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PRINCE GEORGE – When some people hear the word “Icebreaker” their thoughts may wander to visions of a vessel that is designed to sail through an ice-covered ocean.
Recently a local road maintenance contractor acquired an “Icebreaker” that’s designed to smash ice build-up on local roadways.
The rotating spiked drum is the latest tool YRB is testing to remove compact ice on roadways. The spiked drum is designed to crush ice and reduce the thickness of the ice buildup on the road surface.
YRB first started testing the Finnish made Raiko Icebreaker on roads they maintain back in November.
The spiked drum is attached to the front of a grader and then the broken ice is scraped away by a grader blade.
With the help of the serrated blade located on the underbelly of the grader, the slippery ice surface is roughed up. Ben Scott General Manager, YRB Fort George Division
Plans are in the works to have this rolling spiked drum fitted for highway plow trucks.
Currently, the removal of compact ice is mechanically scraped away reducing the number of passovers using an ice blade.
The latest tool reduces that number and at the same time, creates a road surface that works better with salt.
