Spaulding Mfg. Inc., Saginaw, Michigan, offers the 4-ton Road Saver hot patcher. This trailer-mounted patcher is 5,100 pounds and features a door opening of 115 inches. You can select either diesel or propane to fuel the 105,000 BTU burner. It also features automatic temperature control, rear curbside controls and commercial rated tires. Options include hydraulic dumping hopper, safety lighting, overnight heat, heated tack tank, spray system for tack tank and more.

Craig Pinson founded ShoulderMaster, with global headquarters in Wauchope NSW, Australia, to solve a problem he was experiencing in the industry. And that foundation of innovating to offer solutions to a contractor’s everyday pain points has carried his company around the globe to break into the U.S. market with partnerships and a passion for problem-solving.

In 2015 a combination of industry experience and innovation led to the development of the SM1500 shoulder paver, Australia’s first universal skid steer/wheel loader shoulder paving attachment. The literature states the attachment can increase the road shoulder from 0 inches to 4 feet, 2 inches wide. Its features and benefits are listed as:

• Lays asphalt and gravel materials
• Chain driven, heat rated belt to withstand asphalt
• Wireless remote control for operator safety
• Wireless camera with in-cab monitor for ease of operation
• Screed dropping below existing pavement of 6 and 4 inches above at any width allowing you to precisely place materials in multiple layers with gradients up to 5%
• Universal skid steer attachment
• Bolt on exchangeable screed extensions
• Weight is 4,263 pounds
• Minimum skid steer requirement of 55 kw
• 21 gallons per minute hydraulic flow
• 12 volt electrical connect

For more information, visit www.shouldermasterus.com or contact Tommy Tomlin at (515) 520-0653

Unique Paving Materials Corp., Cleveland, Ohio, offers the UPM® Cold Mix of proprietary additives to be used for permanently repairing potholes in any climate. The raw materials include quality rock, selected to meet stringent quality standards, according to the manufacturer. The Unique Paving Materials lab considers specific aggregate characteristics and regional elements to design a customized formulation. The result is a region-specific mix that must undergo rigorous testing in our lab as well as in the field. UPM mix is available in bulk tons at approved producers, large super sacks, weatherproof plastic bags, 55-gallon steel drums, 5-gallon plastic pails and 2-gallon plastic pails.

For more information, visit uniquepavingmaterials.com.

Sripath Technologies®, Mahwah, New Jersey, recently introduced PHALANX®, a warm-mix additive designed to lower both production and compaction temperatures for warm-mix asphalt (WMA) applications while improving mix compactability at lower temperatures. PHALANX can be used with a variety of asphalt mixes, including polymer-modified bitumen (PMB) mixes, helping contractors potentially lower their overall carbon footprint, reduce energy consumption and reduce costs.

PHALANX is a specially engineered surface-active agent that improves wettability and acts as a lubricant in the mix, serving to better coat the aggregate in a mix. Highly dosage efficient, independent testing has demonstrated that only 0.25 to 0.5% of PHALANX is needed to improve compactability at paving temperatures as low as 239°F (115°C). PHALANX may also help lower energy consumption used during production, transportation and paving of an asphalt mix.

“PHALANX demonstrates that performance and sustainability can go hand in hand when adopting a warm mix technology,” said Krishna Srinivasan, president of Sripath Technologies. “With environmental concerns leading many conversations in the asphalt industry, PHALANX provides contractors with an opportunity to deliver critical performance specifications and achieve their environmental goals.”

As contractors explore ways to achieve net zero emissions goals, PHALANX may help them lower their greenhouse gas emissions. The warm-mix additive lowers the temperatures required for mix production and compaction while also helping to increase haul distances, open larger production windows and extend the paving season into cooler months.

PHALANX, the latest addition to Sripath’s product portfolio, has been successfully utilized as a warm-mix additive on roadways around the world. The product can be used alongside other additives from Sripath’s portfolio.

For more information, visit www.sripath.com.

Topcon Positioning Systems, Livermore, California, announced in first quarter 2025, the launch of the HiPer XR, its latest Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver for surveying, mapping and construction applications. The new receiver is designed to benefit a wide variety of users, including construction professionals, surveyors, GIS professionals, archeologists, engineering firms and others who rely on precision measurements. The HiPer XR builds on Topcon’s 30-year legacy in GNSS technology and supports all major satellite constellations, including GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, IRNSS, QZSS and SBAS, according to the manufacturer.

The new receiver has advanced Topcon Integrated Leveling Technology (TILT) compensation featuring a calibration-free and magnetic interference-immune integrated IMU that provides up to 60 degrees of tilt for precision measurements in challenging positions. The sophisticated signal integrity protection, anti-jamming and anti-spoofing capabilities keep data reliable, even in areas with interference or tampered signals, according to the manufacturer. Through the myTopcon NOW! site, users can access comprehensive support, including online training materials, firmware updates and additional software resources.

For more information, visit your Topcon distributor in the global distribution network.

When it’s time to start the new paving season, attention turns to the loadout area. You’re about to find out if your personnel maintained the silos properly over the winter. Barring anything horrifying—such as a surprise 200-ton chunk of solid cylindrical material—you should have only simple things to address.

Here’s a checklist for today’s toolbox talk about regular silo maintenance. Of course, before performing any maintenance near the silos, make sure access to the area beneath the gates is blocked in a way that personnel cannot walk beneath them unless everyone has confirmed the silo is completely empty. Remember to lock-out/tag-out.

• Lubricate air powered components regularly
• Open hinge pins frequently for greasing
• Put a quality moisture trap on the oiler
• Clean moisture out of solenoid valves and cylinders
• Check the compressed air system and air line oilers
• Drain water from air storage tanks and separators

During production:

• watch moisture contents of mixes going into the silos. The drier the material, the better.
• watch temperatures so improper temperature-control doesn’t lead to plugged cones.
• try not to elevate temperature more than 5 degrees for overnight storage purposes.

Do you have a plant operator or manager who should’ve received this tip? Go ahead and forward it to him or her now and if more folks on your team need to sign up for these quick-n-easy nuggets of gold, the link for that is here.

Don’t forget to stop by the AsphaltPro booth 3036 during World of Asphalt in St. Louis! We’ll have paving industry expert Bill Stanley available to answer questions and talk shop and we invite you to pick up a sticker sheet with instructions on how to enter to win a Yeti cooler from us!