August 2003
BID LIST
Patching Roads Better and Faster
by Kirk Landers, V.P./Editorial Director

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Manufacturers listed in this feature responded to a special mailing by Better Roads and do not necessarily represent the entire market for this product. 

New materials and equipment make road patching faster and cheaper and promise longer-lasting results 

Rosco
Solo operator never leaves the truck

Rosco’s truck-mounted RA-300 patcher lets a single operator fill potholes and cracks in any season without leaving the cab of the truck. The machine employs Rosco’s four-step patching process via a pistol-grip joystick in the cab which allows the operator to position the spraying boom, clean the area, fill the repair, and apply the finish. A rear-mounted arrow board directs traffic around the truck during repairs.

Key features include a full-function spray nozzle used in every step of the process; it has no spray ring to clean, no gaskets to replace, and heated lines that extend all the way to the nozzle end. In addition, the RA-300 has a patented three-stage telescoping swing boom that provides the largest working area of any equipment in its class, according to Rosco.

PB Loader
Emulsion spray systems use two heat sources

PB Loader’s truck-mounted emulsion spray systems are a standard feature on PB asphalt patchers and patch trucks. The spray systems can be mounted on the side of the truck frame or directly behind the cab, providing repair crews with heated emulsion to adhere the new asphalt to the existing pavement. The emulsion is heated by the truck cooling system when the truck is in use, and by 110-volt heaters at night. The systems vary in capacity from 30 to 200 gallons and can be powered by either the truck hydraulic or air system. The 132-gallon, hydraulically driven BH-153-21 is shown here.

Asphalt Dispatch
New asphalt repair tactics for winter

Asphalt Dispatch, an operating division of Cleat America, has developed a winter asphalt-repair program incorporating permanent repair standards and procedures with asphalt supplied by an Astencook Super-043 portable asphalt mini-plant and recycler. The Super-043 generates asphalt to specification on site in the correct amount and temperature for pothole patching, according to the company.

According to Asphalt Dispatch, 93% of 105 repairs completed in cold weather conditions in Ontario during the winter of 2001/2002 were still intact this spring. The company reports that nine of the 10 permanent repairs done in the City of Barrie were intact in the second year, while the tenth was eliminated from the trial in a street restoration. Benefits of the system included a 67% savings compared to traditional costs for temporary winter patching and spring replacement.

A full report on the trial is available from Cleat America.

Bergkamp
Flameless patcher designed for safety

Bergkamp calls the FP5 Flameless Pot Hole Patcher the safest and most operator-friendly machine of its type. It features electric heat supplied by an on-board generator, rather than burning propane or oil. Electric heating tubes, housed in their own troughs, run the length of the 6-ton mix hopper to provide even heat. The machine also features a unique self-cleaning air-assisted tack-coat system that uses the same wand to blow out pothole debris with compressed air and apply tack coat. Bergkamp says the air-powered system avoids nozzle clogging and the complete machine saves on maintenance costs and machine prep time. Bergkamp recently purchased the assets of Akzo Nobel Asphalt Applications.

Wildcat
Full line of patching equipment

Wildcat Manufacturing offers road patching professionals a full spectrum of velocity-fill patching equipment for dealing with potholes, edge raveling, curb drop-offs, and alligator cracking. The SP-10, Wildcat’s self-contained trailer-mounted patching unit, can be pulled by a 1-ton pickup and has a 2-cubic-yard aggregate hopper on board, eliminating the need for a dump-body tow. The trailer-mounted SP-550 is fed by a standard dump-body truck and carries a 300-gallon emulsion tank. Both trailer units have as an option a hydraulic leveling boom and a vacuum for cleaning the pothole.

Wildcat says its top-of-the-line, truck-mounted Roadpatcher (pictured) is the fastest velocity-fill patching unit on the market due to the presence of an auxiliary engine to power the hydraulics.

W.R. Meadows
New concrete repair mortar sets fast

W.R. Meadows says its new Sealtight Futura-15 ushers in a new standard for horizontal repair mortars. The one-component product consists of a proprietary blend of selected cements, graded sands, and chemical additives that produce a very rapid-setting mortar that works even in cold weather conditions without the aid of chloride or gypsum-based accelerators. Futura-15 is recommended for repairing concrete pavements, airport runways, industrial floors, expansion joint nosings, and sidewalks.

Cimline
New crack sealing trailer debuts

Cimline has introduced ServicePro, a new, trailer-mounted crack-sealing unit that includes the company’s new 115-gallon HeatWave direct-fire melter and a generous lockable storage cabinet for sealant and tools. Split-top lids and swing-out doors allow access to the cabinet from either side of the unit. Specially designed sealant-loading doors make the loading process easy, and built-in splash shields keep asphalt inside. ServicePro is designed for applications such as larger driveways and parking lots.

LeeBoy
Maintainers handle big patches and more

LeeBoy says its 1200S Asphalt Maintainer is a multi-purpose road maintenance unit that can handle utility cut and pothole repair as well as shoulder building, paving, road profiling, and road widening. The 74-horsepower, 8,500-pound unit has a 2.5-ton receiving hopper, hydrostatic front-wheel-drive, a 24-inch rotary grinder, 100-gallon tack distribution system, shoulder-building attachment, and a paving screed that telescopes from 38- to 72-inch paving widths. It can be towed to the job site at road speeds up to 45 miles per hour.

