How close should the distributor be to the chipper in a chip seal application?

Consistent distance between the emulsion distributor and the stone spreader is one of the most important considerations to getting a good chip seal. The stones must be placed before the emulsion breaks.

As placed, the emulsion will have a dark brown color. Once it breaks, the emulsion will turn black.

One way to remember this is to think of the rhyme:
Get the stones down
While the emulsion is brown

Resources:

More detail on chip seals can be found in the NLYLTAP-CLRP workshop manual Pavement Maintenance.
Pavement Maintenance (pdf 3.5MB)

Also, there are pavement maintenance checklists available from the National Center for Pavement Preservation (NCPP) including one on chip seals.
https://www.pavementpreservation.org/mobile/fhwa_checklists.html -

National Center for Pavement Preservation
Chip Seal Checklist
https://pavementvideo.s3.amazonaws.com/FHWA%20Checklists/2%20-%20Chip%20Seal%20Checklist.pdf

June, 21