Friction-evaluating dragsled

Massload Technologies has developed a new means of gathering and recording precise data that can be used to test the surface friction of roadways — a major safety concern. The Sample Accumulator for Friction Evaluation Dragsled weighs only 16 kilograms, is fully automated, can be used in any weather conditions, and requires as little as 18 inches of pull for accurate friction calculations due to the rapidity of electronic tension samples (up to 500 per second). The SAFE Dragsled is powered by a standard off-the-shelf PDA and uses an infrared signal.

6-foot electric V-box

The low-profile Electric V Box from Sno-Way is 6-feet long, 26-inches high, 38-inches wide; can be used to spread sand, salt, or a combination; and holds 0.75 cubic yards. The swing-away chute design allows for simple unloading, easy access to the trailer hitch, and offers a simple storage solution. The spreader has a quiet 0.5-horsepower electric motor for middle-of-the-night and noise-restricted-area applications and includes a hand-held electronic cable controller.

Solar speed-calming device

A new solar speed-calming device from K&K Systems is trailer-mounted and provides a clear signal to drivers at 1,000-foot visibility to check their current speed. The 2002R20 is used for traffic calming in a variety of locations including construction or maintenance work zones. The new technology lowers maintenance costs and increases energy efficiency.

Skid-steer hydraulic spreader

Sno-Way’s new salt spreader uses skid-steer hydraulics and has a 10.25-cubic foot capacity with an adjustable speed control and shut-off switch. The spreader has a rugged polyethylene hopper, steel support frame, and stainless-steel spinner components, and spreads from 4 to 30 feet in an even pattern.

Cone setter

The new Cone Setter from A.W.D. automatically places and retrieves highway cones with less danger to the operator. The operator simply loads/unloads the conveyor, reducing exposure to oncoming traffic. The unit is adaptable to most trucks and features a self-contained power supply, easy two-person operation, and the ability to attach/detach in minutes.

Cable guardrail

Trinity Industries developed a new Cable Safety System that addresses the issue of crossover accidents on highway systems. CASS provides a more forgiving, cost-effective alternative to rigid, expensive concrete barriers and exhibits excellent life-cycle costs with maintenance-free service and quick repair after an impact. Using C-shaped posts and tensioned cables, the system prevents potential head-on collisions by capturing and redirecting errant vehicles. The specially designed post employs a patent-pending wave-shaped slot that works in tandem with strategically positioned cables. CASS has been extensively crash-tested.

Concrete maturity and temperature profiling system

Nomadics Construction Labs has introduced a second generation concrete maturity and temperature profiling system that enables the safe acceleration of project workflow, while also enhancing quality control and quality assurance of concrete construction activities. The intelliRock II system uses embedded sensors to record early strength concrete data. This data is collected by a hand-held reader — organizing and tracking it in real-time during construction, as often as needed. New features include Nurse-Saul and Arrhenius+ maturity techniques, thousands of logged temperature/ maturity points, time-stamped time of start based on real-time clock, stored job-site ID and placement notes, and a data-lock function.

Exclusive!
Rubber base for roll-up signs

Clean Earth Worldwide Safety, LLC will introduce a fully rubber base stand for roll-up signs at the ATSSA Traffic Expo next month. The Portable Safe Zone-1 eliminates the dangerous metal frame, legs, and springs, which now support roll-up signs used on roadways and at construction sites, and replaces it with a safer rubber stand. The PSZ-1 will support both 36- and 48-inch signs and greatly reduces the hazards to roadway workers and motorists alike from flying metal objects in the even of an accident.

The unit is much more than a sign base, the-two part rubber base serves as a protective devise to safely store up to three expensive reflective signs. The top lid opens to provide an effective barrier sign, which can also be equipped with flashing lights or a message board. Also stored and protected under the lid is all the equipment needed to erect the traffic sign and two collapsible 28-inch collapsible traffic cones and flags, which are necessary to create a safe work zone. It has a handle for easy carrying and it can be stored and transported easily.

9-cubic foot receiver spreader

Sno-Way’s new 9-cubic foot receiver spreader for Class III hitches has an easy-to-use flow control that allows you to spread between 4 and 30 feet of deicer/anti-icer. In addition to two control options — a solid-state variable speed control and an on/off control — the spreader has a chunk buster system that crushes chunks more efficiently than an auger system will with less amp draw.

Vibratory plate compactors

Multiquip’s new line of MVC-64 Series one-way vibratory plate compactors is designed for the effective compaction of granular soils and asphalt and is ideal for work in confined spaces. The compactors generate 2,275 pounds of impact force with 5,600 vpm, can travel up to 82 feet per minute, and can compact areas as large as 5,658 square feet per hour. The models are fitted with plates measuring 34.6 by 13.8 by 34.9 inches. Weighing in at 165 pounds with a water tank and 143 pounds without, the compactors can easily be operated by one person. Each unit features a convenient front-mounted and accessible vibrator assembly as well as a sealed belt cover to keep dirt and rocks out.

Roll-out strip sealant

Quik Pave Products’ new roll-out strip sealant is a specially formulated rubberized asphalt compound ideal for sealing joints and seams that occur when replacing sections of existing asphalt pavements due to repair. QuikSeam addresses the two major causes of water infiltration at abutting pavement surfaces: poorly sealed seams or joints; and asphalt compacted to less than optimum density.

Standard roll lengths are 50 feet; widths are 8 and 9 inches to accommodate 2- and 3-inch-thick pavement sections respectively; and installation requires no heating equipment or special tools.

