Skip to main content

Pioneering move for Cat paver

Melbourne winters are known as some of the coldest of all state capital cities on Australia's mainland, and its summers can be brutally hot. As a result, roads in the region need to be regularly maintained to ensure safety and promote longevity. Pioneer Road Services, headquartered in Victoria, recently took delivery of the first Cat AP300 asphalt paver to Australia, and it will be the first to play a role in maintaining the city's roads throughout the seasons. With the help of Cat dealer William Adams and
July 16, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
The first Cat AP300 asphalt paver in Australia
Melbourne winters are known as some of the coldest of all state capital cities on Australia's mainland, and its summers can be brutally hot. As a result, roads in the region need to be regularly maintained to ensure safety and promote longevity.
Pioneer Road Services, headquartered in Victoria, recently took delivery of the first Cat AP300 asphalt paver to Australia, and it will be the first to play a role in maintaining the city's roads throughout the seasons.

With the help of Cat dealer William Adams and the 178 Caterpillar commissioning team, Pioneer Road Services put the new paver finisher through its inaugural paces on an important shoulder reconstruction project for an 8km stretch of highway between Pakenham and Drouin, southeast of Melbourne.

According to the paving crew on site, the project was challenging. Traffic control was critical, as the road was busy and space was at a premium. With the project's narrow paving width, machine productivity and manoeuvrability were critical. Pioneer Road Services knew the powerful, yet small, Cat AP300 with electric screed (model AS3173) would fit the bill, as crews raced to resurface the shoulders of the busy highway in preparation for the approaching winter.

Available in both LPG and electric heating systems, the hydraulic power extendable AS3173 screed offers variable frequency tamper or vibrators, and lays material to the desired depth and width. With mechanical extensions added to both sides, its maximum paving width can reach 4m.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Innovations in crushing and screening technology boosting efficiency
    July 15, 2015
    The crushing and screening sector has seen a flurry of new model launches in recent months, with a series of new equipment introductions - Mike Woof writes. Crushing and screening systems play a vital role in the overall cost effectiveness of a quarrying operation. Ensuring that a quarry runs efficiently relies heavily on the appropriateness of the entire crushing and screening set-up for the material input, the output grades and the compatibility of each separate unit. Mobility has been a key issue in rece
  • Volvo CE is further developing its presence in road construction
    October 3, 2014
    The road business has benefited from fairly constant levels of trading in recent years and even during the downturn, construction operations only fell by a comparatively small quantity during the downturn. Darren Fitch, director for road machinery for the EMEA region within Volvo CE said, “The road construction sector has been far less cyclical than other construction markets.” The global market for road machinery is healthy at present and he said, “We’re having a good year.”
  • Germany builds its first major PPI autobahn project
    July 7, 2015
    Rebuilding of one of the oldest motorways in Germany is testing out the possibilities for public-private project road construction reports Adrian Greeman A freshly renovated section of the A8 Autobahn in southern Germany will be watched with some interest this summer as traffic begins driving along its rebuilt carriageway and additional third lanes. That is not because of any special road features, other than a distinctive reddish colour to its concrete surface, but because it is a first fullscale public
  • Easy operating
    July 31, 2012
    Modern asphalt plants are a far cry from the early models, and are capable of producing a wide variety of mixes at the touch of a button. Patrick Smith reports Cutting-edge software-based control technology makes today's asphalt mixing plants simple and efficient to operate. The tightening of clean air regulations is reducing the emissions from the plants, and the current focus is on the goal of raising the processed portion of reclaimed asphalt (RA) towards 100%, says Ammann Group, which has been involved