Page 64 • June 16, 2021 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT GUIDE
Ideal Upgrades Precision With Cat, FDOT Wins Its 11th Trimble Machine Control From SITECH Consecutive Perpetual IDEAL from page 14
of the machine while a slope sensor mounted on the box blade dictates the slope of the blade,” said Bob Hendrick, Byrd’s point man with SITECH Precision in Raleigh. Once the Cat 299D3 is in the field and the human operator gets close to the grade, usually within 4-to-6 in., he or she will then engage the automatic Trimble machine control to
subgrade is exactly where it needs to be is going to save me a lot of money because the sand we put down is expensive.” The big advantage of having the Trimble technology and for Byrd’s company is that they likely only need to touch the dirt one time and they can get the irrigation system installed as efficiently as possible. “Normally, when we have a subgrade that’s close and we do irrigation, there are a lot of spoils, so we backfill and do tamping — all the while hoping it doesn’t rain because if it ruts up, then we must come back and do our final lift of sand and put turf on it,” Byrd said. “We would be out here for two or three days trying to fine grade and it is still not going to be as perfect as it needs to be. “With the Trimble system, I am swiping this field just one time. Going up and down the site, by myself, I can do it all in one day. I am not employing multiple machines and guys on site trying to get it perfect again.”
Landscaper Loves What Gregory Poole Cat Offers Ideal Landscaping’s new Caterpillar 299D3 with a Cat BB124 box blade on the front It appears that Byrd and end of the loader is designed for grading and leveling. Ideal Landscaping, owned by his father, Larry R. Byrd, override their control and allow the technology to guide the have formed a tight working relationship with SITECH Precision and Trimble, and they hope that those affiliations loader to complete an exact grade. “The operator is still driving the machine but is not in con- will remain as fruitful as the partnership Ideal Landscaping trol of the pitch and the depth of the blade,” Byrd said. “At has had with Gregory Poole Cat, the Raleigh-based construction equipment distributor and exclusive dealer for that point, they are just letting the machine do its thing.” Caterpillar equipment in eastern North Carolina. Trimble System Reduces Re-Working Grade Ideal Landscaping has several Cat machines close at hand, After shopping around and talking with SITECH and including six skid steers, ranging from a 246C up to its new other companies, Ideal Landscaping decided that the tech- 299D3. Cody Byrd also listed a Cat 304CR mini-excavator, nology package that it got from SITECH would best fit its a D3 dozer and a 320 excavator among its hardware, too. needs. “We have dealt with Cat for more than 20 years,” Cody “We didn’t need a huge system as we are not building Byrd said. “We tried other machines in the past, but we keep major highways,” Byrd said. “For us as landscapers, returning to Cat. Plus, we prefer Gregory Poole’s great servSITECH and Trimble were the right people to work with.” ice department and the convenience of it being near us in According to Byrd, Hendrick has been invaluable in guid- Raleigh. If one of these machines breaks down, I can call ing Ideal Landscaping on how to get the best use out of the them, and they will quickly come out and make the needed Trimble system. repairs. “Although I am still learning how to use it, I have seen Ideal Landscaping Inc. is known throughout the Triangle how easy it is to understand,” Byrd said. “Bob has been with for its commercial, design-build and large home projects. me from the beginning, from the sales to teaching me how to set it up and calibrate my site, my base station and my For more information, call 919/567-3325, or visit www.idealscape.com machine.” For more information on Gregory Poole Cat in Raleigh, He added that before he had access to the Trimble technology, “while doing my as-builts for the irrigation systems, call 800/451-7278, or visit www.gregorypoole.com For more information on SITECH Precision, call I was out here with a set of plans, a pen and my memory. With it, I know precisely where everything is, and I can just 919/876-3666, or visit www.iSITECH-Precision.com. record my points without going into CAD. Making sure my CEG
Pavement Award The Asphalt Pavement Alliance (APA) announced that the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has won a Perpetual Pavement Award (PPA). The 2020 award is for a 3.012-mi. section of a two-lane roadway on State Road 40 in Marion County that was originally constructed in 1954. This is the 11th PPA in as many years for FDOT. To qualify for this prestigious award, a pavement must be at least 35 years old and never experienced a structural failure. The average interval between the resurfacing of the winning pavement must be no less than 13 years. The pavement must demonstrate the characteristics expected from long-life asphalt pavements: excellence in design, quality in construction and value for the traveling public. Engineers at the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) evaluated the nominations and validated the winners. This 66-year-old award-winning section of SR 40 extends from milepost 23.528 to milepost 26.540 in Marion County. The original construction consisted of 12 in. of stabilized subgrade, 6 in. of lime rock base, and 1 in. of a Type II asphalt mixture, followed by a 0.5-in. asphalt surface treatment. In 1983, the roadway was overlayed with a 0.5-in. Type II leveling course, 1 in. of Type S structural asphalt mix, and a 1-in. FC-4 friction course. In 2004, it was resurfaced again, when it was milled to a depth of 2 in., followed by the placement of 2 in. of a Type SP Superpave asphalt mixture, and a 1.5-in. FC-6 friction course. From the project’s original construction in 1954, the total thickness of the pavement has increased 4 in. Today the road has a traffic count of 8,400 vehicles per day, with 11 percent trucks. The road has performed well during its 66 years of use. As the resurfacing intervals were at 29 and 21 years, it easily meets the criteria for a PPA. “Reliable infrastructure is a critical component to keeping our state moving and economy growing, and Florida continues to lead the nation in transportation infrastructure durability and condition,” said FDOT Secretary Kevin J. Thibault. “FDOT is proud to receive its 11th Perpetual Pavement Award, recognizing the long life of State Road 40 in Marion County, which accommodates more than 1,000 heavy trucks and an additional 7,400 vehicles per day.” “One key indicator of quality in construction is a smooth, long-life pavement,” said Amy Miller, national director of the APA. “Long-life asphalt pavements serve the community, reduce the money needed for maintenance and conserve raw materials, ultimately leading to a truly sustainable structure that exemplifies the triple bottom line. “Asphalt roads can be engineered to last indefinitely with only routine maintenance and periodic surface renewal. Perpetual pavements use fewer natural resources and offer road owners and users what they want most — an economical, smooth pavement that serves the community for decades.” The Asphalt Pavement Alliance is a coalition of the National Asphalt Pavement Association, the Asphalt Institute, and the state asphalt pavement associations. The Asphalt Pavement Alliance’s mission is to establish asphalt as the preferred choice for quality, performance and the environment. For more information, visit www.driveasphalt.org.
