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A new, fully equipped plow truck to combat wintry roads can cost about $150,000, so the Montgomery County Engineer’s Office said the recent purchase of a salt-neutralizing solution to preserve the life of its fleet is an expense worthy of taxpayer money.
“If we can get another year or two out of the trucks by using a corrosion inhibitor, it’s well worthwhile,” said county Engineer Paul Gruner. “We’re always looking for things that will preserve our fleet.”
The solution, conSALT, produced by a Sandusky cleaning supplier, is intended to keep salt from eating away at metal on the trucks. Tailgates and spreaders are among the primary victims.
This is the first winter Montgomery County has used the product. After trucks return from the roads, several solutions are used to clean them. The new solution is applied last.
The county is spending roughly $800 per 55-gallon drum of the solution. Two drums have been purchased, and Gruner expects one or two more will get county trucks through the winter.
The department’s budget for winter weather is about $1 million. The department’s annual budget is $15.5 million, which includes construction and other projects.
“When (an ice storm) comes around, the public expects us to be ready for it,” said garage foreman Jerry Crane. “We have a certain amount of public trust in us.”
Not everyone sings the praises of such anti-rusting agents. Greene County officials purchased a similar solution a year or two ago but discontinued its use soon after, county Engineer Bob Geyer said. Workers now use a power washer and soap on the fleet.
“I think with the conditions these trucks run in, you’ll have to do that after each time they go out,” Geyer said. “The conditions salt trucks run in are the worst you can get. You just have to constantly do it, and this stuff isn’t cheap.
“It’s a commitment, and it’s an expensive commitment,” he said.
Crane said Montgomery County has consolidated cleaning products to cut costs. The salt-neutralizing solution is a big-picture expense.
The county’s fleet has about 20 trucks, according to Crane. The newest are 2009 models. The oldest were produced around 2000.
“We want to extend the life out as far as we can — 10 years or further if possible,” he said.
The fleet is in “relatively good” condition, he said, noting that it undergoes regular maintenance.
“With anything like this, it takes a few years to really be able to tell,” Gruner said of the new solution. “In two or three years, we should be able to get an idea on how much it’s saving on the corrosion by how the trucks are looking.”
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