Snowplow truck pulls another trailer-mounted plow

April 1, 2008
One of the newest concepts introduced at the NTEA Work Truck Show in Atlanta is the Tow Plow

One of the newest concepts introduced at the NTEA Work Truck Show in Atlanta is the Tow Plow. It is a snowplow mounted on the side of a trailer so that one driver can clear two lanes of traffic — one with the truck-mounted plow and another with the trailer-mounted plow. However, the second plow is not deployed as a wing to the side. Instead, the whole trailer deploys to the side.

The innovation is to use a long trailer frame with a steerable tandem axle. To deploy, the rear trailer axles are steered to the side so that the trailer frame extends across the adjoining lane of? traffic. Then the plow is lowered. The plow and the trailer frame are always parallel. To change the angle of the plow, the trailer axles are steered to a different angle. To bring the plow back into the single lane, the trailer axles are steered so that the trailer tracks directly behind the truck. The steering axles also help steer the Tow Plow around highway signs or stranded autos.

To handle the side thrust of a deployed Tow Plow, the trailer is usually loaded with a tank for de-icing chemicals or a dump body for spreading salt or sand. The added weight helps prevent the trailer wheels from skidding sideway. Also, a hydraulic cylinder has been added to the trailer towbar to help maintain the angle between truck and side-deployed trailer.

Bob Lannert, inventor of the Tow Plow, has 34 years of experience with snow removal in the Missouri state highway department. He says that one truck plow and one Tow Plow can clear a 26-ft wide swath of highway using only one driver. Now he is on a mission visiting state highway departments and telling the Tow Plow story.

Lannert is the technical support engineer for Snow King Technologies LLC, 717 Deer Creek Road, Jefferson City MO 65109. His Tow Plow and Sno-King Combination are being manufactured by Viking-Cives Group, a Navistar Company.

MidBox truck body is betwixt and between

The MidBox is not the usual truck body added on top of the chassis or on another truck body. It is a segment body added to the pickup truck between the cab and the pickup box. Therefore, it carries the same sidewall styling and door hardware as the original pickup body styling and locked with the same ignition key. It is essentially a door and a compartment back of the cab that can be equipped with optional shelves, drawers, or slide-out small parts trays. In this case, it is also equipped with an optional topper with more compartments.

Morgan shows first composite plate reefer body

The first refrigerated truck body to be made using side skins of composite plate was put on display at the National Truck Equipment Association annual Work Truck Show in Atlanta GA. Composite plate is a very popular material for the sidewalls of truck trailers and some dry freight truck bodies, but it has never been used before for refrigerated truck bodies, according to Gene Ayres, VP sales and marketing for Morgan Corporation, Morgantown PA.

The 24-ft refrigerated body was built for Shamrock Foods of Phoenix AZ for use in New Mexico. It is refrigerated by a Carrier Transicold Genesis R-90 multi-temp unit. It has a 10-ft frozen food section in front with side door and 14-ft perishable section at the rear with roof-mounted remote evaporator, also by Carrier Transicold. The two compartments are separated by a Skinny Buns folding insulated bulkhead.

“Composite plate is used for the exterior walls because this is a premium refrigerated body,” explains B. J. Kroppe, Morgan engineer. “Morgan Plate is only a quarter inch thick, but it is very strong. It consists of a sandwich having very thin, pre-painted and galvanized high-strength steel skins on each side of a foamed polyethylene core. Our unique bonding process results in all seams being smooth and free of fasteners so that decals can be applied to a smooth surface.”

For hauling frozen foods in the desert Southwest, Shamrock Foods specified six inches of polyurethane foam in the roof and floor and five inches in the sidewalls. The body is 102 inches wide and 97" high outside. It is mounted on an International 4300 truck having a gross vehicle weight of 25,995 lb (no CDL required).

Add-ons convert platform to contractor body

This custom, job-oriented body started out as a 10-ft 600-lb Pro-Tech platform with headboard, and the Pro-Tech custom optional equipment more than doubled the weight. Most prominent is the heavy-duty lumber rack constructed of 2" × 3" extruded rectangular tube. Then come two contractor boxes, two topside boxes with drawer inserts, two underbody boxes, one back-pack box, and finally, an aluminum tailgate. Final estimated weight is 1,350 lb. It is mounted on a Sterling Bullet with 84" CA.

