Bid Questions and Answers.docx

Question and Answers

22-494DOT-FINAD-B-25684

Line Striping Trucks

1. Page 12 of 39: Paint/Finish: “Frame, wheels, and running gear shall be painted manufacturer's standard colors.” The compressor weather-proof sheet metal housing enclosure (Page 28 of 39) is provided to us powder coated white by the manufacturer, does the DOT require that we paint over top of a white powder coat finish with Lime Yellow paint, or can we leave this manufacturer's standard color powder coated white as we will the frame, wheels, and running gear as requested (see photo attached labeled DSCN5381.JPG as a representative example)?

Answer: Page 36 “All exposed parts that require painting”

1. Page 15 of 39: III. Platform Body: Our standard heavy duty platform construction uses an integrally formed 3/16" safety tread plate rub rail construction rather than “encased in 4" channel or tubing”. Our long sills are 4” tall rather than the 6” specified. We would like to use our standard heavy duty construction (see attached Word document labeled “platform.docm”) for strength, durability, and customer satisfaction assurance (rounded edges without any exposed cracks, seams, or welds). These were considered minor deviations and were acceptable by the DOT in 2015. Will our standard platform construction again be acceptable for these new trucks?

Answer: Yes, minor deviation. Platform shall be heavy duty construction and meet requirements for height for plumbing as called for.

1. Page 16 of 39: Operator's Cabin: Our standard cab and window configuration with front corners at a 45° angle with full length tinted glass window in both angled walls with a vertical hinged rear door, approximately 22" wide with sliding window and a similar door near the center of the platform. Your specification states “These doors shall include heavy duty hinges and latches as used in construction of horse trailers. Hinges and hardware will be approved by IDOT.” We use slam latch type hinged doors and do not recommend sliding windows in the doors, ours are fixed. Will our standard doors with fixed windows be acceptable so as not to restrict us from using our standard production materials, processes, and procedures? (see photo attached labeled “Hi-viz op’s cab with bubble & front door.docx” as a representative example) Answer: Heavy one-piece door hinge and slam latches are acceptable, cabins shall be constructed as described in base specification or District specific requirement.

1. Page 18 of 39: IV. Paint & Bead Supply Tank(s): “The agitator shaft shall be supported with a commonly sized replaceable nylon bushing at the bottom of the tank and have grease fittings in the lid bushing for each tank.” Our agitator shafts are designed to suspend from the bottom of the tank (see attached photo labeled agitator.jpg) without the need for a bottom bushing support in the tanks. Bottom bushings build up with paint skins and create shaft binding issues. They are not needed for support. Will our standard suspended agitator shafts be acceptable so as not to restrict us from using our standard production materials, processes, and procedures?

Answer: Will be considered minor deviation.

1. Page 18 of 39: IV. Paint & Bead Supply Tank(s): “The tanks shall be filled through 2” NPT fitting Rosedale Model 4 or equal stainless steel paint pre-strainer filters” We manufacture our own pre-strainer filters rather than outsourcing these. Will our in house manufactured pre-strainer filters (see attached entitled Paint filtration.docx”) be accepted as an equal to the Rosedale Model 4? They are not really designed to be mounted vertically as instructed by your specification, will we be allowed to mount these horizontally if we use this filter canister design?

Answer: Filter design shall allow vertical placement to easily remove top cover for inspection.

1. Page 19 of 39: Water Supply Tank: “………..25’ of wash hose attached to faucet shall be provided.” By faucet, will a hand gun at the end of the hose suffice, or does the DOT want a sink style faucet with a turn or twist type valve for dispensing water? If so, do we need to also provide some sort of basin to catch the water out of the faucet, or does it dispense to the ground?

Answer: Faucet or spigot a garden type hose can attach to.

1. Page 20 of 39: V. Paint Application System: “All plumbing where possible shall be constructed utilizing tubular process-clamp style piping and fittings and ball style valves. All elbows shall be smooth 90º long radius style. Use of pipe thread fitting shall be kept to a minimum.” This type of plumbing is used for in-plant applications and the food industry. We do not supply process plumbing on our truck striper bodies and recommend our standard NPT stainless-steel low-pressure plumbing. NPT pipe fittings are thicker walled and will be more durable. Our standard low pressure plumbing is NPT thread 2” 304 SS rated at 150 psi. Will NPT stainless steel 2” plumbing be acceptable so as not to restrict us from using our standard production materials, processes, and procedures?

Answer: Fabrication shall be as described, full threaded system will be considered major deviation.

