Rotary Snowplows Delivering

When Nichijo Manufacturing Co., Ltd. was established in 1962, the founder expressed the company’s mission as “striving to ensure the safety of traffic during winter in Japan’s snowy regions and helping people improve their lives.” Since then, the company has continued to develop snowplows in Sapporo, Hokkaido to help improve the living environment in snowy regions, and in 1970 it became a member of the Kawasaki Group.

Ever since the first model, every rotary snowplow made by Nichijo has been given the name of HTR. The first model was developed in 1960 at the request of the Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau and named HTR,which stands for Hydraulic Torqueconverter Rotary. Subsequently, the company has continued to develop one innovative model after another.

Currently, the HTR series comprises 13 models, including large models for airports and expressways and small ones for sidewalks. The latest large-sized HTR408 and medium-sized HTR308 are equipped with an engine that complies with the Tier 4 Final emissions regulations. These models feature an electric and mechanical joystick to enable fine control of the snow removal device that used to be impossible with electromagnetic valves alone.

By combining a tilt mechanism that inclines the snow removal device sideways, and a tip-back mechanism for leaning the device forward and backward, the snowplow can be adjusted to suit various road configurations. Meanwhile, an LCD touch panel improves the visibility and operability of the instrument cluster.

This was the first rotary snowplow ever built by Nichijo. It featured a 170ps two-stroke diesel engine and torque converter transmission.

This is a medium-sized flagship model that accounts for 60 to 70% of sales. It inherits the basic concept of the MR12 small-sized snowplow designed for use on sidewalks, as well as its upgraded version MR120. The MR12 incorporated a center pin steering mechanism for the first time in the world and featured a hydrostatic transmission (HST) before any other construction machines in Japan. HST enables better control at ultra-low speeds than torque converters. With earlier models, the vehicle would come into contact with the snow wall when turning the steering wheel due to a rear-wheel drive configuration. The HTR200 solved this problem by adopting HST in addition to an articulated structure.

This is the latest model designed to handle a wide range of operations from transporting snow to removing snow to widen roads in both mountain and urban areas. It can remove up to 3,000 tons of snow per hour with 2.2 m blades, and up to 3,100 tons per hour with 2.6 m blades. A minimum turning radius of 6.1 m is the smallest in its class, enabling tight turns and excellent operability, especially when removing snow from intersections in urban areas.

This large-sized model does an outstanding job in removing snow at airports, on expressways, and in other places where speedy operation is required, not to mention highways and mountain roads in areas with heavy snowfall. This is a dynamic, powerful rotary snowplow that can remove up to 4,200 tons of snow per hour with 2.6 m blades.