# Salt Spreading



## BerksLawn (Feb 1, 2001)

Well we delivered a pallet of salt yesterday and spread the wieght out in the truck bed, yet it still swayed. Now my question is do you guys leave the plows on when just salting in ice storms, btw were using a Fisher swing away 2000(Great spreader). Last year we took the plow off and didnt seem to have any problems, but we just want to be prepared.

Thanks,
Steve


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## OBRYANMAINT (May 20, 2001)

since we use the salt trucks to plow as well the plows are generally on but i have done plenty of salting with them off, this usually would happen when we get snow early in the season by this time the plows usually stay on the whole winter......,

many use dedicated salt trucks(which is the way i am heading) in which they would rarely have a plow on it


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## GeoffD (Dec 21, 1999)

I just can't see why you would want a dedicated salt truck. By adding a plow to the truck, the truck can be used during the storm, to plow. It would also be able to function as a back up truck, if another plow went down. 

Geoff


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## Alan (Mar 2, 2000)

We've had one truck that was strictly a spreader rig since we started. Moved from an F350 with a vee box to the same truck with an undertailgate spreader to a GM 5500 with the same body/spreader. As soon as I can manage it we will be hanging a plow on the 5500. In this area, and with the size of our "fleet" we need the plow capability on the truck. We've got enough open lots that the 10' Western HW will work out good. It's just not efficient use of the truck to have it as a spreader only. Last winter, during the big March storm it would have saved our butts when we lost a transmission in one of the pickups and were down to two trucks.


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## thelawnguy (May 20, 2001)

Around here, its quite common to see 2WD stake body trucks with a V-box on the back used as dedicated sander units.

A local construction co. has two Macks from the 40s, both dedicated salt trucks which only see use during snow/ice storms. You can tell when they are on the road as 6-volt headlamps dont shine very bright


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## CT18fireman (Nov 30, 2000)

There is a contractor here that does all his spreading with a tri-axle!!! After this pickups have clear it comes through and he has two workers hand throwing sand out the rear! I have seen it and I still don't beleive it.


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## plowjockey (Dec 3, 2000)

Any port / spreader in a storm I guess.

Bruce


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## digger242j (Nov 22, 2001)

> and he has two workers hand throwing sand out the rear! I have seen it and I still don't beleive it.


I remember when I was a kid watching the City of Pittsburgh street department do it that way, but with single axle dumps full of salt. It made me feel old to think I'd been around before spreaders. Knowing somebody still does it that way makes me feel......ahh, hell, I still feel old.


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## staley52 (Dec 17, 2001)

the company I run with part time has a couple trucks with sanders and plow mounts that rarely see a plow for a few reasons when a storm hits full go these trucks get loaded very heavy as the loaders all leave the shop and could take min of an hour to return and the extra 2000lbs will do another lot or two also usually you do the sanding last and some times that involves the incoming rush hour and no blade helps avoid the moring idiots

now we do have mounts on these trucks so if we have a break down we can plow with them in emergencys.

Last reason that I can thhink of right now is it saves gas and wear on the dual purpose trucks as we dont load them downs as heavy when going out into a storm so they get around alot easier.


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## johngus (Aug 14, 2001)

i remember the first guy I plowed for used that throw sand from truck with shovels sander.Boy that was nasty work!!!!!the guy driving always went too fast and you'd kill yourself keeping up.Thaen he bought an undertailgate spreader for his F700 but the bed was very rusty and the sand wouldn't slide into the back of the truck to keep the hopper full so I was still riding in the back of truck filling hopper with a shovel.It's really cold back there at 2 AM.Now I just plow and don't have spreader capability yet.Who else remembers those days????


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## plowking35 (Dec 21, 1999)

Yep, when dad was plwoing I was the spreader. I also remember spreader by hand by myself, no fun. 
Dino


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## CT18fireman (Nov 30, 2000)

I think most contractors start out with a "spreader man" It is cheaper then a V-box but not as efficient. That was my job when I was 10-14 working for my neighbor. Shoveling and spreading. $10 an hour! Lot of money for a young guy in the 80's.


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## PINEISLAND1 (Dec 21, 1999)

I know I told this story before here, but in this area, just in the last few years, there is a contractor who fills his subs pickup box with bulk, and sends him out with a helper in back. The helper rides on the salt pile and uses a leaf blower to spread/blow the salt out the back of the truck!


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## Pelican (Nov 16, 2001)

With me, it depends on the storm. If it's just sleet and/or freezing rain, then no plow. But if there's snow forcast with any chance for plowing, it goes along. It would be an hour and fifteen round trip back to the yard for the plow, time off the clock, not to mention that another contractor might end up doing a portion of my route.

Two years ago we had a night forcast for light snow, little or no accumilation. Well this formed in to a "Yankee Clipper" and dumped 8" in two hours time. I was trying to find my way home during this and then had to hook up the plow in it and find my way back. I was exhausted and soaked for my efforts. The town had pulled their trucks off the road the visibility was so poor. Never again!


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## SLSNursery (Dec 21, 1999)

*Dedicated unit*

We have an extended cab F-350 that is 4x4 and has an air flo sander on it. This truck provides primarily ice control and pre-treatments. It is a great vehicle to carry people or dry products around (you can keep stuff in the back seat area). It isn't supposed to have a plow according to Ford specs, and is a little bit too long anyway. Along the shore in CT its likely to have a half dozen or so Sand/Salt de-ice events only, no plowing.

Our system works well because our plow drivers have nothing in the back of the trucks to obstruct visibility. They carry some sand for weight and to spread with the "arm-strong" spreader when necessary. But for ice events or sanding all the lots the morning after a storm, the dedicated unit is great. We are fortunate that this truck is really a backup truck. Without the box we would just have the truck parked for the winter. Our bigger truck has a plow and 5 yard sander. It stays hooked up that way for the whole winter except for if maintenance dictates disassembly. This is the workhorse for bigger lots. And, for our larger accounts, it is more efficient to have the truck sand just after plowing. The time necessary to hook and un-hook the plow doesn't make sense.


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## staley52 (Dec 17, 2001)

another plus of the deticated unit is for us we get called upon to sand only for a few accounts and the we help the university sand their lots also so we run into a lot of sand no plow situations


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## GR Salter (Dec 18, 2001)

We have always had a dedicated salt truck simply because
it takes all night to get through the routte. Also the truck is
more maneuvarable and safer to operate while salting during
the day.IMO


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## G.Williams (Nov 27, 2001)

Plows off during salt only events.


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## steveair (Feb 24, 2000)

Hello,

I saw a guy today doing something I never thought of, and that relates to this subject.

How bout mounting either a tailgate spreader, or even better, a V-box in the back of a dump trailer?

The dump trailer are high up, so you can accomodate the V's drop down from the spreader to the wheel.

With the taigate mount, you can load 1 pallet/2 pallets in the back and load right from in the trailer or even, thought I don't like the idea, have bulk dumped into the back and shovel into the spreader.

Maybe even possible to get a convery type spreader since you can raise the bed in the dump trailer.

Not to say it would be fun to drive around with the trailer in the storm, but in essence, you could take it from site to site, unhook it and plow, then hook it up and spread, then go to the next site and do it all over again. I think it has possibility.

steve


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## columbiaplower (Feb 16, 2000)

I dunno about the dump trailer u would have to go VERY slow and the length would make it very un-maneuvarable. Plus driving in the snow with suck a thing would be such a pain in the.....


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## CT18fireman (Nov 30, 2000)

The idea of a trailer has been brought up before. Most agreed that it was not an efficient idea.


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