The post-recession construction industry has spurred a number of success stories—one of which is Tampa Bay, Florida’s BP Construction Group. Three-and-a-half years ago, R.G. Stathas and his cousin, Nick DiGiulio, started the company with one machine. They ran a single excavator out of Bridal Path Pit in nearby Lutz, which spawned the name “BP.” Today, the company has more than 60 pieces of equipment, 40 employees, and business revenue that topped $20 million last year.
The company is currently working five Interstate projects and four smaller projects. One of the biggest projects they’re working on is the I-275 highway widening project in Tampa Bay. BP Construction Group recently added two new CASE CX470C excavators to its fleet—from Trekker Tractor and salesman Randy Lane—and put the new CASE CX300D to work out on the interstate. Stathas and his crew noticed fuel efficiencies up to 20 percent better than other equipment. They also identified smooth, fast hydraulic and a spacious cab with strong environmental controls and visibility as benefits.
FAST, SMOOTH, AND FUEL EFFICIENT
On the I-275 project, BP Construction is completing median work, hauling in dirt, completing finish grades and ramps, and hauling out excess material. The company is providing nearly 2 million yards of fill dirt to the project out of its Bridal Path Pit and other area pits, moving much of that material themselves.
“We have onsite, cut and balanced, probably somewhere around 300,000 yards of dirt so far, and we probably have another 100,000 yards of material to move,” Stathas says.
With as many hours as they put on a machine over the course of a day, fuel efficiency has a big effect on the bottom line. BP Construction Group has noticed greater fuel efficiency with the CASE compared to other models.
CAB COMFORT
The company’s operators are working on an interstate median between live traffic and other contractors and machines. It’s busy, it’s dirty, and it’s hot. Stathas appreciated the cab visibility and comfort features.
“It has clear visibility all the way around,” says Stathas. “You have a really clear view of everything that you need to see.”
The CX300D also comes standard with a rearview camera and offers optional side cameras.
“It’s a great thing to have because it cuts back on damage or somebody backing into something when they can’t see,” he says. “Say you have a guy sitting in a cab. He can’t always see what’s going on behind him, so he has to swing all the way around to see what’s behind him. By the time he swings all the way around, it’s too late and he’s already smashed into something. That’s why having the cameras is definitely a plus.”
The CX300D boasts a spacious cab for operators with ample legroom, LED monitor, and a fully adjustable workstation. A new ergonomically designed air suspension seat provides additional comfort.
“My operators love it; it’s nice, it’s smooth, it’s fast, it’s efficient. As far as all the other different equipment that we’ve ran, it gives them a run for their money.”
INCREASING PRODUCTIVITY
Out in Bridal Path Pit, where Stathas’ company got its start and the company loads upwards of 300 trucks each day, a CX470C excavator has been outpacing other models and producing gains in fuel efficiency that Stathas didn’t believe at first.
“He (operator John Nahouse) would call us and tell us the fuel savings on it, and we weren’t believing it,” says Stathas. “We went out and checked it for ourselves.”
What they found was an improvement in fuel efficiency that helps lower operating and increase uptime by eliminating mid-shift refueling.
“I can get two full, nonstop 10-hours shifts out of it,” says Nahouse. “It’s got really good fuel economy. Some of the other machines I’ve run, you get 11 or 12 hours of digging and then you’re going to be pretty low. The thing here is, you don’t ever want to get out and stop loading trucks in the middle of the day. You really need a machine you can rely on.”
In addition to the fuel economy, the CX470C also benefits from the speed and power afforded by the CASE Intelligent Hydraulic System. Outfitted with a 4.1-cubic yard bucket and matched side-by-side with another excavator with a 5-cubic yard bucket, the CX470C passed up the machine with the bigger payload.
“I was passing them up,” says Nahouse. “The speed of this machine overcomes the extra yard that other machine had. The speed overtook it. It’s got a real good solid balance. I can side load—a lot of machines can’t. When you reach out off of the side of your tracks with other machines, you’re going to lose your stability. This machine is solid, safe, and operator friendly.”
Nahouse appreciates the ease of access to daily maintenance checkpoints—especially the grease points, which are critical while working in abrasive dirt and sand.
“It’s very simple, as far as checking the oil and stuff. The oil levels are real easy to check, the greasing’s really simple. There are a couple of main fittings on the bucket—that’s easy to maintain.”
“On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best thing I’ve operated, this is definitely up there,” Nahouse says. “It surprised me, it really did. It’s fast, I have no issues with keeping up with trucks, it’s real smooth, it’s precise, it’s operator-friendly, and it’s comfortable. Anything an operator needs in a machine, it definitely covers all ends of the deal.” ■
About The Author: John Bauer is a brand marketing manager with CASE Construction Equipment. For more information, visit www.casece.com.
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Modern Contractor Solutions, October 2015
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