# Asphalt Paving?



## snow (Jan 5, 2001)

I know a few members here have larger dumps and machinery. Just wondering if anyone here does asphalt paving? I know a few people who do it and would like to learn it if i go into business for myself. My boss does some patching but only when he does a sewer line or something and has to do a small patch in the road.

For those who do pave, with all the investment for machines, tools and insurance, is paving worth it? It seems for smaller driveways people will just spread it all by hand instead of using a paver.


Anyone have any more info on this topic?



Bryan


----------



## cat320 (Aug 25, 2000)

I don't know any one who really spreads by hand if they can help it.I know if i was looking for a paving contractor i would pick one with a spreader over one who will do it by hand .Just from the stand point of iregular or non level spreading or under experienced spreaders.


----------



## Arc Burn (Oct 21, 2002)

When i worked bridge constuction we almost always paved by hand,we actually got pretty good at it.By the time a paver got his act together and the depth figured out,he was already half way across the bridge and we would fix it by hand anyways.

I'm not suggesting thats the "proper" way,but if you got a couple guys who know what they are doing it's definetly an option.


----------



## KenP (Oct 4, 2002)

I was an inspector for an engineering firm for a few years. Did a lot of Township streets and State Hwys. Seems to me that the boys who were making the real money were the one who had access to THEIR OWN asphalt plants. That's just my opinion I could be wrong!


----------



## eatonpaving (Jun 23, 2003)

i can answer those questions for you. yes its worth it even with all the investments you make, but it not a walk in the park by know means, doing the paving is somewhat easy, its everything else, dealing with customers is the thing, bidding the job is another, if your commited to doing it the correct way, its gonna be hard, telling the customer the three inches your gonna put down on his new drive at 4000.00 is better than what the next guy will do for 2500.00 at an inch and a half, and it will usally be a gipsey.he doesent see the amount of asphalt, he sees the amount of money, out of 20 bids like this you might get one. then theres the equipment, at least one dump truck, one rollar, and paver, forget doing it by hand, one truck, 5 yards of material weights 7 tons if you have a driveway that takes 21 tons and your gonna do it by hand and its 90 degrees, your guys will leave.the best thing to do is buy a dump truck and haul asphalt for someelse for a summer and learn the paving side of it. start with patching first its the easiest then the driveways and parking lots will come later. things you will need to know( dealing with city officals)(dealing with inspectors)(dealing with engineers). i have been paving for 26 years i can let you know anything you need to know. pavingservice.com. randy


----------



## Roadwarrior (Mar 15, 2003)

*Patching*

Start out patching. After this past winter it's a great year for repairs. See if you like it or not. If you do demo a power box. And see if you like that. It's alot of hot work. And it's not like being a carpenter. You can't take a piece back out if you don't like it and replace it. You get basicly one shot at it.


----------



## snow (Jan 5, 2001)

Well, i had my first real experience today with paving. My boss is doing the sitework for a Subway Sandwich shop and we put in an apron today. We had to put down base material, compact it, and then pave it.

I was in charge of the wheel barrow and placing the asphalt for the apron. It was hot out and with the asphalt even hotter, but i still enjoyed it.

We're doing the work in downtown New Haven and it was non stop work from basically 8am till when my boss finished for the day (i left at 3).

Even with all the hard work and labor, i enjoyed my paving experience and hope to do some some more paving soon.

I did have time to snap a photo of the apron.

Bryan


----------



## eatonpaving (Jun 23, 2003)

looks good,


----------



## wxmn6 (May 23, 2001)

Looks like you did a good job. But does it really took you and crew 7 hours to do this small job? It just does not look that much to me in the picture. Was there more work done but not shown in the picture?


----------



## Got Grass? (Feb 18, 2001)

lol.... I hope thats not the subway your paving upto next the dump...
Just to funny...


