Description

When fixing alligator cracking which can also be known as spider cracks in asphalt, there's the "regular solution" and the "premium solution". The premium solution is to coat the walls of the alligator cracks with a tack kote primer, apply the patch, then seal over with an asphalt sealer. You can buy each product separately, but this can be fairly costly for a small area. That's why we offer alligator cracking as a patch kit that comes with all three parts of the premium fix.

The BIG A Alligator Cracking Patch Kit comes with:

A premeasured container of tack kote concentrate
1 Gallon of Big-A Asphalt sealer
3.5 gallons of Big Gator patch
Instructions are included with each kit

Instead of buying each product individually and spending a fortune, buy these products as a kit, and get the premium solution for alligator repair at a fraction of the cost!

Getting Started

In order to maximize the life of the area patched with BIG A Alligator Patch, it needs to be sealcoated over with a product such as our BIG A Asphalt Emulsion Sealer. This helps protect the patched surface against moisture and normal weather elements. For the base coat, we recommend applying a thin layer of the BIG A Tack Kote to ensure proper bonding. We consider this product to be a "Three Part" product with the BIG A Tack Toke being the first part, the BIG A Alligator Patch being the second part and the BIG A Sealer being the final and third part. If you use this product as a stand alone product, the results will be less than satisfactory and that's why we specifically off this product as a Kit, so you get all three products in a proportional amount for the job.

Understanding Each Product

BIG A Tack Kote The tack coat serves two purposes in this 3 part process:
1) The tack coat acts as a bonding agent between the asphalt surface and the patch. Think of this as priming a house or car before applying the paint.
2) The tack coat seeps into the cracks, and helps to better fill the voids so you don't have to worry as much about making sure you push the BIG A Alligator Patch into the island cracks of the alligatored asphalt.

If you want to purchase products in this kit separately, we currently offer the BIG A Tack Kote in 3 sizes:
1 Gallon
5 Gallon
55 Gallon

BIG A Alligator Patch The BIG A Alligator Patch is the second and main product that covers the alligator pieces and helps lock each island into place once it dries and hardens. This ensures the island pieces don't continue to move around and it creates a great barrier from the elements which is the main cause for continued deterioration.

If you want to purchase products in this kit separately, we currently offer the BIG A Alligator Patch in 3 sizes:
3.5 Gallon (This product page)
5 Gallon
5 Gallon Bulk

BIG A Asphalt Sealer The BIG A Asphalt Sealer is the third and final product that seals not only the Alligator Patch, but the surrounding areas as well. It ensures that water doesn't penetrate the patched area and maximizes the life of the patch job.

If you want to purchase products in this kit separately, we currently offer our BIG A Asphalt Sealer in 4 sizes:
1 Gallon (Available via phone only: +1(800) 689-2098)
5 Gallon
5 Gallon Bulk
45 Gallon
210 Gallon

Coverage

With this kit, you should be able to cover up to 23 square feet per kit for patching alligator cracks or bird baths @ 1/4" in depth. Keep in mind the condition of the asphalt will determine actual coverage amounts for the Tack Kote and Alligator Patch along with how deep the cracks are. Rougher asphalt will use more material and deep cracks will use more material.

Preparation

Clean old pavement thoroughly removing all dirt, gravel and oil. When cleaning the cracks, ensure there is a minimum of 1/4" from the top surface of the asphalt to the bottom of the crack. The further down the material can penetrate the crack, the better holding power it will have but it comes at the cost of using slightly more material.

You can clean the cracks with just about anything. If you have a small area that needs patched, a screw driver and lots of elbow grease works fine. For larger areas, you might want to use compressed air or water pressure to loosen and remove the debris. If you do use water, allow some time to pass for the water to evaporate from between the cracks before starting the patch process.

Application

1) Tack Kote

(Dilute the Premeasured container of Tack Kote with 2:1 parts water) so the primer will "leak" into the cracks to coat the walls of the cracks. The primer shouldn't be used to "fill" the cracks. For birdbaths and depressed areas of asphalt, a thin layer of primer is sufficient. Spread out with an old throw-away paint brush or small handle brush.

2) Alligator Patch

Mix contents of the bucket using a drywall mixing paddle and drill motor.
For larger areas, dump out about 1 - 2 gallons of the patch at a time from the pail or if it is a smaller area, using an Alligator Patching Trowel, scoop out the patch and "sling" it in the area needing the patch.
Work the patch material in with a squeegee or trowel. This product is very thick and will require some effort to completely push the patch material into cracks and crevices.

Fill depressions over 1/4" deep in multiple applications of no more than 1/4" at a time, allowing each coat to dry thoroughly.

If you want a slight texture on the patch area, use a street broom and lightly pull the broom toward you over the coated area. Don't use any downward force, simply let the weight of the broom do the work for you.

3) Asphalt Sealer

Apply BIG A Asphalt Sealer covering the entire area patched to ensure the patch is sealed with a high quality emulsion based sealer.

Lid Removal

We would like to take a quick moment to mention the lids on our single order buckets. If you order a handful of pails, we ship them in what we call "Super Buckets" which are a much higher quality bucket and lid compared to what you might be used to. These lids are on tight and might be difficult to remove without some guidance.

We recommend three methods to remove the lids:

1) The easiest is to purchase the bucket opener. You can add the opener with this product before you add-to-cart.

2) If you have two (2) channel lock pliers, you can use them to walk around the lid, using both to pry up a little at a time.

3) Cut slits in the side of the lid using a hacksaw every 4-5 inches apart, all the way around the lid to create tabs. Then using pliers or a flat head screwdriver, pry up each tab.

To make a long story short, 50lbs of material in a bucket that gets tossed around by ground drivers, caused a lot of damage claims on our end. We decided it made more sense for a customer to receive their order in-tact with a little lid frustration than get a bucket covered in material wrapped up in a plastic bag.

Warranty

None | BIG A

This product does not have an explicit application warranty period.

We WILL warranty issues caused from shipping or packaging problems.

For a full explanation, view our BIG A Consumable Warranty Policy.

Specifications

Shipped Products


BIG A Tack Kote	(800ml Tack kote concentrate)
BIG A Alligator Patch	3-1/2 Gallons
BIG A Asphalt Sealer	1 Gallon

Kit Coverage


Alligator Asphalt	Up to 22 sq ft (4' X 8' area)
Bird Baths	Up to 22 sq ft @ 1/4" in depth depression

Dry Time


Tack Kote Dry to Patch	10 min @ 85ºF Ambient Temp
Alligator Patch Dry to Seal	24 hours @ 85ºF Ambient Temp
Asphalt Sealer Dry to Drive	24 - 48 hours @ 85ºF Ambient Temp
Note	Dry times will vary based on ambient temperature, relative humidity and direct sunlight.