Full-depth road replacement remains one of the most capital-intensive maintenance options, which is why asphalt milling is typically specified as the less expensive alternative. However, traditional surface milling and road patch repair methods still have notable operating cost inefficiencies. Most large milling machines’ standard jobsite practices include perimeter saw cutting, mechanical breakup, material removal, and off-site hauling. These methods often require multiple pieces of equipment and crew mobilizations. This type of operation involves more labor hours, extended cycle times, and prolonged traffic disruption, often resulting in multi-day or multi-week lane closures.
Mobile Asphalt Milling Solutions
Asphalt Zipper’s line of portable milling and reclamation attachments delivers a more technically efficient solution by integrating with readily available construction equipment such as loaders and backhoes. These units consolidate multiple functions—milling (removing the paved surface), full-depth reclamation (FDR, which rebuilds the entire pavement structure), soil stabilization (improving soil strength), and trenching (digging narrow ditches)—into a single operation. This approach reduces the equipment needed and simplifies jobsite complexity, allowing crews to complete high-production repairs within hours rather than days.
A powerful Cummins Turbo Diesel Performance Series power unit, coupled to a WPT Type 2, Pilotless W11‑CG‑206 hydraulically actuated Power Take-Off (PTO), drives the system’s performance. This Type 2 PTO uses two sets of spherical roller bearings to handle increased side loads. The custom-collared output shaft bolts directly to the input of the asphalt milling machine and secures the connection, eliminating the need for over‑the‑shaft couplings.
The PTO consistently transfers torque to a direct-drive drum with carbide-tipped cutting teeth. At high speeds, the drum fragments asphalt and chip seal surfaces. This process produces uniform, gradation-consistent material suitable for reuse as base or sub-base.
Strengthening the Bottom Line
The in-place pulverization process, which grinds existing pavement on site, eliminates material export and import cycles, significantly reduces haul-off needs, lowers fuel consumption, and compresses the overall construction timeline while maintaining specification compliance.
PTO‑driven Setup Delivers Several Advantages
Asphalt Zipper attachments remain lightweight, mobile, and easy to transport between job sites, allowing crews to efficiently move from resurfacing a road on one side of town to completing patchwork or pothole repairs on the other. This versatility is complemented by WPT’s Power Take-Offs, which deliver proven performance in demanding, heavy-duty applications. Engineered for durability, they meet the rigorous requirements of asphalt grinders, pavement milling machines, and a wide range of industrial and construction equipment.
Talk to us to see how WPT’s Pilotless® PTOs provide smooth, consistent power, even under heavy milling loads, or to discuss any of WPT’s other products. Please do not hesitate to contact us or call 940-761-1971.
Written By: Angel Molina, Outside Sales Representative