----------



## snow (Jan 5, 2001)

> _Originally posted by wxmn6 _
> *Looks like you did a good job. But does it really took you and crew 7 hours to do this small job? It just does not look that much to me in the picture. Was there more work done but not shown in the picture? *


Stephen-

the 7 hours was from when we got there till i left. The apron took only a short time. We put in an anti-tracking pad so mud doesn't go onto the road, raked and bagged at least 10 big bags of trash around the lot,and some other small things. The apron only really took an hour or 2 from start to finish. It was part of the sidewalk with curb before we started. We pulled out 3 big sections of granite curb, dig up the dirt, added roadbase material, compacted it, and then paved.

We'll be back at the lot sometime next week.

Bryan


----------



## ppablov (Apr 12, 2010)

Hi snow, I am not sure about the costs of starting a new business because I am a beginner myself. However I can advise some good asphalt paving products that might be a good start. Check the link above... hope it helped.

Pablo


----------



## creativedesigns (Sep 24, 2007)

Machine laid & machine rolled.

Asphalt equipment is very costly to get into.

Tandem or Tri-axle, dually air equipment float trailer, Bobcat machine, vibe roller, LeeBoy paver unit, crew trucks & all other hand tools/rakes. Ur probly lookin at $500K start up plus marketing!


----------



## CAT 245ME (Sep 10, 2006)

Asphalt paving is one job I hope to avoid. The company I work for does paving,the work day's are about 15 hours long, they only do roads & highway's, all government jobs no driveway's. There is a lot of equipment, 3 or 4 spreaders, 3 graders, a lot of large rollers, skid steer loaders, shoulder spreaders, water trucks. We have a lot of private trucks hauling asphalt. There is 3 tractors pulling tri axle live floor trailers that belong to the company. 

We do have one asphalt plant that is stationary, and another one that is portable. All our rock materials come from the company's quarry, they also supply the materials to the other paving company's. The total value of the equipment would scare ya.


----------



## creativedesigns (Sep 24, 2007)

Coco Paving's gonna corner all of Ontario one day! LOL


----------



## CAT 245ME (Sep 10, 2006)

creativedesigns;1036876 said:


> Coco Paving's gonna corner all of Ontario one day! LOL


That's interesting. The company I work for started in around 2001 or 02, before this they were under a different name which the previous company had been around over 80 years before being sold off due to family fighting over the company (money), it was massive, they controlled New Brunswick, Nova Scotia & Newfoundland. They were so big that they kept the other large company's from Ontario and western Canada out of here. We have one mechanic that started working for them back in the 60's and he told me once that they had 30 Cat 966C loaders at there large heavy equipment shop all parked in a row. They were into all types of construction as well as forestry, owning 3 saw mills. The new company that started in 01 is owned by family members of the old company.


----------



## 1olddogtwo (Aug 6, 2007)

wow seven years to wait for answer........


----------



## murray83 (Dec 3, 2005)

I see Dexter is slowly creeping back into New Brunswick,took over Lafarge's asphalt plant here last year now got the contract to do alot of work along highway 1 then take it all over for like 30 years to maintain it year round.

Might see some big changes in these parts within the next 5-10 years


----------



## CAT 245ME (Sep 10, 2006)

murray83;1036908 said:


> I see Dexter is slowly creeping back into New Brunswick,took over Lafarge's asphalt plant here last year now got the contract to do alot of work along highway 1 then take it all over for like 30 years to maintain it year round.
> 
> Might see some big changes in these parts within the next 5-10 years


I think the reason they got it was because of the shape Atcon Construction was in, if they had of been stable, I believe the Brun-Way group would've got it. Would've been nice because we were part of the Brun-way bid for route 1.


----------



## murray83 (Dec 3, 2005)

Hey you never know highway 7 might be next,I bet there a quite a few pizzed off government garage workers lately lol


----------



## schmol (Nov 30, 2008)

creativedesigns;1036876 said:


> Coco Paving's gonna corner all of Ontario one day! LOL


Lafarge wanted out of the paving side anyways. A good portion of thier concrete is now trucked by brokers, Sugrue cartage has been doing it for years for them and now Cavanagh has thier finger in the pie too. They have kept on some drivers who were long time Lafarge drivers cause the severance packages would be quite costly for some of them. Tomlinson now owns a part of, if not all of Cumberland Ready-Mix, Thier name is on all the drums.


----------

