InfraStructures - September 2007

Perfectly Patched

Article republished with permission from John Deere Power Systems, copyright 2007.
Article originally appeared in Volume 1, 2007 of PowerSource, a publication of John Deere Power Systems.

Needing a fast, efficient way to patch a pothole? You may want to consider adding a Dura Maxx to your fleet.

Duraco Inc., of Jackson, Mississippi, builds a one-man pothole patcher. It can clean, tack, and fill 10 potholes in the time it takes a four-man crew to do just one. Plus, it does a whole lot better job of doing it.

"People who want to repair potholes the traditional way - pat it with a shovel and go on - are just throwing taxpayers' money away," says Bob Gilchrist, the company's president. "Plus, our technology makes a better patch that lasts longer. The direct savings in material and labor will pay for one Dura Maxx machine in less than two years. It's the most cost efficient way to repair roads."

That claim has been road tested, too. In the early 1990s, the method was proven by the Federal Highway Administration to be the most cost efficient way to repair roads. After over two decades of building patching machines, Duraco recently began offering a chassis-mounted patcher that allows a single operator to control the patching process safely from the cab. With simple controls of a joystick, the operator can clean the hole, apply a tack coat, and fill the pothole with a liquid-asphalt emulsion and chip mixture.

Loyal customer
For over 17 years, Duraco has relied on the John Deere engines to power its patchers. Today, the engine of choice is the PowerTech 4045D engine. Duraco makes use of the engine's flywheel and auxiliary drives to power the blower, air compressor, and heating system for the emulsion.

Duraco ships its John Deere-powered patchers to every continent in the world, with the exception of Australia. "John Deere engines are well received all over the globe," says Mr. Gilchrist. "They have a great dealer network all over the world. That's one reason why we stick with them. The next thing is that John Deere engines help the resale value of our machines. We have the highest resale value of any road-patching machine built in the world today."

And thirdly, John Deere engines have performed "magnificently", Bob Gilchrist adds. "I'm serious. The first John Deere engine we ever sold is still operating in Dallas County, Texas. We also have plenty of engines operating with 7500 to 10 000 hours on them, with nothing but an oil change. We haven't had half dozen claims in 17 years that we've used them," he says. "They're just reliable."

Engine: John Deere Tier 2/Stage II PowerTech 4045DF270 - a 80 hp, 4-cylinder, 4.5L, naturally aspirated diesel engine.
Distributor: Engines, Inc., Weiner, Arkansas, (870) 684-7361

Source: John Deere Power Systems