Snow/Ice Removal - How do you do it?

remove the snow,instead of working at Wal-mart or MacDonalds.This guy already has the tool for it.

 

My company has installed a device similar to the blade that has already been posted, but ours has a revolving brush and the blade portion does not actually contact the trailer. It takes a couple of passes through the thing if the snow is compacted on the roof of the trailer. It is height adjustable so it works with our tractor trailers and straight trucks which are slightly lower. It's kind of fun blasting my supervisor with snow as I drive through the thing because the remote line for thing isn't that long so he has to stand fairly close to it. It still does not get all the ice off the roof but I guess it's better than nothing, because I still had small chunks coming off as I was rolling down the road.

 

just find an overpass

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8FNQx7Cd9A

 

That was cool. There sure was a big pile of snow on the roof of that trailer.

 

I was just going to post the same video. It's the fastest way to remove snow on the trailer.

 

that was awesome...

 

That video was shown several times on the weather channel and last night on CBS Nightly News. It may look like fun to you but it enrages the public who will demand that legislatures do something about it. Frankly, it is a political layup for politicians. This video will be used to pass more bill to impose fines on vehicles which have not removed SNICE. 31 state trucking associations have asked FMCSA and NHTSA to make car and truck manufacturers develop a solution engineered into the vehicles. It is probably to late to convince legislators that the trucking industry acknowledges the problem and is moving toward a solution. Is it going to increase the cost of purchasing a car or truck? Yes, one way or another. I heard that the fine in New Jersey is $500. Also, it is not realistic to expect people to "not follow too closely", especially in the congested highways of the northeast. I will repeat, that the person or company that comes up with an effective and affordable way to deal with this problem will make a lot of money.

 

Maybe we should hire politicians to go up there and shovel it off.

 

This is what we have at my company. It's called a dura sweeper: http://www.durasweeper.com/

I have only used this machine a couple of times this winter and the only problem I have with it is that it just piles the snow up right under the brush. So, if the area is not plowed after every couple of trailers, it becomes more and more difficult to pass through this thing, we had one driver get stuck after he followed two other drivers through it. But overall it works as advertised unless there is a large amount of ice on the trailer roof.

 

We had a lot of ice in my neck of the woods last week. So naturally there was a lot of accumulation on trailers that have been sitting for some time, especially with a few thaw/freeze cycles. And as luck would have it I had to move one of those trailers.

First, I am not suggesting that anyone do this for a variety of reasons, but since it was sitting at the warehouse one of the managers gave me a hand. We got a ladder and I climbed up with a broom and knocked off what remained after attempting to dislodge it by driving around the lot and over the rail sidings (the crossings, not the tracks themselves) like a maniac. Some of it came off, but not a lot. I also backed it into a door and used a broomhandle to gently tap the ceiling from inside to help break up the ice on top. Going on top with a ladder was my last resort, and if the trailer had Kemlite roofing instead of sheet metal I never would have attempted it. Even with sheet metal there is some risk of falling through (aside from the obvious risk of falling off).

It should be noted that I'm paid by the hour and have access to a heated warehouse, so if I had time and no one was around to help me I could have backed it into a door and let the warm air from inside loosen the ice. Most drivers do not have those options though. There's not a whole lot an over the road driver can do about it aside from going to a truck wash to wash it off, but most truck washes have a policy that prohibits employee's feet from leaving the floor. Other than that or taking it to a repair shop and having someone go up with a stair ladder to remove it...but who wants to pay for that? Many companies would balk at the cost, but I'll wager its far cheaper than a fine for having it fly off on the road or causing property damage or inury/death. Many states are cracking down and Pennsylvania is no exception.