From Bauma onto the roads

Road paver leasing company Pave+ acquired one of the new tracked pavers, and deployed it for the first time on fiber-optic network expansion work in Jettingen near Stuttgart. THE ROAD was there, and spoke to Technical Sales Manager Patrick Werner and foreman Holger Nopirakowsky. During the interview, the two gave their initial impressions of the outcome.

Mr Werner, Mr Nopirakowsky, Vögele launched the MINI 500 at Bauma 2022; you deployed it for the first time recently in Jettingen. How does the MINI paver do on the roads?

Werner: It keeps its promise of completing tight and extremely small-area roadbuilding projects efficiently and to a high standard of quality. Here in Jettingen, for example, we were connecting a housing estate to the fiber-optic network. Our team then backfilled and sealed the fiber-optic cabling trenches. The pave width was 90 cm (3 ft.), and in some cases we had to pave close to hedges and curbs, which would have been impossible with larger machines – we would have to have done a lot of it manually. With the MINI 500, it was no problem. Using the paver, our team was able to backfill all the trenches much quicker, more easily, and to a higher standard.

Nopirakowsky: The MINI paver really does save a lot of manual labor, especially on long, narrow sections, like when we’re working to expand the fiber-optic network, or generally when backfilling drainage trenches, as frequently occurs. The MINI 500 is much more accurate on those jobs. The pavement looks much better than when it is laid manually. It also delivers a high output, and is easy to operate and clean – key features for me as a user and jobsite foreman.

Pave+ is a full-service construction machinery hire business, and already has a number of Vögele pavers in different sizes. What now made you decide to buy the smallest paver in the product range as well?

Werner: Several reasons. Firstly, the MINI 500 enables us to cover the whole range up to the SUPER 2100-3i large paver. That means pave widths from 0.25 meters (0.8 ft.) to 14 meters (45.9 ft.). Secondly, we have a great many customers with small-scale projects working to expand the fiber-optic network or on drainage works, for example. So demand for the smallest pavers is high. The great advantage of Vögele’s highly compact MINI paver in those cases is that it can be used virtually anywhere, even in very tight spaces. There’s also the fact that it can be transported on an ordinary car trailer, so doesn’t involve any great logistical complexity. Thirdly, Vögele’s advice and service continue to impress - the whole package just works.

For which areas and construction projects do you mainly use the MINI 500?

Nopirakowsky: Any project which requires pave widths between 0.25 meters (0.8 ft.) and 1.8 meters (5.9 ft.), using small, maneuverable machines. The MINI 500 is incredibly flexible. Its dimensions make it ideal for footpaths about 1 meter (3.3 ft.) wide on new housing developments, for example. But, as already mentioned, it’s useful for drain-building as well as for road construction jobs, making its potential applications very varied.