D5’s Kunz creates Saddle Tank fill system for six-wheeled trucks

The old fill system for the brine salt pre-wetting system on the department’s six-wheeled trucks was slow and uneven. So this spring, District 5’s DeLoy Kunz, a Transportation Technician out of the Montpelier maintenance shed, decided to fix that problem.

“It took forever to fill the saddle tanks and they never seemed to get all the way full,” said Kunz. He explained that the original system filled only the left-side tank.

He installed a new fill valve and port in the crossover tube between the two tanks, which fills both at the same time, making it more efficient and saving time. The system fills both tanks all the way, whereas before you could only fill them partially.

“This system makes filling faster and more even, so you can get back out on the road with less down time,” he explained.

DeLoy said he the valves were laying around at the Montpelier shed following some plumbing work on the yard storage tanks, and the rest of the materials came from a visit to the shop in Pocatello.

There really is not much to it. Just a couple of fittings and the valves," he explained.

Published 09-14-18