Grading and Excavation Contractor June 2009 : Page 41
It’s often too expensive to haul machines back to the city for repairs, Cambrey explains. By putting a lightweight boring machine on a 1-ton service truck, it reduces company down- time and eliminates transportation costs for the customer. “Our motto is ‘reduce heavy equipment downtime.’ We can do the job with one guy, one truck.” In an area with “lots of rocks, mountains, trees, and log- ging,” Cambrey says equipment wears out. “If you have an excavator and the bucket wears out, the bushings won’t stay. Loose pins and bushings lead to holes.” Lack of routine main- tenance also contributes to his customer list. “Forget to use the grease gun—it’s good for business!” he jokes. With the help of his automated machine, mechanics are able to weld up oversized (1.5-inches to 16-inches in diam- eter) holes in equipment. Then, using the same mounting bracket, they can bore them back to factory specifications and buy standard pins and bushings. “It saves the machine.” That’s important, he says, because while people com- monly replaced machines three to four years ago, now they can’t afford to replace big equipment. That may be why the modular system is finding lots of diverse new applications. Cambrey reports that Boeing uses it on airplanes and Ford uses it to repair manufacturing equipment, but more com- mon customers are Cat dealers or welding shops expanding their business. For $6,000 to $7,000, a basic kit will get them started. Training, updates, and upgrades are included. Special tools are available to construction company mechanics for measuring and calibration. His trainers, who still do field repairs, often get ideas for new tools to add to the system, although most development is customer-driven. Lunsford considers it a valuable investment. “It lived up to its promises.” For seven years, he noticed that more customers at his machine shop needed service, but their machines are so large, they were too expensive to move or required wide-load permits to transport. Some jobs are simply impossible to transport. Lunsford worked on a 750-ton crane used to lift oil platforms on a derrick barge in the Gulf. “It had two holes 13.5 inches in diameter and four holes 8 inches in diameter.” They weren’t caused by abuse, he reiterates. The back and forth pushing on the pins holding the boom on the rig wears on the steel, and the heavy loads make it contract. “We build them up, then bore them out, and they’re as good as new.” Logging is a big industry where Lunsford lives, generating more need for service calls. Competition is increasing as more customers discover the convenience and value of field service, but he relies on a reputation founded on craftsmanship and service. “I take a lot of pride in my work,” he states. He wants both parties to be satisfied when the job is done. Truck Bodies Built for Tools Unless you’re helicoptered out to an oil derrick in the Gulf like Lunsford was, you’re probably driving a truck to the job site—even if that site is producing oil. Shane Eastman, opera- Circle #27 on Reader Service Card Buyers Guide 2010 Circle #47 on Reader Service Card Grading & Excavation Contractor I 41