Electronic metal detector

Zircon’s electronic metal detector finds location and approximate depth of rebar and other metal objects through concrete at depths up to 6 inches. The HM-117A is fast and easy to use with hand forming grip combined with one-touch operation. The large LCD display indicates both location and depth of embedded metal objects. Location accuracy for rebar is approximately +/-1 inch, dependant on size and depth of the bar. The unit is powered by one 9-volt alkaline battery.

New at NRVMA

Truck-mounted attenuator

The MPS-350 truck-mounted attenuator by Trinity Industries attaches to the back of road-work vehicles to protect them from errant motorists and to protect the drivers of shadow vehicles. The all-steel construction, open design makes routine inspection quick, reliable, and simple and allows for less wind-drag when traveling to the jobsite. Adjustable support chains eliminate sagging and make leveling easy. The power hoist quickly raises the steel frame cushion for traveling. The attenuator is designed for use in either moving or stationary work zones and meets all NCHRP Report 350, Test Level 3 criteria.

Roadway management system

Mid-Tech’s Roadway Management System records essential information about your work and notes exactly where it was done using GPS. The process begins by inputting information into the RMS databases, or profiles — personnel, equipment, chemicals, mixtures, maps, spray configurations, and so on. Once the set up is complete, it becomes part of the system files for ready reference. You can track spraying and keep track of how much of what chemicals are used where. The company provides detailed manuals on software operation. Additional technical support is simply a phone call away and free of charge for one year. Installation and on-site training are available.

Irrigation supplement

DriWater has joined forces with Rain Bird to promote Irrigation Supplement. This water bound in the form of a solid gel is ideal for use in establishing native plant material where permanent irrigation is not required. Use of the product increases survival rates of transplants by providing continuous moisture needed to reduce the stress of relocation. The unit consists of a one-quart, degradable, paper carton that is buried, with just the top sticking out, around the root ball of a plant. The supplement disperses water at a consistent rate for up to 90 days, providing moisture around the clock to the root zone; eliminates evaporation, runoff, and leaching; and requires little to no maintenance.

Tree-trimming saw

Trim All Equipment Company’s saw blade mounts to a standard backhoe. The 24-inch circular saw blade sits on the end of a telescopic fiberglass boom which reaches heights of 55 feet. To mount, remove two pins that secure the digging stage of the boom, reinstall the pins in the bracket of the Trim All, and connect the hydraulic couplers. The controls are operated just as the backhoe controls work to swing, raise, and extend the boom. A valve engages and disengages a hydraulic motor that rotates the blade. The saw cuts limbs up to 10 inches in diameter quickly and cleanly.

Drift control

GarrCo Products’ new concentrated, drift-reducing polymer blend is easy to use and mixes extremely well with water, lowering the chance of plugging screens and nozzles. Control enhances herbicide performance by increasing the size of the smaller droplets, providing more material to the desired target. This reduces the amount of spray bouncing off the target plant, allowing more material available for plant uptake. The product lowers the rate of evaporation of the spray solution, increasing the time available for the herbicide to be taken up by the plant.

Spray nozzles

XP BoomJet boomless spray nozzles from TeeJet, formerly Spraying Systems, demonstrate a breakthrough in wide-coverage spray nozzle design. The wide-coverage spray pattern distributes spray solution evenly across the full width of the pattern. The design combines a pre-orifice with a unique exit orifice to assure maximum uniformity in product placement and better drift reduction. The nozzles are available in four flow rates ranging from 1.0 to 8.0 gpm and are suitable for use at pressures from 20 to 60 psi. They provide spray pattern coverage up to 18.5 feet. Each capacity is available for left- or right-side applications and is color coded for easy identification. The nozzle capacities are available in an all-polymer construction and in durable stainless steel with a polymer pre-orifice.

Poison ivy treatment

Tec Laboratories has a new two-step treatment system for treating poison ivy/oak, IvyStat, that teams up a deep cleansing exfoliant to remove toxic oils from the skin with a 1% hydrocortisone gel to stop itching and promote healing.

The kit includes two tubes Step 1 is the exfoliant, used to clean the affected skin to remove toxic oils and stop the irritant from spreading. Step 2 is 1% hydrocortisone gel. The gel provides immediate soothing and menthol cooling while its maximum-strength hydrocortisone goes to work providing relief from the hot, itchy, inflamed rash.

Multipurpose dozer blades

Grasshopper’s 48- and 60-inch multipurpose dozer blades move dirt, sand, gravel, and snow and can dislodge ice. Blades are adjustable to allow operation straight ahead or 25 degrees left or right. The easy-to-use control lever permits preset height adjustment, while a quick-response foot control allows intermittent height adjustment. The 60-inch model uses a self-contained hydraulic system for lift and variable left-to-right angling. The QuikConverter implement system lets you remove the mowing deck and add the dozer blade in minutes without tools.

Broadleaf herbicide

Helena Chemical Company’s Unison is a highly effective broadleaf herbicide based on a unique, patent-pending 2,4-D acid formulation technology. The technology offers broadleaf weed control and application flexibility that is superior to conventional 2,4-D products. According to the company, Unison is the first herbicide on the market that contains 2,4-D acid chemistry as its primary active ingredient. There are no harsh solvents in the product, which allows for easy mixing with liquid fertilizers.

Pile integrity tester

The re-engineered Pile Integrity Tester from Pile Dynamics Inc. includes many new features — a large, high-resolution touch screen for clearer data screen plots, and a built-in PCMCIA memory card for more storage and quicker data access and transfer. The new PIT provides an inexpensive and quick means of evaluating potentially costly defects in augercast piles, drilled shafts, driven concrete piles, concrete filled pipes, and timber piles. Test data collected with the tester is high quality due to reduced noise electronics and a higher analog to digital sampling rate.

Reprinted from the January 2004 Better Roads Magazine