Wheel washing systems can be used on an array of heavy equipment, but are most commonly used to clean off the wheels of dump trucks as they leave a job site.
Heavy Equipment
Staff Writer
An innovative wheel washing system isn’t just cleaning heavy equipment, but helping to sustain the environment.
Wheel washing systems can be used on an array of heavy equipment, but are most commonly used to clean off the wheels of dump trucks as they leave a job site.
And such equipment is being called on more and more to keep the dirt at a job, said Bryan Gour, president of Blanche Equipment Rentals in Langley.
Recently, local municipalities in the Greater Vancouver Regional District announced some form of mechanical wheel washing is mandatory for contractors, and the Moby Dick wheelwashers is proving to be a popular choice.
“This product has been out for about three to four years in the local market, but only in the last 18 months has it been required by municipalities,” Gour said.
The City of Burnaby insists on mechanical wheel washing on all job sites, so that all water coming off a site is clean, Gour said.
Highgate Village, a Burnaby four-tower condominium development from the Bosa Development Group, is currently digging the hole for the fourth tower in the complex, and the wheel washer is a vital part of keeping sediment on the site, Gour explained.
“The city doesn’t want sediment coming off the trucks and going in the sewers, where it can interfere with the ecosystem of local fish,” he said.
While Burnaby is very strict on wheel washing, the city of Vancouver is not far behind, and Surrey, Langley and other municipalities are looking into enforcing washing, Gour said.
But job site washing is only one part of the equation. Landfills, where material from construction sites eventually ends up, are also quite dirty, and “running a hose up and down the street isn’t enough anymore,” he said.
Any washer system is superior to the old method of cleaning trucks as they left a site, a “wash puddle” which a vehicle would drive into to rinse tires as it left the area.
Where the Moby Dick system differs from others is pressure, Gour said.
“Most systems go for a high amount of pressure with a small nozzle, and that tends to clog up. The Moby Dick washers use a big nozzle and low pressure, and don’t clog up as much.”
One of the newest models from Moby Dick is the “Dragon,” which won a bronze medal for innovation at the Intermat construction convention, held last month in Paris.
“I haven’t even been trying to push the unit, but I’m getting a flood of calls from projects with a June or July start date,” Gour said.
The Dragon is an extremely compact system built for mobility and easily installed in a couple of hours.
“It’s meant for small footprints, and can be installed with a minimum of room,” he said.
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