Winter road de-icer (salt?) corrosion on TC hardware

[FreebirdFlies]

We traveled south through Salt Lake City in December during below freezing temps and rain/snow mix. Whatever they use to de-ice their highways was on the road pretty thick, and caused quite a bit of corrosion on the rear end of my TC's hardware.

Just a word of advice to avoid travel when you can at such times in areas where they use corrosive de-iced (I'm figuring salt since it is abundant there). If you HAVE to travel at such places and times, fresh water rinse thoroughly as soon as possible.

Washington state (home) uses a fairly non-corrosive de-Icer, so I did not expect such a significant and quick reaction by my metal parts/pieces/hardware/latches/etc.

This is a chance to learn from someone else's mid-adventure....

[trail-explorer]

Bionic Man wrote:
Colorado uses a magchloride mix.

That's what WA uses too. And Salt. And Sand.

[jimh406]

I saw the spikes in a Bond movie, right? 🙂

[mkirsch]

The "wolverine" tire stud idea isn't so implausible as you think. Combined with "airless" tires, having retractable studs would be a rather simple mechanism.

What follows next is a Federal mandate that all cars made after such-and-such date will have these retract-a-stud tires on them, raising the average price of a new car by thousands, on top of all the other Federally mandated "safety" equipment that started out as optional luxury upsell items (i.e. seatbelts, airbags, ABS, TPMS, rear cameras, and eventually "collision avoidance" systems). Sure they're nice to have but they put the price of a new vehicle out of the reach of the common man.

Where did the days when a man was free to maim or kill himself and others through his own stupidity go?

[whazoo]

I guess we need smart tires with embedded sensors to detect road conditions like snow, ice or loose sand and self-extrude studs that re-embed once on safe pavement. (Are those real words?) yes I know the stud thing isn't plausible but surely we here at rvnet can invent something?! A way to super heat the air in tires to momentarily reduce the surface to slush. Yeah the road would re-freeze but the next car and the next would continue the melt process. The tires would have to auto-deflate to allow for hot air expansion. Like the hot air I seem to be blowing now. Surely there are possibilities. If we at rvnet invented something to share in the profits we could all buy new campers and Rvnet, not Skynet, would own the world. Please don't let me be the last post, I'm getting delusional from always being the last post.

[silversand]

Plowing and some sand works on private roads.

....in our region, everyone has drilled wells (and, shallow water wells), so our "municipality" uses no melting chemicals on the gravelled roads (we have about 60~70% gravel roads in our region). However, on any paved roads, lots of cheap corrosive salt is put down. The gravel roads are "chained" during ice events, and abrasive gravel and sand is applied. We always wait for the roads to "dry out" before we venture to the village with the SUV to get groceries, etc.

Colorado has transitioned from sand to the chemical route. The problem with the sand is that it ends up causing air pollution. Much of Denver's "brown cloud" is caused by sand on the roads. I don't think there is any good solution.

Yes. This happens throughout the Northeast. Tremendous air pollution during winter when the myriad salt-melting road chemicals and gravel dry out on the roads, going aerosol. Have a look at Montreal. They are an nearly constant "air quality" warnings, from end of December to roughly 1st week of April (from aerosolized toxic road chemicals).

Thank goodness we don't live near any town large enough to create the ingredients to trigger this toxic air quality warning!

....someone else mentioned bridges, and infrastructure: we have collapsing concrete overpasses in Quebec from a combination of corrosive road salt (rotting the concrete, and sub-standard rebar), and shortcuts taken in their construction. Underground parking garages in the part of the world are also severely degraded by melting salt/chemical/undercarriage glaciers built up under vehicles when driving. Entire underground parking garages have to undergo massive re-construction regularly (roughly every 15 years). Imagine the cost of that?

[Bionic_Man]

Colorado has transitioned from sand to the chemical route. The problem with the sand is that it ends up causing air pollution. Much of Denver's "brown cloud" is caused by sand on the roads.

I don't think there is any good solution.

[Kayteg1]

silversand wrote:

....I agree. There is really nothing available as an alternative within reasonable cost

Plowing and some sand works on private roads.

