he thinks, the car will shovel itself out.

7. The Child Labourer: Once upon a time, before Justin Bieber and Xbox, children earned their keep with hard work. Kids these days generally spend their snow days glued to computer screens, monitoring Facebook for news of their schoolmates and being coddled by their allergyfrantic parents. But, if you look hard enough, once in a while you can still spot a glimmer of hope for the current generation: a young person keeping the near-obsolete tradition of shoveling the sidewalk in front of their home, and never asking mom and dad: “How much are you gonna pay me?”

SNOW MANAGER | www.snowmanager.ca

10. The T-Taking Pedestrian: Similar to the procrastinator, the T-taking pedestrian postpones shoveling because she uses public transportation on a daily basis. With a good pair of L.L. Bean boots, there is no need for her to pick up a shovel! Leave the driveway and the sidewalk for the weekend! But damn those other people who refuse to shovel their sidewalks; don’t they know she needs to walk to the T! 17

11. The Snow Angel: Most streets are lucky enough to have a snow angel, the winter lover who can’t control himself when it snows. After clearing his own car and sidewalk, he starts in on the path for the retired couple next door, and then for the new mom across the street.

When ‘The Boxer’ is finally beat down by those relentless plows, the snow angel is there to pick him up and shovel him out. When ‘The Incrementalist’ faces the cold for the fifth time, the snow angel is there to help with the final pass.

12. The Traditionalist: He has heard of snowblowers. And it does sound like something that would make snow shoveling a whole hell of a lot easier. But you know what? This good old-fashioned shovel, purchased in 1938, does the trick just fine. Does it take a day and a half to shovel the driveway? Maybe. But it’s good exercise. It builds character.

It costs less than $30. And that parka he’s wearing? He bought it – second hand – back when Jimmy Carter was president.

14. The Snow Mom:

It’s not enough for ‘The Snow Mom’ to do a tidy shoveling job.

She is a community organizer, and as such, wants her neighbors to have a coordinated plan of action for ALL “snow events.” And she calls them snow events, just like Harvey Leonard. “It takes a village to clear this snow” is her motto and your role in this village will be a spot on her colour-coded list with assigned tasks bolded and underlined. And yes, guys can be total snow moms, too.

15. The Overcompensator:

The overcompensator bought an industrial sized snowblower to clear his single-car driveway. He also owns a 72-inch 1080p LED LCD TV in his 10x10 living room, and can explain what all of that gibberish means. He eats Hungry Man TV dinners and wears a lot of flannel. Because he’s a man’s man with lots of toys. Vrooom.

16. The Swiss Family Shovelson: 13. The Cross-Country Skier: It’s not clear how the cross-country skier even gets out of her house.

Maybe she jumps – skis-first – into a drift from the second floor window. But there she is, out and about without ever moving so much as a flake from her property. She sees you labouring through the backbreaking work of clearing your car on the street, but to her that just means you’re ready for a conversation – about how healthy and fun cross-country skiing can be. Then she’s off to humblebrag to another neighbor before turning the corner, out of view. Somehow, by the end of the day, her driveway and path are totally cleared. There’s a good chance ‘The Snow Angel’ may have been involved.

You see ‘The Swiss Family Shovelson’ out in force after every storm, working cooperatively and happily, while you’re out in the white stuff slaving away on your own as your spouse and kids watch from the window, openly dissing the job you’ve done thus far. Meanwhile, their entire family is rallying together to get the job done: parents handling the heavy work and the kids working on the edges and clean up. While everyone else is miserable and cold, this family seems like the real life 7th Heaven. Everyone is happy, helping, and perfectly coordinated. They’re out there for hours without ever seeming to get cold. The kids even have adorable little red shovels. Their driveway is done in no time; they’ve moved on to making a snowman together!

And then it’s time to gather inside and cozy up in matching flannel pajamas while playing board games and drinking hot chocolate.

“The Definitive Guide to Snow Removal Personality Types” was originally published November 13, 2014, on Boston.com. No part of this article may be republished without the consent of the authors. Scalese can be reached at roberto.scalese@globe.com or via Twitter @BertoScalese. Sargent can be reached at hilary.sargent@globe.com or via twitter @lilsarg. ❆ 18

ISSUE 1 - 2015 | SNOW MANAGER

THE SALT SHORTAGE IS ALL TOO REAL. The only protection for having no salt, is to not need it!

Contractors regularly report up to 50% salt savings when using the Sectional.

