brandonhill111 As an ICU nurse traveling roads to get to work in PA saw the snow plows on all lanes and just moved over. God bless them for their hard work!
getting more bang for your buck. Props to MDOT for a great team. some of the best snow drivers out there. after 37 years of driving I can say my job is a whole lot easyer thanks to this drivers in the plows. everywhere.
PA just got a small fleet of these tow plows the other year. theyre only using them on major interstate highs like I-99/220, I-76 PA TURNPKIE and I-80.
the idiots in charge where I live send the trucks loaded with salt out if they think it's going to snow, I guess they think we have money to throw away
how is this different than a plow sporting a 2nd wing? it looked like the tow plow only sat out as far as a wing does/would. Is the towplow cheaper than a wing?
Thank you for the question. The tank does offer bias weight on the Tow Plow. It's main purpose is to spray roadway beet juice brine solution for melting power.
not much, but in really heavy snow yes, thats why you see the second truck. also he hits the ramps, and shoulder when needed. but the trucks are build to take this and much more.
The Ohio Department of transportation has had them for roughly 10 years...I should know because purchasing them was my idea. I’m a 31 year employee of our transportation department.
I've seen the tow plows in action and they're quite a sight. But one has to wonder just how efficient it is to have a tow plow behind one rig and the other plows don't even have patrol wings on them. Why bother having one truck clear 2.5 lanes when the next truck isn't being fully utilized?
Why is air not streamed through a channel on the leading edge of the blade to lift the blade, reduce blade wear, increase snow removal efficiency, and peel everything off the road as well? This would be incredible and super easy to do with an onboard air compressor that I am positive that thing can power. Source: Mechanical Engineer
maybe the plow can be adj down or add weights to the plow and I dont think theirs another man in the truck operating the tow plow ,probably use this after hours or empty high ways
Notice the tow plow doesn't seem to scrape to the road surface. Don't think there's enough weight on the trailer for it to work effectively. Notice how most of these tow plows are followed by another plow truck to finish off? Also no salt in that lane.
From what I understand, the plow truck turns up his spreader and throws salt a little further and that tank on the trailer is a prewet with something like calcium chloride. when it mixes with the salt, its twice as effective.
I saw that technique used in upstate NY on the thruway system almost 50 years ago. Back then it was called a conga line. Trust me you did not want to be standing on the right shoulder when the plows came thru. They would clear long stretches of highway running at about 40 MPH.
I work for an agency in the state west of MDOT and yes, they do kick butt. MDOT has to do it with older equipment than my agency and they do great work and are very underpaid for the long hours they put in.
Ermh.... We've got 30' snowplows here in Sweden. No trailer, just a truck with front blade ande a massive wingplow. Loaded with sand OR salt. Should we need it, there's a version 40'-50'wide. Two of these cleares any motorway in no time.
That's a strange law. These extra large plows are safer because easier to drive. The drive actually has two working rear mirrors. Stalled vehicles aren't a real issue, you can always collapse the wings to pass. I think the concept of extra wide plows is superior, simply because you have a more stabile rig. Swiss runs some plow trucks built up on 8x8 construction trucks. In light snow they can extend the blades and plow a wide area and in really bad conditions you can always collapse the blades to get one lane plowed.
I live in Western N.Y., south of Buffalo, so I understand the snow. We could definitely use rigs like that out here, we have so few drivers and so much snow at times, that would save a lot of headache on 90 and 219 when we're only getting one lane plowed at a time. Seems like they need a little more weight on them, I noticed in the video that the truck hit road, but the tows left a little.. not a biggie, but it'd be nice to have them all hit, especially in higher elevations for traction.
One man being forced to do the job of two ! you hate getting stuck behind one snow plow creeping along at 15 mph on clean roads with plow down ! get behind this thing ! you will go nuts! .
They fill the towed plow's tank with liquid to give it weight but it's clearly not as effective as the truck mounted plow. The left side is completely plowed but the towed plow's side has a thin layer of snow left over. It would be a better idea to mount a salt hopper in addition to the tank on the tow plow's side in order to get ride of the film that's left over. Great idea but it needs more tweaking.
