Asphalt Paving Tools

Asphalt Lute

• The asphalt lute is like a rake, though the teeth are smaller and contiguous with each other or are replaced with a smooth, flat blade. The lute is used to achieve the smooth surface across the asphalted area by pushing forward a quantity of asphalt and drawing back a smaller amount. This technique evens out the material across the area for a smooth finish. The head of the tool needs to be heat resistant, as the asphalt needs to be worked at high temperatures. The head must also be supported by struts joined to the body of the lute to keep it from being deformed by the heavy work. Avoid models without supporting struts unless the manufacturer specifically claims to use stronger than average materials and offers a money back guarantee.

Pothole Tamper

• This is a device for repairing potholes in roads or parking lots. The pothole is filled with hot asphalt and then compressed to form a solid repair by thumping the tamper down onto the asphalt. The tamper can be an engine powered machine which vibrates a heavy plate over the asphalt or simply a rod with a flat end which can be manually struck up and down on the fresh asphalt.

Sealcoat Squeegee

• Asphalt ideally needs to be sealed with a protective liquid known as sealcoat to protect it from damage by chemicals from car engines and exposure to the elements. The liquid needs to be smoothed evenly over the asphalt poured or sprayed over the asphalt and smoothed over with tough, rubber bladed squeegee. A popular method is to use a combined squeegee and sealcoat pump. The squeegee is connected to a tank of sealcoat and a pump which which pumps the coating down the body of a squeegee tool, dispensing on the surface at the point beside the head of the squeegee and allowing it to be easily and evenly spread.

Crack Bander and Melter

• This tool is a large wheeled drum for pouring crack filler into cracks on asphalted surfaces. The drum is filled with cold or pre-melted crack filling compound and run along the length of the crack, pouring a steady flow of the filler into the crack. More expensive models with built-in melting elements melt the compound. This allows larger jobs to be completed with fewer returns to the truck.