| |
The larger the machine,
the greater the need to keep it working and maximize its productive
life. Prompt fleet maintenance and repair strategies help ensure
that the contractor stays on the right side of the profit margin
tracks. A component in this is the company’s service truck.
“Service trucks
play an important role in our operation,” declares Jay Prybil,
shop superintendent for Las Vegas Paving. “We use a [Caterpillar
equipment] dealer in town as our ‘safety valve,’ but with
projects 600 miles away in Sacramento; 200 miles to Hurricane, Utah;
and 120 miles to Death Valley, our service trucks are essential.
All but two of our 16 site mechanic trucks carry cranes, and another
10 trucks, the majority with 54,000 GVW [gross vehicle weight],
can lube, oil, and fuel at the same time. If any mechanic finds
a problem and needs a special part, he contacts the shop and we
immediately get it out there.”
He cites the time an
axle on a 379 Peterbilt snapped. “It took 20 minutes for the
parts runner to get a new one to the field, but the mechanic had
it running in another 15 minutes. It doesn’t take long to make
a field repair—if you’re prepared for it.”
Las Vegas Paving also
is an underground contractor with a concrete division, so it’s
prepared to handle all dirt and grading, sewer work, and water lines.
The company’s fleet includes pavers, dozers, scrapers, drilling
machines, forklifts, mixing trucks, and dump trucks. Prybil says,
“We have a whole gamut of pieces of equipment. If it has to
do with construction, we’ve got it.”
That’s why Las Vegas
Paving’s service trucks tend to carry a vast amount of parts.
“We stock each service truck with essential parts that normally
wear out on pieces of equipment. When we need a specialty item out
in the field, such as that driveshaft, that’s when the parts
runner goes to work. If a piece of equipment is not running, it’s
not making any money. We try to get it back to work ASAP.”
Sizing for the Need
The universal comment from various service truck manufacturers
is the need to be sure that the service truck is large enough to
handle the job. “Some are trying to take care of 2 million
dollars’ worth of equipment out of a pickup truck, and they
can’t do it nowadays,” comments Jack Harriman, national
accounts manager for Feterl Manufacturing Corp. in Salem, SD. He
notes that adding on a lube trailer can help boost field service
because the trailer frees up deck space on the smaller vehicle so
the field mechanic will have more room in which to work.
“A trailer is one
way smaller operations can keep the cost of field repairs down.
But 95% of our customers buy a crane to go with their service truck,
and the same amount buy an air compressor. A lot are turning to
the 40-cfm rotary screw air compressor because it doesn’t need
a tank. It provides instant air and can service all the vehicles
in the fleet, including major changes such as radiators, final drives,
and tracks.”
Add to this improved
features such as hydraulic outriggers and contractors are better
able to make field repairs requiring a crane. “With our crane
it takes just two to three hours of practice for the mechanic to
be ready to reach out 22 feet from the centerline.”
Service trucks of various
brands are designed to last. Harriman says, “A customer bought
three of them 16 years ago, and every six years has put a new truck
under the service body, and they’re still going.” He credits
the 10-gauge steel for the longevity, as well as the customer’s
care in keeping the bodies in tiptop shape so rust isn’t a
problem.
Pennsylvania Contractor
Speaks Out
Although Brubacher Excavating Inc. does a majority of its work
within a 100-mile radius of Bowmansville, PA, Rich Deeds, fleet
manager, credits the company’s service trucks with maximizing
its more than 200 pieces’ productivity and longevity. “Of
our 10 service trucks, seven are for general repair, one is for
heavy welding, one is dedicated to preventive maintenance, and one
is dedicated to diagnostic and A/C repairs.”
Plus, this company makes
sure the service trucks themselves get the same treatment. Brubacher
still has an ’88 model in its fleet of IMT (Iowa Mold Tooling
Co. Inc.) service trucks. “That was our first ‘heavy’
service truck, which set a precedent for all of our trucks, and
we put a lot of features on it, including eight fluid tanks with
filtering, air compressor, torch, crane, welder [with mig attachment],
generator, high-voltage lighting, hose press, and pressure washer.
