why dont they just powdercoat or galvanise everything in heavy/thick layers to prevent the corrosion? Seems to be much better alternative to replacing chassis every 2-3 years.
3 to 4 years.......Its not just the chassis that goes. Even the gearboxes used to corrode through from salt sitting on top of them. You would almost have to completely pull the chassis apart and galvanize everything seperately to be effective. It's in between the plates, cross member connectios etc where they really suffer. I've seen a trial where they completely painted a chassis in tar epoxy....really top quality commercial corrosion protection.....they reckon it was useless. This is severe use....much worse than you can imagine. Basically , the chassis driven on a wet salty beach all day then they hose them down every night. They are almost constantly wet from the first day they use them. Only the salinity changes. And because everything is flexing it only takes a crack in the paint or powder coat for the corrosion to get under and you can't detect it until it's too late. Believe me, they've tried everything and now the operators have settled on thier own corrosion proofing methods that work best for them......and don't think I haven't tried to find out what they use....it's like Kentucky Fried Chicken Secret 13 Herbs and Spices.
BTW The Fuso chassis is assembled completely before it's painted.....so if you remove a spring hanger or cross member as an example , there is no chassis paint under it. Some of the operators used to try running around all the plates with Sika-Flex in an attempt to stop the salt from creeping in between the plates.
After 4 years , it just isn't viable to keep them running . After 3 , they can still get a set trade in price and are often sold to farmers out west for watering trucks , etc. It's a financial decision in the end.
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