The past few winters have been rough for those who don’t live in the more tropical or desert climates in the continental United States. The winter of 2015 alone set a number of different records for both frigid temperatures and inches of snow fallen. The NOAA’s National Snow Analysis found that at the beginning of March 2015, 63.4% of the country still had snow on the ground!
Although many mountainous states in the country may be used to all the snow (for example, Salt Lake City, Achorage, and Denver all received eight feet in their record high seasons), the other states like in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions are not as prepared for winter as they should be.
Not being prepared for winter storms can be costly for both homeowners and businesses. In 2014, winter storms caused nearly $2.3 billion in insured losses — and 2015’s numbers have probably exceeded last year’s count. So what can businesses and towns do to keep their roadways and parking lots clear of the white fluffy stuff? Purchasing snow pushers is one option to consider.
What are snow pushers? Also known as a snow pusher box or box plow, these are heavy duty snow plows that easily remove both freshly fallen snow and compact snow. Designed to move snow by pushing it straight ahead, snow pushers come in a variety of styles, the most common being the angled snow plow.
Angled Snow Pusher: Mostly used for roadways, these plows are constructed with a curved moldboard which, as the plow travels forward, empties the snow to the side. The benefits of this type of plow are that more snow can be moved at one continuous rate.
Types of edges: Snow pushers have two different types of edges — steel and rubber.
Rubber pushers have a composite material attached to the bottom of the moldboard and lies flush to the ground. This keeps snow from going under the pusher, thus allowing for a “cleaner” plow job. Rubber pushers are great if the ground is uneven, as it has some give.
A steel snow pusher has a spring-loaded cutting edge that is also affixed to the bottom of the moldboard. Steel is great for removing snow on hard pavement surfaces. To avoid bumps and other obstructions, the steel pusher has a tripping system. These systems are either compression springs, torsion springs, or composite material springs. No matter what type, each is designed to allow the pusher to continuously move forward and allow the edge of the plow to flip back and over the obstacle
No matter what type of pusher purchased, it is always good to know that your town, business, or home will be prepared in the event of a major snowstorm this winter.