Reading double-wall dump bodies triple protected

The new dump bodies from Reading Truck Body are built with double sidewall metal so that interior dents do not show on the outside. The 12-gauge A-60 steel is triple protected against rust by being galvannealed steel, E-coat primed, and powder-coat final finish. The floor is of 10-gauge hot-rolled steel, supported by 7-inch 7-gauge formed long sills interlaced with 3" structural channel crossmembers. The 2-3-yard body (pictured) and 3-4 yard body are tipped by a double-acting, single-stage electric-hydraulic scissor hoist.

Odwalla trucks and graphics going nationwide

Odwalla, the juice company, is now a part of the Coca-Cola Company and going nation-wide. One of the newest group of trucks to join the Odwalla fleet was shown by Kidron at the NTEA Work Truck Show in Atlanta GA. A prominent feature is the full-wall graphic decals on the sidewalls and rear walls. To get the maximum visual impact, the company specified a flat sidewall with no protruding rivet heads.

To get the proper mounting surface, Kidron went back to a fiberglass-reinforced plastic sidewall instead of the usual aluminum. The body is insulated with polyurethane foam, three inches thick in the sidewalls and four inches in the roof, floor, and front wall. The interior walls are lined on both sides by Kidron's custom adjustable aluminum shelving to make sorting easier of the many Odwalla fruit and vegetable juices. The center aisle is left open for handling full pallets through the 56" wide rear door and generous stepwell.

The 16-ft body is refrigerated by a Thermo King MD 200 unit and mounted on a GMC-Isuzu W-5500 truck.

Lower step part of upgrade to Supreme Cargo Van

The Spartan Cargo Van by Supreme Corp has a new upgrade, including a lower side step and a higher driver door in the cab-access bulkhead. The side step into the cargo van has been lowered six inches to make climbing in and out easier.

The Spartan already has stand-up interior height of 72 or 78 inches. Now the top of the cab-access door has been raised up into the aerodynamic wind fairing so the driver can stand comfortably when moving through the bulkhead door.

Stellar develops economy telescopic crane

Stellar Industries of Garner, Iowa, introduced its new EC3200 economy crane at the NTEA Work Truck Show in Atlanta. This electric/hydraulic crane is rated at 11,500 foot-pounds and has a lifting capacity of 3,200 lb. The telescopic boom extends to 15 feet, yet has a stowed length of 8 feet and stowed height of 24 inches. As one of the lightest cranes on the market, it also has a unique mounting configuration capable of being mounted on bodies with either 20" or 14" deep compartments. A radio remote control is standard.

Powered ramp designed for new Sprinter vans

A powered ramp that folds up and into the van with the touch of a button was shown at the NTEA Work Truck Show by Link Cargo Management Products. Fully deployed, the ramp is 103" long and is 47" wide. It has a 1,500 lb capacity. It is designed only for Sprinter vans and fits 2007 and later models. It is demonstrated by Brent Kackley.

Black Belt hauls heavy-weight materials

The “Black Belt” is the newest truck body from Henderson Manufacturing in Manchester, Iowa, and it is a heavy-duty contender. Riding on a five-axle truck, it can gross 80,000 lb in Wisconsin, and it doesn't need to go up in the air to unload. It is a belt unloader that can dump its 23-yard load as fast as a tipping truck body, according to Marty Ward, who heads up sales.

It uses a 54" wide, high- temperature, two-ply continuous belt to move the load out the rear tailgate. The rear belt drum is powered, and a load-sensing belt tensioning device allows the belt to relax after initial break-away so that the belt is not stretched, which could lead to puncturing.

The belt rides on a sheet of half-inch, heat-resistant dump body liner supported by 3/16" AR400 steel. The sides are of 10-gauge AR400 steel sloped at 71 degrees. Besides sand, gravel, and asphalt, it can haul rip-rap and demolition materials, says Ward. “We call it a ‘Haul it all body’.”

The show model on display at the NTEA Work Truck Show in Atlanta was mounted on a Sterling tandem axle chassis and was equipped with two auxiliary axles to give it an 80,000 lb GVW in Wisconsin. It has a tare weight of 27,500 lb. The Black Belt will also be built as a trailer model, Ward said.

