Crafco has unveiled the EZ Patcher skid steer attachment for pavement repairs. Designed by Crafco's Equipment Engineering department from the ground up, this patented technology offers safe application of repair material.
The EZ Patcher provides roadwork agencies and contractors with a method for repairing long, linear cracks such as deteriorated longitudinal joints or utility cuts, using a repair material known as mastic – a binder and aggregate mix that is heated and applied to distressed pavement for a durable, weight-bearing repair without extended road closures. The new EZ Patcher joins the Crafco family of mastic melter/applicators, including the trailer-mounted Patcher II (200-gallon capacity) and Patcher 4 (400-gallon capacity), as well as the 10-gallon Hot Mastic Applicator cart.
“The Crafco EZ Patcher takes the pavement preservation industry to the next level of safety, ease of use and efficiency in the application of pavement repair mastics,” said Tom Pfuelb, Crafco’s Regional Sales Manager for the Eastern U.S “Crafco introduced pavement repair mastic to the U.S. in 1997 and our engineering and sales groups have been committed to continuous improvement through research, education and innovation ever since. The EZ Patcher makes it even easier and safer for state DOTs and contractors to apply mastic to difficult-to-repair pavement deficiencies like longitudinal joint failures, shoulder or edge of pavement drop-offs, cupped transverse joints, potholes and more.”
“Contractors and agencies wanted something to apply mastic that took fewer operators, was safer and was able to apply material in areas where you can’t fit a full-size mastic melter – as well as on normal roadways,” said Greg Frantz, Crafco equipment plant manager and head of the company’s equipment engineering team. “We designed and tested the EZ Patcher with those criteria in mind to provide the end-user with an intuitive, efficient solution for a longstanding problem."
Crafco
The resulting EZ Patcher is the product of more than three years of development and revisions, plus field testing by agencies and contractors on real jobsites. It mounts to skid steers compatible with the universal “quick attach” system and applies mastic to pavement using a “floating” drag box design to accommodate variations in the pavement surface and the machine’s angle in relation to the ground. The EZ Patcher has a 65-gallon reservoir to hold mastic, with automatic onboard controls and a 76,000-btu propane burner to keep the material at application temperature.
A bi-directional agitation system keeps aggregate suspended in the hot material using the skid steer’s hydraulic system. The eight-paddle agitator runs in two modes: an auto-reversing mix/melt mode for thorough mixing and a dispense mode which pushes material toward the remote-controlled dispensing gate.
The skid steer operator has access to in-cab controls for the agitator mode, the dispensing gate control and a color camera system providing a clear view of the work area. Having the operator in a protected cab with accessible controls reduces the need for unprotected workers on the roadway, where they may be exposed to dangerous traffic.
“With our renewed vigor around all aspects of innovation, Crafco is very excited to introduce the latest addition to our equipment lineup. It combines the best design features to offer the safest, most efficient way of applying pavement preservation mastics on the market today,” said Todd Ziems, VP of national highway sales and marketing at Crafco. “We are proud of our engineering and sales teams, who partnered perfectly with our agency and contractor customers, in delivering the winning recipe of operational features and solutions for the market.”
