ASPHALT ANSWERS
A post job inspection including
a visual inspection insures a
surprise-free startup.
It’s All Fun and Games
Until Somebody
Loses an Engine.
s I was on a paving jobsite today,
it occurred to me – Why would
anyone get into the paving busi-
ness? It’s 100 degrees, 80 percent
humidity and no wind. Add in 300 de-
gree asphalt and you’ve got the makings
of a heat stroke! And this was all before
9 am. Also, as you have already guessed,
I didn’t even as much as look at a shovel
or rake! Yep, I’m that guy.
Honestly, we all know why we are in
the asphalt business. Because you are
good at it and when you are good at it,
you all make a good living because it’s
an art and artists are in demand. But
what happens when the artist’s tools are
not up to par? That’s right, he becomes
a starving artist. We don’t have time
for such nonsense. At the end of a hot,
www.callape.com
BRIAN HALL
hard August day, the last thing most
crews want to do is post-job mainte-
nance. Repairs are inevitable, but some
are preventable if caught in time. A re-
liable paving crew cannot expect a piece
of equipment to perform at a high lev-
el when it’s used hard and put straight
back in the barn. This month, let’s talk
about some everyday “checklist Items”
that must be done.
Release Agent Cleaning
Whatever release agent you choose,
use it wisely and liberally. Every crew
knows to spray your machine down
before the first load, but what about
the last load? When the last load of
hot asphalt shows up on the site, take
the time to spray everything down that
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touches asphalt. This way, when the
hot asphalt hits the coated steel, it will
clean the machine much better than if
you wait to chisel it off after it cools.
During the post job cleanup process, its
also a good idea to run the conveyors
and augers while coating with your re-
lease agent. Spray your extension slides
and run them in and out as well so the
lubricant in the release agent will grease
the moving parts so you have no sur-
prises in the morning.
Screed Reset
During the workday, the screed gets
adjusted hundreds of times. Up, down,
back and forth. If you take a few min-
utes at the end of the day to rest your
screws as well as your tow points to en-
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