Snowplow Truck

Overview

A snowplow truck is a heavy road truck turned into a winter-maintenance machine by bolting a plow to the front and a material spreader to the bed. In one pass it both clears snow and lays down salt or sand for traction, which is why municipal and highway fleets run them through every storm. The truck under the equipment is a conventional tandem-axle chassis, but it is specified for the job: a reinforced front end to carry the plow, extra cooling for slow plowing under load, and a hydraulic system powerful enough to swing a wide blade and drive the spreader at the same time. The plow's cutting edge wears against the road and is meant to be replaced; the spreader's rate is tied to ground speed so the spread stays even whatever the truck's pace.

How it works

Everything mounts to the Truck Chassis, a heavy ladder frame with a reinforced plow mount and a Diesel Engine driving through the Transmission. That gearbox carries a power take-off feeding the hydraulics, and sends torque to the Tandem Drive Axle, a tandem rear group whose two driven axles claw for grip on ice. The Front Steer Axle steers and bears the plow's weight, and Air Brakes stop the loaded truck.

The work is done by two implements. The Snow Plow is a curved moldboard with a replaceable cutting edge on a push frame; hydraulic cylinders raise and lower it and angle it left or right, while trip springs let the blade ride over hidden obstacles. Behind, the Material Spreader feeds salt or sand from a V-box hopper through an auger to a spinning disc that broadcasts it across the lane. Both run on the Plow Hydraulics, a PTO-driven power unit and valve block. The operator controls plow motion and spread rate from the heated Cab, and the Electrical System system powers the warning beacons and the implement wiring.