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This is the second in a two-part series on the benefits of reclaimer/stabilizers. Click to read Part 1: Recycling Yields Better Roads

Much as their name implies, reclaimer/stabilizers are multipurpose machines. "There are several types of jobs you can do with a reclaimer/stabilizer," says Tim Kowalski, recycling project manager, Wirtgen America. "Not only different jobs, but [using] different additives, as well."

Valentine Resurfacing, Vancouver, WA, does a significant amount of Full Depth Reclamation (FDR) work, though it does periodically use its reclaimer/stabilizers for other applications. "We do more FDR on an average yearly basis [vs. soil stabilization] — probably two to three times as much," says Chuck Valentine, owner. "Most of the soil stabilization is primarily in the fall and winter months, and not so much in what you would call the regular work season. When the weather is warm, we are doing a lot of our FDR work."

However, Ray Hensley Inc., Springfield, OH, uses its reclaimer/stabilizers for approximately 60% reclamation and 40% stabilization. "We do more soil stabilization in the winter months, where we are trying to modify the soil," says Greta Wilt. "And in the summer, we see more FDR."

Between the two processes, the company is able to keep its reclaimer/stabilizers plenty busy. "Sometimes my three are not enough and we have to rent another machine," says Wilt.