ForConstructionPros.com

Your niche is paving small driveways, but maybe it's time to move up to bigger driveways, parking lots, and possibly secondary road paving projects.

That one-ton roller works great on smaller paving jobs, but you know you will need a bigger and faster unit to handle larger projects. Just how much bigger is one question contractors need to answer before making a jump to a midsize roller. Drum size, vibratory frequency, special features, and compatibility with present and future applications all come into play when thinking about moving up the paving ladder.

"Contractors will see a lot of changes in rollers when they move from a one-ton to a midsize roller," says Shane Sirmons, marketing manager for Sakai America. "The most obvious is the engine as they move from gas to diesel. Smaller rollers also have a lower drum frequency. Higher frequencies become very important on larger paving projects where roller operators have to move fast to get the job done."

Sakai America offers three roller models in the 3-ton category, with 39-, 47-, and 51-inch drums. Sirmons notes that the 47-inch drum is a likely candidate for contractors looking to move into the small parking lot market. As a rule of thumb, he adds, three-ton rollers are ideal for 50-car lots, but operators will need to consider larger rollers, possibly those in the seven and eight ton category, to handle larger Wal-Mart type parking lots.

Age old concept
"You have to make sure the machine that you buy will get the job done," says Hamm America Marketing Manager Bruce Monical. "The age-old concept still applies: the heavier the hammer the faster the job gets done. The name of the game is the same, too, no matter what size job contractors are paving. The goal is to keep water out of the new pavement, and compacting hot asphalt with a vibratory roller works best in most applications."