I have a local plant that will send me a ton of hot mix for 55.00. My idea is to load it in my trailer and bring it home to repair some potholes, cracks and other areas in my driveway.
My idea is to cut these bad areas out, install new asphalt and hand tamp. I will have to trailer it on my dual axle trailer about 17 miles. My trailer has sides, but no top. Any idea on how I could keep the mixture from cooling too much?
I'd try a tarp and bungees.
I'd put a tarp, but the half hour should not be a problem. I know of a paving company that would work on Sunday when busy. They would load up a couple of trucks on Saturday afternoon. Seemed to work for them.
+1
That kind of timeframe is typical.
small load will cool much faster, and hand tamp will not be enough, at least rent a wacker and get a couple helpers, to minimize cooling. and speed the job.
of course do all prep work in advance
(I never tried any of this; it's an inspired guess.)
Cut a piece of plywood the size of the trailer floor. Cut pieces of insulation to fit the floor. Cut a square board into cubes. Cut cubes out of the insulation bats and insert the wood cubes. (For example, if the insulation is 2", you need a 2x2 board cut into 2x2x2 cubes.)
The spacing & arial density of the cubes depends on the plywood thickness. I estimate that 1/2 inch plywood supported every foot should be enough to support a foot or two of ashphalt thickness. (i.e., in this case, you should make holes in the insulation and place a cube in a grid of size 1 foot x 1 foot.)
Glue insulation onto the sides, front, rear of the trailer. Cover with plastic film and duct tape to seal off airflow. Us water-based glue for easy clean-up.
Cover the load with rags, cover those with plastic sheeting, and duct tape everything airtight. You might want a team to do this last part, because you will be on the clock as soon as the hot mix is loaded.
Good luck. Please get back to us to let us know how it worked. I suggest you avoid duct taping directly onto the metal of the trailer because the heat might cause the glue in the tape to melt. Similarly, use fiberglass vs. styrofoam insulation.
For prices like that I think I'll check around for some paving work on my property.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.