It still runs well and we’re using it in our aggregate department
where it cares for eight machines. That type of work is high-maintenance,
but when the mechanic isn’t making a repair he’s operating
one of the machines.”
Deeds reports plans are
to keep that original service vehicle for several more years. “A
well-equipped service truck costs $160,000, so you’ve got to
keep them for a lot of years.” Brubacher’s trucks range
from 17,500 to 33,000 GVW, with cranes from 6,000- to 10,000-foot-pound
lifting capacity. He adds, “We do a large amount of field repairs,
but when the going really gets dirty we bring it back to the shop
where we have a more controlled environment.”
Whether in the field
or in the shop, the need is for reliable mechanics. “We look
for somebody that’s ambitious, that doesn’t mind getting
dirty, and can improvise when need be. That helps avoid shutting
down the site just for one critical machine needing a particular
repair. We want mechanics who can troubleshoot quickly, who can
determine whether we’re going to need to bring the piece of
equipment back to the shop or whether it can be resurrected there
in the field.”
He recalls a time last
summer when a service truck mechanic with an 8,000-foot-pound IMT
crane pulled the engine and transmission, as a single unit, out
of a Cat 627E scraper on a project two hours northeast of headquarters.
“In three hours he had it ready to load. Just two days later
it was returned to the field and reinstalled totally rebuilt.”
So how does Brubacher
Excavating keep a good mechanic? “Keep them working all year-round,
pay them fairly, and give them good equipment to work with. We’re
fortunate to have Reading Equipment only 3 miles up the road from
us.”
A Supplier’s
Response
With $50 million in annual sales, Reading Equipment & Distribution
Inc. is a major player in the Mid-Atlantic region. (In fact, Nanaimo,
BC–based Vehicle Mounted Air Compressors, known as VMAC and
which specializes in truck-mounted air compressors, recognized the
firm as its top dealer in North America for 2004.) Kris Ziegler,
senior sales manager for Reading, reports the trend in mobile service
vehicles is the addition of lubrication accessories to most service
vehicles, with medium-duty and full-sized service trucks doing more
onsite work throughout the region.
“Available payload
is one of the most important specifications of a service truck.
We always advise our customers to buy the heaviest GVWR [gross vehicle
weight rating] that they can afford for the weight class they need
to be in.”
Dealers report more users
want a turnkey package and such add-on accessories as welder/generator
units and emergency lighting. Rollout toolbox packages have also
become popular, as most customers desire a “ready to roll”
service truck when they take delivery. “Contractors aren’t
going to Sears to buy their toolboxes and accessories anymore. They
want more options than ever before, and they want them installed
by the equipment up-fitter so they don’t need to worry about
completing their truck after they receive a new unit. With a turnkey
vehicle all you need is a mechanic with a valid driver’s license
and he’s ready to go to work.”
Ziegler reports that
service truck life ranges typically from five to 10 years. “Those
who buy vehicles outright tend to run them into the ground. That’s
why we’re big on teaching them [preventive] maintenance on
their service equipment. One thing that eats me is a when a careless
operator is very, very hard on the unit he drives. I’ve found
that operators who have their names on the chassis door often take
better care of the unit because of the feeling of ‘ownership.’”
This Dealer Offers
Contractors Field Services
When it comes to the number of service trucks, the largest
operator we spoke with was Alban Tractor Co. Inc. in Baltimore,
MD. Bob Marano, vice president of service, reports this Caterpillar
dealership has 110 service trucks, with customers ranging in size
from needing just one piece of Cat equipment to more than 200 pieces.
“We have 985 customer support agreements. They range from preventive
maintenance to total maintenance and repair. We get our mechanics
in several different ways, including students out of local vo-techs,
and those from regular high schools with mechanical backgrounds
that we train in our own regional training center, which has two
full-time instructors. Along with our own technicians, we train
for other Caterpillar dealers in the area.”
