Snow ploughs on castors clear the way

With the lowest December temperatures since records began, the United Kingdom went into the deep freeze in 2010. There were many criticisms as the country struggled to handle the extreme weather conditions it faced.

With the lowest December temperatures since records began, the United Kingdom went into the deep freeze in 2010. There were many criticisms as the country struggled to handle the extreme weather conditions it faced. Many councils simply could not clear the roads and pathways and many parts of the country simply ground to a halt, costing the economy millions at this busy time of year. Airports ground to a halt as runway clearance was hampered by huge snow downfalls. Clearly future investment in snow ploughs is required if this catastrophe is to be avoided.

Essentially snow ploughs on castors are attached to the front of trucks, trains and tractors to facilitate to movement of the snow and ice from the roads, rail, work yards and runways. It will not surprise you to know that they were first invented by our Scandinavian cousins in the 1920's originally as wooden structures on cars. This simple design has been developed and now the snow ploughs are mounted on a variety of castors and attached to the front of trucks and tractors.

The snow plough plate can be fitted with standard eight inch rubber castors, which swivel and can assist in the directional movement of the snow plough. For heavier duty applications twin rubber wheeled castors can replace the standard single wheel castor. This twin rubber castor not only can withstand more weight loading, but also will last longer than the single castor as the truck or tractor moves at speed. As the rubber wheels are mounted on a swivelling plate, it ensures the plough is not only positioned correctly, but also runs smoothly over the snowy surface. The rubber castors also aid in grip, as alternative nylon castors would slip as they have less friction between the running surface and the floor. Shock absorbing castors can also be fitted to snow ploughs as an alternative, as their internal spring action absorbs surface imperfections.

Snow plough manufacturers also have optional pneumatic castors that can be fitted to the plates. These pneumatic wheeled castors have the added benefit of absorbing road and surface imperfections, to reduce plough bounce. Road worthy pneumatic castors may have reduce swivelling capabilities on the plough but offer greater efficiencies at speed. Providing the plough can be lifted on reversing so as not to damage the pneumatic castors, they provide an efficient alternative to the rubbercastors. If lifting the plough is problematic on occasions the pneumatic castors could be fitted with an integral screw jack to help adjust the height of the castors. A recent technological development has been to fill the pneumatic castors with polycellular foam to prevent punctures. Puncture proofing pneumatic castors will of course reduce the massive inconvenience of punctures which will in the end save time and money.

In order to store these snow ploughs safely throughout the year, snowplough stands on castors are available. These stands are a simple frame structure with swivelling castors and fixed castors attached. This enables the ploughs to be stored and relocated as required. As the winter season progresses we all wait with baited breath to see if the next snowfall causes as much disruption as the last!