January 2016
Case Study
Mason contractor and longtime Ahern Rentals customer, Calvin Brodie, operates his construction business out of Raleigh, N.C., and surrounding cities. He incorporated his business, Brodie Contractors, in 1992 and holds a builder’s license under the North Carolina contractor license board. When faced with working on big contracts that are time and budget sensitive, he has repeatedly relied on Xtreme telehandlers to do the job right, based on their functionality and durability.
VA Medical Center
Brodie had the challenge of building the VA Medical Center in Fayetteville, N.C., while staying on budget and reducing downtime. The 250,000-square-foot VA clinic on Raeford Road was created to shorten the amount of time it takes for local veterans to get medical attention. The new VA center will be able to accommodate veterans who are currently waiting for primary care.
The decision to build a new VA center came after a federal study last year found the Fayetteville VA hospital had the second-longest wait time, nationwide, to see a doctor – an average of 28.45 days versus the national average of 6.95 days. The newly opened outpatient clinic allows the VA to consolidate its primary care services, mental health services, outpatient surgery and specialty care in one location. It’s estimated by VA officials that 40,000 patients a year will use the outpatient facility. It is anticipated that it will free up space at the 75-year-old VA hospital on Ramsey Street for much-needed renovations.
The estimated cost to build the new VA center is $120 million, and the VA will hold a 20-year lease. The first year cost is estimated to be $7 million, with an annual rent of about $10 million per year for the rest of the lease. Calvin had to work with a $4.5 million budget on this new building project. Calvin and his crew were onsite from June 2014 through March 2015. The challenge as with most large construction projects was to stay on track with the budget and to complete by the deadline.
Product to WatchPettibone Extendo 944B Telehandler |
Pettibone’s Extendo 944B is the first model in its new generation of telescopic handlers. Designed for efficient operation and simplified serviceability, the 944B offers considerable lift capacity and reach for a wide array of material handling applications. The Extendo 944B is powered by a fuel-efficient, 117-horsepower Cummins QSF 3.8 Tier 4 Final turbo diesel engine, featuring electronic control and protection with SCR aftertreatment. A Parker IQAN-MD3 display has been added to provide instant engine and aftertreatment diagnostics. The unit’s market-proven Dana T12000 Powershift series transmission offers three speeds, forward, and reverse, and is complemented by a heavy-duty transmission cooler. Delivering a maximum load capacity of 9,000 pounds, the 944B offers forward reach up to 30 feet, three inches, and a maximum lift height of 44 feet, four inches. Single joystick, pilot-operated controls allow for smooth control of all the Extendo’s boom and auxiliary hydraulics. For operation in tight areas, the 944B offers four-wheel, two-wheel and crab steering modes and has a turning radius of just 12 feet, four inches. The unit is powerful, yet compact enough to fit under an eight-foot doorway. The robust design of the Extendo features two wide-stance, heavy-duty lift cylinders with an automatic fork and load leveling that eliminates the need for slave cylinders. To further improve load stability, the 944B offers 24 degrees of frame sway (12 degrees left and right of center) and is equipped with a rear axle stabilization system. New service access doors allow users to remove only the front half of the enclosure to perform daily engine and transmission fluid checks, rather than the entire cover. A battery disconnect switch is now standard and accessible from the cab. Formerly an option, a cab step has been added as a standard feature, allowing the operator to more easily climb into and out of the machine. The cab itself is built to provide outstanding visibility at any boom position. Engineered with comfort in mind, the Extendo also comes with an adjustable suspension seat and adjustable right-side armrest. The 944B features standard upgraded tires that have demonstrated increased longevity in the field. The telehandler comes with a variety of standard fixed and side-tilt carriages from 48 to 72 inches, and several optional attachments are available, including utility buckets and pallet, lumber and block forks. Other optional equipment includes foam-filled tires, light packages, an enclosed, climate-controlled cab, and several others. For more information, visit www.gopettibone.com. |
University of North Carolina, Greensboro
Brodie also worked on the building of the recreation center of the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. The project involves building a new campus recreation center that will more than double the space of the existing facility scheduled to open in 2016. The $91 million project is being funded through student fees.
University officials said more space was needed as the current recreation center is inadequate, when compared to with other schools in the University of North Carolina system. The new center also will be able to host campus events such as concerts, dances and career fairs. The new facility will expand from 90,000 to 216,000 square feet.
Similar to the VA Medical Center, the challenge with this large project was to deliver the project on time, while keeping the build within the fixed budget of $4.5 million. Brodie and his crew worked onsite from April 2014 through October 2015.