Protect yourself, your business and your customer!

ARCTIC SECTIONAL SNO-PUSHER

101 Euclid Ave Bradley, IL 60915

Call us at 888-2-ICE-SNO

www.sectionalplow.com

Product Showcase

Ounce of Prevention Anti-icing mitigates risk for big retailers

By Taryn Brady Photo credit: Twitchy Fingers Photography, Red Deer, AB

Photo credit: Twitchy Fingers Photography, Red Deer, AB

I

t’s the middle of winter and a blizzard has hit the night before. Snow is covering the ground and the temperature outside is -10C. You’ve parked your car outside a big retail store to do some shopping and are pushing a shopping cart from the kiosk towards the entrance. At this point do you stop to notice if the parking lot surface is easy to walk on? Is it clear of snow and ice? Or do you need a team of huskies to get the cart over the snow drifts? Many customers may not really appreciate how much retailers and property managers do to maintain a hazard free parking area and entrance to their buildings, especially in the Canadian climate.

Just ask Gerald Grona, country service manager for Green Drop in Edmonton, Alberta. For over six years he has been in charge of keeping the parking areas free of snow and ice for Costco, one of the largest retailers in North America.

“It’s all about being proactive,” says Grona. “Our process is to spray the road surface before a snow event with RoadGuard Plus 8™, a liquid calcium chloride product from Tiger Calcium.”

Why spray before the snow falls? If an

20

area is left untreated snow and ice will quickly bond to the road surface making it difficult to remove. Spraying with calcium chloride (called anti-icing) creates a chemical layer that prevents surface bonding and allows for much easier removal of snow and ice.

“Anti-icing is quite a science,” explains Steven Plamondon, accounts manager, Tiger Calcium Services. “Calcium chloride is effective because it is hygroscopic in nature, meaning it draws moisture to it. So as snow falls calcium chloride may need to be re-applied to keep the concentration high, prevent refreezing, and ensure a clear surface.”

Plamondon works closely with property managers and retailers who use calcium chloride and have questions like: “the parking lot is frozen. How do I get to bare surface when it’s snowing,” or “the surface keeps on refreezing. What can I do now?”

Today it is even more critical that commercial properties be kept free of snow and ice. The main reason, of course, is safety of customers and public. However, the even larger reason is liability. Slip-andfall accidents are some of the most common reasons people file lawsuits against property or business owners. These accidents can represent a significant cost, both to retailers and to their insurance companies. In fact, slip-and-fall accidents are a primary source of risk, resulting in millions of dollars of liability losses, increases in insurance premiums, lost productivity, increased administrative activity, and potential negative publicity within the community. All of these costs are largely preventable.

Rui Rodriques, national loss prevention manager for Best Buy Canada and a member of the Retail Council of Canada’s (RCC) Safety Group program, advises all retailers to treat health and safety as another metric to measure their business’ success.

The RCC Retailer’s Guide, Health and Safety Checklist recommends retailers keep their entrance clear of ice, snow, and other slip and trip hazards. Parking lots, walkways, stairs, and other high-traffic areas should be monitored frequently for any of the identified hazards and control measures should be put in place to remove/eliminate these hazards.

Many retailers have risk management programs. But how many retailers have a “preventative” snow and ice removal program in place; one that is proactive and helps mitigate foreseeable risks? As the saying goes: “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”, and Grona of Green Drop can attest to that.

“By us putting down RoadGuard Plus 8™ the owners of the property are covered, they are doing their due diligence, making it safe for vehicles to stop, as well as pedestrian traffic walking in and through the parking lots,” he comments. “Property owners also notice less damage to their buildings from the tracking of dust and grit that often goes with using sand and salt.”

RoadGuard Plus 8™ is Tiger Calcium’s premium anti-icing product. It contains eight per cent corrosion inhibitor which makes it 85 per cent less corrosive than rock salt. Discover the benefits of incorporating RoadGuard Plus 8™ into your winter maintenance program by calling Tiger Calcium at 1-800-661-4298 or visit www.tigercalcium.com.

Based in Nisku, Alberta, Tiger Calcium is an industry leader supplying North America with calcium chloride products for over 45 years. From manufacturing, research, and development to product application of premium calcium chloride, Tiger Calcium specializes in road de-icing, anti-icing and ice melting. ❆ ISSUE 1 - 2015 | SNOW MANAGER

Product Showcase

Down in Numbers City of Lowell, Massachusetts reports 30 per cent reduction in road salt use over the past two winters

F

ourth-largest city in Massachusetts attributes historical salt savings to Cirus’ SpreadSmart Rx spreader controls installed on its snowplow trucks and anticipates more savings this winter.

