The bane of many councils is the existence of potholes in its roads. Repairing them takes time and money, but one new machine makes that job significantly easier.
Potholes have become a significant headache for Australian drivers and a costly burden for the roading and infrastructure industry. According to the Australian Flexible Pavement Association, recent estimates suggest repairs could cost a staggering $4 billion across the country every year.
These road craters damage vehicles and contribute to road safety concerns, particularly in regional areas.
Not only that, rural and regional areas tend to be overrepresented in the impact of accidents, and potholes form part of that problem. According to the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE), 1193 people died on Australian roads in 2022, a five per cent increase compared to the number of motorists killed in 2021.
Of the 1193 reported deaths on Australian roads in 2022, 776 people were killed in regional areas – accounting for 65 per cent of the overall figure – while 417 lost their lives in metropolitan areas.
A BITRE study found the poor quality of roads in regional areas is directly linked to the rising road toll in rural and remote locations. This includes poor design, repair flaws, inadequate safety treatments, and insufficient infrastructure for vulnerable road users.
It’s critical that councils, who are ultimately the managers of roads in much of Australia, can take quick action to repair potholes. What new technology can support these goals?
JCB Pothole Pro
The JCB Pothole Pro is a unique three-in-one solution specifically designed to permanently fix any pothole repair or large patching operations efficiently and economically. It comes with three dedicated attachments to cut, crop, and clean.
The three-in-one approach dramatically reduces the costs of permanently repairing a pothole by about 50 per cent. This sum includes material, labour and capital costs. Users can also recycle the planning materials as the base or remix them to be used as new asphalt.
As such, there is no need for additional specialist equipment or extra manpower, which can help councils save both time and money. With a typical pothole repaired in eight minutes, why compromise on a quick fix that won’t last when a quick and permanent fix is available? All that is needed is tar.
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Safe and economical
The JCB Pothole Pro eliminates the need for jackhammers or circular saws, which can also reduce the risk of Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS). This syndrome is derived from vibrations transmitted to the hand and arm when using specific tools.
The central cab provides excellent 360-degree visibility. That ensures the driver can see the public, increasing safety during operations. It’s also designed to reduce the amount of time operators spend repairing the road while it is being driven on.
There’s also no need for a sweeper on site, as the 1200-millimetre built-in sweeper collector allows operators to prepare the pothole in just minutes.
From the convenience of the cab, users can adjust the 600-millimetre planer. It offers hydraulic depth and tilt control, further improving safety. The dedicated cropping tool provides a uniform hole profile for permanent pothole repair.
By utilising a JCB Pothole Pro, operators can take advantage of JCB LiveLink, which helps users to achieve increased uptime and monitor metrics like fuel efficiency. JCB LiveLink can also help organisations protect their assets by using geofencing.
Increased productivity
With a single pothole being repaired in eight minutes, local councils can fill over 700 potholes every month. This comes from preparing 250 square metres of road in one shift, equating to over 5000 square metres per month.
That efficiency means that less time is spent on truck rollouts and more time is spent on repairing potholes. The JCB Pothole Pro is driven directly to the site without any need for additional transport.
JCB CEA has an extensive network of dealers across Australia. With a strong focus on maximising machine uptime. The business also places great importance on aftersales support and providing a highly skilled technical team to assist customers with their ongoing equipment needs.
This machine is a fantastic addition to any local council’s infrastructure set. There are always ways to use the JCB Pothole Pro beyond its traditional pothole-repair process. With the wide range of attachments available from JCB, it can carry up to one tonne in a shovel, stump grind, mow grass, trim hedges and trees, move pallets, blow snow and do trenching and demolition work.
Such flexibility gives local councils increased flexibility and productivity in an environment where the focus is on maximising asset use.
This article was originally published in the May edition of our magazine. To read the magazine, click here.
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