In reply to RBoots thread...

kcm.MN

Well-known Member
Location
NW Minnesota
Have been watching a lot of videos this winter (TOO many!) and there's a few that really leave me scratching my head. It's about the Trailer Plow units that are coming out for highway use - like this:
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Some of the replies mention how difficult a job it can be. Here's how my wee-little brain cell pictures snow plowing in days of yore vs. now:
Before - Had to keep a hand on the steering wheel, shifter (manual trans), wipers, coffee(!!) (...sorry, couldn't resist), and the controls for both the main and wing plows.
Now - Have to keep a hand on the steering wheel, wipers, GPS positioning system, smart phone, (yup, still the coffee), main plow, and now these sideways-turning plows.

If I ever see one of these in real life, I'll likely need to change my drawers! How much more snow can those move vs. a wing blade? Seems like those rigs would require two people in the cab. Yet, have seen some videos (I think from Europe somewhere) of some operators using that big trailer plow like it's nothing.

...Guess I'm just having trouble understanding the modern world. Speed limits constantly increasing, all-digital cash controls (can't just feel what you need anymore; have to take your eyes off the road to make adjustments), smart phones, cops with their 3-monitor computer setups, and now snowplows that turn sideways on the roads.

Guess my brain is permanently stuck in "the good ol' days". *lol*

mvphoto31719.jpg
 
The difference is the amount of times we think we need to go to town. We need those roads open now. Used to be if you needed milk you went out and milked the cow. If you needed bread you baked some. If you wanted vegetables you went to the pantry and got a jar off the shelf. If you wanted potatoes you went to the cellar and got some. You get my drift. Now I'm going to go get in my pickup and drive to town for lunch. I looked in the fridge and even though there is plenty there, I'm going to run in to Wendys for a baconator. Yep, I'm part of the problem! LOL
 
(quoted from post at 11:01:59 02/20/19) The difference is the amount of times we think we need to go to town. We need those roads open now. Used to be if you needed milk you went out and milked the cow. If you needed bread you baked some. If you wanted vegetables you went to the pantry and got a jar off the shelf. If you wanted potatoes you went to the cellar and got some. You get my drift. Now I'm going to go get in my pickup and drive to town for lunch. I looked in the fridge and even though there is plenty there, I'm going to run in to Wendys for a baconator. Yep, I'm part of the problem! LOL

Would somebody please come clear out my driveway so I can go to town for lunch? OH. Never mind. I have taters in the cellar, and veggies and meat in the deep freeze. I will survive.
 
They have them right here in New York. They only use them
on divided highways, like Interstates. They do cut costs (labor
hours).
 
I miss the good old days, things were simpler in the 50's and 60's. I suspect one reason people start shooting up everything these days is
that many of them are having trouble with the increasing complexity of the modern world. It certainly frustrates me at times.
 
They expect one driver to do it all, our trucks are Allisons but rest of state is manuals, one of these is supposed to be like two trucks, but the higher ups forget the islands and intersections still need to
be done with just a plow truck. We're waiting for the first fatality, with the semis that were passing us with just the wing trucks wait till they hit one of these!!! Steer with one hand and joysticks for
everything else, not supposed to be on the phone anyway and GPS takes care of itself when it works.
 
Ya we do think we need to get out the lane more than we used to. When I was a kid and we had more snow than we do now the plow might not come by for several days but that was OK because we weren't going anywhere anyway. If a farmer was running low on furnace fuel he could call the county and they would send a plow out to make a path for the fuel truck. One of our neighbor ladies wanted to get to the weekly card club but the road was snowed in so she called the county telling them she needed furnace fuel. The county plowed the road but got suspicious so they found out who her fuel supplier was and called the supplier. When they found out she really did not need fuel they sent her a bill for the plowing. I never did hear how it turned out. After that the county asked the person who the fuel supplier was so they could call to make sure it was legit. In the past 30 years we haven't had the big snows we used to have and the plows are bigger so no one is snowed in more than a day anymore.
 
...and GPS takes care of itself when it works.

Yet you still have to keep an eye on that, as well as the road, other traffic, and to operating the controls.