Alban Tractor Co. has
been in business since 1927. It has 700 employees with nine full-service
facilities and a Remanufacturing Center, which includes large-machine
and hydraulic ships. Employee care plays an important role in keeping
good people. A Christmas party, summer events, and cookouts at different
local sites, along with first-class facilities, help employees know
they’re important. “We had 1,100 people, including parents
and children, at the last Christmas party. We held it at Raven Stadium
here in Baltimore and had tours, Santa Claus, kids’ games,
a nice buffet for adults, and a menu specifically for the kids.”
Twenty percent of Alban’s employees have more than 20 years
with the company.
Doing More With Lighter
Components
As field service vehicles take on more tools, the challenge
remains to lighten the service body without compromising structural
integrity, safety, or performance. “You have to take weight
off somewhere in order to carry the compressor, welder, crane, and
other elements,” says Tim Worman, commercial vehicle product
manager for IMT in Garner, IA. Worman knows what it takes to build
service bodies that combine functionality and reliability because
of the 17 years he has been with IMT, 14 of which were spent designing
field service vehicles.
“Engineering techniques
for structural design, such as finite element analysis and strain
gauge stress analysis, allow manufacturers to lighten the components
while maintaining structural integrity,” Worman says. “We
are continually finding new ways to lighten our vehicles in order
to remain an industry leader. We provide the lightest bodies on
the market, which means contractors are able to increase their payloads
and add options and parts.”
One option is an air
compressor. “It used to be that a compressor with 35 cfm at
100 psi would do the job,” Worman says. “We’re now
seeing requests for compressors with 65 to 70 cfm at 150 to 175
psi.” Larger compressors increase the overall unit weight.
Because IMT supplies the service body, crane, and air compressor
as an integrated package, Worman says they are able to control and
maintain the lowest unit weight possible.
Contractors are also
demanding longer, taller bodies with more storage space to carry
parts, electronics, and even computers for onsite diagnostics. It’s
also no surprise they are requiring larger cranes in order to lift
the larger equipment and machine parts. Overall, Worman says contractors
are expecting to equip their field service vehicles with larger
service bodies, cranes, and compressors, while staying at about
the same unit weight.
When it comes to maintaining
your field service vehicle, Worman says a life cycle cost analysis
can help take a lot of guesswork out of the service vehicle’s
lifetime cost. “The software program allows the end user to
plug in data related to usage and analyze long-term effects, whether
they’re dealing with high-usage/low-cost or low-usage/high-cost
components,” he says. “It helps them analyze how their
units are being used, when it’s time to put a piece out to
pasture, or whether it’s economical to make a major repair.”
In addition, the analysis
helps contractors select a field service vehicle size that matches
their service needs. A mismatch results in either inefficiencies
or wasted money. This usually happens because contractors make the
mistake of selecting a vehicle that fits their budget rather than
their service needs. “They may realize that they need a 60,000-foot-pound
crane with an equivalent body and chassis, but their budget only
allows for 38,000 foot-pounds,” Worman says. “The danger
is, if they go with the less expensive unit, they may be stuck with
a truck that can’t withstand rigorous day-after-day job conditions.”
Worman advises contractors
to consider future growth when selecting necessary lifting capacity,
crane reach, air requirements, storage capacity, and other features
or options. Looking down the road can help contractors get the best
possible performance out of their service trucks. “When you
have to make a sudden replacement, it may be a good time to review
what the unit is used for and decide if it is time to upgrade the
unit’s capabilities, rather than merely replacing the worn-out
truck,” he says.
Knowing the equipment
regulations in your state is also important before buying a field
service vehicle, Worman says. For example, the State of California
Occupational Safety and Health Administration has adopted a crane
operator certification requirement effective June 1, 2005, for cranes
that have a reach of 25 feet or more and a maximum capacity of 15,000
pounds. “Understanding and following these regulations can
protect you from costly fines and potential downtime.”
