Many or all of the Monroe residents may have noticed that after our first winter storm of the season; we were not instantly out on the streets plowing snow. I take full responsibility for this lack of response; mostly because I was too lazy to go outside and see that it was worse than what my window view showed. But after a few phone calls and Jim Sweeney’s yearly dissatisfaction rants on facebook; we got out and cleared away the snow.
I would like to inform everyone that our new maintenance person Nate Buskohl has been busy performing necessary repairs on our equipment for quite some time now. Last year he made an upgrade to our plow skid plates that would break regularly due to our road conditions. He has changed the design of the plow by replacing the skid plates with wheels. Also when he got on board last year he noticed that the bucket blade was worn too far; to the point where it needed replacement ASAP; he did this procedure. Then this summer he tackled our tractor bucket cylinders that have been leaking for quite some time. This was a round and round process in itself because he had to get quotes for repair approval; then during the rebuild the person decided that the cylinders were too far worn and needed replacement which required more purchase approval. He just finished this repair this past October. And then there was the flat tire on the tractor. It was found during the cylinder overhaul at a time when the tractor was not operational for a few months. We entered the garage one day and it was flat. And there was a hole found on the top side of the tire. Nate and Troy worked together using a few tools loaned from Don Bauer’s shop. At the point in time when the tractor finally became operational we were then able to get ready for snow removal. This process requires the use of the tractor to load the sander into the dump truck. This was done just a few weeks ago. The snow blower was attached to the tractor and the plow blade was installed on the dump truck. And it was then that we noticed that the plow blade had another problem. There are 3 scraper blades on the bottom of the plow that are spring tensioned and will retract if they come in contact with something sturdy; such as maybe a steel man hole lid. And the middle one was loosely flapping. Yes – broken springs were found just a few weeks ago. It turns out that there are no replacement parts available to fix this problem. But Nate and Troy have brain stormed another plow design upgrade and that is what Nate will be working on tonight; just a dozen hours before a 12 inch snow hits our town.
I just want to express that I am very thankful for all Nate has done and all that he will do in the future. Not only is he repairing our equipment cheaper and faster than any nearby shop could do. He is also maintaining our equipment to avoid costly repairs in the future too. He is a much needed asset to our community. If you want to say thanks to Nate just turn your outside light on and off a few times when he drives the plow past your house.
