Tools & Supplies
JCB unveils machine that seals potholes in under 8 minutes
New machine is four times faster than traditional methods.
British equipment maker JCB has designed a new high-speed pothole filler that can repair holes in less than eight minutes – four times faster than traditional methods.
Dubbed JCB Pothole Pro, the machine that has been tested in the UK is equipped with a sweeper/bucket and a hydraulic cropping tool that allow it to cut defects, crop pothole edges and clean holes.
By mechanising these tasks, which are ordinarily handled manually by pothole-filling crews, JCB says its Pothole Pro can save time while cutting operating costs by half.
The JCB Pothole repair machine is based on the company’s Hydradig wheeled excavator and has three main attachments: a planer fitted with an integrated dust suppression unit; a 600mm hydraulic cropper tool; and a 1.2m-wide sweeper and bucket.
The hydraulic cropper tool and the sweeper and bucket are mounted on an X12 Steelwrist tiltrotator, which is fitted to the two-piece boom of the JCB pothole filler.
According to JCB’s chief innovation & growth officer Tim Burnhope, the JCB Pothole Pro can seal a pothole in less than eight minutes at an average cost of €33 per pothole – half of the standard €66.
He said the filler brings energy reductions, better recycling opportunities and greater safety while reducing the need for pothole-filling teams on site.
The JCB Pothole Pro, which has a top speed of 40kph, is designed to cut down to a maximum depth of 170mm (a pothole’s average depth is 40mm) before the cropper tool squares off the edges of the damaged surface. After the cleaning and clearing of the hole, the machine moves forward with the second crew tarring and compacting the area.
Burnhope added that although a date is yet to be set for the JCB Pothole Pro to go into full production, the company was ready to fulfil orders from councils and contractors following the UK chancellor’s pledge of €.177 billion to fix potholes on British highways.
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