Georgia Contractor Diversifies with Grinders
For many contractors, diversifying business to avoid being crippled by market downturns may seem difficult. The expenses involved in researching new markets, purchasing new equipment, and training employees may outweigh the benefits of participating in multiple markets — depending on how different those markets are. But, for one Georgia landclearing contractor, that kind of diversification has been fruitful.
Fair Oaks Environmental of Jonesboro, Georgia was formed 10 years ago by Town and Country Tree Service, a construction company with more than a decade of experience built up before branching out into the environmental market. Today, with six employees and three tub grinders working statewide, business for Fair Oaks Environmental is going strong.
“We are hired by private contractors to grind debris on landclearing projects for new developments — both commercial and residential,” said Randy Jones, general manager for Fair Oaks Environmental. “We also do some waste management projects. Our three grinders are mobile so we can try to be more accessible to our customers. It is more feasible for us to go to them.”
Investing in tub grinders has proved to be a sound move for Fair Oaks. “Right now, we have work scheduled a month in advance,” Jones said.
According to Jones, the State of Georgia lifts their ban on burning every year from September through the winter. This means slower business for about five months as customers burn material rather than grind it. But, Jones believes possible legislation passed over the next 12 months will prohibit burning all year long, which means fewer — if any — slow times for his business.
Improvements to grinders have made it much easier for many contractors to financially justify purchasing one, particularly because many of these innovations have focused on maintenance. In fact, one of the Fair Oaks Environmental tub grinders is a Vermeer TG525 unit with a new duplex drum rotor system. “We are really impressed with the duplex drum — we are spending less time on maintenance, and we have reduced teeth wear,” Jones said. “If I could guess, I would say the duplex drum has doubled the life of the teeth on our units.”
The Vermeer patent-pending duplex drum rotor system offers easier maintenance than conventional rotors when replacing hammers. This system features eight hammers to cut 16 radial paths for higher production. The hammers reverse for double the life span, while the drum adds life by protecting them from wear — making the system very cost-efficient.
“We also bought the Knife Screen assembly because — depending on the debris we are grinding — this option enables us to get the bigger material through the machine faster with few clogs,” Jones said.
The Vermeer Knife Screen assembly efficiently grinds and sizes hard-to-manage materials as well as construction debris, such as sheet rock and paper products. It also reduces plugging because it holds material away from the walls of the hammermill, releasing material only to a high-speed discharge belt.
Knowing all of this during the buying process made Jones’ decision simple. “We do a lot of homework on the internet before purchasing a tub grinder,” Jones said. “Part of our decision depends on horsepower capacities, but we also look at future projects — we need a machine that can handle our workload.”
Jones estimates that 65 percent of the material he grinds is Georgia pine. “Our grinders handle pine really well. Of all the materials that we encounter, we prefer to grind pine. Right now, after we are done grinding, we are leaving the end product on the jobsite. But, we are working on setting up a waste-recycling yard so that we can handle this material. We would also set it up so people could bring their materials to our yard, and we would grind it for a fee.”
Depending on the amount of material to grind, Jones contracts his grinders for a minimum of one day. “I would say a usual contract is for three or four days, but I have been on jobs that last a month,” he said. “We do have a one-day minimum so that it is profitable for us to haul our equipment to the job, grind the material, and do routine maintenance. Before accepting any project, I go out to the jobsite and eyeball the material to get an estimate on how long it will take us.”
Fair Oaks Environmental goes to great lengths to ensure — before the job starts — that their grinders can handle all the material they’ll encounter. “When I go out and look at the job, I try to get a good idea of what material is ready for grinding,” Jones said. “But, sometimes when another contractor’s crew is in charge of getting the pile together, foreign materials that can be brutal on the teeth and hammers work their way in. I rely on our operators to keep a lookout for this type of stuff. Each of my crew members have at least three years of experience in the field so they know what to watch for.”
All Fair Oaks Environmental employees are trained on new grinding equipment by the local Vermeer dealership, but Jones also has an in-house training program set up for new hires, particularly focused on safety. “I make sure every job meets safety standards, no matter where we are operating,” he said. “There are no excuses for accidents — safety comes first. In fact, the Thrown Object Restraint System is a great safety feature for our grinder.”
The TG525 comes standard with the patented Vermeer Thrown Object Restraint System (TORS). The TORS is a two-part system, which includes a tub cover and rotor deflector that together reduce the quantity of thrown objects and the distance these objects can be ejected. The rotor deflector is aligned to help direct debris into the tub cover, diminishing the potential for thrown objects.
Support from the local Vermeer dealership helped Jones make the decision to buy the TG525 and future purchases. “Warranty issues are the biggest plus for Vermeer,” he said. “We receive immediate support if anything happens — on the jobsite and in the shop. With the service facilities and parts right there for us to access, we get a fairly quick turnaround time on any service issues. That means a lot when we are calculating downtime costs.”
