Half or Full

So, does this mean bigger is better? That depends on where you’re working, says West.

“Some jurisdictions, if you’re going to do mill-and-fill, will not accept half-lane cuts. You either cut the entire lane or you’re not going to not get the project.” This, he says, is often an agency’s reaction to past problems with contractors not being able to maintain cross-slope. One match between two lanes is easier to hold than mid-lane breaks.

Having said that, “there’s still merit” for a half-lane machine working on roadways squeezed between the need for rehab and the demand to keep traffic flowing, says West. “The motoring public does not have a problem with us giving them a smooth, new surface to drive on. They just don’t want you to get in their way while you do it,” he says. “If we ever find that magic formula to do both at once, we’re all going to be very rich and famous people.

“They’re asking us to do more work in less time in less space, basically.

An answer, among advice offered by roadbuilding equipment manufacturer Wirtgen America, lies in the contractor’s use of manpower. “It’s important that an owner keep his crew with a machine as long as he can,” recommends Jeff Wiley, senior vice president. “It’s not a good idea to send the crew back to the union hall at the end of the year, and get a new operator and crew the next year that has to be trained all over again on that machine. When crews stay on a machine month after month, year after year, they understand it; they know what to do on the machine to keep it up and running.

“The best crews are those that have been with the machine for the life of the machine.”

This approach works particularly well today, when cash-tightened agencies are increasingly looking to “near-term remedies” such as mill-and-fill, says West, closing in on 30 years with Terex Roadbuilding and its predecessor companies. “Our Rotomill did for the milling industry in the 1970s what our RS500 did for the reclamation/stabilization world in the late ‘80s,” he says. “It revolutionized it into a full-blown subcontractor-oriented marketplace.”

Say What? Smooth Operators

“The highway system that we have in place today is second to none. In fact, over the last two decades, I’ve watched industry have to incorporate rumble strips – which we did not use to do routinely – because we’re falling asleep at the wheel because the roads are so smooth. We’re putting rumble strips by mandate out there to wake you back up.”

John West

Product Support Specialist

Terex Roadbuilding

The 5

Echoing the words of its fellow milling machine manufacturers, Atlas Copco’s Dynapac offers tips to contractors to get the most out of their planers. According to Tom Chastain, product manager, pavers/planers:

Doing a visual walk-around allows a person to see areas of concern, such as loose or damaged tracks, worn or torn belts, and hydraulic leaks.

Proper daily drum maintenance should be done either before or at the end of the machine’s working shift. Specific attention should be paid for inspection and replacement of milling teeth and holders. Depending on the cutting system, holders may need to be tightened down according to the manufacturer’s specifications.

Washing of the machine is vital. This not only allows the machine to run more smoothly, but this can also prevent premature wear. A clean machine also allows potential issues to be more visible while doing the walk-around inspection.

Daily lubricating of all necessary components prolongs the life of the components and prevents premature failures. Use manufacturer-recommended lubricants, or at least lubricants that have been approved by the manufacturer and/or vendor.

Understanding and communication amongst the crew is critical. The most vital part of a milling operation is a quality crew. If the crew understands the job requirements and has done the proper maintenance on the milling machine itself, the program should go according to plan . . .

Well, adds Chastain, as much as it can, that is: Job scenarios do change seemingly every minute.