New pothole machine delivers road repairs four times faster

Aaron Morby 4 years ago
Share

Digger maker JCB has launched a dedicated machine to tackle the national scourge of potholes.

Hydradig machine is fixed with cut, crop and clean tools
Hydradig machine is fixed with cut, crop and clean tools

It claims the all-in-one machine based on its Hydradig wheeled loader model can repair a pothole in less than eight minutes – four times quicker than standard methods and at half the cost of current solutions.

The PotholePro machine’s development has been personally led by JCB chairman Lord Bamford.

He said: “Potholes really are the scourge of our nation. We simply cannot allow our road network to continue to be blighted by potholes.

“JCB’s solution is simple and cost effective and fixes potholes permanently, first time. Once the machine has done its job all the contractor then needs to do is just add tar.”

Tests with local authorities and contractors show the JCB PotholePro can complete a pothole repair in less than eight minutes – equivalent to 700 potholes per month.

The machine comes fitted with an automated planner, cutting tool and sweeper bucket to clear away debris to allow for a back-up team to separately infill with tar and compact.

With a 40km/h travel speed, the machine can rapidly relocate between sites without additional transport costs.

The machine has been in trials on roads in Stoke-on-Trent for months. In initial testing, it completed 51 road repair jobs in 20 days, which would have taken a team of up to six operatives 63 days to complete normally.

JCB said that contractors and councils now had the tool to deliver the £1.6bn spending programme announced last November by the Chancellor to start tackling the £11bn-worth of potholes that need repairing across the UK.

The PotholePro allows the contractor or local authority to cut the defect, crop the edges and clean the hole with one machine – mechanising jobs traditionally done by pothole gangs and delivering up to a 50% cut in daily costs.

It is equipped with a 600mm wide planer and integrated dust suppression system, enabling the operator to plane a full carriageway from the kerb, without repositioning.

The machine also comes with a sweeper/bucket and hydraulic cropping tool, allowing a uniform hole to be prepared by the operator from the comfort their cab.

Latest plant news

JCB to double size of US factory in wake of Trump tariffs

$500m Texas factory under construction to expand to 1m sq ft
9 hours ago

Cat deal sees Flannery plant investment top £100m this year

Leading plant hirer continues to invest in fleet
3 weeks ago

Takeuchi sells its 50,000th excavator in UK and Ireland

Hirer L-Lynch expands its fleet
4 weeks ago

Police arrest plant hire fraud gang

Nine arrests after kit hired "with no intent of ever returning the machines"
4 weeks ago

New mobile charging vans crack electric plant downtime anxiety

FM Conway trials new service that recharges small plant in one hour
1 month ago

City centre electric crane available from AGD

Rental specialist now selling latest Marchetti machine
2 months ago
AGD Equipment Ltd

Speedy Hire latest to be hit by slow CP7 rail spending

Plant-hire firm flags issues with latest Network Rail spending round
2 months ago

Building boss sold diggers still on HP

Court hears how building director sold rented machines to fund sports car and gambling habit
2 months ago

Buckingham Plant Hire quits heavy kit market

Firm to sell fleet and focus on lighter, sustainable plant
3 months ago

Vp launches dedicated rail division

Launch comes as equipment rental specialist posts latest results
4 months ago

High tech construction plant could save country £417bn

Costain report says kit which connects and drives itself will provide a massive economic boost
6 months ago

Balfour puts human recognition cameras on plant

Supply chain will need to install similar measures next year
8 months ago

Tarmac trials electric tipper truck

Pioneering EV tipper being put through its paces
9 months ago

Amey switches kit supplier to Speedy from HSS

New plant and equipment hire deal worth £25m a year
10 months ago

Van Elle fined £233,000 after piling rig kills driver

Court hears how tragedy was caused by poorly maintained plant
10 months ago

Squibb liquidator probes £2m of “missing” plant

Machinery, cars and scrap metal have disappeared at demolition specialist
11 months ago

Plant bosses blast “inflexible” police over road bans

Officers spotted outside sites and depots monitoring movements of large kit
11 months ago

Road sweeper specialist files administration notice

Go Plant lodges court notice
11 months ago

Hydrogen-fuelled diggers to be allowed onto highways

Government to raise barrier to widespread use of hydrogen fuelled plant in construction
1 year ago

Police hunt for blundering dumper truck thief

Raider drove into a fence before getting stuck on a bank
1 year ago

AGD suppliers latest crawler cranes for HS2

Buyer Total Plant Ltd puts two Sennebogen machines to work in Birmingham
1 year ago
AGD Equipment Ltd

Fife groundworks and plant hirer goes under axing 35 jobs

James Penman (Plant Hire) falls into administration in 50th anniversary year
1 year ago

Cornish plant hire firm files administration notice

Duchy Plant Hire has a 400-strong fleet serving sites across the South West
1 year ago

Plant sales slumped 29% in final quarter of last year

Excavator sales hardest hit by downturn
1 year ago

New partnership promotes plant crossing safety

SRL Traffic Systems and CLD Physical Security Systems establish hire partnership
1 year ago
SRL Traffic Systems

Rail plant giant TXM files administration notice

Staff looking for new jobs at UK's largest supplier of road/rail vehicles
1 year ago

Worker crushed to death at Nationwide Platforms site

Powered access hire giant fined £900,000
1 year ago

JCB and Manitou end six-year legal battle

Plant giants settle telehandler patent dispute
1 year ago

JCB prompts probe into “dumped” Chinese diggers

Trade watchdog to investigate if Chinese kit is unfairly undercutting domestic machines
1 year ago

Plant hirer Lyndon Thomas enters liquidation

Firm specialised in providing heavy earthmoving equipment and skilled operators
1 year ago

Contractor services