Top 6 Reasons You Should Buy a Falcon Asphalt Hot Box

by | Jan 9, 2023 | Uncategorized

Many municipalities still use flatbed trucks to transport asphalt to repair potholes. This expensive option only provides a temporary solution, as the rapidly cooling hot mix gives workers just a few hours to perform repairs before it hardens beyond usefulness.

The Falcon Hot Box is an affordable solution to the expensive, time-consuming, and seemingly never-ending job of repairing potholes. It’s versatile, safe, and reliable. Work crews will be able to more efficiently and effectively repair potholes while municipalities count the monetary savings in multiple ways. 

Read on to learn more about the top 6 reasons you should consider buying a Falcon Asphalt Hot Box.

1. Improved Ergonomics

One of the most significant drawbacks of using a flatbed truck for asphalt repairs is the height of the bed. The truck bed is at an awkward height, putting unnecessary wear and tear on the worker’s back and shoulders. Operator fatigue significantly affects worker productivity throughout the day.

A Falcon Hot Box has a much lower shoveling height, making the job far less physically demanding. Less worker fatigue means increased productivity, fewer worker’s compensation claims, and better worker retention.

A demonstration of how much easier it is to use a Falcon HotBox to shovel asphalt.

2. Save Time & Money

In addition to increasing worker productivity, a Falcon Hot Box can save you a tremendous amount of money. Industry experts believe that you can reduce the number of trips to repair the same pothole by a ratio of 3:1 to 5:1, or 60-80% saving in material and labor. It’s also reasonable to believe you can reduce material waste by 10-20%.

3. Durable and Long-Lasting

At Falcon, we only use high-quality components, parts, and steel to ensure decades of uninterrupted service life. Many of our competitors run their 12-volt diesel burners below the required battery voltage. Over time, fuel builds up inside the combustion chamber and eventually ignites and melts internal components.

Falcon hot boxes come standard with Voltage Indicator and Protector (VIP) technology that prevents the burner from operating below the required voltage. A green light tells the operator if the battery has enough voltage to start the burners safely. This ingenious system is unique to Falcon Hot Boxes and lengthens their lifespan.

4. Ability to Hold Material Overnight

Using cooled asphalt to patch holes is inefficient, wasteful, and wholly ineffective. However, this is what countless municipalities do every single day during pothole repair season. Much like an out-of-control game of whack-a-mole, potholes patched with cooled asphalt (or cold mix) reappear quickly afterward.

A Falcon Hot Box allows the work crew to hold material overnight, for up to 72 hours. Dual propane or diesel burners fire into the box, keeping the material at an optimal temperature. Workers can reuse material versus wasting it and repairs will last a lot longer versus using cooled asphalt for the patch.

Keeping asphalt material warm throughout the night is essential for several reasons:

  • From time-to-time patch crews can’t finish the work and empty the machine. In these instances, holding the material overnight to use it the next day becomes imperative.
  • Your work crew can simply run out of time before emptying the load.
  • Rain or other inclement weather could cause scheduled work to get “weathered out.”
  • Sometimes smaller operations, without dedicated patch crews, get called away for other priorities, such as a water main break.

The ability to hold material overnight also allows the crews to empty the load the following day—instead of spending time unloading and then reloading the next morning, which causes material waste.

Some operations plan their work around the ability to hold material overnight, for example:

One customer likes to patch on Sundays because the traffic is lighter. The asphalt plants aren’t open on Sunday, so they pick up material on Saturday, hold it overnight in a Falcon Hot Box, and then patch potholes on Sunday.

Another picks up material in the afternoon when the plant is not as busy. They hold the material overnight and begin patching first thing in the morning without waiting in line at the plant for the material. When they finish the job, they go to the plant and pick up their material for the next day.

5. Recycle Leftover Asphalt

Another way Falcon Hot Boxes save time and money is their ability to recycle leftover asphalt chunks and millings. Workers can simply throw hardened asphalt into the hopper and spray it with a rejuvenator. The optional dual-burner system uses indirect heat to safely break down the old pavement for reuse.

6. Lower Than Expected Cost

One of the biggest surprises Falcon Hot Box customers get is when they receive a quote. They find that our equipment is priced much lower than they would think—and even lower than the equipment they’re used to purchasing. 

However, the savings don’t stop at the quote. A Falcon Hot Box allows work crews to keep hot mix at optimal temperatures all day and all night. In addition to providing a superior patch that will last longer, it prevents the work crews from making multiple trips to the asphalt plant.

Crew productivity also increases thanks to the ergonomic features that prevent them from experiencing the same physical strain and stress as they would using a traditional flatbed truck. Worker’s compensation claims also drop as workers are no longer putting their bodies in precarious positions that can and will cause permanent damage.

Finally, the cost of buying a patcher is far less expensive than the cost of subcontracting that work out to an outside company.

Many Available Options

Asphalt patching operations have slightly different needs. This is why we offer a wide range of optional parts that you can add to your Falcon Hot Box, such as a hose reel for the spray system, a dual burner system (required to recycle asphalt), or a 30-gallon heated and insulated tack tank, to name just a few.

A Falcon Hot Box Will Save You Time and Money

Adding a Falcon HotBox to your asphalt patching operations will increase productivity, reduce costs, and allow workers to make patches that last a long time. Click the link below to learn more about our Hot Boxes and Recyclers.

