Many parts of the country deal with inclement weather a large portion of the year. Winter storms cover streets and highways with snow and ice, making driving extremely dangerous. During the fall and spring seasons, roads are covered with leaves, sticks, dirt, and debris, portraying unsightly landscapes that can damage vehicles. Whether it’s street maintenance equipment that clears roadways of dirt and debris or highway vehicles for spreading salt and clearing snow in the winter, maintenance equipment helps to maintain safer streets and highways.

Salt Spreaders Assist in Maintaining Safer Roadways

Salt is often mixed with sand and is used to make roads safer during the winter. Salt lowers the freezing point of water, allowing snow and ice to be more easily removed via plowing or shoveling. Salt works better on asphalt than on concrete pavements. The effectiveness of salt can also be affected by the pavement type.

Effective Temperatures for Salt Applications

The minimum practical application range for salt is a pavement temperature of 15-20° F and above. While salt will melt snow and ice down to a pavement temperature of -6° F, it can melt over five times as much ice at 30° F as at 20° F. Thus, the effectiveness of salt is sensitive to slight differences in pavement temperature. Without winter salt applications, roads would be significantly more treacherous during the winter months resulting in a substantial increase in traffic-related crashes and injuries.

Street Sweepers for Fall & Spring Cleanup

Street sweepers are primarily used to remove dirt and debris from roadways prior to the winter and summer. The clearing of streets is necessary during these times since rubbish tends to accumulate heavily on roads following the fall and spring months. Street sweepers are available in several configurations, depending on the specific application and materials to be removed. Street sweeper equipment categories include:

When purchasing a street sweeper, the most important consideration is choosing the right sweeper for the application and specific street and debris conditions. Once the application has been established, it is essential to configure the selected sweeper correctly per the customer’s application.

EMP is Your Trusted Resource for High-Quality Street Sweepers, Salt Spreaders & More

Looking for premium branded street and highway maintenance vehicles and equipment? Look no further than EMP for your industrial street sweeper and ice removal equipment needs. Our partners are among the industry’s most recognized and trusted precision roadway maintenance equipment manufacturers.

Whether you are looking for new or used street and highway maintenance equipment or have the equipment to sell, EMP has you covered. Contact us with any questions, and we’ll be happy to assist.