Oil Distributor

Steve Frazier

Founder
Staff member
The other day I saw a truck going down the road that I've seen since I was a kid. It's very unique, called an oil distributor on a Chevy cabover chassis. As you can see the color is unique too and is how I knew it was the same truck! The truck is designed to spray a latex based oil on the road which is then covered by crushed stone, a process which we call "oil & chip". It's an economical alternative to asphalt and is more flexible due to the latex which is desirable here in the northeast with our cold winters and frost.

On formerly dirt roads, a process called "penetration" was used as a first form of pavement, about 4" of 1 1/2" crushed stone was put down with a paver and rolled, then the oil distributor would pass over and drench the stone with the latex oil, enough to "penetrate" the full layer. Next it was coated with 1/2" crushed stone by dump trucks with spreader gates on them traveling in reverse. The gates had a little step welded on so a man could stand and feather the opening of the gate for the proper depth of spread stone. Next another coat of oil followed by a layer of 3/8" stone. If they really wanted a smooth road there would be yet another coating of oil followed by 1/4" stone.

Periodically the finished roads would require a topcoat as the surface wore. On real hot days the oil would rise up through the stone and blister. The oild distributor would spread a layer of oil and the dumps would coat it with 3/8" or 1/4" depending on the desired finish.

I saw the truck again today and followed it until he stopped. I used to work for a company back in '80 that hired this same truck to surface some local roads. As I mentioned, I could remember seeing it in my own neighborhood as a kid when our street was resurfaced. I haven't seen it for I bet 20 years, it was like seeing an old lost friend!


Oil Dist5a.jpg

The chassis is a 1971 Chevrolet T/60 with a gas engine and 5 speed/2 speed rear. The fastest it went when I was following was 45mph.


Oil Dist4a.jpg


The truck has propane burners to keep the oil hot so it will flow through the spray jets. There's a second tank on the other side. Just under the propane tank you can see the lower half of a wheel that swings down to the pavement to measure the truck speed and calculate the amount of oil to spray for proper coverage.


Oil Dist6a.jpgOil Dist6a.jpg
 

Steve Frazier

Founder
Staff member
Oil Dist1a.jpg


Here you can see the spray bar that distributes the oil
Oil Dist2a.jpg


There are extensions to the spray bar to adjust the width of the oil coating which fold down into place

Oil Dist3a.jpg
 

Steve Frazier

Founder
Staff member
The EPA got involved a number of years ago and made them change the formulation of the oil which effected the durability of the job. I haven't seen this process used much these days and I'll bet it's been 20 years since I've seen this truck.
 

willys55

Active member
yeah, they don't that in jersey anymore either.....I would strip all that stuff off and put a dumping rack body on it.
 

Steve Frazier

Founder
Staff member
I talked to the driver, who was the owner and he had just done a job that morning. The jobs aren't as often as they used to be but apparently he's still working the truck. In 1979 and 80 I worked for a company that did this resurfacing and this truck was on those jobs but the owner and I didn't recognize each other, too many years LOL
 

RonG

Well-known member
We used to call it "tarring"the roads back in Maine when I was kid,it is just oiling the roads today.They used a grader to get the road in shape,then oiled it,stone dust then they hauled a tree or two with the limbs still on it back and forth over the road to blend it in.Ron G
 
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