A strong performance by the MINI 500

Shoulder refurbishment with Vögele‘s smallest paver

A MINI 500 has renewed and widened the shoulder on Swiss cantonal road T9 near Raron. The smallest paver by Vögele is predestined for such tasks: It paved the area to the side of the carriageway at a width of just 0.9 m to 1.35 m without interruption and to a high standard.

Raron is located in the picturesque mountain canton of Valais in the south of Switzerland. The T9 cantonal road connects the village with the A9 motorway and thus with the larger villages in the surrounding area. As the road shoulder was contaminated with mercury, the area to the side of the carriageway had to be cleaned up over a length of 2.3 km. In the course of this process, the shoulder was also to be widened in order to integrate the crash barriers into the asphalt.

MINI 500 for municipal road construction

Pius Schmid AG from Visp was commissioned to perform the work. "We are constantly investing in the expansion and modernisation of our equipment. When it comes to road pavers, we rely exclusively on Vögele. The MINI 500 complements our capabilities in municipal road construction. This means we can now even realise pave widths of just 0.25 m without any manual work," says Michael Schmid, member of the management board of Pius Schmid AG.

“When it comes to road pavers, we rely exclusively on Vögele. The MINI 500 complements our capabilities in municipal road construction. This means we can now even realise pave widths of just 0.25 m without any manual work."

Michael Schmid, member of the management board of Pius Schmid AG.

Machine work in the smallest of areas

The MINI 500 allows contractors to use a machine to realise particularly small-scale construction projects – from paving footpaths to building narrow trenches. The paver is extremely compact and manoeuvrable, with a basic width of 0.9 m and pave widths of just 0.25 m to 1.8 m. Its rubber crawler tracks ensure optimum traction on loose ground and enable manoeuvering in the tightest of spaces.

Shoulder refurbishment with Vögele‘s smallest paver

With the MINI 500, the team paved the area to the side of the carriageway at a width varying from 0.9 m to 1.35 m without interruption and to a high standard.

Efficient, convenient and high-quality

The pave width on the T9 cantonal road was only 0.9 m. With the MINI 500, construction companies can carry out this task by machine – efficiently, conveniently and to a high quality standard.

Ideal for narrow paving jobs

The MINI 500 is very compact and offers pave widths of just 0.25 to 1.8 m.

MINI 500 laying asphalt, followed by a Hamm roller

MINI 500 laying asphalt, view from rear left

MINI 500 laying asphalt, view from front right

Uninterrupted despite varying minimum width

Pius Schmid AG used the MINI 500 and another Mini Class paver from Vögele, the SUPER 800i, to pave the base and surface courses to the side of the T9. There were numerous constrictions on a section around 500 m in length, meaning that work had to be carried out at a varying width ranging from 0.9 m to 1.35 m. Normally, the paving team would have had to carry out the work in the narrow areas manually, which would have been time-consuming and labor-intensive. With the MINI 500 and the AB 135 extending screed, the team was able to pave the entire section by machine and therefore quickly, without interruption and to a high quality standard.

Adapted system for automated grade and slope control

When installing the new shoulder, a cross slope of 2% was required so that the water could run off away better. To control the height of the paving position, the team therefore used a system for automated grade and slope control specially adapted to the MINI 500. It compares target and actual values, corrects if necessary and is particularly easy and intuitive to use. “With the MINI 500, we were able to carry out the work much more efficiently and conveniently. The result is very precise and of high quality," says Schmid.

Material hopper of the MINI 500

The material hopper of the MINI 500 has a volume of 1.5 t and makes a significant contribution to efficient operations.

Material hopper of the MINI 500 being fed by a wheel loader

The MINI 500 could be easily fed with a wheel loader via the wide, funnel-shaped opening.

Material hopper of the MINI 500 being fed by a wheel loader, view from rear right

The compact and lightweight MINI 500 can not only be fed by the wheel loader but, for example, also lifted onto a raised surface, if required.

Easy feeding and easy transport

The large material hopper with a capacity of up to 1.5 t also contributed to the efficiency on the construction site. The MINI 500 could be easily fed with a wheel loader via the wide, funnel-shaped opening. The compact machine has another advantage: It weighs a mere 1.6 t and is therefore very easy and cost-effective to transport. “We can easily move the MINI 500 to a new location by truck without any major logistical effort or, if necessary, lift it onto a raised surface – quickly and easily using a wheel loader, which is available for loading on most construction sites anyway," says Schmid.

Self-explanatory without long training sessions

Michael Schmid certainly would not want to be without his smallest “worker": "We are often active in municipal road construction. The work performed with the MINI 500 is simply faster and of higher quality than conventional manual paving with a wheelbarrow, shovel and vibratory plate, especially in narrow spaces and small paving widths – for example on footpaths. And handling the machine is so self-explanatory that our employees don't need long training sessions."

Pictured: The MINI 500 can be operated by just one person, who has everything in view from the central operator’s platform.

Good work

The work performed with the MINI 500 is faster and of higher quality than conventional manual paving with a wheelbarrow, shovel and vibratory plate, especially for narrow paving widths as on the T9.

New worker

The paving team of Pius Schmid AG with their “little colleague”, the Vögele MINI 500.

From left: Ivan Campos, Cotor Valerio, Manuel Moutinho, Diaz Neves, Armir Shaqiri and Linus Bissig

Portrait of construction worker next to MINI 500

Job details

Project: Shoulder refurbishment and widening
Location: Cantonal road T9 near Raron, Canton of Valais, Switzerland
Pave width: 0.9 m – 1.35 m
Paved distance: 2.3 km
Layer thickness:
- 8 cm base course
- 4 cm surface course

Machinery deployed

Vögele Paver: MINI 500 with AB 135 V and SUPER 800i
Hamm Roller: HD 10

Press/media kit

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