Scott Thornberry, president of T&C Contracting of Louisville, Ky., and Jason Faust, president of Construction Machinery Company in Louisville have been lifelong friends. They met in high school and now have an excellent business relationship spanning more than 30 years.
Thornberry's company is currently working in rural Shelbyville, Ky., the future home of a new bourbon distillery. Before that can happen, the crew of T&C Contracting has plenty of site work to do, including mass grading, rock excavation, drainage installation and underground utility work.
The design-build project, led by Abel Construction of Louisville, began late last summer and by the time it is complete, crews will have excavated more than 60,000 cu. yds. of rock; graded more than 225,000 cu. yds. of dirt; and installed approximately 11,200 linear ft. of storm drains.
Photo courtesy of T&C Contracting
There are approximately 15 workers on site at various times, using equipment that includes Cat D8T, D6T dozers; Cat 745c artic trucks; Link-Belt (LBX) 750, 490, 460 and 350 excavators; Kemroc EKT 220, EKT 150 and KR 150 drum cutters; and EK 160 and EK 150 chain cutters.
The stars of the show are the Kemroc EKT 220 drum cutter mounted on a Link-Belt 750 excavator. The Kemroc drum cutter was recommended to Thornberry by Faust.
The Kemroc EKT 220 is the largest in a range of drum cutters designed and manufactured in Germany. The unit is unique, as it is convertible to a chain cutter, allowing the operator to change the arrangement based on the application.
The pair of EKT 220's that worked on this project are the first of their kind in North America.
The precision cutting technology of the Kemroc EKT 220 drum cutter allowed for high-quality, usable material to backfill the foundation, facilitating more efficiency on costs and labor on the job site.
"The EKT 220 was beneficial to this project due to its size and productivity," said Thornberry. "Smaller units would have dictated the need for many more units on the project to stay on schedule. The EKT 220 has reduced the unit cost of mechanical rock removal to a point where it is now competitive with blasting."
The EKT 220 is ideal for trenching operations. It is supplied as a rotary drum cutter without a central cutting chain, but conversion kits are available for fitting later. Features of the EKT 220 include:
34-in. cutter drum diameter
37- to 52-in. cutter head width
70-in drum cutter length
38,170 lbf max cutting fore at max torque
295 (220) hp (kW) rated power
110,000 to 154,000 lb. recommended excavator weight
40 rpm recommended rotation speed
"The Kemroc EKT 220 drum cutter's end product is unique with the precision cuttings and helps to cultivate a safe working space while beneficial for job costs," said Thornberry.
By using the Kemroc EKT 220 drum cutter, blasting liability was eliminated and no subcontractors were needed for blasting. T&C was able to use and operate its own equipment, eliminating any additional costs due to blasting.
Photo courtesy of T&C Contracting
While T&C has done business with CMC since its inception, T&C's relationship with Abel is brand new. CMC's unique rock cutting technology has helped this new relationship start out strong.
"The Kemroc EKT -220 drum cutter has produced precision cuts with high quality material that is usable, and a major time savings compared to blasting," said Jerry Hack, project manager of Abel Construction. "Plus, the technology is not as labor intensive."
According to Josh Thornsberry, foreman of T&C Contracting, the EKT 220 had many advantages.
"The Kemroc EKT 220 drum cutter helps with neat, clean and faster cutting on the job site," he said.
"CMC is a proud Kemroc dealer and is thrilled with the positive feedback from our customers regarding the productivity, safety and precision that the Kemroc units provide in rock removal," said Faust.
"The partnership with CMC has proven to be a strategic and successful choice for the launch of KEMROC Inc. into the USA market," said Klaus Ertmer, Kemroc managing director. "CMC has demonstrated excellence in its territory, and we are committed to providing them with all the necessary support to ensure the continuation of this thriving partnership."
For more information, visit cmcky.com, tccontractingky.com and kemroc.com/en. CEG
