Snowplow Truck

[Steve Frazier]

I'm tasked with getting bids on a replacement plow truck for our Town. The Highway Department has given me a list of specs but one has me concerned and I'm hoping some here have some experience in this. The chassis will be a Ram 5500 with the Cummins and a dump body plus hydraulically driven spreader insert. Highway has asked for a transmission driven PTO pump to drive the spreader and dump hoist.

It's been my experience that this type of pump doesn't have the GPM to drive the spreader motors plus it would need to be locked in a lower gear to sustain enough pressure to drive the motors. Every truck I've seen has had a larger engine driven pump for this purpose. I haven't been as involved in the industry as I had in the past, have there been improvements to a transmission mounted pump? Anyone running this type setup successfully? Thanks!

 

[smifwal]

Can't speak to the hydraulic spreader and the PTO. I run buyers electric with conveyors. The 8 footers work great the 10 foot not so much. (I will expand on that if you would like) Here a few city's on their 1 tons are running buyers electric SS with augers, they have been running them for the last 6 years or so, before that they were using conveyor style with the chain. They pushed to get buyers to make the auger style. For the city(s) they work great less moving parts/parts to replace augers don't stretch like the chains do. And I think there is only one or two things to grease. They run dry salt so no issues with the salt freezing around the auger. I would never run a auger because we don't get salt from the dome, they have salt depots around the city that they tarp but it still gets wet

 

[Steve Frazier]

Our Parks Department runs a Salt Dogg electric for the properties but the Highway Dept wants hydraulic for the roads. Thanks

 

[smifwal]

You said ram 5500 so I was thinking you meant like for city hall,fire/police station.

 

[Welder Dave]

Seems like a small truck if they're doing major roads and highways.

 

[Willie B]

I'm pretty inexperienced, but had a bit. Setting up my small (GMC Top Kick ) Up for dump hydraulics, I was cautioned to avoid high engine speed with PTO.
I see plenty of smaller highway trucks with a short shaft from the crankshaft pulley to a pump. These are a load on the engine all the time, if only pumping oil through the filter. Maybe an electric clutch?
Friends have a used single axle 36000LB IH with belt driven pump with electric clutch supplies both dump, sander, plow, and wing. They have a few Ford 550, 600, use electric hydraulic pumps for dump, and plow equipment. They use only slide in sanders.

 

[materthegreater]

My IH has a PTO pump that powers the dump hoist, but had a crankshaft driven pump for the plow and spreader. The PTO pump is quite slow and I doubt it would be sufficient for a spreader. My Ford 550 has a pump that is driven off belts from the crankshaft with an electric clutch. It's quite capable of running my hydraulic tailgate sander. It has an electric plow so no hydraulic draw for that.

 

[Steve Frazier]

We have large trucks but have a need for the smaller truck for tighter streets in smaller subdivisions and cleaning intersections. I had an F550 set up with central hydraulics with an engine driven pump to run everything. It had an A/C style electric clutch to turn it on and off. I'm thinking this truck being proposed would be a similar setup.

materthegreater, you've made the same observation I have about PTO pumps, they don't have enough output to run hydraulic motors on the spreaders.

 

[smifwal]

One of the companies we do work for has isuzu's with hydraulically driven spreaders we call them rolling depots I think they can get 9 ton on there not legally obviously. They don't have plows on them not sure if they could and just don't or if you cant

 

[DDoug]

I've noticed on Mixer trucks the front bumper mounted shaft driven pump appears to be closed center style.

A belt driven model hanging on the engine might not have enough room for a closed center, but with the continuous usage, might help with flow & heat buildup problems.

 

[Willie B]

My IH has a PTO pump that powers the dump hoist, but had a crankshaft driven pump for the plow and spreader. The PTO pump is quite slow and I doubt it would be sufficient for a spreader. My Ford 550 has a pump that is driven off belts from the crankshaft with an electric clutch. It's quite capable of running my hydraulic tailgate sander. It has an electric plow so no hydraulic draw for that.

I couldn't use belt drive. Cat 3208 in my truck uses V belts, several of them. Pulley on the end of the crank is 6?" wide, and full. Another pulley with more grooves would hit the radiator. I explored the possibility of altering the radiator to allow a shaft to pass through, that didn't seem feasible.
Buying a PTO proved a nightmare. Bought one used, it arrived damaged by the cave man who removed it, they sent another, also damaged. Bought one from another salvage yard, that too was damaged. Aluminum casting of each had acetylene torch ears damaged.
I found a truck outfitter in NH sold me the correct PTO, with married pump & shim kit for $1300. I'd say PTO is the way to go, but I'm not sure if speed is a concern.

 

[cuttin edge]

Most light duty trucks run an electric hoist. Our F550s and F600 all have electric. Does that size of truck offer a pto mount. Our spreaders have their own engine. We found it better to remove the dump box and secure the spreader to the frame in winter. I think there was a lot of movement with the inserts I have no fear of an electric hoist. Some of the older trucks are 15 years old with the same pump and electric motor.

 

[materthegreater]

Most light duty trucks run an electric hoist. Our F550s and F600 all have electric. Does that size of truck offer a pto mount. Our spreaders have their own engine. We found it better to remove the dump box and secure the spreader to the frame in winter. I think there was a lot of movement with the inserts I have no fear of an electric hoist. Some of the older trucks are 15 years old with the same pump and electric motor.

Electric hoists are fine for occasional use but terribly slow. And constant use will burn out the motor or drain your batteries. My 550 hydraulic hoist is up and down in no time.

 

[cuttin edge]

They are slow, but must be the type you have. Ours work steady and have never been replaced. As I mentioned one is 15 years old

 

[Willie B]

I remember a water line contractor retired, moved to VT his new dump truck for downscaled work was a Dodge 3500 two wheel drive with an aftermarket dump & electric hoist. The dump gave you time to smoke a cigarette, (I've never smoked one, I don't exactly know how long that is).

 

[materthegreater]

They are slow, but must be the type you have. Ours work steady and have never been replaced. As I mentioned one is 15 years old

I think it's the duty cycle more than anything. If it doesn't have time to cool down and recharge the batteries between dumps is when it's a problem.

 

[Willie B]

I remember a water line contractor retired, moved to VT his new dump truck for downscaled work was a Dodge 3500 two wheel drive with an aftermarket dump & electric hoist. The dump gave you time to smoke a cigarette, (I've never smoked one, I don't exactly know how long that is).

I have a 1956 Dodge Power Wagon with rear PTO winch. I built a dump body for it. The winch seemed the simple way to dump. It might take 5 seconds to full height, with unlimited lift power.