Overview
Road crews of most transportation agencies maintain and operate fleets of snow plow vehicles for snow and ice removal.The snow plow attachment is equipped with a replaceable plow blade, which typically is six to nine feet long, that facilitates pushing and displacing snow from the road surface to the sides. Plow blades undergo wear and tear under use, and therefore, must be removed and replaced periodically. Plow blades are typically replaced multiple times in the winter season.
Because plow blades are heavy, traditional methods require a two-person team to remove and replace the blades. Even with two people doing the work, numerous injuries are sustained. In 2021, 29 injuries were reported related to plow blade removal and replacement. To mitigate the safety hazards and make plow blade replacement safer and more efficient, Colorado Department of Transportation designed a cart to facilitate the safe replacement of plow blades which has significantly reduced the injuries and increased efficiency.
With the plow blade installer cart, there is no bodily contact with the blades. Instead, the plow blade is secured to the cart using holes in the blade. The cart helps to lift and move the blade to the stationary snowplow. The blade is then deposited on to the plow hooks by tilting the cart. Plow blades can also be removed in the same manner with the same cart. This multi-purpose cart can be used for transporting other items, such as motor graders, tow plows and skid plates on a mower deck.
Benefits
The bulleted list below enumerates multiple key benefits that have been seen using the plow blade installer cart.
- Reduces hazards related to plow blade removal and replacement.
- Reduces costs related to workplace injuries.
- Increases efficiency as a single person can replace the blade quickly - usually in less than one minute.
- Increases efficiency by saving time, allowing more vehicles to be processed in a shorter amount of time.
- Improves customer service due to plows being deployed more quickly for snow removal.
Resources
Contacts
Brian Manguso
Equipment Mechanic, Region 2
Colorado Department of Transportation
Email:
brian.manguso@state.co.us
Jeffrey Ercul
Shop LTC OPs I, Shop Supervisor, Region 2
Colorado Department of Transportation
Phone: 719-568-4822
Email:
Jeffrey.ercul@state.co.us
John Pickard
Heavy Equipment Mechanic IV
Colorado Department of Transportation
Phone: 719-428-8475
Email:
john.pickard@state.co.us