Smallest trailer has 2,000 lb torsion bar axle

The smallest trailer displayed at the NTEA Work Truck Show in Atlanta is the Jason EGG, a miniature towed vehicle with some bigger truck features. The ALKO axle has a capacity of 2,000 lb and contains the torsion bar springs. The powder-coated aluminum frame includes a removable tongue for compact garaging. With a 70-cu-ft volume, the EGG has a maximum load rating of 1,700 lb. Empty weight is 290 lb. It is manufactured by Jason Industries Inc of Elkhart IN, which also builds truck caps and tonneau covers.

Duraclass — new name, new dump body

The new Bedrock dump body carries the Duraclass name, transitioned over from Heil by TBEI.

It's available in lengths from 13' through 21' (6" increments on 16' through 20'), side heights of 42", 48", and 54", rear heights of 48", 54", and 60", with a ½ or ¾ cab shield.

The I-beam understructure adds to floor support, an elliptical radius prevents material hang-up and provides smooth dumping action, and Hardox steel is used throughout the floor, sides, and rear, offering superior dent resistance, and strength while keeping the weight low. Aluminum fenders are available as an option for lighter weight and more payload.

Parkhurst releases first dump body

Parkhurst Manufacturing Co, which has focused on grain and landscape bodies since being founded in 1946 in Sedalia, Missouri, released its first-ever dump body.

Sam Trelow said the company, in response to demand from its customers, released the body last year at ICUEE in Louisville.

“We've gotten a real good response,” he said. “We're selling them through truck-equipment distributors. We're not a Cadillac, but we're not cheap either.”

The 2-3 yard body comes in lengths of 8'4", 9'5", 10', 11'5", and 12'. It features a 10-gauge floor, fold-down sides of 12-gauge with center release lever, greaseable hinges and 12-gauge vertical side braces, fully boxed with a dirt-shedding top rail.

Benson's dumps have IWT

Benson's dump bodies now have its new aluminum inner-wall technology with a double-wall design that allows the use of 5000 alloy on the side walls instead of 6061 extrusion, providing better wearability, said Lenny Miller, VP of sales and marketing.

The thickness of the sheet can be varied. There is a T weld every 20", with no vertical weld required, and interlocking panels.

Miller said it's more aerodynamic, easier to keep clean, and the customer can display signage and logos.

Rugby releases multi-directional body

The Rugby Eliminator-MD multi-directional dump body increases productivity by combining side and rear dump capabilities. A trailer can now be left attached while dumping, saving time and labor with every load.

The dumping direction is easily controlled with one lever, and Rugby's standard tailgate release controls both the rear and the side release. The Eliminator-MD includes Rugby's patented EZ-Latch.

It has 10-gauge steel ends and 7-gauge steel floor, with a 7-gauge, grade-50 dump through driver's side and 96" OD width.

Grand Challenger re-launched by Stahl

Stahl has re-launched the Grand Challenger service body that originally was released in 2000. It's now available in 8, 9', and 11', where previously it was only 8'.

The rear vertical door now opens a full 90 degrees to the rear, allowing easy access to the rear compartment when using the horizontal door as a worktable.

The shuttle cutout provides extended storage from the horizontal compartment into the rear vertical compartment (not available on GLT models).

TruckCraft introduces pre-assembled dump

The TruckCraft Starlifter dumping flat is a unitized dumping platform and hoist that comes pre-assembled and can be ordered with just one part number. Designed for chassis with 60" CA dimensions, the Starlifter includes 9' 7" aluminum body, a hoist that can dump a 17,000-lb load, a steel subframe, and pre-wired electrical system. LED lights are standard, as is the Monarch hydraulic system powered by the truck's electrical system. It is produced by TruckCraft Corporation, Chabersburg PA.

Knapheide gets more on a cutaway

Using a commercial cutaway instead of a conventional chassis cab allows a 129" body to be installed instead of an eight-foot body that typically is mounted on a chassis with the same footprint. This cutaway gives the customer approximately the same price point as a conventional chassis, but with 37% more floorspace than an eight-foot body — and with a turning radius comparable to that of a three-quarter-ton pickup. The body is produced by Knapheide Manufacturing Co, Quincy IL.