Order in Chaos The left side is completely plowed because of the underbody scraper. They do a better job than the plows because it applies hydraulic down pressure. The weight of the salt on the truck helps with the clearing efficiency of the underbody as well. The liquid in the tanks is a salt brine. It is a salt-water mixture designed to activate the melting process of rock salt quicker. There are different chemical brine mixtures used depending on the temperature. The tow plows aren't designed to immaculately clear the drive lane like a truck can and it's probably not possible unless the tow plow had the same amount of weight and applied down pressure on the cutting edges that a truck "above" it can apply. They're designed to remove mass majority of snow and therefore are efficient.
So say by chance is a trailer in icy and snow conditions you lose control of it and takes out the plow truck then your down a truck or it slides in to a car or even kills someone bad idea if you ask me or even causing the plow truck it self to lose control and hurting or possibly killing a driver. Plus tires add up blow outs ect. More maintenance more problems ect more money starts adding up after a while
Im impressed with the driver of the tow plow. But wouldnt a wing or a double wing be better? It looks like that would be a bit to tow around a crash scene or a large back log from a crash.
Uhh they throwing cinders down and the cinders get covered n beat juice n liquid salt wich saves using as much salt plus the plows are designed not to tear the pavement up
SEE the Luddititrs in 1879 they said the same thing. they smashed sewing machines because they took peoples jobs . BUT who made them and who makes the tow plow. people do. OR we could ALL grab a shovel but who made the shovel?
when i clicked on the vid i thought he was drifting his trailer ROFL really nice to see how they do it in other country's. Here we just dump a shitload of salt on the snow and ice and wait for it to melt
Yeah Spokane could use something like that but then you'd actually have to have someone and knows how to use it or even make the decision that actually helps the public instead of pads their pockets
They haven't shown these tow plows working in anything more than about 2" of snow. Let's get them in the 12"-14" range and see what they can do? I'd be willing to bet they'd be just about useless. Sorry, I have yet to see anything that compares to a good tandem or tri axle dump truck and a Gledhill highway plow for deep snow plowing conditions.
your right. i have family that works for state and county in northern michigan and they tried them up here. the reasons they dont like them are. you cant block the whole road when you plow here. so they can do one lane and the shoulder and once they use all the sand/salt they are hard to tow. they have two of three of them and they havent left the garge this year.
I can imagine agriculture would make a good marketplace for the idea but not for clearing snow, going by the results of the videos on youtube it's a fail at actually shifting the white stuff. .
these road crews rock!!!!!! I have driven behind them and they do the job.
thank you your dedication is what keeps our communities on the move.
driving behind one sounds like a nightmare: all those salt rocks chipping paint with no opportunity to escape unless if you pull over
I've lived in Missouri my whole life going on 19 years and this is the first I'm ever seeing these really awesome
brandonhill111 As an ICU nurse traveling roads to get to work in PA saw the snow plows on all lanes and just moved over. God bless them for their hard work!
Every time I watch these plowing videos it brings back those memories of 28 years of driving one
getting more bang for your buck. Props to MDOT for a great team. some of the best snow drivers out there. after 37 years of driving I can say my job is a whole lot easyer thanks to this drivers in the plows. everywhere.
i have plowed snow for 12 years and that is one bad ass plow. wish i had one! good job fellas!
Excellent camera angles, good job! Thanks..
I'm not the operator but the cinematographer, truck ran good and strong. the cab was nice and toastie.
Thanks to all the men and women at modot for making our roads safer.may god bless u and keep u safe.
Does the driver control the tow behind or someone in the cab with him?
The driver has the joystick controls and video camera to help with location
@@modotvideo thanks for the reply. Wow! So much to pay attention to the whole time.
PA just got a small fleet of these tow plows the other year. theyre only using them on major interstate highs like I-99/220, I-76 PA TURNPKIE and I-80.
Are these manufactured/fabricated by MoDOT or are they commercially available?
