CatR PM200 and RM300 - A Tandem Solution to Customer's Needs

• 
• 2nd May 2009
• Materials Handling
 

When a well-traveled road in Cape Town, South Africa, recently needed upgrading, the government contractor turned to Caterpillar to provide the perfect solution...in this case, a new Cat® PM200 Cold Planer working in tandem with an RM300 Rotary Mixer.

Alone, each of these state-of-the-art machines offers industry-leading features and productivity; but together, they offer an unsurpassed productive and cost effective solution to the road rehabilitation process that's simply hard to beat.

Cape Town's N2 is a strategic South African highway that connects the port city with the country's southwestern region. Due to increasingly heavy traffic on the highway, it was in need of an upgrade-and fast. Cape Town-based contractor Vusela (one of the city's largest) was awarded the government contract to remove the asphalt layers and stabilize the subbase to strengthen the road's load capacity in preparation for resurfacing.

Vusela acquired the machines with the help of Barloworld Equipment, South Africa's Caterpillar® dealer for over 80 years. Both machines were the very first Caterpillar road construction machine purchases for the contractor, so a commissioning and technical training team was dispatched for three days to get the Vusela operators and crew up and running fast.

According to South African and Near East Paving Representative and Sales Manager Johann Hahn, Vusela's Operations Manager Alan Hendricks has been "very satisfied with machine performance (for both the PM200 and the RM300) and the technical support provided by Barloworld and Caterpillar. "Vusela first utilized the PM200 on the project to remove the existing layers of asphalt, achieving a cutting depth of up to 10 cm on one pass. Crews then used the RM300 to reclaim and remix the road's subbase at a depth of 16 cm.  A percentage of water was accurately mixed into the processed material through the RM300's water spray option, helping to facilitate the compaction process.

The rotary mixer advanced at a speed of 27 m/min throughout the Highway N2 project. South Africa's Cape Town is located on the southeastern tip of Africa, on the South Atlantic Ocean. It was established in the mid 1600s, as a stopover point along the spice route between the Far East and the Netherlands. Today, South Africa is considered an emerging market with a robust growth rate, and an ample supply of natural resources. Hahn sees continuing growth opportunities for the paving sector in South Africa, as its modern infrastructure strives to support the efficient distribution of goods and services throughout this country of 1.2 million square kilometres.

Barloworld Equipment is the Caterpillar dealer for 11 countries in southern Africa, as well as Siberia, Spain and Portugal, Andorra, Sao Tomé and Principé. They supply equipment and solutions to customers in the mining, construction, marine, and electrical power generation sectors.

The Cat® RM300 Rotary Mixer is a productive addition to any contractor's road construction fleet. This machine was designed for unsurpassed performance in both full-depth reclamation and soil stabilization applications, and delivers these capabilities with proven reliability.

With its rear wheel drive option, larger rear tires and universal rotor option, the RM300 is more than well equipped for even the toughest reclamation jobs-applications that require maximum depth soil stabilization high in moisture content, such as lime or slurry or other liquid stabilizing agents. Simplified service and unmatched operator comfort are just a few of its industry-leading features.  The Cat PM200 Cold Planer combines superior performance and reliability to provide full-depth removal of asphalt and concrete pavements with high productive results. Its C18 engine with ACERT^TM Technology delivers 429 kW of clean burning power for optimized engine performance. Quick release conical tool holders allow for fast and easy replacement.  And, its high-capacity folding loading conveyor adds versatility and delivers increased jobsite productivity.

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