Technical support for public utilities involves a lot of road vehicles. Watering cars belong to this seasonal technique. In the summer, they rid the streets of dust and dirt, thereby ensuring the purity of hard surfaces. In addition, road-communal equipment with the function of irrigation also performs irrigation of green spaces. These and other abilities of such machines are determined by the characteristics of the working bodies and the presence of optional devices.
General Information on Watering Machines
There are two main varieties of watering cars. Representatives of the first category perform exclusively irrigation tasks, thus eliminating dust and air pavement. The second group is modifications, which have expanded the set of devices for washing and cleaning. We can say that this is a water-washing machine, the list of tasks of which includes caring for road infrastructure. Despite the importance of the irrigation function, this technique is not considered as a separate species. As a rule, these are universal cars, the base of which allows, depending on current needs, to use one or another functional equipment.
Main characteristics
One of the key performance indicators of irrigation vehicles is the operational capabilities of the tank. The technical infrastructure of such a machine, ensuring the performance of work operations, may vary, however, the tank and its parameters, as a rule, remain the same. For example, the ZIL watering machine in version number 130 is equipped with a 6 m 3 tank. Moreover, the presence of a multi-stage pump in the working structure makes it possible to maintain a stable pressure in the tank at 25 atm.
Therefore, if there is a need, then water can be supplied to several consumers at once. At the same time, it will be incorrect to consider the functionality of the machine in isolation from the basic power base. The power of the car in the same modification is 150 liters. with. that allows you to serve a large area. A high power return from the engine is also required by a capacious water tank, the load of which falls on the chassis platform. Another thing is that in terms of maneuverability, such a technique is far from ideal. The same applies to fuel consumption. At 100 km, the car spends about 32 liters of fuel mixture.
Watering Technique
To perform watering, the machine and its working bodies must perform several operations that are controlled by the driver. From the tank, water enters the centrifugal pump, after which it passes the filtration stage. Then the fluid is piped to the working nozzles. Otherwise, the course of the working process depends on the capabilities that a particular version of the sprinkler has. Most modern models have sophisticated fluid distribution systems across multiple work sectors. For example, one part may be responsible for watering the road, the other for irrigation of green spaces, and the third performs surface cleaning.
The main device of the watering car
As already noted, watering cars are distinguished by the presence of a tank in which water is contained. A filter, piping, sump and valve are also provided inside the tank. To prevent the buildup of water in the tank, breakwaters are usually used in the construction. In addition to the main tank, the installation of add-ons in the form of an extension is also practiced. Moreover, the modification of the Zilovsky car 130-P allows the connection of a second tank. The additional water tank is a trailed structure, increasing the main volume of liquid by 5 thousand liters. Such tanks are equipped with a plug valve and sump. Through the central valve, the water supply is regulated with a certain pressure head. Again, to minimize the negative factors from the use of a volumetric reservoir with water, the designers of such cars use dependent suspensions on longitudinal springs. The front part is usually provided with double-acting hydraulic shock absorbers, and the rear with additional springs. This configuration contributes to the comfortable overcoming of problem sections of the road with unsatisfactory coating characteristics.
Functional elements of the machine
In addition to the metal tank, the functional equipment may include a wide range of different nozzles, water supply hoses and brushes. The working parts of the watering car are distributed in several sections, which are interconnected by pipelines. The working infrastructure also includes a water pump, a central valve, a strainer and piping systems with rotary nozzles. The equipment is mounted on a truck platform with reinforced springs. The water distribution pump of the irrigation machine provides irrigation in combination with other operations. So, some modifications are equipped with plow and brush equipment, which allows the use of equipment as a harvesting machine. Sometimes such models are supplemented by means of sprinkling the coating with inert substances, which increases the effectiveness of the washing function.
Additional functionality
Watering cars can also be used as firefighters and transportation vehicles. In the first case, the machine’s configuration provides for a fire hose provided with a jet feed barrel with a high pressure force. Of course, there is no need to talk about the full-fledged fire extinguishing function, but an irrigation machine may well be considered as an auxiliary technique of this type. With a working sleeve, all valves and cranes tightly twist, which allows to increase the power of the head and the effectiveness of the fight against fire. For transport function, modifications with two tanks are usually used. Water is transported on such vehicles to service facilities remote from the communal infrastructure.
Mini watering machine
Small irrigation machines differ in a modest tank volume and the corresponding parameters of the coverage of the work area. Such models include some modifications of ZIL with a width of the irrigation area of about 2-2.5 m. Also, sprinkler effect installations can be included in the category of mini-irrigation machines. They are optimally suited for caring for green spaces and for cleaning pavements. True, the watering machine in this design has a very small tank volume, which necessitates its frequent filling with water.
Watering car manufacturers
In Russia, most irrigation vehicles are represented by modifications based on the ZIL chassis. Also, fleets of public utilities often have maintenance equipment based on models of the Kama Automobile Plant. This is a productive and powerful irrigation machine, which not only makes it possible to service large tanks, but also facilitates the management of working bodies. Gradually, foreign equipment also replenishes this segment. For example, during operation, the Haller 9000 model shows itself quite well, which is provided with a volumetric tank and provides the user with wide opportunities for optional equipment.
Conclusion
Despite the high responsibility of the functions that fall on irrigation cars, their design features are quite simple and even elementary. A traditional machine of this type provides only the presence of a tank and working elements that provide irrigation with water. Nevertheless, the water-washing machine is being improved in the areas of increasing functionality, and in terms of power supply. This allows you to facilitate the tasks of the driver and at the same time increase the efficiency of achieving the main goals. On the other hand, an increase in capacity enables service personnel to work with large volumes of water and, accordingly, save time on refilling the tank. As the working bodies become more complicated, the functional spectrum of the application of technology expands. Modern watering cars are able to not only irrigate green spaces and remove road surfaces, but also provide transportation measures, provide assistance in extinguishing fires, etc.