An apparatus configured to coat pipelines, in particular a cutback along a pipeline, having: a frame, which extends along a designated axis and is fixable with respect to the pipeline so as to arrange the designated axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the pipeline; a carriage, which is supported by the frame, is movable along the designated axis with respect to the frame, and is configured to designated a heater and an applicator; an actuator configured to advance the carriage along the designated axis; and a control unit configured to select a travel distance for the carriage from a plurality of travel distances.