The City of Lowell recently reported to community members that the city’s Public Works department decreased its winter road salt use by 30 per cent and saved over

$780,000 on its snow and ice budget. The city attributed the savings to its installation of SpreadSmart Rx spreader control systems on its snowplow trucks. Based on a truck’s speed, plus air and road surface temperatures, the electronic spreader control system – rather than snowplow truck operators – regulates the rate of salt or other deicing prescriptions applied

Tonnes of salt used by the Lowell Department of Public Works per inch of snow.

22

to winter road surfaces. SpreadSmart Rx spreader control systems are designed and manufactured by Cirus Controls of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Before installing electronic spreader controls on its snowplow trucks, the Lowell Department of Public Works, or DPW, was applying tonnes of salt on city streets for each winter storm.

“Our operators would typically set their existing manual spreaders to maximum and go, putting down about 1,000 pounds of salt per lane mile. As a result, our streets were often covered in salt after a storm,” says Kevin Murphy, Lowell city manager, adding the leftover salt also raised aesthetic and environmental concerns.

Over the last three fiscal years, Lowell and DPW cut road salt use by 30 per cent when measured in tonnes per inch of snow.

The drop is significant for three reasons.

The seasonal amount of snowfall tripled during this time. The average temperature dropped by nine degrees over this period.

And there were more ice-related events in the “Great Winter” of 2013-2014 than the two previous snow seasons that required salt spreading – salt use not factored into the tonnes of salt used per inch of snow statistic.

Over the last two fiscal years, Lowell saved over $780,000 on its snow and ice budget. In FY 2013, the city saved $463,556. In FY 2014, the city saved another $322,892. “Over the next few years, more savings are expected as additional trucks are upfitted with Cirus salt spreader controls,” says Ralph Snow, Lowell department of public works commissioner.

Lowell has also been saving more money by cleaning up less salt after each winter storm or ice event.

“Our number one objective is to provide customers better tools for cutting salt ISSUE 1 - 2015 | SNOW MANAGER

Product Showcase

Temperatures in Lowell, Mass., during the last three snow seasons.

use and saving money,” says Paul Mortell, president of Cirus Controls. “And by working closely with the Lowell Department of Public Works to develop a snow and ice control package specific to Lowell’s needs and concerns, we were able to achieve that goal.”

To date, Lowell has installed SpreadSmart Rx spreader controls on 24 new and older snowplow trucks. “The cost for equipping each truck was about $8,300 for a total investment of around $200,000,” says Snow.

The investment in salt spreader controls from Cirus Controls has helped Lowell both environmentally and financially.

“We’ve significantly reduced the amount of salt runoff into our rivers, streams and homeowners’ yards,” says Murphy. “In addition, the salt savings over the last two snow seasons has reduced our snow and ice liability. The smaller liability has negated our need to dip into any other budget surpluses or incorporating a greater snow and ice deficit into the following year’s budget, which would add to our citizens’ tax burden.”

As the winter of 2014-2015 settles in, Lowell and DPW look forward to continuing the trend of cutting salt use and saving money – and helping its snow and ice budget last through another unpredictable New England winter.

About Cirus Controls Cirus Controls designs, engineers, and manufactures central hydraulic systems, electronic spreader controls, advanced plow controls and innovative telematics-based data management systems for winter road maintenance vehicles. The company’s awardwinning winter road maintenance system provides fleet and operations managers and commercial operators with improved tools for making snow and ice control operations more cost-effective and environmentally friendly. ❆ SNOW MANAGER | www.snowmanager.ca

Clear roads.

Clear data.

Now you can get precise snow and ice control with data that’s accurate and believable.

Across the country, municipalities and DOTs are using SpreadSmart Rx™ electronic spreader controls and the GPS DataSmart™ winter road maintenance reporting system to: • Regulate salt application with precision, while minimizing salt expense • Obtain GPS-enhanced spreading reports and maps via web access • Manage fleet-wide spreading parameters for maximum operations control Read about your peers’ successes at ciruscontrols.com/casestudies

763.493.9380 info@ciruscontrols.com H Y D R A U L I C S | C O N T RO L S |

R E PO RT I N G

© 2015 Cirus Controls, LLC

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Product Showcase

The Perfect Pavement Mobile sensor MARWIS improves road safety

S

ince its introduction in October 2014, the Mobile Advanced Road Weather Information Sensor, or MARWIS, has revolutionized winter road maintenance data collection. Two months after the product launch, more than 200 MARWIS are already in use around the world.

