Watch Volvo excavator clear snowy cars in seconds with industrial blower

5 years, 1 month ago - 30 January 2019, Autoblog
Watch Volvo excavator clear snowy cars in seconds with industrial blower
It beats scraping 7,000 icy cars

As an expected part of life during the winter months, a snowstorm does not faze the people at State Line Auto Auction. Stationed in upstate New York, Paul Barber and his crew deal with the white stuff often and are well equipped to handle the challenges of keeping thousands of cars clean. As opposed to tediously wiping and chiseling away at each vehicle, State Line found a much simpler, more efficient and more fun way of snow removal: industrial-strength turbines.

With more than 1,000 cars moving in and out of the auction grounds each week, State Line doesn't have time to waste. It needed a solution for clearing cars of snow and ice quickly, and the problem-solving result is pretty Tim Taylor-esque. Seen in the video below, State Line attached a Buffalo turbine to a Volvo excavator to blow the snow and ice off of the cars like they were eraser scraps from a piece of paper.

It might seem a little much, but Barber specifies the somewhat overdone method is necessary when there are more than 7,000 vehicles on the grounds. He also clarifies to a commenter that it rarely damages the cars, despite what one might expect.

"The cars are in our care, custody and control so it would not be beneficial if it damaged them," Barber says in a comment. "We have blown one mirror off in four years." That's not a bad record when considering the volume of cars this thing covers.

The video below is older but gives a glimpse at how much work is involved to even clear the grounds before cleaning up the cars.

State Line's method is working so well that Barber states a second machine is currently in the works. Maybe Volvo should adopt the idea and sell it as a factory option. Either way, we want to drive one.

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