Travis Marshall (L), Tracey Road Equipment sales representative, and Sam Beisler, president of Foothills Sustainable Forestry, with the Liebherr model 716 crawler dozer.
Foothills Sustainable Forestry, located in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains in Oneonta, N.Y., is involved with many aspects of logging, including timber management, select cutting, clear cuts and the construction of access roads.
Founder Sam Beisler grew up around heavy equipment, excavating and aggregate production — his father owns a well-known enterprise in Oneonta, Seward Sand & Gravel — but his connection with the timber industry started at age 16 when he bought a Franklin log skidder and dove into the firewood business.
The small business that Beisler started with a little help from his father has now grown into a successful and growing enterprise. Today, he can often be seen involved in projects such as the recent prep work at the Unadilla Speedway in New Berlin, N.Y. There, he prepped the track several days before its major annual motocross event, The Pro Motocross.
In purchasing his equipment inventory, Beisler has always been drawn to what some might consider to be exotic machines.
“I'm the kind of guy that would buy a new Maserati if I truly believed that it was the best engineered vehicle in the world,” he said. “It wouldn't matter to me if I was the only Maserati owner in upstate New York and I had no supporting dealer available. I love equipment. I don't mind working on equipment, and I figure I am that much ahead if I purchase the finest equipment available to me to begin with.”
That was exactly Beisler's outlook when he purchased his first Liebherr 734 dozer in 2007 from Nasser Heavy Equipment, in Atlanta.
“I did my homework and I was completely sold on the German engineering behind this machine,” he said. “It's dependability and longevity is well documented. Much like a fine German automobile, the fit and finish of the dozer is impeccable.”
“In 2012, I was ready to purchase another Liebherr machine and this time we purchased from a dealer in Atlanta, Georgia. Once again we have had a great experience with the machine.
“This year, the decision was made to add a new dozer to our fleet and, as you can imagine, we were very pleased to find out that we now have a local sales and servicing dealer in Tracey Road Equipment, who has locations in Kirkwood and Syracuse [New York] that would easily be able to give us what little bit of support we have needed from the Liebherr machines.”
Beisler worked with Travis Marshall, his local Tracey Road Equipment sales representative, who, as an added bonus, shares Beisler's passion for motocross racing. The Liebherr PR716 crawler dozer that Beisler purchased was introduced for the very first time at this year's ConExpo [2017]. Beisler's purchase was the very first of its kind to be delivered in the United States.
With an operating weight of 33,000 lbs., the dozer is powered by a 4 cylinder Tier IV final engine. The machine engine relies on selective catalytic reduction technology to optimize the combustion process, which eliminates the use of a diesel particulate filter, allowing for easier maintenance and increased fuel efficiency, according to the manufacturer.
“The increase in fuel economy was very noticeable,” Beisler said. “I also appreciate the cab design. It gives you true 360-degree visibility, the best I have ever seen. You can actually see what is behind you.
“The machine is very well-balanced and the controls are oil operated, which gives you a feeling that is similar to an excavator. This makes for easy work for a skilled operator. I am really enjoying my latest experience with Liebherr and the big difference has been the service and support from Tracey Road Equipment. Their service reps and parts guys are very well trained. We had a hiccup early on and it was fantastic having knowledgeable people just down the road who were eager to help us work our way through it.”
For more information about Tracey Road Equipment, visit www.traceyroad.com.
This story also appears on Forestry Equipment Guide.
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