Gerald R. Ford Airport Plow Truck

Reverse Angle Wing Plow Cutting Edge

Parallelogram Wing Mount

Still working on the first unit.  Stay tuned, this is a work in progress.   When we have the demo truck done, we will be happy to show it. 

One of us.........please read this

There was a serious accident involving workers with Michigan Department of Transportation while patching potholes in Kalamazoo a week ago.  They were hit by a motorist.  One worker was treated and released while the other is still in intensive care at Borgess Hospital with serious head injuries.  This gentleman is Bob Kamp, 50, of Allegan, Michigan, and he is a newly hired MDOT temporary status employee.  His wife is Cyndi Kamp, Robin and I had the honor of meeting her yesterday.  She is a very nice lady and is on leave from her job so she can remain with her husband.  The whole event makes me "sick to my stomach" when I realize the danger of working on the road and the "close calls" I and my co-workers encountered while performing our job duties.  But, for the grace of God or pure luck, any one of us could have met the same fate.  Bob is "one of us" and when "one of us" is suffering, we all suffer.  I am asking, on behalf of Bob and Cyndi, that you join Robin and I in offering support, whether it be prayers, cards, financial help (I am sure they could use it), whatever you can offer.  I will find contact iformation and post it later today.  Cyndi is posting information on Bob, on Borgess blog I believe, and I will post that information also.  Please keep yourself safe and watch out for your comrades.

This is "HOT" for wing plow users

Truck & Trailer Specialties has installed the very first parallelogram wing plow mount in the state of Michigan, and most likely the whole U.S., on truck equipped with underbody scraper.  This, my friends, is the future of wing plows.  It will eliminate driving the "toe" of the wing into potholes, raised pavement, etc.; instead, the wing will just "ride up over it".  This set up will greatly reduce wing plow damage thus reducing costs and manpower requirements.  The plan is to offer a retrofit package.  You better get your order in before next winter................

Consortium

Working with consortium of County Road Commissions, municipalities, and MDOT to research and implement ways to share ever dwindling resources, mostly equipment at this time.  Trying to identify and implement universal snow plow truck specifications.  I am convinced that a hook loader equiped truck will be the perfect solution.  Stay tuned for more details.  Also, check out MiDeal and all the possibilities.  I will post the MiDeal website.  You can also check out:  http://www.uscommunities.org/.  This is a federal program for nonprofits. 

Wire Connector Treatment

Stabilant 22 electrical contact enhancer, how many have heard of it?  Used it?  Check out website at:  http://www.stabilant.com/.  This stuff works, great for those low current flow connections used in computer circuits, i.e.:  engine ecm connectors, allison electronic transmission connectors.  It reduces resistance and improves curent flow, it is a contact enhancer.  It is not a dielectric grease.  Dielectric grease is a nonconductor, it works just the opposite of Stabilant.  Both have their place, but be careful.  Do not overuse dielectric grease or you will compromise your connection.  If you fill the female end of connector with dielectric grease and force the two connector bodies together, the presure from the male connector entering the female connector will compress excess dielectric grease enlarging the female connector.   End result, you have now created a poor connection increasing electrical resistance, generating heat, degrading the connection even further.  My advice:  treat clean electrical connections (terminals)with Stabilant.  Treat the end of the terminal next to connector body (plastic) with a little dielectric grease to reduce ingress of corrosive elements and seal connecion.  And, above all,  Please do not break off lock tabs on connector body.  If you do, replace the connector body.  Without the lock tabs..............you will be creating yourself a repair.  And an unhappy truck driver and maintenance supervisor.

Pictures

Helpful Hint:  Click on any picture with your mouse and it will bring up a website. Even the nonfleet and nonequipment pictures.

Wing Plow Design Improvement

For all you wing plow users, Monroe Truck/Snow & Ice Division, has developed a new wing plow mount which can be used in place of the tower and slide.  They have one mounted on their demo truck with front mounted wing plow.  This thing is "slick".  Should eliminate the wing from "catching" on raised pavement, potholes, joints, etc. virtually eliminating accident damage.  Truck & Trailer Specialties plans to install a parallelogram mount on their new demo truck (currently in production at Dutton) in a midmount Patrol wing application. Stay tuned for further details. I don't know if Monroe has it on their website, but you can check:  http://www.monroetruck.com/.  While you are checking websites, check ours:  http://www.ttspec.com/.

Asset Management/Fleet Management Considerations

lUtilization:  “getting the most out of what we have”.  Is equipment being utilized equitably and to maximum?

l“Right Size Fleet”:  Too much equipment resulting in too little usage?  Less owned and  more short term rentals?

l Uniformity:  Equipment set up uniformly?  Makes operation and reassignment simpler and feasible.