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County highway shop wins OPERA approval for plow-to-loader adapter; procurement to follow
Summary
Crow Wing County highway staff received OPERA (University of Minnesota) approval to fund an adapter plate that lets the county quickly mount truck plows to front-end loaders. County staff said the adapter will save time and enhance safety; the vendor quote shown in the presentation was $5,700 per unit.
Joe Lucksick, lead fleet manager for Crow Wing County, introduced a presentation from Austin Kubish, lead worker at the county highway shop, about an adapter plate to let the county mount front-mounted truck plows to loaders quickly.
Kubish said the product acts as an intermediate adapter between the loader and the plow so crews do not have to modify the plow or the loader. "It is an intermediate adapter to go between the loader and the plow," Kubish said. He said the adapter would normally remain attached to the plow, which can sit on a spare truck, and crews could unhook and rehook between vehicles quickly during snow events.
Funding and procurement: Kubish said the county applied to the University of Minnesota's OPERA program (operational research for local transportation) and received approval for the requested funding. In the meeting packet an invoice from the vendor (Falls) showed $5,700 per adapter. Kubish said the county must complete procurement paperwork and take photos for the OPERA committee and LTAP processes before final purchase.
Why this matters: County staff explained the adapter will add versatility (use on parking lots and certain roadway tasks), reduce the time crews spend converting plows between trucks and loaders, and could improve safety by reducing heavy lifts and field work. Commissioners praised the staff member for the idea and asked practical questions about fit, stability and compatibility.
Compatibility and operations: Kubish said the device is produced to work with the Falls plows used by the county and that the county is moving to two-way plows on its primary trucks; he said the adapter will remain useful as the fleet transitions. He explained the loader bucket is removed by a quick coupler and the adapter is designed to be handled similarly.
Next steps: County fleet staff will complete the procurement steps required by OPERA and LTAP and move to purchase the adapter. The project was described as an approved OPERA-funded local research purchase pending standard procurement documentation and receipt of the item.
