# How long do you leave salt in your spreader after the storm?



## Maleko (Sep 20, 2004)

Just wondering what you all do. I usually leave it 2 days, incase of refreeze and when i have to go back to clean up where people had their car. After that its out.
Its just a OCD thing with me i have to empty it and wash it totally out and re lube and coat the chains etc..
Entire truck gets scrubbed top to bottom after every storm as well.


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## Cover Guy (Sep 30, 2009)

I wash mine out the day after the storm unless it's sub zero


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## viper881 (Jan 14, 2009)

As soon as its back from saltin its washed out.


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## procut (Dec 1, 2004)

I usually don't let mine sit with salt in it. If I don't use it up on my last lot, I back up to the pile and turn the auger all the way up and the spinner all the way down and spit it back out.


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## Philbilly2 (Aug 25, 2007)

Yeah, one of my guys has come back from salting 2 times with salt in the hopper. I just cant seem to get it in his head to empty it on the pile if you dont need as much as you put in.

Had some freeze and bridge on me on the 1-20 storm. I was the one spreading salt... guess who just ordered a man's vibrator. :laughing:


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## leolkfrm (Mar 11, 2010)

it seems like if it stays in the 20s they are fine, bouncing up and down with the 30s and condensation causes problems


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## ohiogreenworks (May 31, 2009)

We also back up to the pile and empty the spreader after every storm.


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## got-h2o (Sep 26, 2008)

Till it snows again


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## Oshkosh (Sep 11, 2005)

Always spun it out at the end of the event....


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## Eronningen (Dec 20, 2008)

Maleko;1427824 said:


> Just wondering what you all do. I usually leave it 2 days, incase of refreeze and when i have to go back to clean up where people had their car. After that its out.
> Its just a OCD thing with me i have to empty it and wash it totally out and re lube and coat the chains etc..
> Entire truck gets scrubbed top to bottom after every storm as well.


Wow, you're a better man than me in that dept. I do empty after every time, actually spread it on lots perfectly till gone. (Use same amount usually, know what to load)

But washing the inside out is impressive and relubing......I used to but quit quite a few years back I thought I was causing more bad than good with accelerating rusting by adding so much water into the system. In fact I have went to the other extreme and try to keep all moisture away from spreader at all costs, all year, until its hanging from my skidsteer getting ready to put it away for the year. I guess each way works for each of us...


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## John_DeereGreen (Jan 2, 2011)

Just a tailgate spreader here...but as soon as the storm is over, inside and out gets washed. Anything that moves gets hit with white lithium grease and the whole metal frame gets sprayed with aerosol silicone. The back bumper and tailgate of the truck get the same attention, and the whole truck gets washed as well.


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## RepoMan1968 (Jan 9, 2012)

Maleko;1427824 said:


> Just wondering what you all do. I usually leave it 2 days, incase of refreeze and when i have to go back to clean up where people had their car. After that its out.
> Its just a OCD thing with me i have to empty it and wash it totally out and re lube and coat the chains etc..
> Entire truck gets scrubbed top to bottom after every storm as well.


we never leave it loaded . load as you need it . imagine a load of salt on top of you for 2 days . yikes


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## Longae29 (Feb 15, 2008)

We refill all the trucks that can park inside immediately after a storm/salt run and then park them inside. Ones that don't fit inside get emptied into the bin immediately after use.


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## RepoMan1968 (Jan 9, 2012)

he probably meant 2 hours


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## Spucel (Feb 6, 2011)

I have equipment OCD so after the event is over it gets pulled inside, sprayed out, washed with a vehicle brush and heavy duty truck soap. After that I get a bottle of degreaser and spray the entire inside and outside and wipe it down with a towel make sure to get all the little hiding spots. After that I grease it up and get it ready for the next run. Sounds stupid but I like it to be clean and ready for the next event. Also gives me time to notice and problems with it and I also enjoy cleaning vehicles and stuff so I find it relaxing to do.


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## blowerman (Dec 24, 2007)

Depending on the forecast, I'm similar to Longae. Lots of little snows this weekend, so I load and then all the trucks are in a heated shop, hasn't been a problem. Normally the trucks are back empty. 
The washing each time is up in the air for me. Felt like the more I washed, the bigger the problems with salt creeping into every little nook & cranny. But, they will get washed and then oiled down within the week.


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## rubbertrack (Jan 12, 2010)

My 3 yard byers has been loaded since 12-19-11 and is now half full tarped and green salt, no snow here east cincy. hopefully get it emptied out in the morning.


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## GMD1984 (Jan 19, 2009)

i keep one loaded all winter in the heated shop, but do grease the bearings and oil the chain after every storm. backed it in the shop i put a floor jack under the hitch to take the weight of the springs. works great i don't have to warm up the loader at 2am in a freak event and wait to load just start and go .


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## H&HPropertyMait (Oct 17, 2011)

Our 1.5 yd stays loaded till its gone. takes about 4 pushes to empty, the 5,000 lb air bags relieve a lot of stress. it also sits inside a heated shop. i hop in and spray and grease everything before we refill.


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## 2_Djinn (Dec 20, 2004)

H&HPropertyMait;1448232 said:


> Our 1.5 yd stays loaded till its gone. takes about 4 pushes to empty, the 5,000 lb air bags relieve a lot of stress. it also sits inside a heated shop. i hop in and spray and grease everything before we refill.