Learn more about equipment:

Asphalt patching is essential in maintaining roadways, parking lots, and other paved surfaces. Patch trucks are the de facto workhorse used by many municipalities and patching operations thanks to their efficiency and cost-effectiveness. 

The downside to traditional asphalt patching trucks is that they require a CDL license to operate. Hiring CDL workers is difficult because there are few out there, and if you do find one, you’ll need to pay them a higher salary.

Non-CDL asphalt patch trucks are the answer to this costly problem. Non-CDL patch trucks look and operate the same as traditional ones. However, they weigh less than 26,000 pounds, which is the cutoff for requiring a CDL license.

Read on to learn more about Falcon non-CDL asphalt patch trucks, their features, and the benefits they will add to your patching operation.

CDL Requirements

Part of the reason why CDL drivers are so expensive to hire and somewhat challenging to find is that it’s not easy to become one. The FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) Safety Act of 1986 sets forth the requirements for obtaining a CDL license.

All applicants must first apply for and receive a Commercial Learner’s Permit (CLP). This enables them to legally drive a commercial motor vehicle while being supervised by an instructor.

To apply for a CDL, applicants must:

  • Have a valid non-commercial driver’s license
  • Be at least 21 years old (if transporting hazardous materials or driving across state lines)
  • Have proof of citizenship and residency
  • Pass all background checks
  • Pass an intensive medical examination
  • Provide a statement that certifies they’re not subject to disqualification as per FMCSA 383.51
  • Pass a state-approved written test and road test

Competition to hire CDL drivers is relatively intense and often results in very high salary and benefits packages. Many municipalities and smaller patching operations often cannot afford to offer competitive salaries and benefits commensurate with what large corporations will pay.

How Non-CDL Asphalt Patching Trucks Work

The FMCSA requires all trucks that weigh 26,001 lbs or more to have a driver with a CDL license. Falcon non-CDL asphalt patch trucks weigh under 26,000 lbs—meaning anyone with a valid standard driver’s license can operate them.

How is that possible?

For starters, a Falcon non-CDL patch truck does not utilize an auger or conveyor belt like a traditional one. Instead, Falcon uses a gravity dump to deliver the material to the patch site.

Augers, conveyors, and the hydraulics used to run them are extremely heavy. The lack of those parts allows the Falcon patch truck to weigh less than 26,000 lbs.

Benefits of a Falcon Non-CDL Asphalt Patch Truck

In addition to not requiring a CDL license, Falcon non-CDL asphalt patch trucks have a user-friendly design that offers several other benefits, such as:

Faster material delivery

Traditional patch trucks that utilize an auger and conveyor belt are limited in the quantity of material and speed they can deliver it due to their significantly smaller unloading opening. This can substantially slow down worker productivity and cause each patch job to take longer.

Falcon non-CDL asphalt patch trucks have the largest delivery doors on the market. This means workers have the flexibility to determine how much material they want and at what speeds they will get it. Those same large doors also allow for easier access to the hopper for cleaning.

Lowered lifetime cost

Falcon non-CDL asphalt patch trucks are more cost-effective than their counterparts, thanks to the lack of hydraulics, augers, and conveyor belts. Fewer components mean fewer things that can break down in the future.

Another significant cost saver is that you won’t have to hire an expensive driver with a CDL license. If that driver should suddenly resign or call in sick, you’d be scrambling to find someone qualified to drive a CDL truck.

More fuel efficient

Because Falcon non-CDL asphalt patch trucks do not have hydraulic motors or pumps to turn an auger, they also burn less fuel. That adds up to significant cost savings over an 8-hour shift. 

Fewer trips to the asphalt plant

Workers also have the option to hold material overnight, which allows them to start working immediately the next day instead of waiting in line at the asphalt plant—which might be located on the other side of town—in rush hour traffic. 

Fewer moving parts

Due to not having an auger, hydraulic pump, or conveyor belt, Falcon non-CDL asphalt patch trucks have fewer parts than their traditional counterparts. This directly translates into increased uptime availability and lower maintenance and operating costs over the truck’s lifetime.

Sufficient capacity

Non-CDL asphalt patch trucks from Falcon have an 8,000 lb carrying capacity—which is more than enough material to be held at the optimum temperature.  

High-quality

One of the most significant benefits of the Falcon non-CDL asphalt patch truck is that it uses the same guts, hopper, and tack tank as their other highly popular and durable hotboxes, trailers, and recyclers. 

Your choice of truck

The Falcon non-CDL asphalt patch truck requires a class 6 truck. You can supply your own truck or choose from one of seven different models that we’ll provide:

  • Ford F750
  • Freightliner MD6 106
  • Hino 268A
  • International MV
  • Kenworth T270
  • Mack MD6
  • Peterbilt 536/7

The size, brand, options, etc. of the truck we supply will determine the final cost. If you have a different brand truck than listed above, call us and we’ll help you figure out if we can make it work. We’re more than happy to consider alternative truck options.

Non-CDL Asphalt Patch Truck Required Maintenance

Falcon non-CDL asphalt patch trucks require very little maintenance compared to their traditional counterparts. However, basic maintenance requirements are the same as other patchers, including burner and battery maintenance, keeping the hopper clean, and truck upkeep.

 

Falcon Non-CDL Asphalt Patching Trucks

Falcon non-CDL asphalt patching trucks will save you time, money, and headaches in the long run. They’ll increase productivity and efficiency while reducing the need for expensive maintenance and operators. Click below to learn more.

 

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