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Vacuum trucks are a prime example of heavy vehicles that are designed to do
a big job. They're large, sturdy, can carry hundreds of gallons in their
tanks, and specially equipped with an industrial-grade pump that can handle
any type of viscous liquid. However, septic or vacuum trucks aren't the
only type of industrial vehicle you'll see on roads in Canada. Trademark
and patent offices are filled to bursting with designs and blueprints for special
work vehicles designed to do a myriad of interesting jobs. In this article,
we'll talk about some of them and the important jobs they help us do every
day.
Transfer Trucks
Anyone who's ever bought a strapping system and hauled a refrigerator
cross-country in a pickup can appreciate the value of transfer trucks. Transfer
trucks come in a variety of sizes, all of which are used at various levels in
industry. A small flatbed truck or forklift might be used indoors in tight spaces
too small for a crane, such as a warehouse or factory, to transfer loads on
pallets or in bags. Larger 18-wheeled flatbed trucks can be seen on every major
highway hauling loads ranging from box containers to tanks full of milk or gasoline,
or even entire houses! Over the years, there will probably be more and more California to Rosedale Toronto real estate arriving mostly built on large trucks.
These common transfer trucks are multi-purpose, but there are some types that
are specially engineered to carry unusual loads. This can mean everything from
a refrigerated truck that keeps fresh meat from going bad on the way to the
grocery store to a portable saltwater tank that takes whales from aquarium to
aquarium. Take, for instance, the car-carrier trucks that make auto dealer supply
runs between ports or auto factories and local dealerships. The crawler, which
moves the Space Shuttle to and from its launch pad, is also a great example
of a specially engineered transfer truck: it's over 100 ft long, has eight
20ft-tall tank tracks, and can carry loads that weigh thousands of tons!
Specialized or Construction Vehicles
A fire truck is a specialized industrial vehicle, and cousin to the vacuum
truck. Fire trucks have the capability to extract and subsequently expel thousands
of gallons of water from fire hydrants to put out fires. A log carrier, meanwhile,
has a claw and davit arms that allow the operator to load and unload entire
trees from the truck bed. Garbage trucks have powerful compactor motors that
compress the garbage and allow it to carry larger loads, as well as specialized
arms for scooping up and unloading dumpsters and waste receptacles.
If you think taking a snowmobile trip is fun, try riding the enormous SnoCat
tracked vehicle that scientists use to traverse Antarctic glaciers, or the half-tractor,
half-combine monstrosity known as the Pipe Dragon that is used to groom half-pipe
snowboard runs. There are plenty of uses for trucks in construction jobs, as
they have been adapted to many tasks. Dump trucks spread loads around. Mobile
cranes lift I-beams into place. Front-end loaders dig holes. Bulldozers push
dirt from one place to the other. Steamrollers flatten asphalt, and cement mixers
brew concrete. Everything in your home, from your toothpaste to your tankless water heater needed an industrial vehicle at some stage of its creation.
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