Page 280 - Peterson 85 Years and Going Strong

Tomato Harvester with custom-built undercarriage
(Salinas, CA), Benicia Arsenal (Benicia, CA), Lowry Bombing Range (Denver, CO), Triumph Explosive Manufacturing (Elkton, MD), and Eg- lin Bombing Range (Eglin Air Force Base, FL).
THE TOMATO HARVESTER
In August 2005, the San Leandro fab shop teamed up with Peterson Power Systems to repower and design a custom undercarriage for a German-made tomato harvester. Lucero Farms in Hollister was having trouble with the machine’s turning radius. “In the field, they need to be able to spin the ma- chine around in a tight radius at the end of each row,” explains Ravazza. “But their machine had to make a wide arc to make the turn. If they turned it too tight, it would throw the tracks off the ma- chine. They weren’t designed right for the machine and the application.” The fab shop designed a cus- tom solution that met the customer’s requirements for an 8-mph travel speed, a 70,000-pound capac-
ity, and a quick deadline. “We designed a new un- dercarriage using Cat parts for a stronger applica- tion, which solved their problem. Now it can turn on a dime.”
THE TURD TURNER
The City of San Jose had a machine at their waste- water treatment plant that was constantly break- ing down. The manufacturer eventually went out of business, so they couldn’t get parts or support anymore. Instead, they turned to Peterson. “We designed and built two aerator heads to mount on Cat 963 track loaders,” says Ravazza, who dubbed it the Turd Turner. “They have to mix the waste- water and keep it turning all summer to dry it out. And they’re on a very tight schedule since they only have the summer season to do that.” During the process, the sludge turns into a slushy clay that gums up their augers. So, Peterson built them a new auger attachment using Cat parts and paired
278 | PETERSON: 85 YEARS AND GOING STRONG