Dynapac's 624 Gets Put to the Test

Parker remained neutral. "I told my crew that we were going to look at whichever one did the best on the job, and then compare the prices. We were willing to spend more money if needed to get the roller that did the best job getting compaction. If you start having trouble with densities, you can run into several thousand dollars very quickly. If you can avoid that just by having the correct equipment on the job, it is money well spent."

Analyzing the Results

Compared to an oscillatory system, the Dynapac employs a standard or vertical compaction method. On the test section, the Dynapac 624 took half a pass more to get the same compaction density as the oscillatory roller. However, as Parker explained, "You still have to complete that half a pass. There are no savings on time or effort on that half a pass."

The Dynapac 624 also offered Silver Star more flexibility since it could be successfully used on thin-lift applications < 2 inches, such as the test section, or on thicker lift applications 2 inches. Because of Dynapac's use of traditional compaction with a higher amplitude setting, Silver Star can use the 624 on mainline operations where they are doing inlays.

"We just completed an inlay project on the Turner Turnpike," said Parker. "That operation was a 3-inch lift and a 2-inch lift. It was a mainline, high-production operation, and it performed very well."

Silver Star meets their tonnage-per-hour production goals with the Dynapac CC624HF. As Silver Star continues to put its new roller to work, it also continues to live up to the test results and performance expectations of the crew. Silver Star's crews, and especially asphalt superintendent Jack Shannon, also agree that the 624 was the clear choice.

"[Jack] and I had a very frank conversation, and if he had been very insistent on going with [the oscillatory roller], I would have listened to him," said Parker. "But once I showed him the test data and went over it with him, he was perfectly happy with the way we went, and has been happy with the machine ever since."