Adding some zip to a loader or backhoe
Published in: Diesel Progress North American Edition
Date: 9/1/2005
As versatile as the typical wheel loader or tractor loader backhoe is, there are usually some jobs that are beyond the scope of such machines. They are usually the type of jobs that require more muscle than even today’s high flow hydraulics can provide.
Now, milling attachment manufacturer Asphalt Zipper Inc. (AZI) has developed a new attachment that has all the horsepower it needs, owing to the fact that the attachment has its own engine. The aptly named Asphalt Zipper attachment is designed to slide onto the bucket of a loader or backhoe and allow it to grind, cut and mill asphalt, which enables contractors and municipalities to use their existing fleet to remove, trench, patch or replace asphalt roadways.
“Every city has a backhoe or front-end loader” said Jim Keller, marketing director at the Pleasant Grove, Utah-based company. “The Asphalt Zipper is designed to attach quickly and easily to the bucket. It takes about five or 10 minutes to load it onto the bucket and you’re ready to go to work turning asphalt back into sand and gravel. Then all you need to do is grade it, roll it and pave it over.”
Four versions of the Asphalt Zipper attachment are offered by AZI including the 4500 lb. AZ-300 for use on any size backhoe, the 5600 lb. AZ-360HD designed for smaller loaders and the 6300 lb. AZ-480HD and 7700 lb. AZ-480S, both developed for use on larger wheal loaders.
The AZ-360HD, AZ-480HD and AZ-480S are powered by John Deere PowerTech diesel engines rated 125, 185 and 185 hp at 2400 rpm. The AZ-360HD is powered by a 4.5 L, four-cylinder Deere 4045 diesel, while the larger AZ-480HD and AZ-480S machines feature the 6.8 L six-cylinder 6068 engine. The smaller AZ-300 machine is powered by a 4.1 L four-cylinder oil/air-cooled Deutz 913 diesel rated 100 hp at 2500 rpm.
The Asphalt Zipper uses a carbide-tooth cutter head that is V-belt driven off the engine to grind through paved asphalt, pulverizing it into gravel. “It really saves a lot of time” said Keller. “What would normally take a day can now be done in about an hour because of the Zipper’s speed, plus they don’t have to bring in backhoes to dig it up, load it onto dump trucks, haul it away and bring in more road base. They can just mill it right down to the base, blade off any excess, compact it and they’re ready to pave.”
By powering the Asphalt Zipper attachment through a dedicated engine rather than the auxiliary hydraulic circuit of the backhoe or loader, Keller said, “it gets more horsepower to the cutter head than you can get with hydraulics.”
Brevini and Fairfield planetary gears and a Twin Disc PTO provide extra torque to the cutter head. The cutter head can be configured from 18 to 48 in. cut widths, depending on attachment, cut up to 12 in. deep and according to AZI, grind 3000 to 4000 sq.ft. per hour.
To attach the Asphalt Zipper attachment to a bucket, AZI has patented a “Zip-n-Go” slot which allows the bucket to slide into the machine and then be fastened with chains. “It uses an undercut” said Keller, “so it is pushing back against the bucket all of the time so there’s never any problem with the machine falling off.” Hydraulic clamps are used to attach the AZ-300 and AZ-360HD attachment.
Each Asphalt Zipper attachment comes with its own tandem axle trailer, which AZI said can be towed behind most standard pickup trucks. AZI produces the Asphalt Zipper attachments at its facility in Pleasant Grove, Utah.
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