First-of-a-kind stump grinder makes work safer for employees and creates productivity gains for customers.

Citywide truck operators give new stump truck the thumbs up!

A first-of-its-kind stump grinder commissioned for Citywide's new City of Melton partnership is making work safer for our employees and creating productivity gains for our customers.

The new innovation, the SX30TX, has a 'Lift and Slide' rigid body side loading mechanism, which uses a hydraulically driven platform to lift a 900kg stump grinder in a similar motion to a tail lift from the ground, then slide horizontally into place on the chassis.

Since hitting the roads in July, it is significantly reducing the manual handling required to pull up tree stumps in the community.

Citywide’s Asset & Equipment Coordinator, Paul Wellington, said Citywide challenged Gough Transport Solutions (GTS) to build a truck that would improve safety for our employees.

“The hydraulic lifting mechanism is the ideal solution – it is much safer than manually pushing a stump truck up a ramp, which can be very slippery when wet.

“The new model also includes safety features such as the truck cannot be operated until all hydraulic legs are firmly on the ground and a warning light/buzzer in the cab doesn’t allow the truck to be driven when it is lowered,” said Paul.

Citywide’s Operational Leader, David Burke, said the new truck is also enhancing productivity.

“The Lift and Slide allows the operators to carry a stump grinder on the same rigid truck body as a woodchipper – a task that previously required two trucks to accomplish.

“We are now undertaking the same amount of jobs with half the number of crew, no longer relying on sub-contractors – and improving efficiency with the stump chewer able to chew a stump in half the time."

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