What makes the MARWIS so innovative and useful? The MARWIS improves road safety with the help of real-time road weather data collection, especially during the winter season when the days get colder and the roads tend to be below 4°C. The sensor measures road weather conditions, such as road surface temperature, relative humidity above the road surface, dew point temperature, water-film height, ice percentage, friction and various road surface conditions (dry, damp, wet, critically wet, ice, snow and chemically wet). The MARWIS 24

collects data at a rate of 100 times per second. Within this time frame different road conditions can occur, which need to be analyzed during every measuring cycle.

For example, a speed of 80km/h results in a measurement at every 20 centimetres.

If there are, for example, different waterfilm heights within one measurement, it is necessary to determine the output values of these numerous measuring points. In order to solve this task, three values are available (minimum, maximum, or average) over the entire distance within one measuring period. The default setting upon delivery is set to “average value”, however, it is user selectable.

The MARWIS can be mounted horizontally on a roof top, either in the front, rear or the side of the vehicle. The minimum installation height for the one metre sensor version is 75 centimetres and 150 centimetres for the two metre version respectively. A vertical installation with the same restrictions is also possible.

The sensor data by itself is of great value; however, without processing/visualizing the same, it’s rather useless. For this purpose, LUFFT created an iOS app for Apple devices with an Android app being released shortly. The app shows all measured data and at the same time transfers all information to a server. Various configuration settings as well as the sensors’ calibration can be handled directly through the application.

The back-end process can be accomplished through a LUFFT software solution called SmartView/Glance, which allows the visualization of different mobile sensors on one map, showing the collected data of each sensor in operation. The entire information system behind MARWIS updates itself automatically and is thus highly user friendly. Moreover, it is quite robust against interferences such as power loss etc. The data transferred from the MARWIS to the collection device (Apple/ Android device) is being carried out via Bluetooth and onwards through a cellular connection to a data server.

A specific production process leads to a sensor with an approved protection class of IP68 (NEMA 6P), as well as having passed vibration and shock tests under the European EMC standards (Electromagnetic compatibility).

Additional information and latest news about the LUFFT mobile road sensor MARWIS is available on the following website www.lufft-marwis.com/en_US/ features. ❆ ISSUE 1 - 2015 | SNOW MANAGER

Forget the black You holes in your weather waste forecast. too much.

MARWIS makes weather networks mobile.

MARWIS.

www.lufft.com/wondermadeingermany MARWIS@traftech.2000.com www.lufft-MARWIS.com 1.800.363.6224 ext 2

www.lufft.com

MARWIS converts your vehicle eets into rapid response weather stations.

Product Showcase

A Workhorse Revamped Introducing the updated Viking proline combination body

D

esigned, manufactured, and installed since the mid-1990s the Proline is the workhorse of Viking’s equipment line-up. Built to last, the rounded sides allow for gravity to deliver

material to the centre located discharge conveyor chain. Simplistic in its design, yet extremely effective to allow the complete emptying of material without use of fronthoist or side-lift hydraulics. The main con-

veyor can deliver material to front or rear discharge gates. A multitude of spinner configurations range from front or rear centre, front left hand or right hand, and front left hand and right hand to cover all

Canada’s leading manufacturer of innovative and dependable snow & ice control equipment Viking Cives Ltd. Mount Forest, ON Paul Milne 1.888.610.SNOW 26

GinCor Industries Mattawa, ON Rob Kent 1.705.744.5543

Cubex Municipal Winnipeg, MB Rob Emes 1.204.336.0008

Prairie Hydraulics Calgary, AB Earl Farmer 1.403.279.2070 ISSUE 1 - 2015 | SNOW MANAGER

Product Showcase to lighten tare weight and with a summer cover available to protect the conveyor bed converts the Proline into a summer hauling workhorse as well.

Improvements from original concept to current day production have always been ongoing since it hit the market as Viking strives for continual improvement in the Proline as we do for our entire product line. The auto tensioning design of the main conveyor has proved to be a huge advantage for the end users. Through the

use of a series of rollers and springs the main conveyor chain , once a contentious maintenance headache for operators and mechanics alike, are tensioned once a year and requires virtually no other tensioning maintenance for the winter season.

