FAE Stories - USA
An expert's opinion on the RPL/SSL road planer machine
A demo in the U.S. turns the spotlight on this high-performance skid steer road planer
Find out more
A. DeLuca Paving is a long-standing FAE customer. This New Jersey-based family business has specialized in road construction for more than 50 years.
“A. DeLuca Paving is a family affair, with fathers passing the trade to their sons for generations,” explains the A. Deluca Paving website. “A result of professional experience and personal care, our company’s longevity and expertise have made us the best paving service in New Jersey and the surrounding area.”
John DeLuca, owner of A. DeLuca Paving, described his experience with FAE at a previous event. “We started doing reconstruction with the FAE equipment six years ago. The advantage of having the FAE products is that it allowed us to work in a different field. We have an advantage over our competitors in that we can utilize all the materials that are in place and not have to excavate, remove, dispose of, and bring in new fill material.” On a separate occasion, he said, “FAE service is second to none. You pick up the phone. The parts are there. The availability is there. The help is there. They ship them right out to us. If we need a part, we have it.” Due to these positive experiences with FAE in the past, he was enthusiastic to join us as we demoed this new attachment.
The RPL/SSL is a fixed-tooth road planer machine for skid steer loaders from 60 to 135 hp. It can mill up to 17 cm deep and is available in three widths: 45, 60 and 75 cm.
 |
 |
The RPL/SSL is ideal for preparing asphalt or concrete roads for resurfacing or for simplifying excavation operations.
John joined us at our RPL/SSL demo in Dawsonville, GA. He was thus able to try the RPL/SSL, and we were able to gather his professional opinion on the performance of this model.
“We, of course, being in the paving business, are always trying to remove asphalt in a controlled way by milling, or for trenching, or for repairs. So far, this has been one of the best performing milling attachments for skid steers that I've worked with. This is an 45 cm wide attachment. With the CAT machine, it is a perfect match.” He continued. “We did a few passes at 3 cm deep, and then we did about four passes milling full depth, the full 7 cm depth of the asphalt. The machine has, as expected, performed very well. No bouncing. It wasn't riding on top of the asphalt and sank right into the cut. The weight and the powerful motors are really what helped this machine perform. With the solid steel plate for the sides, it's probably one of the heaviest in the market right now.”
 |
 |
He explained the benefits of the water spray system.
“The water spray system is very simple. On and off. I really like the fact that the tank is part of the attachment. It’s not a separate piece on the roof. It's right here. I was very surprised to see that it's a stainless steel tank, and it's right here at ground level. Easy to fill. The electric motor for the pump and all the other electronic and hydraulic components are right here. So it’s maintenance friendly, that's for sure.”
The most attractive features?
“From the first time I tried the FAE milling attachment, I was always impressed how it really stays in the cut, and it's very stable, now even more so. With the integrated water tank, the weight is really where it needs to be on top of the rotor and, as we saw during the demo, it was cutting the depth we wanted to, and you had a lot more control of the depth than with the competition’s planers.”
We thank John DeLuca for his review!
Share your story with us! Contact: [email protected]
