All over North America, snow removal planning and purchasing is in full-swing. With snow removal equipment, budget is paramount. Wheel loaders used to remove snow aren’t used for many hours, as their usage demands are entirely dependent on the weather. As a result, the snowy season is driving both sales and rentals of SDLG wheel loaders across North America.
The attraction is simple: SDLG wheel loaders require less of an initial investment than their premium-priced counterparts, but without sacrificing quality. Chad Gerondale, who handles marketing and special projects with Alaska-based Construction Machinery Industrial (CMI), is seeing an uptick in snow removal sales and rentals, especially SDLG wheel loaders.
“The key to purchasing snow removal equipment is return on investment. If it doesn’t snow too much, the machine is left idle and the company isn’t generating revenue,” he says. “The value proposition of SDLG wheel loaders is ideal, as with one SDLG loader you can retire two pickup trucks. It doesn’t make sense to purchase a more expensive machine because there’s no guarantee it will work enough to see a benefit. Those customers buying and renting SDLG wheel loaders are saying very good things about the machines, too.”
One of those customers is Anchorage-based Boehmer Services. Boehmer is an independent snow removal and asphalt maintenance company that purchased an SDLG wheel loader in the fall of 2013. So far, it’s put some 180 hours of snow removal work on the machine.
Saygen Boehmer, President of the company, says that value pricing of the SDLG LG938L initially piqued his interest, but now that he’s spent a full season using the loader for snow removal, it’s the features that make him a fan.
“For the price, I think SDLG wheel loaders are the best in their class,” he says. “The four-wheel turning comes in really handy for snow removal and really, it turns better than any premium-priced machine I’ve ever used. The five-year warranty was also big reason I went with SDLG – I know that if I have any problems, CMI has guaranteed its best support and service.”
Government use
Regional and local governments are making their snow removal purchases now, too, and many are choosing SDLG. In Canada for example, the rural municipalities of Sarnia and Caledonia, both in Saskatchewan, have purchased SDLG wheel loaders with the intent to use them on snow removal projects. Both groups purchased the 2.4 yd³ bucket SDLG LG938L.
Al Quinn, Director of SDLG North America, says that with public funds, money is tight and closely-watched. Groups are looking for the best bang for their buck, but not if it means sacrificing quality.
“SDLG provides a great option for municipalities because often, the machines aren’t working 24/7/365, so there’s no need for the features of a premium machine and no need to worry about recouping that high of an investment,” he says. “But that doesn’t mean the wheel loaders can be low quality – people in their regions depend on their vital services, so they must buy a machine that will work well and is backed by great product support and service. SDLG provides just that.”
SDLG has four wheel loaders available across its dealer network: The LG938L, a 2.4 yd³ capacity wheel loader; the LG948L, a 3.0 yd³ capacity wheel loader; the LG959, 4.0 yd³ capacity wheel loader; and the LG958L, which has the same basic specs as the LG959, but with dry disc brakes rather than wet disc. All four loaders are backed by a 12-month, 1,500-hour warranty.