The Trouble with Asphalt Removal when Laying Pipe

An Asphalt grinder drastically simplifies the asphalt removal process for utility contractors opening pipe trench for utility projects. As any utility contractor will tell you, laying pipe or sewer lines is the easy part of the job. Before you can start your pipe installation, you will need to remove your asphalt.

Traditional asphalt removal is a multi-step process that costs a lot of money and takes a lot of time. One of the reasons for this is all of the extra equipment and manpower involved.

Utility contractors remove asphalt with saw cutting followed by cutting or “chunking ” it into transportable pieces, loading it onto a truck, and hauling it away. To top it off, contractors also have to pay expensive transportation costs and dumping fees.

Luckily, it is possible to open pipe trench for a fraction of the cost and in a fraction of the time. By using asphalt grinders instead of saw cutting to remove asphalt from utility trenches, utility contractors skip most of these steps.

Open pipe trench for a fraction of the cost and in a fraction of the time with an asphalt grinder. Utility contractors save up to 18 hours of work compared to traditional methods of removing asphalt for underground utilities.

Top Ten Reasons to Use an Asphalt Grinder to Remove Asphalt in Pipe Trench

1.    Pipe Installation Cost Savings:

Instead of saw cutting, use an asphalt grinder to open pipe trench. This will eliminate the expense of saw cutting equipment, chunking, loading, and hauling your old asphalt. This includes the cost of the equipment and the cost of the labor. Contractors can save on average $10,000 an hour by using an asphalt grinder to open their pipe trench.

2.    Time Savings When Laying Pipe:

Asphalt grinders are faster at removing the asphalt from pipe trench than saw cutting. Plan to spend one hour with your asphalt grinder instead of spending 18 plus hours on saw cutting. Utility contractors now open their pipe trench faster than saw-cutting. No more multiple passes for asphalt cutting, asphalt removal, and asphalt hauling.

3.    Use Your Asphalt Grinder for Much More than Laying Pipe or Installing Sewer Lines:

This post talks about removing asphalt from pipe trench, but you can use asphalt grinders for a variety of applications. You can use an asphalt grinder to repair roads, parking lots, and driveways. Look for an asphalt grinder that does trench plate recessing and t cuts. When you aren’t cutting pipe trench, put your asphalt grinder to use making money for you on other projects.

4.    Less Noise and Traffic Disruption During Your Underground Utility Project:

Opening pipe trench with asphalt grinding is much quicker than saw cutting which equals less long-term noise disruption. This is a big plus in residential neighborhoods or high traffic areas. Because the process is faster, using asphalt grinders to open pipe trench also minimizes traffic disruption. Cars can also drive over ground asphalt.

5.    New Asphalt Grinder Technology:

You might have looked at asphalt grinding in the past and decided it wasn’t a good option for your construction project. New machines boast asphalt grinding rates up to nine times greater than older machines and include active-hydraulic depth control. Look for an asphalt grinder that can handle specific projects like t cuts and trench plate recessing.

6.   A Green Solution for Pipe Installation:

Because you are skipping so many steps on your asphalt removal process, you will make a positive impact on the environment. For starters, you use less construction equipment. This means you will use less fuel and have fewer emissions on the job site and transporting your machines.

You can also recycle the asphalt grindings as backfill, so you won’t need to buy more backfill material. Finding a place to dispose of asphalt pieces can be difficult, but an asphalt grinder oftentimes eliminates that concern. Laying pipe will always have an environmental impact. But using an asphalt grinder is a big step towards an environmentally friendly project.

7.    Better Bonding Between Old and New Asphalt at the End of Your Pipe Installation: 

Asphalt grinding machines create an interlocking edge that binds the new asphalt to the old. This keeps the new asphalt on your utility trenches from sinking under pressure and improves aggregate interlocking.

8.    Reusable Asphalt Grindings:

An asphalt grinding machine creates pulverized reusable material. In fact, one company tested the asphalt millings in a lab and found that it was spec-quality product.

9.    Enhanced Underground Utility Project Safety :

Using an asphalt grinder for pipe trenching reduces the chance of accidents with cutting tools and other equipment. It also avoids damage to underground utilities. Asphalt grinders have proven controls and monitoring systems that provide safety, ease and convenience while opening pipe trench.

10. Asphalt Grinders are Easy to Transport:

When you use an asphalt grinder, you are transporting one piece of construction equipment instead of multiple pieces. Small asphalt grinders are highly portable and utility contractors can pull them behind most work trucks. This eliminates the need for low boys or flatbeds.

Use Asphalt Grinders for Utility Projects!

Using an asphalt grinder to open pipe trench provides utility contractors with a lot of benefits. You will simplify an expensive multi-step process into just one step. This allows you to complete your utility project quickly and save a lot of time and money.

Put your asphalt grinder to use on a variety of projects including asphalt repair, trench plate recessing, and t cutting.

Asphalt grinders also cause much less traffic disruption. Less environmental impact is another big plus with using an asphalt grinder to open pipe trench.

The final product is better too. Grinding asphalt makes a rough edge that connects the road asphalt to the new asphalt in the pipe trench. Start saving time and money removing asphalt on pipe trench with an asphalt grinder.