In The News |
New Operating Name, Logo for Hyster-Yale Materials Handling
The name change is designed to reinforce Hyster-Yale Group’s position as the operating company under Hyster-Yale Materials Handling Inc. and to eliminate any confusion created by continuing to use NACCO in the operating company name subsequent to the 2012 spin-off of Hyster-Yale Materials Handling from NACCO Industries Inc. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.hyster-yale.com. |
Hyster-Yale Materials Handling Inc. says its wholly owned operating subsidiary, NACCO Materials Handling Group Inc., will change its corporate name to Hyster-Yale Group Inc., effective Jan.1, 2016. NACCO Materials Handling Group Inc. designs, engineers, manufactures, sells and services a comprehensive line of lift trucks and aftermarket parts marketed globally primarily under the Hyster and Yale brand names. In connection with this name change, Hyster-Yale Materials Handling Inc. and Hyster-Yale Group Inc. will adopt a new corporate logo on Jan. 1, 2016.The Xtreme solution
Brodie chose Xtreme Manufacturing telehandlers for these projects, because they offer many safety and functionality features. On both projects, he used three Xtreme telehandlers, choosing the XR842 and two of the XR1045 models. He says that Xtreme’s innovative standard features on the telehandlers are what made getting the job done much easier.
For example, Xtreme’s boom lift point, which is positioned just behind the fork carriage, helped him effortlessly suspend loads from the telehandler, saving time and reducing the need for additional equipment. The telehandlers made it easy to perform masonry tasks, such as lifting and breaking blocks, and assisted with moving scaffolding onsite.
The lockout switch available on Xtreme telehandlers helped to protect the equipment during the projects. “I was able to leave the equipment onsite without having to move it and I felt comfortable that it would be there when I returned the next morning,” Brodie says. “This helped save time and avoid possible damage to other equipment and property onsite.”
Some of the features Brodie found extremely useful included 360-degree operator visibility and the easy access to components for servicing. He has used many types of rough terrain forklifts in the past, but says none have held up as long as the Xtreme telehandlers. “The Xtreme telehandlers just don’t break down,” he says.
He also adds that any minor issues the telehandlers experienced were serviced right away, so he was able to stay on track with both the VA Medical Center and the recreation center at University of North Carolina, Greensboro projects.
From rental to ownership
Brodie first experienced Xtreme telehandlers when he rented the XR842 model from Ahern Rentals. He was extremely satisfied, and, in April 2014, invested in the purchase of three XR1045 telehandlers, which remain in his fleet today.
The Xtreme XR842 can lift up to 8,000 pounds and is capable of reaching up to 42 feet. It is powered by a 99.5-horsepower Tier IVi engine. The Xtreme XR1045 has a lift capacity of 10,000 pounds and can reach heights of up to 45 feet. The XR1045 features a powerful 111-horsepower Tier III Flex engine. All Xtreme telehandlers are backed by a 10-year/5-year/2-year warranty.
“I hope that none of my competitors will buy them,” Brodie says of the Xtreme telehandlers. He looks forward to adding more Xtreme telehandlers to his fleet and would recommend them to anyone looking for efficient and durable forklifts.
More information on Xtreme telehandlers can be found at www.xmfg.com/telehandlers.
In The News |
UOS to Build Crane Fabrication Facility in Kansas City Utility One Source (UOS) will open the largest service and fabrication facility for rail, utility and infrastructure equipment in the nation early next year. UOS already has begun construction on the new complex spanning 70,000 square feet, adjacent to its headquarters campus in Kansas City, Mo. The addition will expand UOS fabrication and service capacity to more than 150 acres and 1 million square feet at the Kansas City campus alone. The facility will be equipped with three overhead cranes, wash bays, weight scales, testing equipment and staging areas. UOS is comprised of five family-owned and operated businesses: Custom Truck & Equipment, Utility Fleet Sales, Forestry Equipment of Virginia, UCO Equipment, and TNT Equipment. According to the company, an estimated 30 percent of the new facility’s capacity will be dedicated to the fabrication and support of its heavy boom truck and crane business. The remaining capacity will serve as the headquarters for UOS Rail, and will house all engineering, assembly, customization, service and refurbishment of its light, medium and heavy-duty high-rail equipment. The addition will net an estimated 60 new jobs for the area, and will likely expand even further in the future. Construction of the new facility is to be completed in February 2016. Skyworks Acquires 100,000th JLG TelehandlerSixteen years after the first telehandler rolled off the production line, JLG delivered a specially designed commemorative 100,000th telehandler to Skyworks LLC of Buffalo, N.Y. The modified G10-55A was the one and only commemorative telehandler built in North America. This is not the first time the equipment rental company has received a piece of JLG history. Skyworks purchased JLG’s 100,000th boom lift in 2006 and took delivery of the first JLG 1850SJ Ultra Boom lift, the world’s largest self-propelled lift, in 2014. What’s more, Access Rentals – founded in 1974 by the father of Jerry Reinhart, president and founder of Skyworks – purchased a JLG lift commemorating the nation’s bicentennial in 1976. The G10-55A telehandler has a lift capacity of 10,000 pounds and a maximum lift height of 55 feet. |