A patching unit with an insulated body heated by a diesel burner, propane or electric elements, used to carry hot mix and keep it workable for hours. Crews load it at the plant in the morning and work through pothole and utility-cut repairs without the mix cooling. Some hot boxes also recycle chunks of cold asphalt by reheating them overnight.
Heard on the job
Load the hot box with four tons of 9.5 and grab the plate tamper, there's utility cuts all over the east side.
Also heard as
- hotbox
- asphalt hot box
- patch box