Mark Twain once said “There’s more than one way to skin a cat”, and those words apply to the process of crack sealing. The process, at its core, is fairly uniform. A hot rubber mixture is applied over the cracked asphalt area, creating a sealant that protects the crack from moisture and further expansion.
The way the sealant is applied can vary greatly. The most basic form of crack sealing involves a melter and pour pot. The melter (usually heated by a propane torch) heats blocks of rubber which is then dispersed into a pour pot. The operator manually “pours” the sealant over the crack. It is then followed by another operator who uses a squeegee to smooth and fill the cracked area.
While this method works, it is archaic and not efficient enough to get high density crack areas done in a reasonable amount of time.
At YPS, we use a Crafco SS125 melter/applicator to do the bulk of our crack sealing projects. The SS125 is an all in one unit that allows us to load blocks of crackseal directly into the kettle, where it melts them down into dispersible hot rubber. The rubber is then applied with the heated hose and wand which are directly attached to the unit.
We use a variety of tips depending on the situation, but all of them minimize dripping and provide a quality seal without the mess of many other applicators on the market.
The SS125 is truly a versatile unit, and something we use daily during our season. We have relied on it for residential driveway sealing, all the way up to state crack sealing jobs on large highway systems.
We pride ourselves in using the best equipment to ensure the quality of our work holds up.
