Roadworks - clomping machine

[JoolzB]

The road outside my work is in the process of having a new surface laid. They've stripped off the old tarmac so that it's down to the concrete underneath. For the last 3 days they've used a machine to whack it. What is this machine and what's its purpose? They stop every 3/4 of a metre and smash down on the concrete 2 or 3 times and then across the road repeatedly with this heavy column (prob 5-6" in diameter). Also why does it take 5 of them to watch whilst matey is doing his work?

[m1spw]

JoolzB said:

Also why does it take 5 of them to watch whilst matey is doing his work?

I would have thought that was obvious. They all need to make sure the pole is perfectly vertical, its certainly not that they like watching "the big thing hit the road and make it go smash"

[JoolzB]

Well from my observations you have...

Matey smacking up the road
Matey2 waiting to move the lorry up 10 metres every hour or so.
Matey3 who operates the lolly stick that says go or stop.
Matey4 who tells him when to turn round the lolly.
Matey5 who walks up and down the road now and again
Matey6 who sits and guards the other lorry and makes sure the radio doesn't fail.

[Pigeon]

Sounds like a trench wacker, its purpose is to compact loose stuff and it suggests that the "concrete" layer is not solid concrete but probably some kind of gravelly stuff that looks like concrete.

[JoolzB]

Pigeon said:

Sounds like a trench wacker, its purpose is to compact loose stuff and it suggests that the "concrete" layer is not solid concrete but probably some kind of gravelly stuff that looks like concrete.

Thanks for that you're probably right although the surface was pretty solid/concrety one section was moving quite badly but I'm sure they'll have noted it and got it repaired before laying the new surface.

[sadako]

So has anyone seen that Bernie Benassi "Satisfaction" music video?

[NiceCupOfTea]

sadako said:

So has anyone seen that Bernie Benassi "Satisfaction" music video?

but have you seen the "extended" version?

[Pigeon]

JoolzB said:

Pigeon said: Sounds like a trench wacker, its purpose is to compact loose stuff and it suggests that the "concrete" layer is not solid concrete but probably some kind of gravelly stuff that looks like concrete. Thanks for that you're probably right although the surface was pretty solid/concrety one section was moving quite badly but I'm sure they'll have noted it and got it repaired before laying the new surface.

I hope so... the way they're doing it sounds a bit odd to me, you'd normally use a much bigger diesel wacker plate. Doing it a little bit at a time with a trench wacker suggests that either they're making do because that's all they can get hold of for some reason, or there's something odd about the site that we don't know about.

[ZR1cliff]

JoolzB said:

Well from my observations you have... Matey smacking up the road Matey2 waiting to move the lorry up 10 metres every hour or so. Matey3 who operates the lolly stick that says go or stop. Matey4 who tells him when to turn round the lolly. Matey5 who walks up and down the road now and again Matey6 who sits and guards the other lorry and makes sure the radio doesn't fail.

Theres bound to be another four somewhere with clipboards,wearing council badges and speaking on mobiles looking full of "concerned self importance".