Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/860257
EquipmentWorld.com | August 2017 55 A cleaner workspace is always a good thing, but in paving, it can contribute to the road's quality, if done prior to additional lifts being applied, before seal coating and following milling. Paving contractors can use several sweeping options: they can own their own sweeping trucks, rent them or contract with a sweeping company to clean. The advantage to owning a sweeping truck, is it's readily available, and not reliant on the schedule of another contractor. The downside: the equipment is often idle. Sean Wolf, owner of Wolf Paving in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, has owned sweeping trucks for several years. After milling, his company uses the trucks to push material onto road shoulders to be used later, rather than collecting the millings and hauling them off. In this application, Wolf Paving uses heavy trucks with angle brooms. Prior to seal-coating, the company sweeps with smaller non-cabbed machines. To make better use of these machines, Wolf says, the company started offering its own sweeper services. "We have a couple of sweeping contracts," Wolf explains, adding that the work is mainly for commercial and municipal clients. "It keeps that equipment from highway contractor | by Chris Hill | ChrisHill@randallreilly.com SWEEPER TRUCKS: Another tool for contractors in prepping roadways for better pavements This sweeper truck is cleaning up materials before new asphalt is placed on a roadway in Oregon. Oregon DOT T hesing Power Sweeping of Sewell, New Jersey, which provides power sweeping for highway construction milling and paving, says the main concern for sweeper truck operators cleaning up millings is to match the speed of the milling machines. The company says sweeping in milling and paving operations requires an experienced operator who is alert, properly trained and communicates well with the milling crew. The operator must keep track of the milling machine during the entire process and, more important, have discussed the operation with the milling crew before the job starts and have a cohesive plan. Coordinate the sweeper operation