Snow Removal Through The Ages
Rob Thibault
We haven’t always had gas or hydraulic powered salters, bobcats, or pickups on which to mount plows to clear snow. Today, we thought we’d take you through a little review of the ways in which people tried to remove snow before they had the fleet of tools that TBO’s Snow & Ice Management team now has at their disposal!
After some investigation, our team discovered that in the 1800s, horse drawn snow plows were employed to clear the streets for residents to walk through. While this attempt at problem solving often helped residents travel more easily throughout the city, many people complained that the road was still uneven and bumpy, even making it hard for sleighs to travel through.
In the early 1900s, caterpiller tractors, equipped with snow clearing blades were tasked with clearing snow from streets. Steam shovels, cranes, and railway flatcars were used to move the snow off the streets.
Snowloaders were soon designed - the early version of the snowplow - a contraption that rode “on tractor treads...equipped with a giant scoop and a conveyor belt.” Motorized salt spreaders, snowplows, and snow blowers would soon be designed to help with the necessary task of snow removal.
Today, TBO’s Snow & Ice Management team is thankful and proud of the extensive motorized fleet and variety of tools we have at our disposal to provide the perfect winter solution for you!
Be prepared for winter's surprises, and let us help you have liability-free peace of mind.