Johnston VT650 Sweeper Video

A high performance road cleansing sweeper with channel brush, suction nozzle and wide-sweep brush. A dual sweep option is available and a swept width of 3600mm increases productivity.
Great environmental features - a water recirculation option, independently operated from the cab. This systems conserves water and reduces dust emissions with longer on station time.

Noise sources are soundproofed and the Johnston VT650 has achieved full PM10 test compliance for vehicle emissions.

How are you using your truck? The First Step to Rightsizing

Lots of Questions for Work Truck Fleet Managers and Business Owners

By: Steve Taylor

I have read about lots of work that has been done on greening the fleet and downsizing but I have not read much about studies of work truck fleet utilization by studying daily use of the truck, tools and equipment!  What can be learned by reviewing all tools and equipment usage for fleets?

Business owners and fleet operators should think about this:  What are the trucks used for? Is the full capacity of the truck and its body needed every day? Do the drivers/operators perform the same tasks every day? Is the same equipment and tools needed every single day, every other day, every week, once a month, every 6 months?  To answer these questions might set fleet managers off on a whole new direction in rightsizing and downsizing the fleet.

In other words, are trucks being specified based on worst case scenarios?  

Is the truck outfitted with equipment that has evolved over many years of the same habits? Has there ever been a serious challenge to the way things are done? Are the trucks carrying around "excess baggage", weighing more than it should and burning excess fuel? For example, is there a need to truck around a heavy welding machine every day? Or is it possible to mount it on a trailer and only pull it to sites as needed?

Of course you want the right equipment when you need it most. But is there an opportunity to be flexible and assign crews based on work to be performed, the best use of vehicles and assignment of equipment? Is it time to initiate cross training for the crews?

This may be a perfect time to review processes and to contemplate this:  Which direction is your organization headed? Increasing or shrinking customer or taxpayer base? Increasing profits or losses? Are you increasing your organizations value to the customer by continuing the same processes? Or might there be a better way? 

How competitive is your organization?  What is your competition doing better? What if the competition changes a process that makes them more efficient; more productive, faster performance, reduced lead time, reduced delivery time, etc.? If the competition gets a jump start on new processes, where does that leave you?

Are you sure you have the right trucks and equipment for the job?

2012 Work Truck Show Highlights From Pickuptrucks.com

Pickuptrucks.com's Mark Williams heads to the 2012 Work Truck Show to see some of the unique vehicles.

Ford Model TT Truck Introduced!

Model TT Truck: In 1917, Ford announced the start up of a one-ton chassis line. This new chassis would be for the Model TT truck. The chassis was basically a Model T passenger car chassis, but it had a longer, stronger frame. From the collections of The Henry Ford and Ford Motor Company.

The New Ford Transit Custom

Transit Custom represents a completely new generation of one-ton commercial vehicles from Ford, offering businesses an unmatched combination of style, driver appeal and outstanding functionality. The New Ford Tourneo Custom Makes Perfect People-Mover for Business or Leisure. With car-like dynamics, a driver-focused cockpit and new interior design, the vehicle is aimed at a new generation of personal use, lifestyle and executive shuttle customers. It offers a choice of eight or nine seats and short or long wheelbases; delivers outstanding functionality, durability and low cost of ownership including excellent fuel economy Transit on Facebook: http://bit.ly/FbTransit

Commercial Customers Test Pre-Production 2011 Ford Super Duty: To supplement the rigorous durability testing performed by its own engineers, Ford has asked selected commercial customers with severe-duty applications to test pre-production models of the all-new 2011 Ford Super Duty for six months before the truck goes on sale. Reynolds Asphalt & Construction Co. of Euless, Texas, took delivery of a 2011 Super Duty F-550 4x2 dual rear wheel chassis cab upfitted with a mechanic's bed to use as a service truck for the company's heavy-duty equipment. The F-550 will carry welding equipment, compressors and a crane body to jobsites for repairs on Reynolds' heavy equipment, including pavers, rollers and graders.

Impressive Boss V-Plow Testing

Why Have a Blade Trip Mechanism? Obstructions and obstacles are a part of snow plowing. They come in all sizes and shapes, from manhole covers and curbs to frozen snow banks and everything in between. Hitting something covered by snow is almost inevitable. This reality of snow removal requires snow plow manufacturers to design and build in features that protect the truck and the plow from damage. By definition, Blade tripping is the rotational movement of an element of the snowplow blade system in reaction to impacting an obstacle. Blade tripping is typically offset by some type of spring mechanism. The purpose of Blade Tripping is to protect the snow plow and vehicle from excessive forces which might result in damage to the snow plow or truck. At slower vehicles speeds, the tripping action may be less pronounced, but the inertia of the vehicle will often allow the snow plow to clear the obstacle anyway — either way, the vehicle and the plow are protected from damage. Two things reduce the energy of the impact to the vehicle and operator and snow removal equipment, the tripping mechanism and pressure relief valves. Pressure relief valves utilize hydraulic cylinders which are able to absorb some of the energy produced by the impact. Working in tandem, the valves and the tripping mechanisms provide protection during the snow removal process. Understanding the importance of protecting valuable snow removal equipment, BOSS Snowplows has outfitted its plows with various tripping capabilities. Some of our products have tripping moldboards, in which our entire moldboard structure rotates to provide the protection. Other straight blade models feature Tripping Cutting edges, in which just the cutting edges trip. BOSS V-plows are designed with Full Moldboard Tripping. They are designed to trip in any position that a plow operator will use them in, including the “V”, “straight” and “scoop” positions — in other words, in any position. The attached video, recently filmed with professional, high-speed cameras gives you an excellent view of the BOSS V-plow tripping moldboard tripping over obstacles at various speeds. Notice how the impact is absorbed before it gets to the vehicle and driver? Even at higher speeds, those typically used by snow plow drivers, the driver’s body is impacted very little.