Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/748269
EquipmentWorld.com | November 2016 67 day, or more if the salt build-up in the winter time calls for it. This isn't just an effort to create a profession- al appearance: "We find problems when they're small, such as loose items, and it's also better for safety," MacKay says. MacKay employs three mechanics and basically sticks to three brands: Cat for equipment, Mack for heavy trucks and Ford for pickups. Com- pact excavators and skid steers form the majority of his fleet, which also includes excavators and Class 8 trucks. "He's so knowledgeable about what he buys, he'll know more about it than I do," says Mark Bruno, a sales rep with Milton Cat. And, sure enough, during his time with us, MacKay went into the fine points of his 318F wheeled excava- tor. "It just cruises down the road at 25 mph, and the side camera is so important when you're driving down the street. The split boom with a thumb quick coupler is great for underpinning work. I've been using wheeled excavators for six years and I can't live without them." MacKay's equipment philosophy is simple: buy new equipment for every day needs and rent most of the rest. "I definitely rely on rental, especially for large equipment above the 322 size," he says. For example, he needed the reach of a Cat 374 excavator for a coffer dam job. "The fact that you're getting a new machine when you rent is worth volumes," he says. "Rental is huge for me." "He's got a combination of busi- ness savvy and street smarts that's very rare," says Bruno. "I think a lot of his employees would take a bullet for him, and if they'd take a bullet, you can bet the concrete is going to be poured right." "Having those relationships separates you," MacKay says. "The businesses I see fail are the ones that are isolated. You've got to be out there. Even with your competi- tors, communication is huge." MacKay crews on a concrete place- ment job in downtown Boston. MacKay has three mechanics, and steam cleans his equipment every other week.