# Crack sealant plowed!



## caddmax (Feb 14, 2009)

I have a problem I hope some professional snow plowers can help me with. My roads were crack sealed in the fall. They didn't squeegy but they did a very neat job and the sealant height was only like 1/8" at the most. When the roads got plowed to remove 2" of snow they sliced up the sealant. Almost no sealant was tore from the road but what was there was sliced like deli ham and threw on the side walk, lots of it for 14 miles. My crack sealing contractor came out and pick it up and said that next time they will squeegy the sealant to make it even tighter to the asphalt. My question is could my snow plow contractors have avoided this and maybe try to avoid it in the future on these roads and what is your experience with this. How accuratly can you adjust the height of the plows?


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## Indy (Sep 23, 2007)

caddmax;752181 said:


> I have a problem I hope some professional snow plowers can help me with. My roads were crack sealed in the fall. They didn't squeegy but they did a very neat job and the sealant height was only like 1/8" at the most. When the roads got plowed to remove 2" of snow they sliced up the sealant. Almost no sealant was tore from the road but what was there was sliced like deli ham and threw on the side walk, lots of it for 14 miles. My crack sealing contractor came out and pick it up and said that next time they will squeegy the sealant to make it even tighter to the asphalt. My question is could my snow plow contractors have avoided this and maybe try to avoid it in the future on these roads and what is your experience with this. How accuratly can you adjust the height of the plows?


You can lift the cutting edge off the (flat) pavement with plow shoes (do a search if you need more info on shoes)

The down side to running your shoes down is you lift your cutting edge off the pavement and you have 2 random points of contact with the pavement..........so you still may dig in or leave much more snow on the road if the shoes lift the cutting edge...........

So there is a give and take..........you wont cut up as much sealant, but you wont clean as much snow off the pavement either.

Good Luck


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## Plowfast9957 (Feb 14, 2005)

It sounds like you have an issue with your crack sealing guy not the plow guys. They seal cracks in roads, parking lots, and driveways around here all the time and I don't see a problem like you describe.


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## MattyK (Dec 16, 2008)

i know on the fisher plows you can adjust the angle. that may help. less agrssive angle maybe

i'm not a professional sealer or anything, but it sounds to me like it wasn't applied properly. why wouldn't they squeegy it in the first place? there was a post not too long ago about someone taking up the sealant on a driveway. i don't know about the difference in application between the two, but many professionals replied that when you don't properly prep and clean the surface the sealant doesn't stick as well.they said it wasn't the plow drivers fault. if yoursealer admits to not squeegying it, and that is one of the key steps in the application process that he neglected, i'd say there's nothing you can do about it. just my 2 cents


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## MattyK (Dec 16, 2008)

just off topic, how much snow do you guys get in NC?


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## CARDOCTOR (Nov 29, 2002)

sound like the sealer contractor did a bad job and he's trying to pass the blame

JR


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## caddmax (Feb 14, 2009)

We don't get much snow in NC anymore maybe one or two snow falls a year for maybe an inch or two. I must take up for the sealant contractor he did everything according to the contract, he used a sealing shoe instead of squeegying and the sealant did stick even after the plow sliced the top off it. I was amazed the snow plow was sharp enough to slice it so exactly paper thin. Thanks for your suggestions I think if we squeegy from now on and the plowers will adjust the skids just a fraction we will avoid this problem.

Thanks
Max


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## kashman (Jan 13, 2004)

caddmax;752221 said:


> We don't get much snow in NC anymore maybe one or two snow falls a year for maybe an inch or two. I must take up for the sealant contractor he did everything according to the contract, he used a sealing shoe instead of squeegying and the sealant did stick even after the plow sliced the top off it. I was amazed the snow plow was sharp enough to slice it so exactly paper thin. Thanks for your suggestions I think if we squeegy from now on and the plowers will adjust the skids just a fraction we will avoid this problem.
> 
> Thanks
> Max


or you can tell the plow guy 2 run a rubber cutting edge


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## caddmax (Feb 14, 2009)

I was considering to ask for them to use a rubber cutting edge. Do you guys think that would solve the problem?

Thanks
Max


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## Burkartsplow (Nov 1, 2007)

it would solve the problem, but you are going to have to pay him more to have him run a rubber edge on his plow. they wear faster.


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## Rc2505 (Feb 5, 2007)

rubber cutting edges will wear at the rate of at least 2.5 times as quickly as a steel edge. If you ask for rubber (which in my opinion would answer your problem) you will probably pay at least 1.5 times the contract price. Unless your contractor has only you as a customer.


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## augerandblade (Jan 17, 2009)

Its not uncommon in the spring to see strips of the sealant on the side of the road


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## carl b (Dec 28, 2006)

caddmax;752221 said:


> We don't get much snow in NC anymore maybe one or two snow falls a year for maybe an inch or two. I must take up for the sealant contractor he did everything according to the contract, he used a sealing shoe instead of squeegying and the sealant did stick even after the plow sliced the top off it. I was amazed the snow plow was sharp enough to slice it so exactly paper thin. Thanks for your suggestions I think if we squeegy from now on and the plowers will adjust the skids just a fraction we will avoid this problem.
> 
> Thanks
> Max


most of the time I would tell you to take a long walk off a shot prier . if you said i have to buy a rubber curing edge . the skids ( shoes ) will dig in to it too. If he had a new cutting edge it would be sharper after 2-3 plows it dulls out .

just ask him to bump it up off the drive . so theirs not so much force . maybe he has down presser ?

I know it sounds harsh but, what ever you do don't act like its his fault . if you wont to keep him


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## scottL (Dec 7, 2002)

All cutting edges can and do cause damage - there is no miracle edge. Crack sealing can be injection, a rubber foam like stuff or just thick sealant. If there were some decent heating cycles before winter then some types of applications should be fine for being plowed. The rubber foam like stuff is just asking to be pulled from the ground.

Lifting a blade or using shoes is not a real option. There is no way to plow a skim coat given so many factors like ground level and truck bounce. 

I'm guessing for you to have noticed the deli meat cut you must have had large cracks inject filled with rubber foam ..... Have them use heat and a roller next time and you might be in much better shape.


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## justme- (Dec 28, 2004)

Actually, yes there may be a real solution....
Treat it like a gravel drive. Lifting the plow is inefficient because any dip in the drive will vary the height the blade is off the surface, shoes the same issue as well as already pointed out only 2 contact points.

However several guys have used split tube, PVC or steel fixed over the cutting edge for gravel and loose drives to avoid disrupting stone too much with very good results. I think that would be a better solution to any of the above and only requires a 1 minute installation time for the plow driver at your property.
You can always send him here to look for info on making one too..


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## Mopard (Jan 15, 2006)

I would suggest with only 1 or 2 events of an inch or 2 per year to just wait a day and have mother nature take care of it. Why the heck would anyone even bother plowing so little snow in a climate like that?


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## ABES (Jun 10, 2007)

Its not really the plow contractors fault. Almost all guys around here run steel edges without shoes. I dont think he would be happy about running a rubber edge because then on all his other lots it wouldnt scrape down the blacktop like most customers want.


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## justme- (Dec 28, 2004)

So search here about the split tube option- it really would only take him a minute to install it on his steel edge (bungee cords)


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