Great video! Love the multiple camera angles!
why was the snow so deep? when I was working you were called out as soon as it started snowing not the next day after it snowed a foot
believe it or not there's times the plows cannot keep up with it!
because some places actually get a lot of snow.
the idiots in charge where I live send the trucks loaded with salt out if they think it's going to snow, I guess they think we have money to throw away
@@dave4854 You do realize salt helps.
fast and furious: missouri drift
It's Minnesota bro
@@MrThorMNFinest -then why on the side of the truck it says MOdot which means Missouri dept of transportation
how is this different than a plow sporting a 2nd wing? it looked like the tow plow only sat out as far as a wing does/would. Is the towplow cheaper than a wing?
+f1y7rap tow plows are $100,000. rip off!
Is the tank there to keep pressure on the wheels and plough?
Thank you for the question. The tank does offer bias weight on the Tow Plow. It's main purpose is to spray roadway beet juice brine solution for melting power.
Does the driver operate the entire apparatus, or is there a second operator in the passenger seat operating the tow plow?
The driver operates it
I’d say this is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen, but I’ve seen Sasquatch. Still this is pretty cool.
Awesome! Any overheating on the engine oil? That seems like a lot of work for that trucks powerplant.
not much, but in really heavy snow yes, thats why you see the second truck. also he hits the ramps, and shoulder when needed. but the trucks are build to take this and much more.
Where’s your left and right wings?
GoPro Hero 2 or Hero 3?
I guess i ain't wrong, or am I?
G I live there n haven’t seen any of these rigs maybe cause i stay home till there done eh !!
Is it essentially just a large wing plow you tow?
1:13-2:08 Awesome footage, showing people a different perspective and how the stuff actually works. If only all DOT's were this progressive...
The Ohio Department of transportation has had them for roughly 10 years...I should know because purchasing them was my idea. I’m a 31 year employee of our transportation department.
why do you need an extra thing like that? why cant you just extend the length of the blade in front of the truck?
It would be to wide for normal travel down the road. Also it could be to much to push at one time.
Normally, you add a wing to the truck.
+dan rayman It's what is done in most states.
how soon will these be operated by drones ?
I've seen the tow plows in action and they're quite a sight. But one has to wonder just how efficient it is to have a tow plow behind one rig and the other plows don't even have patrol wings on them. Why bother having one truck clear 2.5 lanes when the next truck isn't being fully utilized?
wonder how much body work the fleet maintenance techs have to do during the off season
Why is air not streamed through a channel on the leading edge of the blade to lift the blade, reduce blade wear, increase snow removal efficiency, and peel everything off the road as well? This would be incredible and super easy to do with an onboard air compressor that I am positive that thing can power.
Source: Mechanical Engineer
maybe the plow can be adj down or add weights to the plow and I dont think theirs another man in the truck operating the tow plow ,probably use this after hours or empty high ways
Why not push the snow the other way with front plow that way it gets off the inside emergency lane
Notice the tow plow doesn't seem to scrape to the road surface. Don't think there's enough weight on the trailer for it to work effectively. Notice how most of these tow plows are followed by another plow truck to finish off? Also no salt in that lane.
From what I understand, the plow truck turns up his spreader and throws salt a little further and that tank on the trailer is a prewet with something like calcium chloride. when it mixes with the salt, its twice as effective.
91slownotch
ah so that's why they follow the trailer with a second plow then. (To throw down salt) Makes sense.
A lot more interesting than the other Tow Plow video
I saw that technique used in upstate NY on the thruway system almost 50 years ago. Back then it was called a conga line. Trust me you did not want to be standing on the right shoulder when the plows came thru. They would clear long stretches of highway running at about 40 MPH.
I'm Mr Plow because that's my name, that name again is Mr Plow.
I live in north east Mo. and I've not seen the out here
I work for an agency in the state west of MDOT and yes, they do kick butt. MDOT has to do it with older equipment than my agency and they do great work and are very underpaid for the long hours they put in.
Not for night time use?
Yes, used at night
Thx MnDot great job this 2018-19 . Be safe out there.
Ermh.... We've got 30' snowplows here in Sweden. No trailer, just a truck with front blade ande a massive wingplow. Loaded with sand OR salt. Should we need it, there's a version 40'-50'wide. Two of these cleares any motorway in no time.
