THE SNOW REMOVAL PRIME MOVER - THE MAINTENANCE TRUCK

THE ILLINOIS HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT HAS THE POLICY IN THE REPLACEMENT OF SNOW REMOVAL TRUCKS THAT THE TRUCKS MUST HAVE BEEN DRIVEN 75,000 MILES OR BE AT LEAST FIVE YEARS OLD. OPERATING AND REPAIR COST RECORDS WERE STUDIED TO SUBSTANTIATE THIS CRITERIA. IT IS CONSIDERED THAT THE BEST TIME TO PURCHASE SNOW REMOVAL TRUCKS IS IN LATE NOVEMBER OR EARLY DECEMBER. THIS GIVES AMPLE OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW AND DIGEST ALL INFORMATION RELATIVE TO MODEL CHANGES AND CURRENT OPTION AVAILABILITIES. THIS ALSO GIVES THE PURCHASING AGENT AN OPPORTUNITY TO SCHEDULE A LETTING DATE AT A CONVENTIONAL TIME. THE TIMING AND REQUIRED LEAD TIME MAY VARY DEPENDING ON THE QUANTITY BEING PURCHASED, LOCAL MARKET CONDITIONS, AND THE ATTACHMENTS BEING PURCHASED. THE TANDEM AXLE TRUCK OR 6X4 TRUCK MEETS OR EXCEEDS ALL THE CRITERIA THAT IS USUALLY CONSIDERED FOR CAPACITIES IN WINTER OPERATIONS AS WELL AS OTHER SEASONAL REQUIREMENTS. THESE TRUCKS CAN NORMALLY BE EQUIPPED WITH A LARGER V OR BLADE TYPE PLOW THAN CAN BE MOUNTED ON A CONVENTIONAL TRUCK. WING PLOWS, EITHER RIGHT OR LEFT-HAND MODELS, CAN BE MOUNTED ON THESE TRUCKS AND USED SUCCESSFULLY FOR LAYING BACK LARGE DRIFTS. DIESEL ENGINES ARE RECOMMENDED FOR THE FOLLOWING ADVANTAGES: (1) LOWER OVERALL MAINTENANCE COSTS, (2) LOWER FUEL COSTS, (3) INCREASED RELIABILITY OF SERVICE, (4) EXTENDED ENGINE LIFE, (5) INCREASED EQUIPMENT AVAILABILITY, (6) ENGINE STANDARDIZATION ASPECTS, (7) LESS OF A FIRE HAZARD, (8) ELIMINATION OF FUEL PILFERAGE, AND (9) HIGHER DISPOSAL VALUE. AT A RECENT MEETING OF MID-WESTERN STATE HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE AND EQUIPMENT ENGINEERS, IT WAS REVEALED THAT APPROXIMATELY HALF OF THE STATES WERE SUCCESSFULLY USING FROM 6 TO OVER 100 SNOW REMOVAL TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS PER INDIVIDUAL STATE. THE PARTICULAR ATTACHMENTS WHICH SHOULD BE OBTAINED DEPEND PRIMARILY UPON THE CAPABILITIES OF THE SHOPS IN RESPECT TO THEIR CAPACITY AND ABILITY IN MOUNTING THESE ATTACHMENTS. IT WAS FOUND DESIRABLE IN ILLINOIS TO PURCHASE THE CHASSIS WITH AS MANY OF THESE ATTACHMENTS AS POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM AND BODY. THE ADVANTAGES ARE: (1) DEALING WITH ONLY ONE VENDOR, (2) WHEN DELIVERED, THE TRUCK IS READY FOR SERVICE, (3) THE CAPABILITIES OF THE SHOPS ARE LIMITED AND WOULD BE HARD PRESSED TO MOUNT HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS AND BODIES, AND (4) COST OF TRUCK CHASSIS WITH HYDRAULIC SYSTEM AND BODY DOES NOT EXCEED COST OF CHASSIS PLUS THE COSTS FOR INSTALLING BODIES AND HYDRAULICS.

• Corporate Authors:

  Illinois Department of Transportation

  Division of Highways, 2300 South Dirksen Parkway
  Springfield, IL  United States  62764
• Authors:
  • Bell, J E
• Publication Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automatic transmissions; Diesel engines; Economics; Equipment replacement; Highway maintenance; Hydraulic equipment; Operating costs; Purchasing; Repairing; Snow removal; Snowplows; Trucks
• Uncontrolled Terms: Repairs; Replacement
• Old TRIS Terms: Hydraulic systems
• Subject Areas: Economics; Freight Transportation; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Motor Carriers; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00219383
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 11 pp
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 27 1970 12:00AM