Sheesh, I'd have a migraine BEFORE each work day begins! *lol*
 
Why would you need GPS? I should hope that you know your route after a couple times over it if you're a plow driver.

Those trailer plows work just like giant wings. Note the truck doesn't have a wing on it, just the trailer.

They're only used on divided highways. Still plenty of regular plow trucks to do the intersections.

Speed limit is 35MPH for snow plows in NY. They're not trying to operate these things at 70MPH, and the backside is lit up like Times Square to (hopefully) get approaching drivers' attention.
 
You're right Fixerupper, people now days
absolutely have to leave 4 or more times
a day to go to the local gas station to
get a Mountain Dew and a pack of smokes.
Instead of buying 4 of each during one
trip, they'll make 4 separate trips.
 
Matthies, this guy was hauling arse in a snowstorm and didn't see our guy turning around at the county line in the median turn around. Since our guy was turning out of the passing lane into the median, and the truck was in the passing lane passing cars, he hit the folded up wing alongside our truck. Being hit from straight behind, that wing was probably at its strongest point being folded up against the truck like it was. It opened the driver side of the semi's cab up like a can opener, crushing the dash into him. He had to be extricated, and they were reporting he was likely to lose that leg as well. It's sad, but people need to slow down! If he'd hit our driver dead square in the back, our driver would have probably been seriously hurt as well.
cvphoto13715.jpg

Hit by semi
 
Why would you need GPS? I should hope that you know your route after a couple times over it if you're a plow driver.

As I understand it (and I hope Ross or someone will chime in on this), the GPS system I mention is something that shows a live map of the plow, the road, and the plow's relationship on that road.

In blizzard conditions or when the road becomes un-seeable, the GPS allows them to still get the job done. It's not the GPS like what your car has -- much more involved.
 
Barnyard, our entire fleet at work has
GPS. Not the type that tells us where to
go, but the type that tells management
where we are. If someone comes home from
work and calls in saying their road
didn't get plowed (because it has already
drifted back in), they can look it up on
our GPS and tell the person what time we
went by and how fast we were going when
we passed their house. They can also use
it to tell someone our real speed when
someone claims we are plowing at 60 mph,
when it's going to be more like 35-40
mph. They always know if we're moving or
not, which way we are going, and how fast
we are going that way.
 
Kcm, the only thing our GPS does is show
the boss if I'm moving or not and how
fast. It maps my entire location for the
day. They can pull up any day they want
in the history of where I've been in case
of a discrepancy. Some guys don't like
it, but I have nothing to hide, so I
don't care. It is only available for
management to look at, there is no screen
in our truck. We are responsible for
knowing our route, and managing our time
to get through it all in the day. That's
how our GPS works, it's no navigation
helper of any sort. The only thing that
keeps me on the road is looking straight
ahead if it's windy and I can't see the
road, and also the feel of the truck. You
can sort of feel the berm along the
gravel roads (if it has one) with the
underbody blade, and you can feel the
lean of the truck. If she starts leaning
hard and feeling weightless, you better
jerk the wheel the opposite way or you're
gonna be on your side. But, if there's no
wind, or the snow is heavy, you can see
just fine, it makes for an enjoyable day
of plowing snow. The windy days are the
ones that get ya.
 

cvphoto13731.png

The orange dot with the arrow just east of Cassleton is a plow. How would you like to be watched while working?
 
Moresmoke, that's exactly what our system is at work. A little hockey puck thing on top of the cab is the transponder. Doesn't bother me any, I don't have anything to hide. Since I work a public job, the public watching is worse than the GPS the bosses are watching. The public assume anytime you're stopped you're a lazy a-hole county worker. But even a lazy a-hole like me still takes a lunch on days when I'm hauling gravel or scraping or cutting trees. No time for lunch when I'm plowing snow in my territory so I don't stop.
 
Thanks for the better understanding Ross. Guess my mind was puttin' a lot more into it than what there is.

Still, seems like I saw a video showing one type of system that was able to show where you were at on a road, where known hazards were (medians, dips in the road, etc) and so on. Maybe that's something in the planning stages.
 
A friend works for NYS DOT they can regulate the amount of salt the trucks are spreading from the computer in the office.
 

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