The Python 5000 a self-propelled pothole patching machine. One person can easily carry out the entire patching operation — without ever leaving the comfort of the operator’s cab. Python 5000 will repair some of the biggest potholes you’ll encounter — but it is so economical and so easy to use, you’ll be able to tackle those potholes long before they get big enough to be a problem.
Popular Science has more:
The new pothole-filling machine, from Python Manufacturing, mends holes in just 30 to 60 seconds. A single operator drives the machine to the repair site, parks, and then uses a joystick to deploy the machine’s four-foot tool-equipped arm. First, an air jet blasts debris and water out of the hole. Next, it’s sprayed with tack oil, which helps the finished patch stick to the surrounding road. Finally, the operator uses the truck’s tool arm to fill the hole with an asphalt mix, rake it, and pack it down with a roller. The roller applies the same amount of force as a standard road-paving machine, so the patches the Python makes often last until it’s time to repave the entire road. The company estimates that over five years, owners of the $290,000 Python could save $125.61 per ton of pothole repair—or about 40 percent over the standard method. So far, road crews in California, Colorado and Virginia are using the machines.
Video below.