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Midsize asphalt rollers can help you move up the paving ladder

Contractors' Choice

Sakai America offers three roller models in the 3-ton category with 39-, 47-, and 51-in. drums. Sirmons notes that the 47-in. drum is a likely candidate for contractors looking to move into the small parking lot market.

Hamm America's midsize roller lineup includes a 2 ½-ton, 47-in. drum roller; a 4-ton, 51-in. drum roller; a 4 ½-ton, 54-in. drum roller; and a 7 ½-ton 59-in. drum roller.

Hamm America's Bruce Monical says some contractors use smaller commercial jobs as stepping stones to larger projects while others are content to stay with small projects. "Before buying a new roller, it's important to know which type of contractor you are. If you're planning on moving up to even larger projects then a higher-end midsize roller would be in order," Monical says.

Wacker Corp. manufactures four roller models ranging from a 1 ½-ton model to a 2 ½-ton unit with a 39-in. drum.

Wacker Corp's Mark Conrardy says a 1 ½-ton roller is fine for driveways, but moving to a 2 ½-ton roller would be "too much" in most parts of the country because most driveway mix is for lighter loads and has finer aggregate.

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By Rod Dickens
Contributing Writer

In general, manufacturers advise contractors to take it one step at a time while moving up the paving ladder. Fit your roller to the application, all the time considering how it will mesh with the rest of the equipment in your paving lineup. Glance into your crystal ball. Determine what types of projects are in your future. You don't want to buy a machine that you will outgrow tomorrow. You also don't want a machine that, as Monical says, will be too big or hit too hard for current projects.

Application, payback time, and compatibility (with equipment and future growth) are all part of the mix as contractors consider their next roller purchase.

Based in Neenah, WI, Rod Dickens is a freelance writer specializing in the construction industry.

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