Posts Tagged ‘traffic channelizers’
Non-orange Traffic Drums?
Traffic drums are almost always orange. You see them on the side of the road, on the highway, the freeway, in your town. I have personally never seen traffic drums that are not orange, but they are out there.
Black traffic drums are more common in areas that are colder, they can be used as marking devices in snowy areas. The problem is that traffic drums need to be bought in quantities around 5000 (usually) in order to change the drum color.
Traffic Drum Issues
Though I have not come across many people who have had a problem or an issue with their traffic drum, I am sure they exist. One issue I know about is the shape of the bottom of the drum. Supposedly it is a federal spec that they have to be made in such a way that if they fall over, they do not roll.
One of the solutions is to make a drum that is an oval shape at the bottom. Another way of solving this is by making a drum with lips or ridges at the bottom to stop it from rolling.
Traffic Drums
You may see traffic drums on the side of the highway, with blinking lights on top of them (barricade lights). They are typically orange and have reflective sheeting. There are also big yellow traffic drums that are used for cushioning potential impacts.
The yellow traffic drums are typically right next to exits and filled with sand. I am not positive as to what the proper term is for an orange versus a yellow traffic drum, but I believe the truth is there are many different terms, traffic barrels, channelizers etc.
Uses of a Traffic Drum
A traffic drum can be used for a variety of applications, in fact traffic drums are very universal. For example, you could use them to block off a road, you use them to block off a ditch, you could use them to create a ‘barrier’ between the traffic and the construction workers. A traffic drum usually has a lip that allows a barricade lights to be attached to the top, so a variety of nighttime applications work as well.
For example, if you needed to draw attention that a specific area is off limits for traffic at night, stick a few traffic drums in front of it and fasten a barricade light to it. Of course, the situations in which a traffic drum can be useful are never ending, but the most important thing to know is that they are very useful items, and having them around for traffic safety reasons is highly recommended.
Differences in Brands for Traffic Drums?
When it comes to different brands of traffic drums (work area protection, TAPCO, Bent, etc) are the specs really that different? This is something I have wondered for awhile, because to me it would seem as if there is no reason to change the mold of the drum if it meets the specs that need to be bet. But, there are differences.
I know that in some brands the base and bottom of the traffic drum is shaped in such a way that if it tips over it will not role around, but get caught and stop rolling. In other brands they are circular but have a ‘lip’ so that it gets caught before it keeps rolling. Another difference can be the height, which I have seen at 39″ in some models and 42″ in others.