Viking Cives Ltd has been located in Mount Forest, Ontario since 1985 and is the industry leader in snow and ice equipment manufacturing with innovative products such as the Proline, RollerPro, and Saltsaver plow and scraper. ❆

ARMOUR-SEAL Frame & Component Encapsulant material spreading points. The Proline is also capable of dumping out the rear air operated tailgate via the front-mounted telescopic hoist cylinder as per regular contractor dump box. Since its introduction to market the Proline has dominated the spreader market as the number one choice for a combination body.

The type of body construction available has expanded from originally only available in regular carbon Corten steel to include Hardox 450 high tensile steel, 5083 marine grade aluminium, and both 304L and 201 stainless steel, as well to meet all types of different requests and requirements. The aluminium and stainless steel construction eliminates the need to paint and paint is the number one reason regular carbon steel bodies are pulled out of active duty for extended maintenance periods as repaints are time and financially consuming. Fleets looking for extended life and/or higher visibility and image would do well to consider either aluminium or stainless steel construction Prolines.

Cross conveyors to convey material from main conveyor to spinner is available via chute, chain, belt or auger depending on material spread configuration.

Available with many options including, but not limited to, air tarp, poly liner, all makes of spreader controllers, pre-wet and DLA capabilities to customize the Proline to suit all markets.

The winter spreader features are removable once winter ops are complete SNOW MANAGER | www.snowmanager.ca

Finally an undercoating you can apply in your shop with your personnel.

Easy application – with the air operated PISTOL-GRIP Spray gun. No mixing!

Environmentally safe – low VOC’S, contains no hazardous petroleum solvents, and is non-flammable.

Superior corrosion protection – meets the Military Spec TT-C-520-B Salt Test and Chloride Spray Test, exceeding 1000 hours.

Budget friendly – only 2 to 4 quarts protects frames and components for years.

NEUTRO-WASH Salt & Chloride Neutralizer

Removes white salt residue left behind from pressure washing with detergents – use NEUTRO‑WASH before applying ARMOUR‑SEAL. Put a stop to corrosion and expensive repairs – enjoy more efficient equipment that works harder, lasts longer and looks better.

Save thousands of dollars simply by protecting the equipment you already have in your fleet.

PROTECTION • PRESERVATION • PERFORMANCE

www.rhomar.com solutions@rhomar.com

1-800-688-6221 27

Product Showcase

Red is the New Green The new MacLean Municipal Vehicle delivers updated features

M

acLean Engineering is proud to announce the release of its latest municipal vehicle, the MacLean MV4. Representing the accumulation of over eight years of working with cities, contractors, and other users of Municipal Vehicles, the MV4 delivers the features they want, combined with the durability and versatility they need.

The MacLean Municipal Vehicle (MV) is an innovative rear-engine articulating tractor designed with the principal purpose of sidewalk snow removal in mind; however, use of the MV is not restricted to sidewalks. Understanding the plat-

NEW INTRODUCING THE

SIDEWALK

DROP SPREADER

Fits Sidewalks

Precise Application

Low Vibration

Stainless Steel

Made In USA

Spreader Features Increases Salt Savings Precision Drop-Rate Control Consistent Drop Pattern

Minimal Maintenance Quick Return on Investment Easy Flow Adjustments

Request More Info or Schedule a Demo

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1-877-933-SNOW (7669)

Innovative Agitation System 12V Electric Drive/Transmission Capacity 2.5 ft3/200 lbs www.ventrac.com/spreader

ISSUE 1 - 2015 | SNOW MANAGER

Product Showcase form lends itself to many other applications, MacLean Engineering has sought to broaden the appeal of the Municipal Vehicle by engineering features making it suitable to power a wide variety of attachments for use over all four seasons.

Easy to operate and maintain, the MacLean MV offers a wide variety of OEM attachments, including: • 50-80-inch dual-auger snow blowers • High-output ribbon style snow blowers • 60-84-inch trip-edge style angle plows • Full trip angle plows • Five-way folding plows • Fixed V plows • Rear mount grit spreaders • Anti-ice systems • Rear mount water tanks • Rotary sweepers • Asphalt and concrete planers • Six-, 10- and 14-foot rotary finishing mowers • 74- and 88-inch flail mowers • Boom flail mowers Customer feedback has played a very large role in the evolution of the MV, which has ultimately helped determine the configuration of the machine.

