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How is that salt-spreading lorries can maintain traction when the salt is spread out behind the lorries?
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Because they spread salt BEFORE the ice and snow comes. No good spreading it afterwards is there.
Last edited by: Zero on Sun 5 Feb 12 at 09:58
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Good question L'es, i haven't had a close look but i'd be surprised if they don't have winter spec tyres, keep in mind that most are double drive so 8 driven tyres and only 2 non driven at the front....i daresay in remote areas they run all wheel drive too.
If i owned my own truck it too would be fitted with winter spec on the drive axle during the cold season, even on salty or damp roads most artics spend half the day with the traction control light illuminated due to wheelspin.
Some figures for anyone interested, i worked yesterday and my delivery point has an axle weigher. Gross in at 43t ish at tare out at 15t ish....these are from memory the customer keeps the print outs and i will make a point of noting them accurately when i go there next.
Loaded 6 axles go roughly 6 4 9 7 8 7 tons number 3 @ 9tons being the single drive axle.
Empty 2 tag axles were up so 5.5 4.5 2.5 2.5 tons, number 2 @ 4.5 being the drive axle.
You can see why artics in particular are in trouble once they stop, on some old and good designs you can fully lift axle 2 on the tractor and some allow you to temporarily ease some pressure off, and some that don;t allow this get stuck on a wet road, some trailers you can manually lift the front axle too to help get some traction, rare now though as once up to weight they come down automatically.
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Maybe some closet ballistics expert can answer this one please?
When you overtake a gritter on the motorway ( as you do ) why doesn't the grit annihilate your headlights / windscreen / paintwork etc?
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because its too soft and breaks up on impact.
edit
And the velocity is not that high.
Sometimes, just sometimes the salt can be contaminated with stuff other than salt, then all bets are off.
Last edited by: Zero on Sun 5 Feb 12 at 10:52
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I have had a windscreen taken out by a gritter travelling in the opposite direction, it was a toughend one and a long time ago. I think a laminated screen would have survived.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Sun 5 Feb 12 at 12:23
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Bummer in a submarine I'd have thought...
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>> Bummer in a submarine I'd have thought...
>>
Yes, and you really have to remember to keep the sunroof shut.
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I saw a car taken out by a snowplough/gritter on the A62 above Oldham, near the Floating Light pub. The plough had cut the snowdrifts very neatly into 7/8 ft vertical walls either side of the road.
In one of the walls was a red car, obviously abandoned for the night. The plough had destroyed the whole back end up to the B posts.
I recall following a gritter down Windy Hill on the M62. I was towing a trailer. He was using the centre lane. What could I do ? Pass on the inside, naughty. Pass in the overtaking lane > Even naughtier or is there an exemption in a case like that ? In the end, I hung back a bit and sat in lane one as he was trotting on a bit anyway.
Ted
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On tricky bits round us they turn round and go backwards.
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>> I recall following a gritter down Windy Hill on the M62. I was towing a trailer. He was using the centre lane.
>> What could I do ? Pass on the inside, naughty. Pass in the overtaking lane > Even naughtier or is there an
>> exemption in a case like that ? In the end, I hung back a bit and sat in lane one as he was trotting on a bit anyway.
There's no clear guidance on this one. I'm sure I heard an interview with a gritter driver on the radio recently where he said he couldn't understand why people would want to overtake him and drive on to the untreated stretch of road.
I've seen artics use the outside lane to pass escorted abnormal loads before, I would have thought the same manoeuvre would be OK to get past a slow-ish moving gritter. If it's not practical it's no great shakes, he'll be exiting the motorway in a minute anyway :)
The frequent sight of gritters on my way back up the M1 yesterday got me thinking: Exactly how do they ensure all the slip-roads and under/overpasses get treated at a junction? Does one lorry exit and re-enter at all the even-numbered junctions and the next at the odd-numbered ones? Do they each have exact pre-planned routes to follow come what may? It must be quite a logistical challenge to organise the most efficient gritting routes.
EDIT: Our cul-de-sac no longer gets gritted, as the binman who lives across the road has changed jobs.
Last edited by: Dave_TDCi on Sun 5 Feb 12 at 15:52
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>> The frequent sight of gritters on my way back up the M1 yesterday got me
>> thinking: Exactly how do they ensure all the slip-roads and under/overpasses get treated at a
>> junction? Does one lorry exit and re-enter at all the even-numbered junctions and the next
>> at the odd-numbered ones? Do they each have exact pre-planned routes to follow come what
>> may? It must be quite a logistical challenge to organise the most efficient gritting routes.
>>
Our council has the gritter routes on its website with their priorities.
The Motorways are done by the Highways Agency, (I think) maybe it is on their website.
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There was someone on the news last night saying the gritter had got stuck and they couldn't push it out.
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On the A12 i in Essex.
As a trucker stops for a red light on the A12 a blonde catches up.
She jumps out of her car, runs up to his truck, and knocks on the door.
The trucker lowers the window, and she says, "Hi, my name is Heather,
and you are losing some of your load!"
The trucker ignores her and proceeds down the street.
When the truck stops for another red light, the girl catches up again.
She jumps out of her car runs up and knocks on the door.
Again, the trucker lowers the window.
As if they've never spoken, the blonde says brightly, "Hi, my name is
Heather, and you are losing some of your load!"
Shaking his head, the trucker ignores her again and continues down
the street. At the third red light, the same thing happens again.
All out of breath, the blonde gets out of her car, runs up, knocks on the
truck door. The trucker lowers the window. Again she says, "Hi, my name
is Heather, and you are losing some of your load!"
When the light turns green the trucker revs up and races to the next
light. When he stops this time, he hurriedly gets out of the truck,
and runsback to the blonde.He knocks on her window, and as she lowers
it, he says,............
"Hi, my name is Kevin, it's winter and I'm driving the gritter......."
Last edited by: VxFan on Fri 17 Feb 12 at 00:49
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And kissed her on the cheek.>:)
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>> And kissed her on the cheek.>:)
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She was tying her laces at the time.
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Come on Martin he wouldn't dare.>:) Like your comment.
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>> On the A12 in Essex
Sharon rolls her Escort convertible and is still in the car when the ambulance arrives.
The paramedic starts talking to her, saying "What's your name, love?"
"Sharon! Help me, help me, I'm bleeding!" she replies.
"Where're you bleeding from?" asks the paramedic, to which she answers:
"Romford!"
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Maybe some don't and crash...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-16988468
Last edited by: rtj70 on Fri 10 Feb 12 at 23:06
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It's -10 degrees here this morning.
Pat
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Quote from DT Letters
Buckinghamshire county council gritting website, they have named all their gritters. Alfred the Grit, Gritannia and Lamborgritti.
Last edited by: Falkirk Bairn on Sat 11 Feb 12 at 11:32
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>> They only have three?
>>
Naw, There seems to be six showing on the map... www.transportforbucks.net/Winter-maintenance.aspx
That's all you need for 724 Sq Miles.....
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>> >> They only have three?
>> >>
>> Naw, There seems to be six showing on the map...
The County Council's imagination ran out after three names!
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Salt-spreading lorries - Iffy
