Page 179 - Peterson 85 Years and Going Strong

We’re pretty self-sufficient in most areas, but we really rely on Peterson for all the training we require... and to help us keep up with the changing times.
– Mel Frisk, equipment manager, O.C. Jones Inc.
On their Bay Bridge contract in 2013, OC Jones ran a Weiler 1250 MTV next to their Cat paver to feed a continuous flow of material into the hopper
that would shut down the machine so the custom- er could not depend on it,” recalls Culligan. “Wei- ler’s leadership flew out to consult with the cus- tomer. 7 Peaks had lost all confidence in the paver and told Weiler they wanted a new one. A couple of weeks later, Weiler delivered a brand-new P385 paver and took back the old one. It was kind of stunning. It certainly exceeded the customer’s ex- pectations. The availability on those pavers was six months out, but they pulled the next one off the assembly line and brought it out to the customer. Now that’s Customer First!”
In the last several years, Weiler products have be- come increasingly important to Peterson custom- ers. Some Caltrans and ODOT (Oregon Dept. of Transportation) contracts even specify MTVs in their bids. In 2015, Caltrans mandated that certain asphalt mixes must run through an MTV before it could be laid down. “MTVs are a lot more than just haul trucks,” says Johnson. “They also mix the asphalt and keep it warm. Each truck has a hopper, an auger, and three conveyors onboard to deliver the mix out the back.”
In 2015, Bay Cities Grading & Paving was required to use an MTV on their I-5 and Altamont con- tracts. DeSilva-Gates had one on the Altamont in 2016, as did O.C. Jones on the San Francisco-Oak- land Bay Bridge in 2013. “MTVs are huge,” says Johnson, “and they’re mostly used on big highway jobs. The one DeSilva had on I-5 north of Sacra- mento in 2016 was heavy enough that they weren’t allowed to drive it over the bridge deck. Instead, they had to pave right up to the deck, then haul it to the other side on an eighteen-wheeler with bet- ter weight distribution. Caltrans was worried the MTV’s weight would damage the bridge deck.But they still had to have one on the job. It was built into the bid specs.”
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