[Glacier_D]

I work at a Washington State ski area, they use a whole lot of salt on the mountain passes here in Washington. I'm on my 3rd set of camper jacks and just replaced the entire exhaust system for my onboard generator. I'm still camping though. 🙂

[Ranger_Tim]

We use "Salt-Away" to wash our trucks. I plow for Idaho Dept. of Transportation. The brine and salt we use is NaCl -- very corrosive, but easy to rinse off. The Salt-Away comes with a spray applicator and actually foams when in contact with the salt. It will burn you so be careful (there is salt in your skin).

I used the stuff when ocean boating back east and it kept my boat trailer in great shape. Flushed out the outboard too -- never had any corrosion issues. Vehicles are best sprayed with it on a regular basis during the winter season.

[bcbigfoot]

I worked for North American/Sifto Salt for 5 years and had my own salt business for 15 years. Many State/Cities use magnesium chloride, which is a by-product of the Salt/Potash solution mines in Salt Lake. Mag chloride in itself is much less corrosive than conventional sodium chloride road salt, how ever the mag chloride is very hydroscopic (loves to attract moisture down to 20% relative humidity, always stays wet!) The next issue is many Cities and local governments, parking lots still use sodium chloride. Vehicles, bridges infrastructure gets a bath of both chemicals resulting in a super corrosive mixture that keeps eating 24hrs a day and night even in a relatively dry conditions (even dry heated garages). Mag chloride also leaves a residue much more difficult to be washed off (possibly impurities in the mag chloride) by water from vehicles infrastructure so it has a longer corrosive season than regular salt alone.

[silversand]

The levels of traffic we have nowadays, lack of driver skills, distracted driving, "all-season" tires, it would be an absolute bloodbath on the roads during winter months if the roads were left iced over.

....I agree. There is really nothing available as an alternative within reasonable cost (flaming the road using propane jets was tried once, but the melt just freezes in minutes!). Nation-wide heated roads are out of the question (trillions of dollars in energy costs).

We absolutely avoid driving into any conditions that will lead to "road treatment". Back and forth to Florida 4 times over winter (once with truck camper, but in April), and we only hit one 50 minute stretch of hellacious corrosive toxic ****-fest: and it was north of the US border, entering Quebec, with the SUV (not with truck camper) not long ago.

We will never even attempt to drive the truck camper rig during times of the year when snow/road treatment is even remotely possible: from 3rd week of November up in these parts, till mid/end of April. And, from end of December to mid March from Albany, NY to Delaware. And, from 1st week January till end of February from Maryland I95 corridor, to South Carolina I95 corridor. Driving east-->west--> with truck camper, we chose either the I80, I70, I40, or I10 depending on time of year.

If we were ever "forced" to drive the truck camper rig in winter in snow country (because of natural disaster, or equivalent), I would thoroughly spray the undercarriage just before leaving, with FluidFilm; and I would also spray the jacks top to bottom, and spray the roof latches, and tape off all the camper's exterior vents with plastic film using special Ducktape. Once out of snow country, I'd wipe down/clean the FluidFilm off the jacks, and remove the taped-over vents plastic.

I really respect the road treatments, and would never jeopardize our $70,000 rig investment into a heap of rusty scrap metal, in as little as 3 years.

[mkirsch]

To momentarily derail this conversation, if not salt, then what?

The levels of traffic we have nowadays, lack of driver skills, distracted driving, "all-season" tires, it would be an absolute bloodbath on the roads during winter months if the roads were left iced over.

Just getting to work on a snowy morning, you need to have the Benny Hill theme playing in the truck to go with what's going on around you.

[billtex]

covered wagon wrote:
I've heard it's good to park over a lawn sprinkler for awhile to help the trucks undersides.

That is one method we use after coming off the beach...but not practical in winter as outside hose is shut off (too cold here). In the winter, after off loading the TC, I pay the extra $1.50 at the drive through car wash for "under spray/chassis wash". Well worth the cost...it does a pretty good job.
You have to be vigilant when you drive in winter conditions...all these various road treatments are nasty on hardware.

[Oldtymeflyr]

Bionic Man wrote:
Colorado uses a magchloride mix. The state says it is non corrosive, but I have a friend that works for a local city. Since magchloride use started, their signs and street lights have begun to rust.

Anytime you drive in winter weather you should rinse off your gear.

Take a look at the trees along east bound I70 between Georgetown and the Empire turnoff to Winter Park. Dead as a door nail.

Rick