A custom Mack Granite snow plow model outfitted with all-wheel drive was built for Somerset Township, Penn., to deal with hilly terrain and windy roads in the area, Mack announced. The OEM is using it as example of how it can spec trucks to meet customer needs.

Mack took a Mack Granite model originally built as a 4x2 and spec’d a factory-installed all-wheel drive system, 11-foot front snow plow and an aluminum body and salt spreader. The truck is powered by a Mack MP8 engine with 455 horsepower.

Somerset Township is located just over an hour southeast of Pittsburgh and maintains 123 miles of roads that must be plowed after each snowstorm. The township required a truck that could deal with the hills, twists, and turns of its roads as well as the snow, limiting its options.

Somerset’s local Mack dealer Legacy Truck Center worked with Somerset to take their desired specs and develop a solution through Mack’s Customer Adaptation Center, where it was assembled.

Somerset took delivery of the truck in late 2015 and it is currently in service.

“When we began the process of ordering a new truck, it quickly became clear that we wouldn’t be able to do what we had in the past,” said Randy Beistel, Somerset Township supervisor. “Mack stepped up to the plate. We worked closely with our local Mack dealer, Legacy Truck Center, and we built the truck we needed.”