Italian asphalt-paver manufacturer, Marini, brought its eight-paver line to North America late in 2003. There are five track-mounted machines and three on wheels, in weights ranging from 10,200 to 44,750 pounds. The two smaller machines come with Perkins power, and the rest of the machines have Deutz diesels.
The 10,200-pound MF 221 is one of the smallest pavers with a slat conveyor to feed the augers (the vast majority of machines under 11,000 pounds are gravity fed). The wheeled MF 331 is a heavy rubber-tired machine surrounded in its weight class by track-mounted competitors. With a maximum paving width of 13 feet, the 59-hp MF 331 probably competes most directly with lighter machines such as the Blaw-Knox PF-150 or LeeBoy's tracked 8000D (which weighs nearly 1,400 pounds less than the Marini).
The MF 571 has the most horsepower and the widest maximum paving width of wheeled machines in the 33,000-pound range. The track-mounted MF 704 has generous maximum paving widths in the 35,000-pound class, but you have to drop 2,500 pounds to find another tracked machine with power comparable to the MF 704's 125-hp Deutz.
Specifications of Marini's MF 691 and MF 1007 suggest that they stand pretty much toe-to-toe with wheeled and tracked competitors in the 40,000-pound class. The MF 1007 does stand out in one respect, though, with a maximum paving width of 41 feet 8 inches. Only Ingersoll Rand's heavier ABG Titan 423 comes within 5 inches of matching that width, and you have to go to the 46,000-pound Titan 525 to pave wider.
The MF 904, MF 905, and MF 1005 also stack up reasonably well with other machines in their weight categories, although their engine power ratings are among the smallest in each niche.
New to Marini's line is the 9,260-pound HS500 vibratory/tamper-bar screed. It extends hydraulically from an 8-foot paving width to more than 16 feet. The HS500 screed is available on machines from the 30,000-pound MF 571 and larger, and with extensions it can reach maximum paving widths of up to 26 feet (on the 45,000-pound MF 1005). Buyers have a choice of electric or gas heating, and the screed comes with a centralized lubrication system.
Marini has patented a sliding operator's station that actually extends over the paver's side to improve the view to the end of the screed. Marini America is headquartered in Downington, Pa.
