About Plow & Spreader Trucks
Commercial businesses, municipalities, and private owners use plow trucks and spreader trucks to clear snow and ice from airport runways, parking lots, driveways, city and county roads, interstates and highways, and other surfaces. These trucks are built on all types of chassis, ranging from larger service trucks to three-quarter and one-ton pickups. Many trucks offer both plowing and spreading capabilities to simultaneously clear the road and prevent slick surfaces from developing, saving time and reducing future road maintenance. A dual-purpose plow and spreader truck also provides versatility to handle changing road conditions.
International WorkStar 7600 Plow Truck
A Short History
Modern plow trucks are the descendants of early horse-drawn wooden plows, which transitioned to motorized vehicles in the early 1900s. As technology and road treatment options have advanced, plow trucks have evolved to include hydraulic systems that engage the blade and apply downward pressure to scrape packed ice. Hydraulics can also be used to align the plow, extend or retract wings, or raise or lower a front-mounted plow. Spreader trucks, meanwhile, might incorporate an electric-, hydraulic-, or gas-powered tailgate, under tailgate, and V-Box spreaders to spread salt and sand.
Snow Plow Features
Plow trucks are often equipped with manual or electric hydraulic pumps and V-shaped, winged, or push plow blades ranging from 7 to 12 feet (2.1 to 3.7 meters) in length and constructed of stainless steel or polycarbonate material. The snowplow itself could be designed to angle snow one direction, either straight ahead or to the side, while other plows have a reversible edge to let the driver quickly adjust the plow’s direction. Snowplows equipped with a wing plow further expand a truck’s plowing width to move snow fully to the shoulder of the road.
Snowplow features may include quick-attach systems, joystick and touchpad controls with macro settings, infrared and rear cameras, pavement thermometers, LED lighting, and GPS systems. The latter can be used in fleet operations to help drivers know whether a particular section of the road has been plowed to improve planning and productivity.
Spreader Capabilities
The largest spreader trucks can carry anywhere from 8,000 to 10,000 pounds (3,628 to 4536 kilograms) of salt, sand, or other ice melt or traction-control mix. Typically, a large spreader is designed with a hopper that primarily uses gravity to feed the material onto a spinning broadcast disc. Another option is a dump truck-style body with an auger or pintle feeding system to push or pull materials onto a spreading system. From dual motors that control a spreader’s conveyor and spread abilities to adjustable chute heights, there are a wide range of advanced spreader designs. Some trucks convey the material from the side of the truck to spread it in front of the rear tires, while others have a spreader on the tailgate.
Plow trucks and spreader trucks might be designed to also apply de-icing liquids using a brine tank and sprayers to discharge the brine onto salt or sand. Some operations mix the brine into the salt or sand as it’s spread from the truck to more quickly start the melting process and help the dry material stick to the road.
Find Plow & Spreader Trucks
Among the more commonly represented manufacturers of new and used plow trucks and spreader trucks on TruckPaper.com are Ford, Freightliner, GMC, International, Mack, Sterling, Volvo, Western Star, and others.
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