Winter storms create a plethora of challenges for municipalities to remedy. Ensuring safe highways, streets and other roadways is paramount not just for the safety of your community, but for the function of it as well. Areas with freezing conditions, unpredictable drops in temperature, and heavy snow or sleet storms may need more solutions than the traditional front-mounted plow and spreader can offer. When the precipitation freezes into packed ice, an underbody scraper is your greatest tool to clear the road.
What Are Underbody Scrapers?
Underbody scrapers are a type of plow that utilize constant down pressure to break up and remove compacted snow and ice from the roadway. The scraper is installed underneath the truck frame, and is operated by in-cab controls moving the moldboard up and down or right to left. Underbody scrapers “follow” the front mounted plow, removing any ice and snow that the front blade cannot penetrate. This helps ensure that the road is as clear as possible.
In many cases, after the underbody scraper passes over an area it is immediately followed by the distribution of anti-icing agents. In this instance, the anti-icing agent is being applied to freshly cleared roadways. When additional snowfall comes, the agent will stay on top of the roadway and begin to melt the snow from underneath. When applied directly to a cleared roadway, vehicular traffic can actually help speed up the melting process by compressing the snow into the de-icing agent.
Monroe Truck Equipment offers four underbody scrapers in both fixed angle and reversible models. The MS4500 is a utilitarian multi-purpose scraper that can rotate in every direction. The FMB 3500 can also be rotated along a swivel, but includes a folding moldboard. The MF5 is a fixed angle scraper used primarily for light duty scraping. And finally, the MS4500 FX is a fixed angle scraper designed for heavy duty applications. Most scrapers are available with adjustable height side plates, as well as a variety of cutting edges.
Advantages Of Underbody Scrapers
Effectively Remove Snow and Ice
Road ice hazards can take place on any roadway, but are particularly dangerous for high speed travel, such as on a highway. High-speed driving on top of ice can lead to an oversteer which may result in spinning out, leaving the roadway, rolling over or impacting oncoming traffic. Underbody scrapers are a highly effective solution to remove hard packed snow and ice by utilizing the constant down pressure from the truck and sharp cutting edge.
Complement Your Existing Snow and Ice Strategy
Underbody scrapers are just one facet of your snow and ice removal strategy. Like plows, spreaders and wings, underbody scrapers work best in collaboration with other equipment and products. When used effectively, underbody scrapers can decrease the amount of labor and de-icing material needed to safely clear any roadway. The end result is a cleaner, more clear roadway with increased driver safety and reduced environmental impact.
Versatile Use For Off Season 
Monroe underbody scrapers are practical tools for a number of applications. After a winter of scraping snow and ice, underbody scrapers can be used in the warm months for additional road maintenance. Many of Monroe Truck Equipment’s underbody scrapers are also capable of grading road gravel. They are used to fill in potholes, washouts and other roadway irregularities by cutting the surface of the road and filling the voids in with material moved back and forth across the road.
Moving Communities Forward
Monroe Truck Equipment is a leading municipal snow and ice control and truck equipment manufacturer and upfitter. Since 1958, we have partnered with municipal leaders across the country to provide high-performance solutions that tackle the specific and changing needs of their communities. Backed by the expertise of our team and the durability of our equipment, our municipal customers have the tools they need to improve and safely maintain their community. Learn more at municipal.monroetruck.com