Archive for Leeboy
No one likes to be a guinea pig. And that’s what Matt Ambrose, owner of Ambry Asphalt in Mansfield, Ohio, felt like when he tried to lay asphalt with a competitor’s paver. According to Ambrose, “The [competitor’s paver] didn’t want to track straight. The motor was mounted in a bad place and vibrated so bad that we snapped the exhaust manifold just trying to track down the road. The screed was loose and didn’t respond well. It was hard to load. The truck hinges snapped off. We were fighting it a lot.” Ambrose says he didn’t want to go through the growing pains of this new product. He adds, “Although I’d used the [competitor’s large] equipment with good results, I just didn’t get a good feeling about the smaller paver.” On top of that, Ambry did not have access to parts or service. The competitor didn’t have it together on this paver.
Ambrose needed a dependable paver for the driveways and lots that are his usual jobs. He decided to look at the LeeBoy 8000 D Track Conveyor Paver with McLean Co. in Columbus, Ohio. Ambrose gets excited talking about his 8000 D. “The material controls and gate shut off are great. It drives straight, and I like using the sonic auger controls. It’s not too loud. I like the propane burners. It starts well on a cold day. It stops where I want it to. We don’t have piles to shovel or sweep. It loads beautifully, drives straight and doesn’t pull.” But the most important feature to Ambrose is the material control. “It’s a big deal in commercial lots,” says Ambrose. Commercial lots have many turns and are too large to spend time cleaning up after bad stops and starts.”
Ambrose adds, “The LeeBoy [paver] cost more. But it was worth it. Buying it was the best decision I’ve ever made. I’m very impressed with this machine.”
Whether it’s a parking lot, driveway, or tennis court, Ronyak Bros. Paving in Burton, Ohio, has the LeeBoy equipment to do the job. According to Vice-President Mike Briggs, Ronyak, a family-owned paving business since 1939, bought an 8500 Paver last year, bringing them to a total of three 8500 pavers. So far in 2002, Ronyak has added on a 5000 Path Master and a Tack Tank. Ronyak is keeping Jim Hattendorf at McLean very busy.
Ronyak’s new 5000 Path Master makes quick work of golf cart paths. In fact, you can see a Ronyak crew working a golf course on the cover of a future issue of Asphalt Contractor magazine.
Ronyak gets good production with their LeeBoys. One crew put 46,000 tons though one paver in 2001. Briggs expects they’ll put more through in 2002. Briggs adds, “The biggest thing is putting down parking lots. We can push 700 tons at 1-1/4 inches per day on 70,000 to 80,000 square feet, because the LeeBoy’s can push the trucks easily. It’s then that you can get production. That’s the key—getting production”
For 24 years, Ken Heiberger of Ken Heiberger Paving, Inc. in Canal Winchester, Ohio, has been paving mostly commercial parking lots. He occasionally puts down a tennis court, which he calls “precision work.” To do that work, his crew relies on one of their two LeeBoy 8500 Pavers. Heiberger says, “It’s a great machine for precision work like tennis courts.”
Heiberger started using LeeBoys about seven years ago. He was tired of his old paver that broke down a lot and was not carrying grade. He says, “I was one of the first to buy a LeeBoy in the area because of the dealer support from McLean.” That’s the McLean Company (a recipient of the 2000 Bronze Dealer Award from LeeBoy) and Scott McLean in Columbus, Ohio.
Heiberger says his company owns larger pavers, but the crew prefers the LeeBoys. He calls them heavy duty, maneuverable, and quiet, making them easier to work around. Heiberger explains, “They reduce hard work. They extensively lay a good mat, clear across no matter if it’s eight feet or 13 feet. It’s just nice, consistent mat.”
In addition to the two 8500 Pavers, Heiberger Paving owns a 1000 C Paver and a 685 Motor Grader. Of the LeeBoy pavers Heiberger says, “Just keep making them. We’ll need another 8500 next year.”
