A common need in road paving operations is the ability to measure the crown of the road while the surface is being laid. The crown is basically a slight bulge in the center of the road to ensure that rain water drains off on either side instead of pooling on the road surface and creating a driving hazard.
Since road paving is a large-scale, government funded project, engineers are always looking for ways to reduce cost and often times it is the measuring equipment that takes a hit. I recently had a discussion with a civil engineer about which electronic level to use on an upcoming project. I asked him about his accuracy needs and he had relatively open tolerances. Obviously, nothing compared to a high end machining application. We are talking about asphalt after all, not stainless steel!
The Fowler Mini-Mag Protractor had enough accuracy for his application and is on sale for under $75.00. He expressed interest in purchasing the Mini Mag for his application.
This concerned me greatly because while the Mini Mag is a great tool for a home carpenter in his/her basement setting the angle on a table saw, or a mechanic in his/her garage setting the camber angle on a suspension, it certainly is not intended to be the final word for the quality of a large scale road paving operation! The Mini Mag is a Valueline gage and it should be utilized as such.
I recommended the Wyler Clinotronic Plus which is the lowest priced, high-end, general purpose level we sell. The Clinotronic Plus has a much higher price ($1,685.00) than the Mini Mag and accuracy capability beyond the application needs. The Clinotronic Plus is Swiss-Made and Wyler is a premium quality manufacturer.
Initially, he balked at the price of the Clinotronic Plus, but I then asked him about the costs to lay a mile of asphalt. He simply answered “A lot”. I then asked him if he wanted to base the quality of the road on $59.50 value-line gage or a $1,685.00 Swiss Made measuring instrument even if the accuracy requirements were beyond what he needed.
Well, he ended up buying the Clinotronic Plus and everything worked out great! The moral of the story is that the quality of the measuring tool must be the most important factor before accuracy is taken into account. Stated accuracies will only get you so far. Even though the Mini Mag may have worked out ok, it is just too much risk to count on the performance of a valueline tool in an important application.
To answer the Blog Question “How much do I have to spend”, well that is for you to decide. It should be enough to ensure you and your customers will feel confident with the results, and not a penny less.
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