Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/165927
The rental asset "Rental has become a big asset to us in the past two years," Ellis says, allowing Brown Brothers to use new machines without the overhead. The company rents much heavier equipment than most – track crushers, artics and compactors. But perhaps its most unusual rental was a D10. Faced with extensive rock excavation on one project, they bid it as a blasting job. "We thought we'd try the D10 with a ripper instead," Ellis says. "It turns out blasting was still more effective, but rental allowed us to experiment." Another rental experiment had a more positive outcome. "The track crusher we rented made us a profit because we were able to use the material produced on the road," Ellis says. Although they bid the project with an anticipated 17-mile haul of excavated materials, the brothers instead substituted the crusher. They crushed the 3-inch-minus material on site, placed it with scrapers, and then finish graded it with a GPSequipped grader. They were able to place the crushed material at a rate Renting a mobile crusher, Brown Brothers eliminated a 17-mile aggregate haul on one segment of the Seep Ridge Road project, reusing materials excavated on site. of a mile and a half per day. "The grader operator could keep on top of the scraper and we were able to put it right to grade," Ellis says. Executing the plan This eye toward productivity is noticed by those who work with Brown Brothers. "When they go to a project they have a plan in mind and they execute that plan," says Troy Ostler with Civco Engineering. "If there are any glitches they do what's necessary to get it back on schedule." The brothers appreciate the excel- lent work ethic that seems to be inherent in the rural area surrounding the firm. "We have a father/son team working for us," says Michael, "not counting those who are in our family." And fourth generation family involvement – including four sons (Morgan, Clayton, Jeffrey and Kelton Brown), a daughter (Trina Pace) and a son-in-law (Heath Spencer) – has the company well positioned for the future. "Their heart is here and they're dedicated," Michael says. "And our employees agree that they know what they're doing," adds Albert. EW EquipmentWorld.com | September 2013 51 EW0913_COY.indd 51 8/27/13 3:35 PM