JCB has announced it has concluded a deal with commercial asset supplier Dawsongroup for six of its pothole fixing machines to help tackle Britain’s backlog of road repairs.
Dawsongroup | emc is investing in the Pothole Pro models, which are said to fix potholes ‘permanently, first time’ without the need for labour intensive repair methods or additional expensive machinery.
The six machines, bought from TC Harrison JCB, are being rolled out for rent or contract hire by local authorities and contractors across the country who need to tackle potholes as winter approaches.
Glen Carruthers, MD of Dawsongroup | emc, said, “This is really exciting for us. The Pothole Pro is an innovative machine which is both time and cost-effective. Our investment gives local authorities and contractors access to the best machines for the job without the need for major financial outlay.
“Not only is this a highly innovative addition to our product range, but it also means that we are helping to solve a problem that provokes many road users’ frustrations. It is also a significant milestone for Dawsongroup as the company further expands its extensive product range and sector diversification.”
Ben Rawding, JCB Pothole Pro sales manager, added, “Dawsongroup’s order for six JCB Pothole Pro machines will have a big impact on the nine-year road repair backlog in the UK. It is our biggest order to date for this revolutionary machine and means thousands of miles more road will be repaired quickly and cost effectively as we go into winter. JCB’s solution is simple and cost effective and fixes potholes permanently, first time and we are excited that such a major hirer has recognised the machine’s benefits.
“City councils, large rural county councils and Tier 1 highways contractors across the UK have invested in the Pothole Pro, and all are seeing significantly more defects being fixed, economically, permanently and safely. In fact, Stoke-on-Trent City Council – the first authority to invest in the Pothole Pro – has repaired seven years’ worth of defects in just 12 months.”
JCB revealed that tests with contractors and local authorities show the machine can complete a pothole repair ‘four times quicker than standard methods’ in less than eight minutes – equivalent to 700 potholes per month. With a 40km/h travel speed, the machine can also ‘rapidly’ switch between sites without additional transport costs.
The Pothole Pro allows contractors or local authorities to cut the defect, crop the edges and clean the hole with one machine. The model comes equipped with a modified Simex planer, with integrated dust suppression, mounted on the machine’s rear skid steer hitch. The planer is 600mm wide, with up to 1.3m of side-shift adjustment. This allows operators to plane a full carriageway from the kerb, without repositioning the machine. Hydraulic tilt and depth control are said to provide a consistent depth for larger patches.
The machine’s TAB two-piece boom is fitted with the JCB ‘Multi-tool’, mounted on an X12 Steelwrist tiltrotator. The ‘Multi-tool’ comprises of two attachments, a hydraulic cropper and a sweeper/bucket. The 600mm cropping tool is described as eliminating the need for floor saws or hydraulic breakers. The operator rotates the boom head to bring a 1.2m wide sweeper/bucket into use, to clean up the area, removing the requirement for a separate sweeper truck. Material lifted by the sweeper/bucket can be loaded directly into a support truck and removed from site.