US road safety laws do not allow plows that big. And like you see at 1:50 there is always stalled vehicles on the roadway.
That's a strange law. These extra large plows are safer because easier to drive. The drive actually has two working rear mirrors. Stalled vehicles aren't a real issue, you can always collapse the wings to pass.
I think the concept of extra wide plows is superior, simply because you have a more stabile rig. Swiss runs some plow trucks built up on 8x8 construction trucks. In light snow they can extend the blades and plow a wide area and in really bad conditions you can always collapse the blades to get one lane plowed.
Those trailer plows are the hot setup. At :38 that lead truck is pushin' some snow.
what's in the tank? water/anti-freeze for weight?
are you serious! 2:00 it has an articulating hitch!
please bring these to 55/270 next snow storm lol
Wesley Jackson salt brine is in the tank. Works for weight and ice treatment.
I live in Western N.Y., south of Buffalo, so I understand the snow. We could definitely use rigs like that out here, we have so few drivers and so much snow at times, that would save a lot of headache on 90 and 219 when we're only getting one lane plowed at a time. Seems like they need a little more weight on them, I noticed in the video that the truck hit road, but the tows left a little.. not a biggie, but it'd be nice to have them all hit, especially in higher elevations for traction.
you can see were the tire rubs of the fender
Awesome job guys, If it wouldn’t be for you guys we’d have to say home!
the tow plow is awesome to watch i saw Modot use it the other day , but i would rather live in Florida where its warm.
What’s the life expectancy of a vehicle doing this type of work?
10 to 12 years
michigan needs some of these for sure
I love these plows :D
Gonna start driving one this winter 🙂
Now that's the way to plow snow as a team...
One man being forced to do the job of two ! you hate getting stuck behind one snow plow creeping along at 15 mph on clean roads with plow down ! get behind this thing ! you will go nuts! .
Nice drifting skills guys
where the deep snow? :o
The question is will I use my snowblower or lawnmower next? Missouri, come up north for real snow!!!
the way it is setup is weird but amazing
They fill the towed plow's tank with liquid to give it weight but it's clearly not as effective as the truck mounted plow. The left side is completely plowed but the towed plow's side has a thin layer of snow left over. It would be a better idea to mount a salt hopper in addition to the tank on the tow plow's side in order to get ride of the film that's left over. Great idea but it needs more tweaking.
Order in Chaos The left side is completely plowed because of the underbody scraper. They do a better job than the plows because it applies hydraulic down pressure. The weight of the salt on the truck helps with the clearing efficiency of the underbody as well.
The liquid in the tanks is a salt brine. It is a salt-water mixture designed to activate the melting process of rock salt quicker. There are different chemical brine mixtures used depending on the temperature.
The tow plows aren't designed to immaculately clear the drive lane like a truck can and it's probably not possible unless the tow plow had the same amount of weight and applied down pressure on the cutting edges that a truck "above" it can apply. They're designed to remove mass majority of snow and therefore are efficient.
Truck pulling plow is pushing more snow than the $100,000 tow plow!
So say by chance is a trailer in icy and snow conditions you lose control of it and takes out the plow truck then your down a truck or it slides in to a car or even kills someone bad idea if you ask me or even causing the plow truck it self to lose control and hurting or possibly killing a driver. Plus tires add up blow outs ect. More maintenance more problems ect more money starts adding up after a while
how about the blade
Im impressed with the driver of the tow plow. But wouldnt a wing or a double wing be better? It looks like that would be a bit to tow around a crash scene or a large back log from a crash.
0:41 that sound!
Great footage!
That truck needs a passenger side wing plow much more effective. That's how my rig is anyway and seems to do good up here in Canada
Scott Medeiros that’s what the tow behind is for, that plow is twice the size of a wing.
@@Vickvineager no, my wing only overlaps 1 foot. I can cover 2.5 hwy 401 lanes
in Barrie ont. this is what we need . New thoughts on old problembs ,not perfect,but brilliant!
