Mack® Granite® MHD Plows Through Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
03-05-2014
GREENSBORO, NC (March 5, 2014) – The durability and maneuverability of the Mack® Granite® Medium Heavy Duty (MHD) model could easily handle plowing the tight and narrow streets of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., so the city purchased five for its fleet.
The MHD 4x2 plows were delivered in 2013, and Butch Frati, director of operations for the City of Wilkes-Barre said he’s been impressed by their performance.
“I’m pleased that we chose Mack,” Frati said. “The MHD vehicles outperform others. The MHD models are durable, cost-efficient because of their fuel efficiency benefits, and an overall pleasure to drive. Our drivers consistently report that.”
Wilkes-Barre is a long and narrow city based in northeast Pennsylvania. The city is comprised of about 600 streets, which amounts to 129 miles of roads the city needs to maintain. The recent snowstorms in Wilkes-Barre allowed the MHD 4x2 models to prove their brawn, easily plowing through streets covered with heavy snow.
“Wilkes-Barre is about eight miles long and two miles wide, so we have a lot of hilly, narrow neighborhoods that can prove to be difficult to plow,” Frati said. “The MHD models have excellent maneuverability and they easily handle the tight roads. The Mack MHDs easily handled the streets and the snowfall.”
The short bumper-to-tire distance of the MHD 4x2 offers front-end swing clearance and superior wheel cut, both key for navigating tight turns in municipalities and construction sites.
“We’re pleased the City of Wilkes-Barre has found success with the MHD 4x2 plows,” said Stu Russoli, Mack construction product marketing manager. “The MHD 4x2 offers a great option for customers who don’t need the power of an 11-liter engine, but who need the strength and durability of a truck like the Granite. It gives them the right-sized truck at the right price with uptime that benefits their bottom line.”
Frati worked with Triple Cities Mack in Scranton, Pa. to spec the MHD models to best meet the city’s needs.
Equipped with a Cummins ISL9 engine, the MHD 4x2 provides the power, durability and reliability that customers have come to expect from a Mack truck.
A clean back-of-cab design helps the MHD 4x2 accommodate a wide variety of body options, including those required for utility, dump and municipal applications. The galvanized steel cab of the MHD 4x2 is mounted on airbags and shocks so the driver stays comfortable during the workday. The Mack Cornerstone™ chassis, built of high-strength steel alloy for a stronger, lighter frame, is offered in four frame rail thicknesses ranging from 7 mm to 11.1 mm.
A Mack® Granite® Medium Heavy Duty (MHD) 4x2 plow gets ready to tackle the snowfall in the City of Wilkes-Barre, Pa. during a February snowstorm.