Snowplow

A snowplow is a device for snow removal on both the road and rail transport.

History

Earlier snow plows by oxen or horses were drawn as draft animals. These were usually made ​​of wood Keilpflüge. However, this had the disadvantage that the animals had to go before the plow and Related pressed the snow. You could plow not raise or lower, but only cut stones.

Designs

Road

There are Keilpflüge and snow plows straight crowd. The wedge plow has two slanted snow blades that are connected to each front wedge-shaped and raise walls of snow on either side of the plow. While the Keilpflüge are usually used only for single-lane roads or areas of railway, snow plows straight plow blade can be used on multi-lane roads usually. Just flocks can be swiveled to the left or right depending on which side of the snow to be cleared. The crowd is usually arched top to bottom, so that a better snow throwing takes place.

The snow plow for the road forward is usually mounted on a truck, municipal equipment carriers or to a tractor via a special mounting plate. The plow is usually hydraulically raising and lowering, but also tiltable.

Flocks of snow plowing the area of ​​roads have on the bottom that touches the road, a tough edge, the scraper bar. The scraper is made of composite material, usually made of steel, aluminum oxide, rubber, and possibly carbide. For pavements are also scraping edges, which consist only of rubber and corundum used. The scraper bar is implemented as quickly replaceable wear part. The crowd is mostly tiltable so that irregularities can not cause damage. Snow plows are pressed alone by their weight (several hundred kg to several tons over wide airport snow plows ) on the floor. Directly behind the snow plow supports or support wheels are available so that the plow does not go into the ground and begins to dig.

So that the driver of the vehicle sees where he can drive with the plow, are taken (even snow Stock or snow characters) roadside often (especially on rural roads ) colored snow poles. Should the driver be able to see that he has to lift the plow, in some regions at the snow bar above a cross ( red X, from about 20 cm long strips of wood ) attached. Also red cross slats, possibly with support brace indicate the location and the beginning of a pavement edge or a Rammbordes (on bridges). These signs point to Alpine passes more than half the year.

For wider roadways such as highways often winter service vehicles are used, on the side towards the edge of the road also have a swing- plow side next to the front plow. So driving on the highway often staggered diagonally several snow plows succession, the clean the entire roadway in a passage from the snow. Overtaking this convoy is very dangerous because it comes directly into the uncleared portion of the road from the first broached. In some states ( North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden- Württemberg, ...) some of the winter service vehicles are equipped with flashing lights and sirens to eg congestion necessary to be able to mount up against the direction of travel on the highway or to be able to drive through the backwater.

Special plows can be up to 15 m wide with these booms. Such vehicles may only example be used at airports. Also there are still three plows offset necessary to clean the more than 40 meters wide runway and runway. Often the snow plows have rear side mounted spreaders for grit or salt. Thus, the truck also has more weight. Charged by the salt or the sand and thus more traction Snowplows, there are also embodiments in small, for example, can be mounted on motor mowers, small tractors or pickups, so you can clean sidewalks or garden paths in parks. A hand-held snow plow has two roles which receive the lateral force.

Is the depth of snow is too high, the snow very difficult or can not be stored directly on the edge of the snow, so we used snow blowers.

Typical of many snow plows are on the plate upper edge high-mounted headlights and turn signals, often marker lamps at the top corners of the shield and auxiliary lights on the cab roof, ie above the eye level of the handlebars which illuminate due to its location the area near front of the sign from the perspective of the handlebar contrast. Some Schneewurfleitbretter above the shield are made of transparent plastic, to improve visibility at the state or at slow speed on the road close in front of it.

Rail

Many locomotives, railcars and control cars have small cowcatcher on the bogies, whose main task is not, however, snow removal, but the removal of small foreign bodies in the track area. For larger operations, the railway authorities bear in mobile snow plows. The Deutsche Bahn AG are snow plows of the type Meiningen from the holdings of the Deutsche Reichsbahn, and snow plows of the type BEILHACK German Federal Railroad available. The Reichsbahn snow plows have been first built in the former RAW Halberstadt and then in the kingdom of railway workshop Meiningen, the Federal Railroad devices from the company BEILHACK in Rosenheim and today in Kiefersfelden. The Meiningen has been with Deutsche Bahn AG crucial for the maintenance of all snowplows.

The former German Reichsbahn (DR ) built before the Second World War, like many other railroads, discarded Tender and some discarded Bavarian electric locomotives to so-called climate - snow plowing around, named after its inventor, Austrian Rudolf climate. Two air - snow plows, converted from tenders, can be seen in the German Steam Locomotive Museum. A converted electric locomotive is held by the Bavarian Railway Museum.

Earlier snow plows were one-way vehicles. So that the vehicle could be used in the other direction, a turntable was (or an inverse way ) is necessary. Modern devices are bi-directional vehicles, the reamer can be rotated so that the vehicle can be prepared without the use of a hub for the other direction. This new opportunity is now necessary since hubs are as good as no longer present in railway operation.

In Austria, a snow blower comes on rails for use.

The Rhaetian Railway is a special Spurpflüge before regular trains, which are free to leave the rail profile below the top edge of the track. These are equipped with remote controlled be lowered and liftable Räumschilden to still drive on turnouts can.