“Customers have told us what is important to them and we have worked to produce a machine that exceeds their expectations”, says Scott Johnston, technical sales and product development manager for the MV product line. The Maclean MV4 has been under development for several years and has undergone a rigorous testing protocol over all four seasons.

Red Is the New Green The first Tier 4 emission compliant vehicle in its class!

The MacLean MV4: red is the new green Customers are quick to identify the MV as “the red machine”. With the introduction of the MV4, the “red machine” is one of the first in class to “go green” and offer a Tier 4 (interim) emission compliant engine.

This new four-cylinder Caterpillar engine helps the MV4 achieve both better fuel economy and reduced emissions without compromising power and performance.

Tier 4 (interim) emission compliance is only part of the appeal of the MV4. The Municipal Vehicle has received major enhancements improving comfort, ergonomics, ease of operation, durability, performance, and serviceability, all contributing SNOW MANAGER | www.snowmanager.ca

Setting the New Standard!

Comfort — Performance — Durability — Ease of Operation — Serviceability Contact your local dealer to schedule a demonstration

WWW.MACLEANMV.COM Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada

519-370-2999

29

Product Showcase

to the goal of increased “up” time and a lower overall cost of ownership.

The MV4 operator’s cab has been completely redesigned resulting in reduced interior noise levels, improved heating and cooling, enhanced visibility and improved ergonomics. Many subtle changes inside the cab have produced major benefits for the operator.

The driveline has also been completely redesigned on the MV4. An innovative new configuration reduces the number of maintenance intensive components

in the driveline, such as universal joints, yolks, mechanical gearboxes and hanger bearings, and provides shift-on-the-fly capabilities. Operators are no longer required to bring the MV to a stop to shift the transmission between ranges – shifting is as simple as pushing a switch. Additionally, axle capacity has been increased and the wet disc service brake feature has been maintained. A spring applied hydraulic released parking brake,or SAHR, is standard on the MV4, eliminating the use of any and all cables on the machine. Of

course, all driveline components including hydraulic pumps, motors and the PTO clutch are heavy duty and suitable for use in demanding applications.

Under the redesigned rear hoods, particular attention was paid to improved serviceability, with a specific focus on access to filters and other service components.

Likewise, access to components inside the cab service access door has also been enhanced.

MacLean Engineering is pleased to advise that all of the benefits of the MV4 have not come at the expense of simplicity. Customers have clearly stated that complicated electronic controls and sophisticated electronic systems do not necessarily result in a better product.

MacLean Engineering has maintained a focus on ease of operation and simplicity of service, and looked to provide the right amount of technology for the application, rather than overcomplicate the machine.

The MacLean MV4 includes an extensive list of standard features complemented by a wide variety of factory installed options, allowing the customer to custom tailor each machine to its intended application. For more information, please visit MacLean Engineering’s website (www.macleanmv.com) or contact your location MV dealer. ❆

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

30

Arctic Snow & Ice Control Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Kleysen Group LP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Ariens Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

MacLean Engineering. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Bonnell Industries, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

NSC Minerals Ltd.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . OBC

Cirus Controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Reist Industries Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Del Equipment Ltd.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC

Rhomar Industries Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Drive Products. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Snow Wheel System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Fort Garry Industries Ltd.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Tiger Calcium Services Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Henderson Products Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Traffic Technology 2000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Horst Weldings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Ventrac by Venture Products Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

John Deere. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IBC

Viking-Cives Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

ISSUE 1 - 2015 | SNOW MANAGER

Need fewer clients?

Tell them your tractor wouldn’t start.

3:02 AM on a snowy winter morning? It’s time to go to work. In this business, you need equipment that’s ready to take on tough tasks in any weather, any time of day. Tractor won’t start in the middle of the night? Guess what. Your client just found someone else to do the job.

That’s what makes the new 4R Series Compact Utility Tractors such a smart investment. How do we make sure they’ll start in freezing conditions? Simple. We test them in freezing conditions. We make sure that the legendary reliability you’ve come to expect from John Deere is not just a buzz word. Add in all the premium features in the new 4R Series – hydrostatic or PowrReverser™ Transmission options, our exclusive Hitch Assist for easy implement hookup, and a plush climate-controlled cab – and you’ve got the right tools to keep your operators happy, and more importantly, your clients.

See your John Deere dealer today and while you’re there, ask about discounts and other benefits your business could receive as a John Deere GreenFleet™ member.

JohnDeere.ca