Get FinancingCaterpillar Announces Updated Large Asphalt Pavers & New Screeds
Caterpillar has upgraded four of its large asphalt pavers, namely the AP600 and AP1000 wheel models and AP655 and AP1055 track pavers. The new pavers offer superior material retention, standard opposite-side mirrors, and other new features.
Other asphalt roadbuilding news from Cat includes new screed offerings and options for easier paver setup and hot asphalt management.
Paver Features
The updated AP600, AP655, AP1000, and AP1055 models lack a letter suffix to distinguish them from the previous F-series previous versions, such as the AP600F and AP1055F. Cat says the new pavers will be identifiable by their serial numbers to secure correct replacement parts and service support.
The wheeled AP600 is a medium- to high-production model suitable for highways, rural roads, streets, and other midsize paving projects, according to Cat. Equipped with a new SE47 FM screed, the 173-gross horsepower (129-kilowatt), 36,716-pound (16,654-kilogram) AP600 has a paving range of 8 to 20.5 feet (2.4 to 6.2 meters). The tracked AP655 has similar power and range. It is heavier at 40,560 lbs (18,398 kg), but it benefits from the greater flotation and lower ground pressure of its tracks.
The wheeled AP1000 and the tracked AP1055 are considered by Cat to be high-production pavers for building airport runways, interstates, highways, and other large projects. Both have a gross power rating of 225 HP (168 kW). With a new SE60 FM screed, the AP1000 has a paving range of 10 to 25.5 ft (3 to 7.8 m) and an operating weight of 42,620 lbs (19,332 kg). Cat reports the AP1055’s specifications with the SE60 V screed, rating the paver at 45,087 lbs (20,451 kg) with a 9.8- to 25-ft (3- to 7.7-m) range.
Cat has redesigned the flashing on the front of the hopper to better contain spills during material transfers with greater memory and temperature resiliency. The rear of the hopper now features scrapers to mitigate leakage between the wings and engine compartment. Other new hopper developments include an optional sensor to monitoring the asphalt height level to prevent over- or underfilling, and another sensor option to keep tabs on the temperature of the asphalt.
A related option is real-time mapping of the temperature of the newly paved surface. An infrared camera, the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), and real-time kinematic positioning (RTK) work together to give the contractor a bird’s-eye view of any problematic thermal variations in the hot asphalt so that corrective action can be taken early on.
New Screeds & Features
Caterpillar’s new SE47 FM and SE60 FM screeds can be easily adapted to both urban and rural projects, it says. The SE47 FM’s paving range is 8 to 20.5 ft, and the SE60 FM’s range is 10 to 25.5 ft.
The SE47 FM and SE60 FM use extenders mounted on the front of the screed instead of the rear. Cat says the front-mounted extensions can easily pull asphalt back into the auger chamber when there’s a need to quickly narrow the paving width, such as when there is an obstacle to pave around. The manufacturer says the front extenders are very stable at wider paving widths. There are berm attachments and extension package options available for the new SE47 FM and SE60 FM screeds.
Finally, the existing SE50 V, SE50 VT, SE60 V, SE60 V XW, and SE60 VT XW screeds have a new pave start assistant option. The feature can save paver and screed settings such as paving width, paving speed, and tow-point position for re-use on similar jobs in the future.
Source: Caterpillar