Asphalt Paving & Infrastructure – USA

A construction and infrastructure contractor based in the Sacramento region (USA), providing paving, concrete, excavation and utility construction services. The company operates and maintains a fleet of five asphalt pavers (including Blaw-Knox® and Cedarapids® models) used in continuous, high-volume paving operations.

Due to the extreme heat associated with asphalt paving, auger bearings were failing after just one to three months of service. Replacement costs were approximately $500 per bearing, plus five hours of labor at $85 per hour, making this a significant maintenance expense.

More critically, bearing failures typically occurred in the field during active paving operations. A typical job requires up to 25 double trailer trucks, each carrying 25 tons of hot mix asphalt, continuously cycling between the job site and the plant. When a bearing failure shut down operations, large volumes of asphalt could cool and become unusable. A single failure could result in approximately $10,625 in driver downtime and $33,125 in lost asphalt, making reliability a critical issue.

A SWEPCO Field Service Representative recommended switching to SWEPCO 101 Moly Grease due to its superior non-melt, extreme-pressure and anti-wear performance in high-temperature applications.

• Only one bearing failure in nine years across all five machines
• Significant reduction in unplanned downtime
• Hundreds of thousands of dollars saved in downtime, materials, labor and parts
• Improved operational reliability during continuous paving operations

“It’s hard to imagine the cost impact without SWEPCO 101 in our pavers. There are many variables in the field, and problems usually happen at the worst possible time—but our equipment is protected.” – Maintenance Director, Construction Company

Results in other applications may vary. Always consult OEM specifications for proper lubricant selection.