ASPHALT ANSWERS
unit employs an onboard computer that will automatically control your usage as well as heat the material quickly . It will also allow you to spread tack over a wider surface and typically will include a spray wand to reach difficult areas . These units range in capacity up to 4000 gallons and can be used for many liquid asphalt products that need to be heated in excess of 400 degrees F . Trailer mounted “ tack tanks ” are easier to manage for smaller jobs and usually range from 150 to 500 gallons . The limitations to these units are that they can only spray emulsion . Units are equipped with a handspray wand and a spraybar , if desired . The main consideration is that you will never heat your emulsion to over 212 degrees , since it is water based . Typical spray temps are between 150 and 175 degrees . Above 180 degrees the material starts to lose water and if the material falls to under 120 degrees , you ’ ll have trouble moving the material through the pumps and nozzles . The most misunderstood concept of tack coating is how much to use . Everyone agrees that it is an essential practice but the question of how much and when to use still elude contractors . I have been on countless jobsites where the crew sprinkles just enough to say that they tacked the surface . Months go by and the surface is raveling and slipping and the contractor is scratching their head and losing profit due to warranty repairs . Your rule of thumb should be that 95 % of your surface must be tack coated for maximum efficiency . Significantly less than that and you risk failure through raveling , slippage or potholes . Excessive amounts of tack will bleed through the asphalt layer and compromise your friction surface . When covering old , oxidized asphalt , your coverage rate should be . 05 gallons per square yard . At this application rate you are looking at around 6 ounces of tack over a 3 foot by 3 foot area . If you are required to tack between new lifts of asphalt , you can cut back to . 03 gallons per square yard , keeping your 95 % coverage area . In
Bringing out the right equipment for the right job is essential to the profit of the job
case you were wondering , this compares to 40 or 50 ounces per square yard for a chip seal application . I know it ’ s hard to make tack coating interesting , but considering the cost of re-visiting the jobsite months down the road and repairing failed asphalt , the cost of that little bit of emulsion certainly is a great insurance policy .
Brian Hall , LeeBoy Territory Manager . He can be reached via email at bhall @ leeboy . com .
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