Winter maintenance: dry salt, pre-wetted salt or brine?
The three methods solve different problems, and the equipment differs. In short: dry salt is simplest, pre-wetted salt stays in place better, and brine is applied before the snow arrives.
·
The choice is therefore as much a question of how early you can get out as of what kind of machine you can afford.
Dry salt
The disc spreaders in Falköping's C series are available in a dry version from 0.6 to 7 m³, with a spreading width of 2–8 metres and hydraulic drive. A simple system, with fewer components than a spreader with pre-wetting.
Pre-wetted salt
The same C series is also available with pre-wetting. The salt is wetted just before it is spread, and according to Falköping, pre-wetting automatically reduces the amount of salt by 30%. Falköping also supplies a mixer for making salt slurry on the machine.
The CLC-366 to CLC-857 combination spreaders take both dry material (6–7 m³) and liquid (3.6–8.5 m³, up to 10.9 m³ with high tanks) in the same unit, with a spreading width of 2–8 metres, up to 13 metres with high-speed nozzles.
Pure brine
The CLR and CLRK liquid spreaders take 11 to 15 m³ of liquid, and the CLRK-15H nozzle spreader takes 14.5 m³ and spreads 10–20/40 g/m². With a disc, the spreading speed is up to 60 km/h; with high-speed nozzles 80 km/h and a spreading width of up to 13 metres.
Hot-water salting
Falköping supplies two variants in which the gritting material is wetted with water heated to 95 °C on board: HES for salt and LTFV, which is designed for sand but can also spread salt. The C-7 HES has 80 kW of heating power and weighs 2 200 kg; the C-7 LTFV has 300 kW and weighs 3 200 kg. Both are specified with a heating time of 9 minutes, 7.0 m³ of dry material and 2.1 m³ of liquid.
What decides it
- How many kilometres of road need treating per call-out?
- Can you get out before the snow falls, or do you always arrive afterwards? Brine requires the former. According to Statens vegvesen (the Norwegian Public Roads Administration), brine is not suitable on a wet road surface and has limitations at low temperatures
- Do you have the space and facilities to make and store brine?
- Is the gritting under a contract with documentation requirements? If so, the control system must be chosen at the same time
Ask us
We have supplied Falköping equipment for Norwegian winters for many years. Describe your routes, and we will tell you what kind of machine is suitable — and what is not.
The machines this guide covers
More guides on road maintenance
Electric spreaders for pickups, trucks and ATVs
The electric spreaders in this guide are driven by a 12 V electric motor (the largest models also come in 24 V) and are mounted on the load bed or the three-point linkage.
Read the guideWalk-behind sweepers: when is a small brush sweeper enough?
Short answer: a walk-behind sweeper is enough when the area can be measured in square metres per hour, when the dirt can be swept aside or into a collector, and when…
Read the guideChoosing a sweeper: brush sweeper or suction road sweeper?
Sweepers fall into two families, and the choice between them is almost always decided by one question: should the machine just brush away loose material, or should it…
Read the guideNeed help choosing the right machine?
Get in touch for advice, prices and availability — we respond quickly.