Rollon’s X-Rail Gives a Lift to Arrow Board Trailers

Electronic arrow boards in traffic control trucks are meant to be highly visible to drivers approaching highway work zones and other hazards. When not in use, however, arrow boards are meant to stay out of sight. While some traffic control trucks stow arrow boards horizontally, the circuit boards often break. Other trucks stow the arrow boards vertically and use a hydraulic lift cylinder to raise and lower the display.

Local department of transportation (DOT) districts often improvise their own arrow board assemblies with mixed results. Recently, one of our customers that specializes in truck accessories created a system to solve some of the common problems associated with arrow board assemblies. The trailer is designed to stow the arrow boards vertically and, when needed in traffic, use hydraulic lift cylinders to raise and lower them. The system can be used behind the cab of a truck and on custom trailers. This assembly requires a linear rail to provide guidance during lifting and lowering onboard the trailer.Since the arrow board assemblies are deployed outdoors on highways, the linear guide must withstand all types of weather conditions, including winds over 60 miles per hour, as well as dirt and debris. The customer also requires a 12-year lifetime.

With the help of a Rollon sales engineer, the truck accessory builder chose an X-Rail linear guide system with compact, zinc-plated steel bodies, shaped raceways and wipers. X-Rail is well-suited for transportation industry applications, such as truck accessories, thanks to its corrosion-resistant materials. It is hardened using the Rollon-NOX nitriding and black oxidizing process, and its internal raceways enable reliable operation in dirty environments. It also features a wide operating temperature range. These economical units also compensate for deviations in mounting structure parallelism. Additional advantages include:

• Weather resistance
• Long lifetime
• Zero maintenance
• Easy installation

Keep on Truckin With X-Rail

Since the first order 14 years ago, the local DOT districts are pleased with the consistent, dependable lifting and lowering of the arrow boards, and our customer is equally happy with X-Rail’s performance. Today, hundreds of X-Rail guides are performing onboard DOT trailers and traffic control trucks in the Midwest, keeping traffic moving and drivers safe in all weather conditions. 

If your application requires an accurate, corrosion-resistant linear guide that stands up to any weather condition, your local Rollon sales engineer can point you to the right X-Rail unit for the job.