Gritting and Snowploughing

Gritting

Despite the name, grit is composed of a rock salt, which lowers the freezing point of the moisture which settles on the surface of the road. The primary aim of this is to prevent freezing through stopping ice forming, whilst causing snow or existing ice to melt. It is critical to monitor weather alerts or book in a regular agricultural service provider who can ensure gritting happens regularly and that grit is laid ahead of the ice forming. Once the solid ice has formed, the grit will not be as effective and therefore, it must be applied regularly during periods of cold weather.

On larger farms, it is essential to maintain a regular gritting practice where machinery and vehicles need to get around with ease. For councils and private hire for estates, planning ahead for gritting requirements is critical to ensuring compliance with health and safety and protecting your residents and the public from slipping on the roads or pavements, minimising the likelihood of injury.

Snow Plough

Although snowfall in England isn’t typically a concern more than once or twice a year, the effects can be devastating should the roads remain uncleared for long periods of time. Not only do heavily congested roads cause accidents, it also prevents the ability for emergency vehicles to access the public and provide effective services throughout the poor weather, when accidents often occur more frequently.

Snow removal is crucial to maintaining safety, both in public spaces and across farming land. Removing snow from your farm in a timely manner can ensure that less damage occurs including rusting, flooding following the thaw or damage to roofing due to the weight.

Our snowploughs are mounted on the front of our tractors, with the bottom of the blades fitted with a rubber strip, which can be removed, and prevents extensive damage occurring to the road surface. Our fleet also includes a V style snow plough, which caters to deeper snow conditions, often required after significantly bad weather and storms.

Our Gritting and Snowploughing Services

Our agricultural services are not limited to use on farms, with our gritting and snow plough capabilities available to councils on a contract basis, as well as for private hire. We maintain a fully stocked supply of salt and our services can be called out, at last notice, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Our stocks of salt are always maintained and full to ensure that we can supply the amount of salt required by our customers. Should you have any queries about stock levels or have a particularly extensive request, please get in touch with AWSM Farming today.