Freeing the Compressor
When deck space is a concern with a standard air compressor,
VMAC has a solution: Hide it under the hood. Mike Pettigrew, senior
marketing analyst, reports that VMAC’s Underhood VR70 rotary
screw air compressor is totally concealed, which protects it from
vandalism, theft, weather, and accidents. “It gives the driver
a clear view while getting to the site, and frees up valuable payload
space. The additional room allows for more equipment or tools on
the job site. It is powerful enough to replace a tow-behind but
is priced to replace a deck-mount or under-deck.” The VR70
maintains 70 cfm and up to 175 psi while its big brother, the VR140,
maintains 150 cfm and up to 175 psi.
“The biggest hassles
with tow-behinds are extra insurance costs, maintenance of an additional
engine, extra axles and hookups making it more difficult to get
to the job site, and the fact that if an excavator and an air compressor
are required on the job site, two trucks and two drivers are needed.
Smaller companies that rely on light-duty pickups or medium-duty
trucks can take advantage of the technology. The Underhood VR70
is ready to go in just eight seconds from startup. The mechanic
or construction worker simply turns the control box on in the cab
and gets to work.”
Maximizing Equipment
Uptime
Bloomsdale Excavating Co. in Bloomsdale, MO, strives to keep
equipment working 92% to 95% of the time. “We have 150 pieces
of earthmoving equipment, and we handle projects in Missouri and
the surrounding states,” reports Steven Fallert, equipment
manager. “A majority of our activity is within 200 miles, but
we’ll do projects 450 air miles away.
“With a better uptime
rating you’re making money, and you’re keeping the customer
happy because there are fewer delays from equipment breakdown. Our
service techs also pay attention to equipment condition, such as
wear on cutting edges of teeth. If a transmission is not working
right, it could be the line harness or a broken switch or transmission
slip, and the mechanic then can service the problem ASAP. If he
doesn’t have the part, he can order it immediately and have
the new part on the job by the next morning.”
Fallert reports that
at 4:30 p.m. the day before the interview a mechanic discovered
a final drive oil leak on a Cat 973 track-type loader. “He
was able to order the parts and have it moving by noon. That piece
was 50 miles from home base, and one is very lucky if he can get
a service shop out by the next day. Without our own service truck
it would have taken two full days. Instead we lost just a half-day
of actual work.”
This repair took one
of the company’s six Service Truck International vehicles.
This one was mounted on a Kenworth T300 body and equipped with a
10,000-foot-pound crane. “Basically, he drove up to the job,
turned the air compressor on, took the track apart, unbolted the
transmission, and set it on the ground. The crane held the part
while he disassembled it. Every piece was too heavy to lift by hand
so he had to use the crane both for disassembling and reassembling.”
Looking back on his 26
years with the company, Fallert recalls when Bloomsdale Excavating
had a 1-ton utility truck with no crane and no air, and a 2-ton
truck with a 6,000-foot-pound all-electric crane and an air compressor.
“With a 10,000-foot-pound crane we can take all the components
out of a Cat 637 rear end or disassemble a D9R dozer right on the
site.”
While waste oil can be
a problem, Bloomsdale Excavating’s service trucks carry waste
oil tanks as close to 65-gallon capacity as possible. That oil is
trucked to their maintenance facility where it’s stored in
a 4,000-gallon tank and used for heating the 75- by 150-foot building.
“Our winter electric bill is maybe $20 a month to run the electric
motors and water pump,” Fallert concludes.
Improvements and a
Brighter Future
“Service trucks is a growing market,” says Walt Van
Laren, sales manager of Service Trucks International in Sioux Center,
IA. “What we see today are more options. Mechanics want rollout
drawers, bolt bins, and lube equipment. They like to have a complete
stock of replacement parts at headquarters and then take specific
items to the field. This means fewer trips back home to get parts.”
