Northeast Aggregate, the aggregate division of St. Albans, Vt.-based I.H. Charbonneau & Son, recently made two additions to its fleet: a Gorilla GHB 150 hammer and a Fleco quick coupler.
Richie Perry, owner of Perry’s Equipment in Swanton, Vt., handled the installation of both the hammer and the coupler on Northeast Aggregate’s Caterpillar 325B.
“Richie Perry introduced himself and the repair services of his company several years ago,” said Ryan Charbonneau, vice president. “We were impressed with his knowledge and expertise and started to gradually use him as needed to repair some of our equipment. We used him for hydraulic work, engine rebuilds, or simple repairs such as replacing bearings. We have been impressed with his knowledge, reliability and honesty.
“When he was made aware that we were shopping for a hammer for the quarry, he approached us about getting a Gorilla, and based on our experience with him thus far we decided to give him a try. We had been using a Cat 235 with a hammer on it for both our quarry work and demolition work for the construction work. The hammer was getting tired and so was the Cat machine. Richie sold us the hammer, plumbed it in our shop, saving us the cost of hauling the machine, and did it all at a very good price.”
The hammer was placed on a newer Caterpillar 325 and to add some flexibility to the machine it was installed with a quick coupler and a thumb.
“We have had the hammer since October of 2012 and it has operated very reliably,” said Charbonneau. “We certainly have noticed that the new hammer gives off far less vibration and is less noisy than our old hammer and gives less operator fatigue for our employees. Overall we are very pleased with the experience and we would recommend the Gorilla hammers to anyone.”
Perry’s Equipment
Richie Perry primarily focuses on providing onsite repair services to contractors in Vermont. Over the past few years he has expanded his business to include the sale and installation of attachments.
In 2009, he had his first experience with Gorilla Hammers when he sold his first hammer to a Vermont contractor. He has been actively selling and promoting Gorilla products ever since.
“They [Gorilla] have been a very good company to work with,” Perry said. “From past experience I prefer doing business with family-owned businesses. I want to be able to speak directly to decision makers. If I have a question, an issue, or need any help of any sort, Bob or Joe Tedesco is always available to take my call.”
Perry said that when he bought the first hammer Gorilla Hammers was quick to give him the support that he needed.
“They sent one of their representatives out to my place of business to train me on the operation, installation and support of the Gorilla hammers,” he said. “Since then, any time I have had an issue, all I need to do is call. Parts are never an issue. I have never called when the item I needed wasn’t in stock; and because they are located here in New England, when I want to, I can save a lot of money on freight and go pick the item up directly at their factory.”
I.H. Charbonneau & Son
Ivan Charbonneau founded I.H. Charbonneau & Son in 1996 with his purchase of a dump truck and an excavator. The construction company handles government, commercial and residential work. In 2000, driven by the need to stay competitive with its pricing in the marketplace, Charbonneau made the decision to purchase his own quarry.
The company focuses on three areas: the construction company, the aggregate division, and in the winter, it does a substantial amount of snow removal. Today the company boasts a fleet of five tandem trucks, seven excavators, seven loaders, a fleet of pickup trucks and several dozers and skid steers. The number of employees, depending on the amount of work, varies between five and 13. Its equipment fleet is made up primarily of Caterpillar.
About Gorilla Hammers
Gorilla Hammers, a hydraulic hammer supplier based in Boston, Mass., is owned and operated by Bob Tedesco and his nephew, Joe Tedesco. A division of Tech Hydraulics, Gorilla primarily serves the U.S. market of hydraulic hammers, but it also has many customers abroad.
For more information, call 888/81-GORILLA or visit www.gorillahammers.com.
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