Blowers

Augers on a snowblower (fig. 14-41) feed snow into high-speed augers, rotors, or fans that blow the snow a great distance.

The fan and augers are powered by an auxiliary engine independent of the truck engine. This power is transmitted from the rear (auxiliary) engine to the augers and fan by a drive shaft between the engine clutch assembly and the blower assembly. This has a shear pin that will break any time the blower assembly gets an object in it that will not pass through the blower. In some instances, the fan and each auger have a shear pin instead of the drive shaft having one.

Aircraft chocks, fire extinguishers, and rocks are three of the items that break many shear pins and cause much damage to blowers. Movable items should be

Figure 14-41.-Snowblower.

removed before snowstorms. Once they are covered with snow, they can be picked up with the snow and jammed into the blower fan and shear pin and damage the blower.

On the other hand, rocks may not do much damage to the blowers, but when they are blown out of the blower, they may hit aircraft or equipment or even people. If you must blow snow where there are rocks, raise the blower a couple of inches off the ground to prevent picking up too many rocks.

Engaging the blower clutch too fast, engaging it with the rear engine running too fast, or engaging it with the blower assembly clogged with snow will shear a pin. Remember that the shear pin is a safety device to prevent breaking any other part of the blower. For this reason, you should carry extra shear pins with you when operating a blower.

The blower is for removing snow that is too deep to be plowed or that has been plowed into windrows. The chute on the top in the center above the fan is for directing the flow of snow. This chute can be rotated to blow the snow to the right or left. Snow is usually blown to the right. It can also be extended to control the angle and distance that the snow is blown. If you adjust the chute properly, snow can be blown into trucks to be hauled away.

Blowers are operated by throttling the auxiliary engine to full-governor speed and by adjusting the truck speed so the blower operates at full capacity. When the truck speed is too fast, the blower will clog and shear a shear pin. A foggy discharge will result when the truck speed is too slow. When the truck speed is just right, the snow is compressed by the fan and the discharge from it pulsates. One good way to tell when you are operating to capacity is by a good even roar, not lugging, but with the governor letting it work.

Graders

Graders can be used to remove snow from streets, parking lots, roads, runways, and taxiways to supplement the other snow removal equipment.

A grader is often used during clean-up operations after the major snow removal job has been accomplished. If slush is to be removed with a grader, many times the cutting edge is removed from the moldboard. A strip of hard rubber is bolted to the moldboard in place of the cutting edge. This prevents possible damage to the pavement surface, thus saving a great amount of maintenance work in the spring.

Loaders

In some congested areas, plows pile snow too high to see around at intersections, and the pile has to be removed. A wheeled loader is best-suited for this job.

Care must be taken when moving snow piles with a loader. Fireplugs, electrical and telephone boxes, and other utilities may be buried in the snow. If you are not sure what is under to check the base move the pile. Sand Spreader a pile of snow, ask your crew leader utilities plan before you attempt to Most snowplows are equipped with a sand spreader, commonly called a sander. Sand spreaders can be truck-mounted (fig. 14-42) or towed (fig. 14-43). Spreading hot sand over ice with conventional sand spreading equipment (fig. 14-43) is considered to be one of the most effective ways of producing traction on iced

Figure 14-43.-Towed sand spreader.

surfaces. In this operation, the particles of hot sand embed themselves in the surface and thus resist removal by traffic and wind. For best results, the heated sand should be applied to the iced surface as quickly as possible. Loose sand, applied with the sand spreader, is also used to produce traction on iced surfaces. This method is generally satisfactory, but because the sand is not firmly bonded to the ice, it is blown off the surface by wind and traffic. This method is more effective when applied to surfaces that are wet and when freezing ^{temperatures are expected.}

Figure 14-42.-Truck-mounted sand spreader.