In an industry where the competition is fierce due to more contractors getting into the business, a slowing economy, and the need for reliable equipment, Fair Oaks Environmental is finding smooth sailing as they stick to their basic principles — to serve their customers with the best possible service. And, for Fair Oaks Environmental, using quality equipment and sticking with a game plan that works is proving to be a profitable combination.
Fair Oaks Environmental of Jonesboro, Georgia was formed 10 years ago by Town and Country Tree Service, a construction company with more than a decade of experience built up before branching out into the environmental market. Today, with six employees and three tub grinders working statewide, business for Fair Oaks Environmental is going strong.
“We are hired by private contractors to grind debris on landclearing projects for new developments — both commercial and residential,” said Randy Jones, general manager for Fair Oaks Environmental. “We also do some waste management projects. Our three grinders are mobile so we can try to be more accessible to our customers. It is more feasible for us to go to them.”
Investing in tub grinders has proved to be a sound move for Fair Oaks. “Right now, we have work scheduled a month in advance,” Jones said.
According to Jones, the State of Georgia lifts their ban on burning every year from September through the winter. This means slower business for about five months as customers burn material rather than grind it. But, Jones believes possible legislation passed over the next 12 months will prohibit burning all year long, which means fewer — if any — slow times for his business.
Improvements to grinders have made it much easier for many contractors to financially justify purchasing one, particularly because many of these innovations have focused on maintenance. In fact, one of the Fair Oaks Environmental tub grinders is a Vermeer TG525 unit with a new duplex drum rotor system. “We are really impressed with the duplex drum — we are spending less time on maintenance, and we have reduced teeth wear,” Jones said. “If I could guess, I would say the duplex drum has doubled the life of the teeth on our units.”
The Vermeer patent-pending duplex drum rotor system offers easier maintenance than conventional rotors when replacing hammers. This system features eight hammers to cut 16 radial paths for higher production. The hammers reverse for double the life span, while the drum adds life by protecting them from wear — making the system very cost-efficient.
“We also bought the Knife Screen assembly because — depending on the debris we are grinding — this option enables us to get the bigger material through the machine faster with few clogs,” Jones said.
The Vermeer Knife Screen assembly efficiently grinds and sizes hard-to-manage materials as well as construction debris, such as sheet rock and paper products. It also reduces plugging because it holds material away from the walls of the hammermill, releasing material only to a high-speed discharge belt.
Knowing all of this during the buying process made Jones’ decision simple. “We do a lot of homework on the internet before purchasing a tub grinder,” Jones said. “Part of our decision depends on horsepower capacities, but we also look at future projects — we need a machine that can handle our workload.”
Jones estimates that 65 percent of the material he grinds is Georgia pine. “Our grinders handle pine really well. Of all the materials that we encounter, we prefer to grind pine. Right now, after we are done grinding, we are leaving the end product on the jobsite. But, we are working on setting up a waste-recycling yard so that we can handle this material. We would also set it up so people could bring their materials to our yard, and we would grind it for a fee.”
Depending on the amount of material to grind, Jones contracts his grinders for a minimum of one day. “I would say a usual contract is for three or four days, but I have been on jobs that last a month,” he said. “We do have a one-day minimum so that it is profitable for us to haul our equipment to the job, grind the material, and do routine maintenance. Before accepting any project, I go out to the jobsite and eyeball the material to get an estimate on how long it will take us.”
Fair Oaks Environmental goes to great lengths to ensure — before the job starts — that their grinders can handle all the material they’ll encounter. “When I go out and look at the job, I try to get a good idea of what material is ready for grinding,” Jones said. “But, sometimes when another contractor’s crew is in charge of getting the pile together, foreign materials that can be brutal on the teeth and hammers work their way in. I rely on our operators to keep a lookout for this type of stuff. Each of my crew members have at least three years of experience in the field so they know what to watch for.”
All Fair Oaks Environmental employees are trained on new grinding equipment by the local Vermeer dealership, but Jones also has an in-house training program set up for new hires, particularly focused on safety. “I make sure every job meets safety standards, no matter where we are operating,” he said. “There are no excuses for accidents — safety comes first. In fact, the Thrown Object Restraint System is a great safety feature for our grinder.”
The TG525 comes standard with the patented Vermeer Thrown Object Restraint System (TORS). The TORS is a two-part system, which includes a tub cover and rotor deflector that together reduce the quantity of thrown objects and the distance these objects can be ejected. The rotor deflector is aligned to help direct debris into the tub cover, diminishing the potential for thrown objects.
Support from the local Vermeer dealership helped Jones make the decision to buy the TG525 and future purchases. “Warranty issues are the biggest plus for Vermeer,” he said. “We receive immediate support if anything happens — on the jobsite and in the shop. With the service facilities and parts right there for us to access, we get a fairly quick turnaround time on any service issues. That means a lot when we are calculating downtime costs.”
In an industry where the competition is fierce due to more contractors getting into the business, a slowing economy, and the need for reliable equipment, Fair Oaks Environmental is finding smooth sailing as they stick to their basic principles — to serve their customers with the best possible service. And, for Fair Oaks Environmental, using quality equipment and sticking with a game plan that works is proving to be a profitable combination.
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