Pair of Mobile Track Solutions tractors in service in Antarctica
Workers at McMurdo Station, a United States Antarctic research station on the south tip of Ross Island, unloaded a pair of Mobile Track Solutions (MTS) 3630T tractors in December. The tractors are being used primarily for runway maintenance for cargo planes bringing in supplies to the station.
MTS employees in Elkader, via an online link, watched the unloading with a “sense of relief and excitement,” according to MTS Marketing Director Taylor Bockenstedt.
The tractors, which were sold from and retrofitted for the harsh weather conditions at Wagner Equipment Co. in Colorado, traveled to a port in California, followed by a brief stop in New Zealand before finally settling on the frozen tundra in Antarctica. The equipment is expected to remain at McMurdo Station for the life of the tractor.
As for MTS, Bockenstedt stated the experience challenged the company because the tractor was not originally designed for the cold weather climate. The venture demonstrates the company finds solutions, is quick to adapt and is “always open to trying new things and new ideas,” she added.