training
How to Pave Under a Carport To get a carport—or parking garage—paving job done right, you have to start with the right tools and the right plan. Let’s take a look at how one crew accomplished the job with top quality results. Your crew can do this, too. For this type of job, one of the challenges is, of course, the low ceiling you have to work under. The close quarters will trap heat and air against your equipment and co-workers, so let’s talk about safety before we talk about the paving plan. Make sure you keep plenty of water on hand for each worker. If someone is feeling over-heated, that person should know he is allowed to take a break. Get him to a shaded area out from under the carport, away from running equipment engines and hot mix where there’s a breeze. If necessary, set up a fan or, when in a pinch, the leaf blower, to move air over him. Watch for signs of heat exhaustion in your fellow team members at any time, but especially when working in areas where the heat of asphalt paving is trapped in with you. Check out the safety article, “How to Recognize Heat Exhaustion” on TheAsphaltPro.com website for more information.
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We affixed the 1-foot extensions and auger extensions to move material all the way to the endgates of the sidewalk paver. With the tools onsite, it took about 15 minutes per side to affix the extensions.
The team used a 2 by 4 to protect the unsupported edge during compaction of the carport’s leveling course. This allowed them to match the joint confidently when paving the roadway along the front of the carport.
EQUIP PERSONNEL FOR SUCCESS
Next, let’s take a look at the equipment. While some of this applies to any paving project, there are some “modifications” you can make to different machines to make the mix-delivery and paving process easier. For example, when working under a low-roofed carport or parking garage, consider using a clam-shell or four-way bucket on your skid steer. This will make delivering the mix easier when you can merely open the “doors” to let mix fall into a mound, rather than trying to lift the bucket high enough to dump into the paver’s hopper. Also consider using a roller with a removable or foldable rollover protection system (ROPS) so you’re able to get under all the areas of the low roof.
18 // November 2020
The plate compactor’s water tank is removable, making it easy to refill and replace during hand work.