1. Page 22 of 39: V. Paint Application System: “SMC 12-volt 150 psi air solenoids… The use of an alternative solenoid requires approval by the Illinois Department of Transportation.” We use Humphrey M420 solenoids (see attached entitled solenoid.pdf”) as a standard provision on all of our paint trucks. Will these be acceptable as an equal to the SMC?

Answer: Yes, specifications shall equal or exceed SMC.

1. Page 23 of 39: Paint Pumps: “Two (2) - 2", Versa-matic, Wilden P-8 or Department of Transportation approved equal.” We use the industry standard 2" ARO Model PD20A-FSP-STT stainless steel pump with Teflon diaphragms and balls. Will this pump (see attached entitled “PD20A-FSP-STT-Rev 1-13-12 new.pdf”) be considered as a “Department of Transportation approved equal” to the Versa-matic and Wilden P-8 pump as referenced? Pump stroke counter sensors are listed in the base spec for D1, D3, & D7, but not in the D8 or D9 spec. Were the stroke counters intentionally left out of the D8 & D9 specifications, or was this omission in error?

Answer: Not requested by District.

1. Page 27 of 39: VII. Paint Guns: "Hose Connections to paint/bead guns on left assembly shall be discussed with State representatives before construction begins." We use NPT fittings for paint and bead hose connections to paint and bead guns. Does the DOT have special requirements for paint and bead hose connections that will end up costing more money to supply if decided at start of construction? If so, we need to be aware of this when bidding so we can account for it in our costing take-off for this bid.

Answer: Related more to hose routing and length to prevent kinking or issues with carriage movement.

1. Page 29 of 39: Moisture Removal: “A Schmidt air dryer Model 1200-080-03 or equal providing a minimum of 800 CFM capacity…” We use a LaMan dryer model 140F (see attached entitled LaMan dryer.pdf) as a standard provision on trucks this size. Will this make/model be considered an equal to the Schmidt dryer specified?

Answer: Specifications shall equal or exceed Schmidt.

Page 29 of 39: Heating System: “The coolant shall be routed through insulated 3/4" I.D. pipe and heater type hose with a 12-volt circulation pump.” Our standard system uses a single air powered 35 gpm circulation pump for the water glycol circuit. The electric pump specified is only rated at 25 gpm. Is our standard system using this air powered diaphragm pump (see attached labeled “Paint heat system -scavenger.docx) acceptable?

Answer: Equals or exceeds gpm

1. Page 29 & 30 of 39: Heat Exchangers: The model numbers listed (6036/8036) on the Thermal Transfer heat exchangers are not familiar to us or our supplier. We use a model C-1236-6-6-F for the scavenger style exchanger (a 4-pass, not a 2-pass as specified), and a model C-1736-3.5-6-F-SS-SB-S for the two paint heat exchangers. You will see by the attached literature labeled “Thermal transfer heat exchanger.pdf” what each number and letter stand for. Will these be acceptable?

Answer: Yes, equal or exceeds

1. Page 31 of 39: X. Control Area: “All wiring from truck cab to rear use areas shall be encased in conduit-type covering.” We prefer not to use conduit casing in a mobile application. When water gets in, it has no way of draining back out. Standing water inside of this conduit can cause electrical shorts. For performance and warranty reasons, will our standard method of protection, corrugated split loom covering be acceptable?

Answer: Yes

1. Page 32 of 39: X. Control Area: “Steering wheel shall be mounted through the floor, outboard of control console and be capable of tilting 12" toward operator with hydraulic hoses located below the platform deck.” Our standard method of mounting the hydraulic orbitals for steering of the carriages at each operator’s station is above deck with the hydraulic hoses routed from the orbital motor through the corner of the rear center control console, with a hinged horizontal arm to tilt the wheel out of the way for access to the main platform. Running the steering wheel shaft through the platform floor and then to the orbital under the deck will mean the space in front of the operator will not be fully open for the operator’s feet and legs. Will our standard steering wheel mounting (see attached photo labeled DSCN6501.JPG as a representative example) be acceptable so as not to restrict us from using our standard production materials, processes, and procedures?

Answer: Will be considered major deviation, design called for does not restrict construction.

1. Page 32 of 39: X. Control Area: Bostrom does not offer both an air ride and swivel pedestal combination, they only offer each individually. Also, the swivel pedestal seats do not meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), and the installer is solely responsible for the use of this product in each application. Will the DOT accept air ride fixed base operator seats without the swivel type pedestal based on a safety concern?

Answer: Past purchases have been Bostrom T-series.