2016 Build a Better Mousetrap Competition: Recognizing Innovative Inventions and Improvements. PennDOT Local Technical Assistance Program

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1 2016 Build a Better Mousetrap Competition: Recognizing Innovative Inventions and Improvements PennDOT Local Technical Assistance Program

2 Have You Built a Better Mousetrap? Have you or one of your coworkers recently built an innovative gadget or developed an improved way to do a job? If so, now is the time to show off a project your municipality is proud of in the Build a Better Mousetrap Competition. PennDOT is looking for projects that you, your employees, or crew designed and built. It can be anything from the development of tools, equipment modifications, and/or processes that increase safety, reduce cost, improve efficiency, and improve the quality of transportation. If you have something you think would qualify for this competition, submit your entries by Friday, March 4, Entries will be judged by a committee of municipal road employees on cost savings/benefits to the community, ingenuity, transferability to others, and effectiveness. The winning entry will be submitted to a regional and national competition to compete for recognition and, of course, bragging rights. Winners of the national competition will be announced at the annual 2016 LTAP/TTAP national conference. All entries at the national level will be posted on the LTAP/TTAP program website and compiled into an electronic booklet. To enter the competition, complete the entry form that follows and return it by Friday, March 4, If you have questions, please feel free to them to ltap@psats.org, or call Karen Atkinson at (717) ext. 156.

3 Judging Criteria The competition is judged on the criteria listed below within the framework of a five-point rating scale. Provided is a list of the judging criteria and the five-point rating scale. The winner is the entry that has the highest number of overall points. Judging Criteria o Cost o Savings/Benefits to the Community o Ingenuity o Transferability to Others o Effectiveness Five-Point Rating Scale o 5 = Excellent o 4 = Very Good o 3 = Good o 2 = Fair o 1 = Poor 2015 Build a Better Mousetrap: Pennsylvania Competition Winners 1st Place Pennsylvania Winner Winning Entry: Portable Spreader Box Pump Cranberry Township, Venango County The township needed some kind of portable hydraulic system to operate the spreader boxes independently of the trucks. Over a few days they constructed a device from scrap parts lying around the shop. The holding tank and hydraulic assembly were salvaged from a road paver; the electric motor came from an old air compressor; the relay and switch assembly were taken from an old oil pump station; and the wheels came from an old cart. The metal cage cover that allows access to the motor and hydraulic filter was also taken from the paver. The men added a long-corded handheld switch to allow one person to run the machine and examine the spreader boxes simultaneously. Besides the fact that it only cost the township $100, the pump solves every issue we needed to address and operates flawlessly, according to the township. This machine permits our trucks to be free for other important jobs in the fall and reduces the amount of labor needed to service each spreader box by more than half the time. In the winter, trucks can spend more time treating the ice and snow. Runners-Ups Rome Township, Bradford County: By cutting a 4-foot piece from an old V-plow, the men created a wing extension for the township s 11-foot snow plow. To minimize the risk of damaging the plow, they designed the wing to trip when it hits something hard. Using the truck mounting brackets from the V-plow and another old plow to create a hinge, they welded it at a slight angle so that when the wing trips, it lifts and swings back. Two trip springs from an unused plow add tension, which allows the wing to trip without affecting the 11-foot plow. Manchester Borough, York County: The borough wanted to reduce the time and effort required to pull storm drain grates using a backhoe. For about $150, the borough built a tool that makes it easier and quicker to lift grates. The crane can be attached to any truck in the borough s fleet and can also be used for other tasks, such as lifting items into a truck or sign post pulling.

4 2016 Build a Better Mousetrap Competition Entry Form Agency Name: Contact Phone #: Contact Person: Contact Contact Address: County: Entry Title: Problem Statement: Discussion of Solution: Labor, Equipment, Materials Used:

5 Cost: Savings/Benefits to the Community: Please photographs to and include the municipality and the entry title. You may enter more than one entry. Use separate forms for each entry. Please return your completed form by Friday, March 4, 2016, to fax it to (717) , or mail it to: PennDOT LTAP c/o PSATS Attention: Karen Atkinson 4855 Woodland Drive Enola, PA Questions? Please call Karen (717) ext.156.