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Oct 1, 2008 7:44 pm US/Central
New Tow Plows: Clearing More Than 2 Lanes At Once
ST. CLOUD, Minn. (WCCO) ―
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The tow plow is towed behind a tandem dump truck and clears about two and a quarter lanes at once.
CBS
A big, white, snow drift may be in the news before you know it. That's why people who operate snow removal equipment gather every year in St. Cloud to see what's new.
If it looks similar to machinery hill at the Minnesota State Fair, it's because the equipment is shiny and new. Vendors are showing it off to city, county and state operators, and a couple of new things here will make your life a little easier.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation's newest winter weapon doesn't move one flake of snow. What the snow plow simulator does is train drivers in a realistic environment.
The simulator reproduces a variety of road and weather conditions. The operator can also give the drivers a surprise, like a blown tire. And it also saves a lot of diesel fuel normally used for training.
"Plus I can put approximately 16 people through a day, training in one unit versus starting up 16 trucks, running them up and down the road, and having trainers in each vehicle," said Andrew Kubista of MnDOT.
Drivers are happy to get all the training they can, for a dangerous job.
"Obviously the slippery conditions, we're going out when it's the worst, when everybody else wants to stay in bed. And we're getting the roads ready for them to go to work," said Aaron Rasset with the City of Hutchinson.
And with all the snow plows, snow blowers and rotary brushes, MnDOT was showing off its 26-foot-wide tow plow.
"This is a tow plow, its towed behind a tandem dump truck and what it does is it clears about two and a quarter lanes, so an extra lane versus our normal plow trucks, it allows us to do our job more efficiently," said Ryan Sodd of MnDOT.
The tow plow costs $60,000 as opposed to $250,000 for a complete plow truck.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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