Patent ID: 8297875

Claim:
A method to control heating of a screed assembly, the method comprising: providing a plurality of screed elements in communication with a respective one of a plurality of circuit breakers through a respective one of a plurality of relays; providing a control system in communication with the plurality of screed elements and the plurality of relays; receiving inputs by the control system including a load factor indicative of a load on an engine of a tractor linked to the screed assembly; determining by the control system a number of coldest ones of the plurality of screed elements to be heated simultaneously based upon the load factor, and generating an output signal; heating the number of coldest ones of the plurality of screed elements simultaneously in response to the output signal; determining by the control system whether any of the number of coldest ones of the plurality of screed elements being heated simultaneously has heated up to a pre set temperature difference with remaining of the plurality of screed elements; and replacing the ones of the plurality of screed elements whose pre set temperature is reached with at least one of the remaining next coldest of the plurality of screed elements.