Buying File Gallery: Pavers

Product-line features: Four of the six Caterpillar pavers (including the AP-655C) use four hydraulic drives on the material-handling system—a separate drive for each conveyor and each half of the auger. A computer monitors material flow and adjusts conveyor and auger speeds independently to ensure a consistent head of material in front of the screed. The system eliminates feeder gates. Basic specifications indicate that there is a nearly identical Barber Greene for each of the six Caterpillar pavers. Cat has owned Bitelli for a while, and this month assumes responsibility for marketing the four Italian-made asphalt pavers in North America.

Vögele America

13-Footer Squeezes into Small Jobs

Vögele relaunched its 780 WB wheeled paver with an electrically heated 8-foot EZ III screed that can stretch to 13½ feet using front-mounted extensions. The 27,700-pound 780 WB has 190 cubic feet of hopper capacity, but it's only 17 feet long overall. And the paver's 8½-foot inside turning radius and travel speed of 12 mph squeeze it into smaller jobsites. New Tier II engines are now appearing in Vögele pavers.

Number of models: 6

Product-line features: Vögele America claims its pavers combine the European emphasis on higher densities at the screed with the productivity demands of North American contractors, calling out the example of its flagship HS 1020B screed. The 10-foot screed is said to be 1,000 pounds heavier than competitive models and more rigid.

Roadtec

Heavy Crawler Paves in Tight Spaces

The 43,000-pound, 10-foot Roadtec RP-195 is the second rubber-tracked asphalt paver in Astec's line and the largest crawler in the line. But Astec says its track flotation and counter-rotating ability allows the RP-195 to pave tight spots without sacrificing pulling power. The FXS fume-extraction system, electric screed heat, and a centralized lubrication system are all standard equipment.

Highway-class models: 6

New models: RP-190 and RP-195

Product-line features: Astec credits Roadtec's patented tilting augers with combating centerline segregation. According to Roadtec, making the conveyors much wider than competitive units not only moves more asphalt with less conveyor wear, but also works to reduce segregation.

Cedarapids/Terex

Wheeled Paver Matches Crawler's Numbers

Horsepower in the Cedarapids 552 rubber-tired paver jumped 40 percent when Terex began installing the 240-hp Cummins QSB engine in all 500 Series Tier 2 asphalt pavers. A hydraulically driven cooling fan controlled by the engine's computer makes the cooling system more efficient and quiet. Improvements to the frame and bogie system increased the 552's load-bearing capacity by 40 percent. Now all 500-Series pavers, if equipped with hopper inserts, can handle loads up to 25 tons.

Number of models: 13

Highway-class models: 552, 552 Remix, 562, 562 Remix, and 562S

Product-line features: Twin augers instead of slat conveyors in the hopper of Remix models re-blend asphalt and move it to the augers in front of the screed. The patented Smooth Mat three-point suspension allows pavers to float over irregularities while keeping the screed level. Another patented feature, the frame-raise system, helps maintain a uniform head of material at the screed and lifts the screed over obstacles.

IR/ABG

Troubleshoot by Phone

A digital control system developed by Ingersoll Rand ABG for its Titan pavers monitors the paving process and the condition of all major components. An integrated diagnostic system records all significant events to support maintenance and repair efforts, and a physical link for remote diagnosis by phone gives the maintenance crews immediate access to the IR ABG service department.

Highway-class models: 7

New models: 125, 226, and 326

Product-line features: The ABG line brings choices of screeds with dual tamping bars and vibratory systems, and the industry's widest paving width—nearly 53 feet with all extensions.

Marini America

New Euro Competition in the States

Marini pavers are new to North America, but the Italian company has been in business overseas for 100 years. There are four track-mounted machines and two on wheels, in weights ranging from 30,400 to 44,750 pounds. The new HS500 vibratory/tamper-bar screed extends from 8-foot paving widths to more than 16-foot widths. It's available with electric or gas heating.

Highway-class models: 6

New models: MF571, MF704, MF691, MF1007, MF904-905, MF1005

Product-line features: The MF700, MF900, and MF1000 Series machines are highway-class pavers on tracks, with paving widths topping out at 41 feet 8 inches. Patented sliding operator's station extends over the paver's side to offer a view to the end of the screed.

IR/Blaw-Knox

Refined Material Control Is Standard

Ingersoll Rand made a few features standard equipment on track-mounted 2004 Blaw-Knox pavers to improve control of the head of material in front of the screed. The operator can hydraulically adjust tunnels and containment baffles (chain curtains suspended in front of the material) to manage the head of material and protect the undercarriage from asphalt. Hopper edges were rounded to enhance flow of asphalt. Track-belt tension adjusts automatically.

Highway-class models: 6

Product-line features: IR pursues the Blaw-Knox durability image by fabricating augers from ¾-inch-thick steel and using sealed bearings on augers and conveyors. All the 10-footers, and the 8-foot PF-2181, have conveyor floor plates that clamp in, protecting bolts from being worn down by the passing asphalt and reducing replacement time by 50 percent, according to IR.

Dynapac

Roll the Rubber-Tracked Machines

The company's first rubber-tracked machines, the F30CR and F25CR, are on the market. Electric screed heat is now standard throughout the Dynapac paver line.

Highway-class models: 6

New models: F30CR and F25CR

Product-line features: Auger drives are mounted at the outboard ends of the augers, which Dynapac claims completely eliminates centerline segregation. The line's fume-recovery system draws fumes from the back of the conveyor tunnel, allowing an unobstructed view of the spreading augers and the head of material.

Buying File Feature: Regulation Sparks a Paver Revolution