Scott Hoffman is fleet service manager for Homer Tree Service based in Lockport, Illinois. Specializing in Commercial Clearing for construction, Homer Tree Service works projects in 42 states. Hoffman is tasked with keeping 400 pieces of equipment running smoothly, especially heavy mulching and clearing equipment. In 2013, the company took delivery of a new Maintainer Combo truck body mounted on a Peterbilt chassis.
“This is our fourth Maintainer truck we’ve purchased,” says Hoffman. “The best part of the Maintainer is knowing that it will perform once we get to the jobsite; plus it provides the space to carry all the tools we need.”
The Homer Combo truck sports a Maintainer H10025 hydraulic boom crane with 10,000-lb. lift capacity and 25-foot reach. All Maintainer hydraulic cranes come with wireless remote control, overload protection, anti-two block, and swivel safety hook as standard equipment. Maintainer uses an efficient closed center load sensing system on standard service bodies with cranes.
“We use that crane all the time—everything from simply lifting access panels to replacing cylinders and engines,” says Hoffman. “We end up doing 90 to 95 percent of all fleet maintenance ‘in-house’ using our service trucks.”
The combo trucks use top-quality reels and nozzles and are packed with safety features like emergency shut-off valves. Maintainer’s 3/16-inch-thick aluminum doors are light and strong. Maintainer’s DuaLock aluminum drawer sets and patented Pressurized Storage System protect and organize tools and equipment.
Hoffman notes, “We added a hot water system that ran through the hydraulic tank, which came in handy working up by Lake Superior in 22-below temperatures. The system still allowed us to be fully functional despite the harsh conditions.”
ADVANCED CRANE CONTROL
Maintainer Corporation is now releasing two new cranes for its premium line of service truck bodies.
Maintainer’s engineers have designed the telescoping cranes to provide more lifting capability further away from the truck. The new H12025 and H14025 models each boast a 90,000 ft/lb crane rating and have a reach of 25 feet. The H12025 has a maximum lift of 12,000 pounds, while the H14025 can lift 14,000 pounds. The cranes feature a planetary winch mounted on the boom.
The two new cranes are also equipped with Maintainer’s Advanced Crane Control to monitor the stability of the crane during operation. The new crane control system monitors the tilt angle of the truck, as well as the boom location. If the system senses an out-of-level condition, it will warn the operator and even stop the crane rotation if necessary. The Advanced Crane Control system also monitors the rotational position of the crane to determine overall truck stability when making large lifts. This is a great feature for operators that are not able to manually calculate their loads and compare against their zone chart.
Maintainer’s wireless remote control allows the crane operator to be more mobile and maintain a safe distance from the load. The controls are independently proportional, which means the farther you press the buttons, the faster the crane will move.
Another advantage of the Maintainer hydraulic crane is that it features 615 degrees of rotation. The crane can be lowered to -13 degrees for easier access to stow the load block. Hydraulic hoses are encased and protected. Even the crane and outrigger valves are protected under the truck body. The initial crane inspection is performed at the factory for turnkey performance—your crane is ready to go work when your truck is delivered.
LUBE TRUCKS
Maintainer Corporation also offers a line of Lube Truck bodies with the latest features and technology to help customers be more efficient and keep their fleets running smoothly. In 2013, Elder Corporation in Des Moines, Iowa, purchased one of the largest 2-ton lube trucks that Maintainer has manufactured. It has a 21-foot body length mounted on a Kenworth T800 chassis.
“Working with Maintainer was a great experience from start to finish. We got to lay out our truck just the way we wanted it,” says Elder shop manager Brian Moran. “A lube truck of this magnitude lets us
service all our equipment in a timely manner—whether it’s in the summer or in cold weather.”
CJ Murano, one of the truck operators adds, “We have over a dozen steel and poly tanks from 30 to 500 gallons to handle all the various oils that we need. Plus we carry anti-freeze, diesel fuel, DEF, and water. And we have an EVAC tank. Pretty easy to load; pretty easy to dispense; about twice as nice as our old one.”
Tim Kirkman, the other maintenance technician operating the lube truck, likes their new features. “It’s gear-driven. We like that. And the lighting is important, since we start each day about 4 o’clock each morning. We have LED strip lighting in each compartment, strong flood lights, plus strobes and other safety lighting. It’s a big upgrade. It pumps a lot faster. The power washer they put on is really nice to blow the radiators out.”
Moran summarizes, “When we chose Maintainer as our truck body manufacturer, we investigated the other players in the market. Maintainer stood above the rest on their quality commitment to customer satisfaction and the end result. It was just a great experience from start to finish. We’d like to think we can get 15 to 20-years-plus life out of this truck without any problems whatsoever. It’s very well built—very well put together.”
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For More Information Maintainer Corporation of Iowa, Inc., located in Northwest Iowa city of Sheldon, has been manufacturing high-quality, custom-built mechanics service truck bodies, lube truck bodies, and cranes since 1976. Maintainer currently employs around 130 people. For more information, call 800.831.8588, or visit www.maintainer.com.
Modern Contractor Solutions, July 2014
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