Schulte targets high-capacity snow removal with new SDX-144

Canada's agri food system is complex and its future depends on bold thinking and open dialogue. The Canadian Agri Food Policy Institute is an independent think tank bringing together diverse voices to advance future looking policy solutions. By providing a trusted space for conversation, CAPI helps ensure growth and prosperity for the sector. Visit CAPI ICPA CA to learn more. I'm Amber Bell and this is Real Agriculture here today at the Western Canadian Crop Production show in Saskatoon and getting the chance to talk with Mike Swarovski of Schulte. Welcome Mike, it's great to see you. Good morning. So we're gonna be talking about your new product, the SDX 144. What is different about this snowblower? So this is our first SDX144 that we've produced. We've done a small run of them after a couple years of testing and prototyping. It's built off of our base model, the SDX117 and the RDX117. So a lot of similar features. The tried and true Italian built gearbox that's convertible from clockwise to counterclockwise. It shares those characteristics as well as the same size fan. It's just a wider version for larger producers or contractors who need more productivity out of the day. So with it being wider and larger, tell me what type of tractor to be able to run this. So you're going to be looking at a larger tractor. A minimum horsepower of 200 horsepower. The gearbox is rated all the way up to 350 horsepower. You do require a category three or a category four three point hitch. We have the availability to hook it up to a 1 and 3.8pto shaft or a 1 and 3 quarter. But that's the minimum requirements of it. Now talk a little bit about the chute. So the chute is very similar to what we've used on all of our other models. It has a UHMW wear pad on the bottom to eliminate freezing up in cold temperatures. It's gear drive to eliminate breakdowns with the old cable operation. It also has the two stage snow deflector. So it allows you to direct the snow very precisely. If you're working in tight quarters, you around bin yards or outbuildings and adjustable arms. On the three point hitch there is adjustability. Yes, you can move it in and out for different styles of tractor, different styles of three point hitches. The adjustability in the gearbox as well, you can convert it from clockwise rotation to counterclockwise rotation. So you can tailor it to whatever piece of equipment you're putting it on. Talk a little bit about the auger. The auger is a new design for us. It's a QT100. It's a hardened auger plate. It's a laser cut profile. And then it forms the flighting, which moves the snow into the centre section where your fan is making the snow exit the machine. We've used hardened material and we added a serration to the outside. So when you're trying to push into ice banks, snow ridges, contractors where they've moved snow with a bulldozer or something, and it's really hard to penetrate that. The serration really helps with that. Great. Where can growers go? For more information www.schulte.ca or any of our local dealers. Wonderful. Well, thank you so much. And that was Mike Swarovski on real agriculture.