Corrosion Repair Finishing for Indiana Public Works Fleets
Salt and brine are hard on steel. Plow trucks, spreaders, blades and frames in Indiana public works fleets come back each spring with rust, chipped coatings and pitted metal. Refinishing that equipment in-house keeps it in service longer, but corrosion repair is messy work. It needs blasting or grinding, primer, topcoat and cure, and each step needs its own space and air.
Discuss your installationCorrosion Repair on Plow and Salt Equipment
Spreader bodies, plow frames and blades take the worst abuse. Proper repair means removing rust down to sound metal, priming quickly before flash rust returns, and topcoating with a durable system. Some shops powder coat blades and smaller parts and use liquid paint on large bodies. We help plan equipment for both paths.
Blasting, Prep and Paint Separation
Abrasive blasting and grinding create dust that will ruin a paint job. Those operations need to happen in a separate room or enclosure with its own dust collection. Keeping blast and paint areas apart, with clean replacement air for the paint booth, is the single most important layout decision.
- Separate blast room or enclosure
- Dust collection sized for blasting
- Clean, filtered replacement air for the paint booth
Drive-Through Booth Door Sizing
Fleet equipment comes in many shapes: plow trucks with hitches, tandem axles, loaders. A drive-through booth avoids backing heavy equipment out and lets units flow from prep to paint to cure. Door height and width have to account for mounted equipment and mirrors. We measure the tallest and widest units before the booth is specified.
Budget Cycles and Phased Work
Public budgets often fund projects in stages. A booth might be funded one year and a blast room or powder line the next. We plan the first phase so later additions fit without tearing out what was just installed.
Planning a booth or oven project in Indiana
Crews mobilize from Houston; Indiana is roughly 850 miles away, so equipment, panels and tooling are staged and shipped ahead of the install crew.
Manufacturing in Indiana is concentrated around Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Evansville, and South Bend. The sectors most likely to be specifying spray booths, blast rooms, powder systems and cure ovens there include automotive and powertrain, RV and trailer manufacturing, steel, and aerospace components.
Cold winters mean make-up air heaters are sized for sub-freezing intake, and booth or oven placement has to account for frost lines, snow loads on roof penetrations and winter slab work.
Frequently asked questions
Should plow blades be powder coated or painted?
Powder coating is durable and works well for blades and smaller parts. Large bodies are usually painted. Many fleets use both.
Can blasting happen in the paint booth?
It should not. Blasting dust contaminates paint and filters. A separate enclosure with its own dust collection is the right approach.
How tall should booth doors be for plow trucks?
Tall enough for the tallest unit with any mounted equipment, plus clearance. We measure your fleet before recommending.
Can a project be split across budget years?
Yes. We plan phases so each stage works on its own and later stages connect without rework.