Old brand, new tricks

Any day one of the road building industry’s grand old equipment brands is given a new platform, it’s a good day for the industry. Such was the case at the 2010 American Public Works Association (APWA) trade show in Boston, where VT LeeBoy showcased its new RW-80A road widener. The first in the new product line, the RW-80A will be part of a family of five road widener and commercial paver products from a new VT LeeBoy division carrying the historic Blaw-Knox brand. Through collaboration with Volvo Construction Equipment, whose product line incorporates the former full-size Blaw-Knox pavers, each of the five compact products in VT LeeBoy’s new Blaw-Knox Commercial Paving Products Division will carry the Blaw-Knox logo. The new RW-80A will be produced at the LeeBoy manufacturing facility in Lincolnton, N.C., and will be distributed via Volvo dealerships during the first quarter of 2011. The road widener boasts an 80-horsepower diesel engine with a machine weight in excess of 18,000 pounds. Each unit is provided with an 8-foot strike-off group enabling 6-foot strike-off capability at a 45-degree angle for proper material flow. For more information, visit www.lbperformancepaving.com.

Keeping your eyes on the road

Now here’s a gadget that really speeds up roadwork preparation . . . and safely, too. FastMeasure Quad, the newest distance measuring device by KTP Enterprises, allows the user to measure four lines at once while driving at highway speeds. Each meter is independently controlled by a key-fob-sized remote control, which holds the count in areas where measuring is to be skipped, allowing the user to watch the road while driving. Tailored for road construction, telecommunications, utility and cable distance measurement, FastMeasure Quad offers a quick solution for estimating or figuring quantities for accounting or billing. Meters, a sensor, remote control unit, instructions and all electrical components are included in the installation kit. For more information, visit www.fast-measure.com/quad.html.

Doing more with less

Offering road builders the ability to do more with less is the approach taken by Terex Roadbuilding designers with the company’s newest RS reclaimer/stabilizer model. The RS446C’s maximum cutting depth has been increased 25 percent to 20 inches, and a two-stage engine drive and three-speed cutter transmission maximizes breakout forces for production rates of up 155 feet per minute, but the 96-inch-wide cutting performance is delivered via a 415-horsepower engine. The fuel savings, compared to 500-horsepower-class machines, is up to 30 percent, says Terex Roadbuilding. Furthermore, there are reductions in the number of mainframe parts by 52 percent and in the number of raw material types by 81 percent. As part of a new “true rear axle design,” kingpins replace spindles at the wheels to allow the tires to pivot closer to the frame, reducing turning radius to 14 feet, or nearly 50-percent less than that of previous models. Four-wheel steering with four steering modes – crab, coordinated, front only and rear only – further make the RS446C less constrictive on the jobsite. A two-speed transmission offers a top travel speed of 8.4 miles per hour. For more information, visit www.terexrb.com/Content.aspx?pgID=413.v