4 Pushes ? Must be nice to only have to load up once a season huh ?


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## H&HPropertyMait (Oct 17, 2011)

2_Djinn;1448274 said:


> 4 Pushes ? Must be nice to only have to load up once a season huh ?


You ain't kiddin. Only on load number 3


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## yardsmith (Jan 3, 2000)

I only use a tailgate spreader. Bagged salt is pretty dry so I leave it in till next storm; there's usually less than 100 lbs left after a storm. If the truck is getting pretty white from salt residue I'll hit it at the car wash to keep things clean.
When I had a bulk spreader, I would empty it & car wash it after every storm.


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## merrimacmill (Apr 18, 2007)

I leave mine loaded if we are expecting a salt event. If its post storm, and the salters come back with some in them, pull it into the heated shop and leave till next time. If the next even is a week or more out, I empty it into the bin and begin parking the truck outside to give me some shop space.

If you have a heated shop available, leaving it loaded really reduces response time. We aim for a response time 45 minutes and under from the initial phone call. If a contract does not specify desired response time, generally accepted industry standard is 1 hour (I know thats not written thats what the lawyer says though).


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## RLM (Jan 12, 2006)

> If you have a heated shop available, leaving it loaded really reduces response time. We aim for a response time 45 minutes and under from the initial phone call. If a contract does not specify desired response time, generally accepted industry standard is 1 hour (I know thats not written thats what the lawyer says though).


While my responce time is geneally about that (1 hr or less). I have my shop adjacent to my home. I dont see how a client could expect a "fast" call when larger companies would have to call in a driver, who has to report to a shop, figuing 20 minutes for driver to drop what he is doing, 20 minutes to drive to shop, then load time, warm up truck time, etc, & drive to site, an hour seem way light. Unfortunatly if your "on call" you cant take a loaded spreader home with you, well I guess you could, but there is a 75% chance that it wont work when you go to use it. We are getting into liquids, & this is a huge benifit that I see, I can stage a truck closer to or drop at a site if I want a night off and an employee can take care of on call without a longer responce time. My clients, as most I assume, dont really care how the snow or ice is removed, as long as it is done.
It comes down to a phase I heard once "poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part" If I get a call it is ussally a upper trigger account that doesnt want to pay for regular saltings (not a clear lot client). I have even had a HOA's homeowner comment how I "always have my child with me, how is he supposed to shovel", I'm there to service one or two drives, maybe a small sidewalk or two, my 4 year old can sit in the truck. I'm sure they don't want to wait for me to take him to grandmas, then respond to their BS call (3 inch trigger, that is there 25% of the time...maybe). I have a shoveler & other trucks if we need to do the entire place. I'm there for a service call, if we are plowing a full run my kids arent with me, they get bored to easy, then start driving me nuts "are we done yet ?".

I got way off topic, I dont leave spreaders loaded, empty to bin everytime truck comes back. I also dont leave heat on in my shop either though, water is frost free faucet, bathroom is insulated & heated seperatly, from shop area. My office is in my house.


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## merrimacmill (Apr 18, 2007)

RLM;1465646 said:


> I got way off topic, I dont leave spreaders loaded, empty to bin everytime truck comes back. I also dont leave heat on in my shop either though, water is frost free faucet, bathroom is insulated & heated seperatly, from shop area. My office is in my house.


This is off topic as well, but do you find it more efficient to keep your shop not heated when not being used? Do you heat it up when its time to work in there? I was told no more than a 7 degree difference between working hours, and non working hours. Beyond that it becomes inefficient to re-heat the shop. I have always really wondered how true this is though... I'm not criticizing your shop heating practices, just merely wondering what works for other people and why.

I keep my shop at 58 when I'm not there, and 65 if its being used, 3000 sq feet of shop space and my propane bill is 100-160$ per month.


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## RLM (Jan 12, 2006)

I'm probably not in my shop more than 5 hours a week, it is more for storage than anything else. My shop (36x80') is divided into a un-insulated warehose area & a 25 x36 insulated shop area. So for me yeah it makes more sense to only heat as needed. It can be warm in 15 minutes or less. It has 14' ceilings even in the insulated section, but I have 2- 30K BTU vent free heaters and a large air mover to circulate the air off the ceiling. Generally I only have to use one of the units. I did heat it at temps about zero, and it still held 65 or so, with both on low. If I was out there more I would consider heating it continually but right now I'm not. I know my propane bill would be far higher than yours just heating the 1000ft I have sectioned of, propane here last I looked was $ 4.00.


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## got-h2o (Sep 26, 2008)

I just spun out the last of a month old hopper full yesterday morn. Had about a yard in there. Was nice to get rid of it. Spun out freely though. Funny, plowed yesterday and was a high of 68 today.


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## ultimate plow (Jul 2, 2002)

Daily drivers/outside trucks emptied into pile, garage trucks salt is usually left inside hoppers and topped off.


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## got-h2o (Sep 26, 2008)

Here's the last of a loaded hopper that was topped off 1-19-12. Just spun it out yesterday LOL.


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## RIDOT87 (Jan 12, 2012)

After each storm, salt gets back to the pile and the whole truck gets rinsed and washed.


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## got-h2o (Sep 26, 2008)

My buddie still has a Vbox full in one of his trucks LOL


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