Komatsu D61EX-15 dozer provides power and precision steering to Rodney Howard Grading
The golf courses in North and South Carolina are regarded by many as some of the finest in the world. Whether you’re playing a round on one of the many courses in the famous Carolina Sandhills, or you’re ready to challenge Pinehurst No. 2 – site of the 2005 U.S. Open, there’s something for every golf enthusiast.
While working for his father’s golf course grading business, Rodney Howard made quite a name for himself, gaining experience on many of the Carolinas’ most notable courses. In fact, he was regarded as one of the most proficient green builders around. As a result, he worked with some of the biggest names in golf course design – including Tom Jackson and Tom Fazio – known for creating some of the most beautiful golf courses in the country.
In 1996, Howard’s father retired, and he formed his own company – Rodney Howard Grading – based in Simpsonville, S.C., just outside of Greenville, S.C., close to the border of North and South Carolina. Since then, his business has changed to focus on residential housing developments.
Population Boom Brings Plenty of Work
This was a shrewd business move. The Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C. area is growing quickly. Add that to the area’s relatively low cost of living and a solid job market and you have a hotbed for home construction. In addition, several other nearby Carolina cities are on numerous national “fastest-growing” lists, including Charlotte, Wilmington, Raleigh and Myrtle Beach.
Having built a reputation for quality work, Howard’s business growth has mirrored the population growth around him. When he started his business, it was just himself and one dozer. Now, he has 32 full-time employees.
“The competition is pretty strong around here, and there’s a lot of grading companies out there,” says Howard. “But with the population growth this area is experiencing, it really doesn’t matter right now – everyone stays really busy.”
When working in these residential developments, Howard’s company is usually responsible for grading the lot pads; they also do a lot of mass grading and all the roadwork. The developments typically range from 14 lots to well over 300 lots.
Some of the recent jobs in the Greenville area that Howard and his crew have been working on include the Plantation Point development, which has 169 lots, and the Granite Woods development, with 82 lots. And, they just completed a site with over 210 lots. In fact, Howard says they typically start about five new projects every week.
Unfortunately for Howard and everyone else in the grading and excavating business, Tropical Storm Arlene has just rolled through the South – creating a lot of wet job sites and slowing down work. Add to that, the rich, red clay soil in the area is very susceptible to erosion from strong rains. That’s why Howard takes the extra step on his job sites and performs what he refers to as “walking the job in.” This consists of going over all the finished graded areas with the dozer again and making imprints in the soil with the D61’s tracks. It may not seem like much, but the track imprints provide extra protection against erosion – a feature that Howard’s customers and the contractors he works with really appreciate. It has become one of his signatures on a job site.
Komatsu Dozers Push Business Along
Dozers are the backbone of Howard’s business, and he’s been running Komatsu dozers from the start. When Howard formed his company in 1996, he continued the solid relationship his father started with Linder Industrial Machinery Company (formerly Mitchell Distributing Company) for all his equipment. When he was looking for a new dozer to add to his fleet, his sales rep, Ron Small, took him to Chattanooga, Tenn., to check out the D61EX-15 on the Komatsu proving grounds. “Right now, we have three D61EX-15s – one brand new – and one D39EX-15 and a D65EX-12,” says Howard. “We’ve only had the third D61EX-15 for about two-and-a-half months – just long enough for its first oil change.”
“I thought it was important that Rodney have the opportunity to work with the machine before he made his decision on what to purchase,” says Small. “After that, he was hooked – and he’s currently on his third one.” Small is a 22-year veteran with Mitchell Distributing Company and Linder Industrial Machinery Company.
Outside of his dozers, Howard has several more pieces of Komatsu equipment all purchased from Small. The list includes a GD555-3 LATERRA motor grader; WA250-5 wheel loader; several hydraulic excavators, a PC300LC-7, a PC220LC-7 and three PC200LC-7s; as well as a PC78MR-2 compact hydraulic excavator.
Low Maintenance Keeps Howard Up and Running
The new D61EX-15 runs all day long on Howard’s job sites – making it one of the most valuable pieces of equipment to his company. And that means it needs to be dependable and low maintenance. “I’ve never had a problem with my D61s – or any of my Komatsu equipment,” says Howard.
To keep it that way, the D61EX-15 is equipped with numerous preventative maintenance features such as a centralized service station for convenient changing of filters, maintenance-free disc brakes and gull-wing engine side covers. The machine comes with a monitor with self-diagnostic function – keeping minor problems from turning into larger, more expensive ones.
“You have to take care of your equipment – that’s really important,” adds Howard. “Because we start so many jobs every week, we have to be up and running to meet demands.”