When they lost their only road grader in a recent shop fire, they were faced with replacing it on short notice. It had been a busy machine. The town’s Rural Municipality spans 324 square kilometers, with 265 kilometers of gravel roads that keep the grader in daily use for the entire summer and actively clearing snow during the winter. So they needed something dependable, versatile, fuel-efficient, long-lasting, comfortable, and with a solid warranty and service plan.
says Owen Green, Head of Public Works and Utilities. “So first we looked at used equipment. But then we thought, let’s try out a few pieces.” They elected to trial and demo graders from four manufacturers. “SMS Equipment came up right away with a Komatsu GD655-6 grader for us to use for two weeks,” he says. Municipality operators put the graders through their paces.
says Green. That includes operator comfort and efficiency—Rosthern’s operators range from five foot-eight to six foot-five and they can spend up to 16 hours in the cab doing multiple moldboard operations. “How everything is laid out from the rack to the steering wheel is important. You don’t want to reach too far, or have awkward movements. If it doesn’t fit the person right, he’s going to be jumping up and getting out every half hour.”