Cranes have become a more standard item, instead of relying on a
handy backhoe to aid in any necessary parts lifting.
 |
PHOTO: LIFT OFF |
Van Laren counsels users
to analyze their needs, when considering crane capacities, to keep
6 feet from the body of the service truck as a minimum lifting ability.
Again, it’s a matter of what level of field repairs a particular
company wants to make. “A decade ago 16 to 18 feet was as far
as service cranes would go. Now we can extend out 30 feet. Our Eagle
Pro service bodies are manufactured with galvaneal steel for longer
life and improved appearance.”
He explains that while
pickup trucks once dominated the field service department, few large
contractors can get the service they need with a smaller vehicle.
“Besides, with a decent body you can save 30% to 50% by replacing
the chassis and keeping the body—providing the body still has
the options you need in your operation.”
Ed Taylor, president
of Lift Off Systems Inc. in Redding, CA, comments, “Large vehicles
aren’t always as mobile as you need.” This is why his
firm has developed a means for adding another 1,500-pound capacity
to a standard pickup, flatbed, or utility truck. “It extends
behind the truck 10 feet and can unload a trailer without disconnecting
it from the truck. Or if you have a welding project, you can unload
the welder and all your tanks, and switch over to an empty tank
so you can make a run for water.”
The same device allows
contractors to utilize a lighter-weight vehicle that’s ideal
when parts running makes sense. “Too often a service truck
with a utility bed may have everything crammed on the truck and
not be unloaded in six months. This system sits on top of the bed
like a lumber rack, and essentially gives the operator a second-story
bed. It can be used to help lift and install items, such as hydrants,
in or out of a repair site where the problem may not involve a vehicle.”
Gary Hibma, national
sales manager for Maintainer Corp. of Iowa Inc. in Sheldon, IA,
says, “We’re seeing more hydraulically driven compressors
than gas-operated ones. People don’t want to wait for air.
More and more service trucks are getting welder-generators as a
standard item, with 250-amp welders and 10,000-watt generators that
can handle lighting at the same time.”
The cost of subbed-out
field repairs has become more of an issue, which is another factor
that Hibma sees causing contractors to purchase larger and better-equipped
service vehicles. “When equipment goes down, the contractor
is not making any money. He needs to get that piece up quickly,
especially with larger fleets working more isolated sites.”
Hibma adds that Maintainer
customer reaction to changes and improvements in the company’s
line of service trucks has been positive. New for the company is
a crane line series that handles 6,000 to 14,000 foot-pounds. “These
hydraulically extend to 24 feet and are designed to work in rugged
terrain and tight places.” As with other successful manufacturers,
Maintainer’s goal is to give the customer what he wants—what
will work best.
Keith Formanek, inside
sales manager for Stellar Industries of Garner, IA, says, “As
our company grows, we often find end users and dealers asking for
new models with different features and specially designed options.
Besides larger cranes, we’ve increased the speed of the winch
over our competition.” The field mechanic can more quickly
attach his crane to the object that needs to be controlled or moved,
and then handle it remotely.
“With radio remote
he can stand wherever he needs to hook up. He’s not tied down
by the power cord. Should a crane get into a power line, the operator
is safe.” Formanek reports Stellar has been installing radio
remote control on its cranes since 1999 when the company initiated
its mechanic truck business. “We came right out of the gate
offering radio remote control. That—combined with all-hydraulic
reach extensions, hexagonal boom design, and quicker winch speeds—has
helped set us apart from the competition.”
Ditto for Stellar’s
halogen lights, which can be mounted to the service truck and rotated
as needed. “We also offer telescoping lights, all of which
make night service and repair a lot easier.”
So, when you combine
a knowledgeable mechanic with a service truck capable of carrying
the needed parts and equipment for making field repairs, along with
manufacturers ready to further improve existing performance standards,
field repairs at greater levels make more sense than ever before.
This combination makes a given project even more profitable because
downtime is reduced, and that makes the greatest sense of all.
Journalist Joseph
Lynn Tilton specializes in land and building issues.
GEC
- July/August 2005
|
|
