This type of plow was pulled by teams of horses or oxen and had two beams that extended from the body of the plow. The animals were hitched to these beams, and as they forward, the blades would plow the ground.

To keep roads in optimal snowy condition, many municipalities employed a "snow warden" to pack and flatten the snow with a crude vehicle called a snow roller—essentially a giant, wide wheel weighed down with rocks and pulled by oxen or horses.