MO does a superior job compared to its neighbor to the north. I have driven in both states in the snow.
Who wants to watch something from 9 years ago!
Well...ya showed me! Excellent!
They call that truck "The Balls"!
This is best job ever!!!
Nice job guys
Kool idea for saving manpower and fuel! Thanx for sharing.
Hell, I've seen plows on the side of the trucks before.
So have I James M but not towed and steerable ones. Pretty neat idea.
Doesn't do a good job. I don't see much snow coming off the surface. Also, did you forget the salt?
at 0:25 its doing a lot of work. and a number of states have outlawed salt, you can only use sand/dirt
Colton King We still have salt here in pa wonder why our vehicles are so rusty hehe :)
+Tom Z salt is in the tanks being pulled
Uhh they throwing cinders down and the cinders get covered n beat juice n liquid salt wich saves using as much salt plus the plows are designed not to tear the pavement up
I'd hate to have to pay the fuel bill on that thing. Worth every penny I'm sure.
seems two trucks are much better, probably the weight idk
SEE the Luddititrs in 1879 they said the same thing. they smashed sewing machines because they took peoples jobs . BUT who made them and who makes the tow plow. people do. OR we could ALL grab a shovel but who made the shovel?
I live in "modot" territory. My dad is a residential plow driver. Im getting ready
+Nate Kerr Ask him to put a camera on the front of a plow and put a video on here.
That is so awesome...
Sounds like the guy filming is piping popcorn
Jeff you can get the answers to your questions by calling the MoDOT @ 1-888-ASK-MODOT toll free hotline. Have a great day.
It looks like whoever ordered the fenders didn't account for the wheels turning.
very impressive video
Saw this in Park City, Utah. Greatest snow ❄️ on Earth!!!
when i clicked on the vid i thought he was drifting his trailer ROFL really nice to see how they do it in other country's. Here we just dump a shitload of salt on the snow and ice and wait for it to melt
lol
in the snow that's the way to do it
LOOK AT THAT TOW PLOW ACTION OOH YEAH!
Gotta love the mess that beet juice makes! Works wonders though!
Would never work in an area that gets more than an inch or teo
That's what she said
In Tennessee we have em and most years we don't even get snow
Yeah Spokane could use something like that but then you'd actually have to have someone and knows how to use it or even make the decision that actually helps the public instead of pads their pockets
Modot has the slowest snowplows i have ever seen. Hope you never get behind one.
This must be hell to drive. Got to pull to one side.
Nope drives perfectly straight
Nice to have such a nice toys,but where was the action, 1 inch of snow is no action.
Learn where to start against the barrier and maybe the plows behind them have something to do!!!!!
I think that was PAUL STANLEY from KISS driving that truck, you know since he can't sing anymore!!
I love side walk cops
I love sidewalk cops
SAVING MONEY BY ONLY NEEDING ONE TRUCK INSTEAD OF 2 TRUCKS WITH WING PLOWS,... OH WAIT, THEY'RE STILL USING 2 TRUCKS...WTF??? GENIUS!!! BRILLIANT!!
+Rick Crowe for 3 lane sections
+jaymanxxxx Did you miss the other truck plowing directly behind the other 2 trucks with the pull plows?
I was being sarcastic.
forget man power or fuel idea is keeping the highway clear
They haven't shown these tow plows working in anything more than about 2" of snow. Let's get them in the 12"-14" range and see what they can do? I'd be willing to bet they'd be just about useless. Sorry, I have yet to see anything that compares to a good tandem or tri axle dump truck and a Gledhill highway plow for deep snow plowing conditions.
check that one part 0:30-1:00, that was at least 4-5 inches
your right. i have family that works for state and county in northern michigan and they tried them up here. the reasons they dont like them are. you cant block the whole road when you plow here. so they can do one lane and the shoulder and once they use all the sand/salt they are hard to tow. they have two of three of them and they havent left the garge this year.
"deep snow"
uh.. no? this is nothing
I can imagine agriculture would make a good marketplace for the idea but not for clearing snow, going by the results of the videos on youtube it's a fail at actually shifting the white stuff.
.