Re: The Flanger

Jerry
When we worked on the OU from 2004-2008 there were two nameplates, one for the ditcher and one for the spreader. OU was really classified as a Spreader/Ditcher. The wings originally had adjustable blade extensions to shape the ditch contour.I believe that these parts disappeared in the 1960's. We reinstalled Two small hand powered winches on the rear deck behind the air tank. They may have been used to pull the blades back in. One winch was found in the "Swamp" in 2007 and repaired with a new shaft. The mounting holes were still in the cross plates
The ditcher blades can raise and lower vertically quite a bit. My thinking is that they were used after a storm to push the snow further away from the track rather than leave the tunnel that a rotary makes. Here in the Northeast all highway plows have wings that can push back the banks if the snow gets too high. The OU was the only piece of equipment that could raise and fold its wings using air pressure. I'm not sure if the OV had this feature. I believe that All the other flangers had to have their wings manually extended and braced using a solid pole.

Bob Meckley