Multihog’s new Barrier Cutting Solution

Jul 03, 2011 Warehousing Ireland News 0

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From 3km per day to 3km per hour

Multihog’s latest solution for safer and more effective highway maintenance comes in the form of a barrier cutter, which enables much quicker and safer clearance of vegetation around crash barriers alongside motorways and dual carriageways.

This new attachment was developed in collaboration with McCreath Taylor, a Northern Irish supplier of environmental and municipal equipment, after the company won a contract to provide vehicles, manpower and management for motorway maintenance in the region. Director David Johnston was keen to find a more efficient solution for his clients than the traditional methods used which were labour intensive, costly and potentially dangerous. A typical operation would involve the use of tractor mounted grass cutters, a three strong team of strimmers and three preceding warning vehicles.

Having seen a video of the Multihog in operation, David was impressed by its versatility and visited the manufacturing facility in Dundalk. It became clear after discussions with Multihog designer Jim McAdam that a solution could be found to address the issues in question, with the added benefit of vastly speeding up the clearance of the long stretches of carriageway under contract.

The subsequently designed barrier cutter, with a cutting width of 1200mm, is mounted on the front of the Multihog MH90 base unit, and offers unimpeded visibility for the single operator. The two rotating discs are spring loaded to automatically and safely cut around the barrier uprights. The attachment also features a swivel mount, allowing both the side and central reservations to be cut with the flow of traffic.

The time savings are impressive with the Multihog: a previous 9 hour shift averaged a total of just 3km, whereas 3km per hour can now be achieved, enabling McCreath Taylor to meet the budget and efficiency targets promised. With the addition of a warning arrow fixed to the rear of the Multihog, the requirement for ancillary warning vehicles has also been reduced by one, for further savings on diesel and personnel.

David comments: “Jim looked at our requirements and observed the opportunity to come up with yet another application for this versatile machine, and we were sold pretty much there and then. I like the easy operation and the fact that the lads can swap the tools on the front and rear of the Multihog in minutes if we have another job requiring different attachments. We have had faultless service so far and I am also delighted that the operation can now be carried out more safely.”

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