Rosco
Trailer unit uses 4-step patching process

Rosco’s RA-2000 trailer-mounted spray-injection patcher uses an air-driven aggregate and emulsion delivery system for simple pothole repair and crack-patching applications. The unit’s four-step patching process starts with an air blast from a high-volume blower to remove loose rock, dust, water, and debris from the pothole or crack. A tack coat of hot asphalt emulsion follows, to ensure adhesion between the patch and existing pavement, then a mixture of hot asphalt emulsion and aggregate is shot into the void. A topcoat of aggregate finishes the patch and the road can be open to traffic immediately. No compaction is required with spray patching. According to Rosco, a 1993 SHRP study found that spray patching had a lower failure rate and was more cost effective than other patching procedures.

National Paving & Contracting
Permanent solution to pavement repair

Perma-Patch is billed as a new kind of paving material for the permanent repair of pavement problems like potholes and service cuts. Parent company National Paving & Contracting says the product is composed of specially treated asphalt, special aggregate and chemicals, and pressure-sensitive plastics. Because it hardens on the surface but stays pliable underneath, it won’t crack or separate from the existing pavement and works even on roads that have vibration or movement, according to the company. It can be used year-round in any temperature, in rain or snow, and requires no tack coat. Perma-Patch literature claims the product had the lowest failure rate of all repair materials tested in an early-90s study by SHRP.

Cimline
New direct-fire melters are more efficient

Cimline’s newly introduced line of HeatWave direct-fire melters come in 30-, 90-, and 115-gallon capacities for economical, gravity-feed crack sealing. The units feature a tube-fired heating system consisting of two heavy-duty single-pass flues. A uniquely designed spigot employs a special lockout feature and positive valve closure for sealant control; the spigots require no heat treatment before use to prevent sealant clogging.

Process Heating
Heats mix overnight to avoid waste

Process Heating Company’s Patch King asphalt patchers heat mix to a precise temperature overnight, and use totally insulated storage boxes to maintain mix temperatures during the day without the need for on-board heating. The system is recommended for both hot-mix and cold-mix products.

The Patch King line includes three models designed for use in dump trucks. Ranging in size from 3 to 8 cubic yards, they include hydraulic opening rear gates to dispense material to the pothole or shovel apron. Two rotary discharge models use a discharge chute to place the precise amount of material needed directly to the work zone; they can be ordered as slip in or permanently mounted units. And a trailer-mounted unit carries 4.5 tons of hot or cold mix.

Crafco
Full line of spray injection patching units

Crafco’s line of spray injection patchers includes the truck-mounted Air Stream T-M, the trailer-mounted Air Stream, and the high-production trailer mounted Magnum (shown). The Crafco system uses high velocity air to clean, tack, fill, and compact in one continuous operation.

The Magnum can place more than 7 tons per hour, the highest production unit in the industry according to Crafco. It uses aggregate from a dump truck with a live tailgate such as Crafco’s Auto Feed Tailgate, which prevents aggregate surges to the patcher. A counterbalanced folding boom sweeps a 360-degree arc covering 1,275 square feet.

Multiquip
Compact roller for asphalt patching

Multiquip’s V30-4 single drum vibratory roller is designed for asphalt patching jobs that are too small for a tandem roller. The 30-inch steel drum roller develops 3,730 pounds of centrifugal force and produces 4,400 vibrations per minute. Engine choices include a 10-horsepower diesel or either of two 11-horsepower gasoline engines.

Ray-Tech
Infrared joint heating system

Ray-Tech’s infrared asphalt-joint heating system eliminates cold joint and density problems inherent to longitudinal asphalt paving joints. The system can heat joints in-depth without burning or damaging the asphalt immediately before adjoining asphalt is laid to achieve adequate bonding and compaction along the joint.

Unique Paving Materials
Patches match surrounding pavement life

UPM Permanent Pavement Repair Material is a high performance asphalt patching material that is easily applied any time of the year under any weather conditions, according to Unique. The company claims UPM stays in place as long as the surrounding pavement in 90% of all of its applications. UPM is placed after the pothole has been swept and cleared of debris. It is applied manually with a shovel, and compacted with a hand tamper, roller or plate compactor.

Tech-Mix
Cold mix handles temperature extremes

Tech-Mix says its Top-Mix cold-patch asphalt maintains its workability in cold weather and its adherence in humid conditions. It is workable at -4 degrees F (-20 degrees C) and resists freeze-thaw cycles. The company says it will not bleed through hot-mix asphalt overlays and provides permanent patching, even in wet potholes. It requires minimal preparation and roads can be opened to traffic immediately. Top-Mix is available in bulk for volume patching or bags for emergencies, wet/winter patching, and detail work such as around catch basins.

Transpo
Water-insensitive bonding agent for road repairs

Transpo Industries says its Bondade CU-31 extends the working life of asphalt repairs by securing a water-insensitive bond between the base and the repair materials. It is recommended when new asphalt or bituminous concrete repair materials are being applied to either concrete or asphalt. The company says it works on hot or cold patch repairs, dry or damp holes, and pavement overlays or cold-joint emergency repairs. Bondade is a clear liquid that can be sprayed or brushed on. Transpo says it is non-toxic, non-combustible, and will not irritate skin.

Quik Pave
Strip sealant keeps out water

QuikSeam roll-out strip sealant is ideal for sealing joints and seams when replacing sections of existing asphalt pavements, as well as for new construction, according to Quik Pave. The company claims QuikSeam seals the entire vertical interface of the joint against water infiltration and is relatively unaffected by traffic and other factors that degrade conventional surface sealants. The specially formulated, rubberized asphalt compound comes in 50-foot rolls, 8- or 9-inches wide to accommodate 2- and 3-inch pavement sections.

Reprinted from August 2003 issue Better Roads Magazine