Get Financing6 Things To Look For When Buying A Cold Planer
The right cold planer, or milling machine, can save a crew a great deal of time and money on common asphalt repairs, road resurfacing, and removal of painted markings. The key is to choose the correct machine for the job—one that can do the work in the most economical way.
Cold planers range from large, self-propelled machines on tracks or wheels down to milling attachments mountable on loaders, motor graders, excavators, or skid steers. Prices run the gamut from $5,000 to $900,000 or more, depending on size, age, condition, and configuration. Here’s a guide to help you make a buying decision.
1. Capacity
The capacity of a milling machine—how much material it can remove in a given time—is based on a number of related factors that we’ll discuss in individual sections below. Because capacity depends on the planer’s drum width, cutting depth, and amount of forward thrust, it has a bearing on the machine’s size, weight, and fuel consumption rate. For illustration purposes, Bomag’s line of cold planers weighs 15,535 to 76,831 pounds (7,050 to 34,850 kilograms), while Roadtec sells tracked milling machines ranging from 42,000 to 98,000 pounds (19,050 to 44,450 kilograms) in weight.
For cold planer attachments, high-capacity models require bigger, more powerful carrier vehicles that weigh more, use more fuel, and have high auxiliary hydraulics capacity.
2. Drum Characteristics
The width of a cold planer’s rotor or cutting drum can vary from as little as 12 inches (304 millimeters) wide in a small model from CMI up to 13 feet (3.96 meters) for a big example from Wirtgen. Large and midsized machines may be marketed as full-lane or half-lane models able to remove a lane of blacktop in one or two passes, respectively. A wider cutting drum means fewer passes, but planers using wider rotors also require more forward push (and fuel) than smaller, half-lane machines. Some planers have zero-edge drums that cut all the way to the curb on one or both sides of the machine.
Note that many cold planers can swap drums to cut a wider or narrower swath. Another reason to change the rotor is to use a micro-milling drum that leaves a finer surface texture. A faster swap saves time and money, so it’s worthwhile to compare how long it takes to change a planer’s drum, just as it’s important to note how easy or difficult it is to change its cutting tips or picks.
3. Cutting Depth
Another aspect of a cold planer’s capacity is its cutting depth. Larger milling machines can remove as much as 14 inches (36 centimeters) of asphalt per pass, but like smaller planers, at their minimum depth they can be used to grind off just enough to roughen the surface of the road or erase painted markings. Deeper cuts reduce the number of passes required to do the work, but they also take more tractive power and fuel.
A related usability factor is how easy it is to adjust a cold planer’s forward progress for optimal performance at the selected cutting depth. Also, control over the milling drum speed and travel speed can dictate the smoothness or coarseness of the final result, which makes the machine more versatile in the number of tasks it can perform. Many planers feature automatic settings for some or all of these factors to maximize productivity and fuel economy.
4. Engine
Cold planers get their power from one or two engines depending on their size and capacity. One of the broadest product ranges is CMI’s lineup, which includes milling machines from 100 horsepower all the way up to 1,125 horsepower (75 to 839 kilowatts). Find out whether the motor(s)’ aftertreatment system requires periodic maintenance such as DEF (diesel exhaust fluid) refilling and/or DPF (diesel particulate filter) cleaning.
5. Tracks vs. Wheels
Self-propelled cold planers with wheels are typically small to medium machines, while tracked models tend toward the medium to large categories.
Small three- or four-wheeled planers can be maneuverable enough to mill asphalt around manhole and utility covers, as well as to follow curbs as the road curves. Tires for milling machines are very durable and are much less expensive to replace and maintain than tracks. One feature some buyers look for in a wheeled planer is a traction control system.
Tracks have greater tractive force for forward motion, along with greater pavement skid resistance. They can also provide smoother operation than wheels and greater stability on slopes. Tracks also serve to spread out the ground pressure of a medium to large cold planer to avoid causing ruts in the surface. Some machines’ tracks can rotate sideways to move into the adjacent lane or half-lane, but tracked planers typically can’t match the maneuverability of wheeled models. The tracks and undercarriage are also much more expensive to replace.
6. Other Features
For cold planers with conveyors, another consideration is whether they’re front-loading or rear-loading, which determines where their accompanying haul truck will operate. Also, the capacity of a machine’s water tank, which feeds the sprayers in the dust suppression system, determines how long the planer can operate before it needs to be refilled.
Technological features that may be of interest include grade control systems; auto-leveling as the rear tracks or wheels enter the cut; automatic noise reduction when the drum is raised; wireless fleet management systems such as Cat Connect and Roadtec Guardian Remote Telematics; cameras for better visibility, and more.
Whatever you’re looking for in a cold planer, you’ll find various new and used models for sale at PavingEquipment.com.
Buying A Used Cold Planer
Choosing a used cold planer isn’t much different from buying other machines, in some respects: You’ll want to ascertain the condition of wear components such as tracks and the undercarriage, and check for hydraulic and engine leaks as you verify that all systems work as they should. The number of hours on the machine, its service and rebuild records, and perhaps an oil analysis for a unit with high hours should all be important factors in your decision.
There are, of course, some aspects specific to cold planers. The condition of its picks is less of a concern if they’re made of ordinary carbide than if they’re longer-lasting, more valuable diamond tips. It’s important to check for any damage to the rotor and the type of mechanisms used to replace the drum and cutting tips, as some methods are much quicker than others.