BOMAG’s RS500 with FLEXMIX
BY AsphaltPro Staff
Sometimes an owner/agency requires full depth reclamation of a pavement. Sometimes the pavement—and the budget—needs a repair of lesser depth. In all applications, however, the desired end result is to have consistent material gradation behind the machine.
The team at BOMAG Americas, Ridgeway, South Carolina, has incorporated extra breaker bar assemblies and an additional variable-position mixing door within the rotor chamber of its RS500 reclaimer/stabilizer designed to allow contractors to achieve consistent and controllable gradation with a simple toggle switch. Here’s how it works.
First, the operator will ensure the machine is ready for operation, following best practices and performing his pre-shift walk-around. He will ensure the 230-gallon fuel tank is full.
Moving forward at an operating speed of up to 164 feet per minute, the RS500 uses variable rotor speeds from 100 to 180 rpm to match rotor speed to the application. Four optional breaker bar assemblies—each containing seven cutting teeth positioned in the opposite direction of material flow—mounted above the front rotor door offer additional crushing and gradation of asphalt material. The rotor teeth turn in close proximity to the breaker bar teeth to break up material.
Above the rear discharge door, an adjustable door—the FLEXMIX—moves at the operator’s command to provide flexible mixing of material inside the rotor chamber. The operator moves a toggle rotary switch to effect the positioning of this third, FLEXMIX door. As the door is moved closer to the rotor—beneficial when working with thinner lifts and when mixing in additives—material is channeled back into the rotor for additional mixing and blending. For full depth reclamation, the operator will position the door further away from the rotor.
When the operator comes to a flare, tie-in or road’s edge where ground conditions are marginal, the side-shifting capabilities of the 88.58-inch rotor come into play. The entire rotor housing can offset up to 11.8 inches beyond the wheel track, offering full depth cutting while the machine remains stable.
For more information, contact Tim Hoover at (660) 580-0350 or tim.hoover@bomag.com.