Before

Howell Tractor & Equipment, a heavy construction and earthmoving equipment dealer serving northern Illinois and northwest Indiana, launched its rebuild program in 2007 refurbishing steel mill pot haulers.

Later, in 2011, the company began rebuilding Sennebogen material handlers in response to customer demand for a less expensive alternative — around 50 percent of the price of buying new. Some of the company's customers also have opted for the refurbishment option to avoid Tier IV interim and Tier IV Final issues.

Howell Tractor & Equipment performs three to four of these rebuilds per year. Most recently, it completed a Sennebogen material handler rebuild for a customer on the East Coast. Typically, a 400-hour rebuild will take approximately 10 weeks; however, depending on the customer's needs, the company can rebuild a Sennebogen in five weeks or less. John Maneno, service manager, Howell Tractor & Equipment, said this timeframe is possible because the company is staffed with one of the largest service departments in the Chicagoland area.

He said the company's service technicians begin every refurbishment with a complete inspection. Then, they will establish a price and timeframe for the rebuild, perform the rebuild on time and on budget, and finally, deliver the equipment to the customer. Howell Tractor & Equipment backs up its work by matching new machine OEM warranties with extended warranties available.

Some of the biggest challenges on these rebuilds, Maneno said, are structural repairs that are needed on a machine being rebuilt for its second or third life. These repairs are performed by in-house personnel that follow OEM guidelines.

“We also do necessary line bore work with in-house personnel. The more we can control by doing needed work in house, the more cost effective the rebuild can be. It certainly makes the completion time quicker,” said Maneno.

The service department also can accommodate special requests, including changing engine types, modifying cooling systems and making modifications to help prevent fires.

“We can complete 'hot slag' conversions to help prevent damage and injury due to extreme environments of heat and dirt and dust, as well as other modifications the customers feel would prevent premature failures that they have seen before,” said Maneno.

In addition to Sennebogen material handlers, Howell Tractor & Equipment also performs refurbishments on KCM (Kawasaki) end loaders, Euclid rigid-frame trucks, Kress pot haulers and cranes.

Howell Tractor & Equipment

Since 1943, Howell Tractor & Equipment has been serving its heavy construction, mining, material handling and lifting customers with around-the-clock sales, rental, service and parts support. It carries an extensive product line of excavators, shovels, wheel loaders, haul trucks, material handlers and hydraulic hammers from manufacturers such as Allied, KCM (Kawasaki), Hitachi, Mantis, Moxy and Sennebogen. Howell Tractor & Equipment is dedicated to providing outstanding workmanship and quick turnaround at fair prices.

For more information, visit www.howelltractor.com.

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