New yard, New spread

A demo, factory visit, and good sales service sold John Schivito on a McCloskey spread for his new yard.

A-Jon Construction owner John Schivito was so impressed by a demonstration of McCloskey machinery, he bought a whole spread.

It wasn’t just Mr. Schivito who was sold on the new equipment, but also his operations manager, Andy Murphy. As the guy who physically runs the machines on a daily basis, he knew there was a lot of potential with the equipment.

Based in Springfield in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, A-Jon Construction is opening a new yard in nearby in West Chester, Chester County. The new yard is already stocked with asphalt and concrete for recycling, topsoil to be screened, and a large supply of organic material for mulching.

The company’s primary business is ready-mix concrete and its goal is delivering it in a timely manner at affordable prices. Ready-mix allows the concrete to be uniquely made for the specific requirements of each job.

Another big part of the business is truck rentals. This includes dump trucks – ranging from large commercial-size machines to smaller trucks that are ideal for homeowners – and sweeper/vacuum trucks for cleaning streets.

Recycling is a growing business, which is where the new McCloskey machines play a big role. A-Jon Construction recycles concrete, asphalt, rock, and soil, enabling them to sell topsoil, stone, gravel, and modified asphalt. The company also sells bricks and blocks.

A-Jon Construction dates back to 1970 and remains family owned and operated. The company prides itself on its customer service, experienced and knowledgeable staff, and personalized service.

At this point, the potential production of the new McCloskey machines is beyond their current needs, but when the new yard gets into full swing they know they’ll be grateful for the increased capability. When fully operational, the West Chester spread will involve an I44R recirculating impact crusher, an R155 High Energy Durable Screener, a 512RET trommel screener, and an ST80T tracked 80’ stacker.

It was Commonwealth Equipment salesman Stephen Lavery that sparked Mr. Schivito’s interest in McCloskey machinery. Already the owner of other brands of crushing and screening equipment, Mr. Schivito wanted to compare the different machinery that was available.

He says Mr. Lavery provided a high level of sales service and showed him what McCloskey has to offer. Wanting to have a closer
look at the McCloskey line, he flew to the headquarters in Peterborough, Canada, for a tour of the factory.

At the factory he was introduced to company President and CEO Paschal McCloskey, a man whom he says runs a great operation.

“There’s a lot of support,” he notes. “I’ve seen the large parts inventory. The whole operation is impressive.”

At the factory he was able to see the high build quality and high-grade branded components from reputable companies. He found the large parts inventory impressive; assuring him that replacement parts aren’t far away should he need anything.

It was the demo, however, that really sold him on the Canadian manufacturer. He watched the demo one day and bought the spread the next – simply put, the production was beyond his expectations.

Aside from the production and quality parts, he appreciates the straightforward design that makes it easy to maintain for things like changing oil. Even simple things like putting the grease points in convenient locations are welcome improvements

“I bought excellent machines,” he remarks.

Mr. Murphy shared the same appreciation for the details. He says a lot of thought must have gone into making machines so operator friendly. When maintaining the machines, he says things like extra space around the engine and convenient access points save time, aggravation, and ultimately money. The same can be said for running the machines. Numbering the controls, he says, is a great way to make sure everything is turned on in the right order.

The machines are also proving more than capable. He starts by putting a couple loads of asphalt millings into the R155 before he turns it on. Even then, his big articulated loader can’t feed it fast enough. The 127 hp (95 kw) CAT engine is more than capable of handling the load and the classleading wide hopper can accommodate the large loads from heavy-duty equipment. Equipped with a punch plate upper deck, the 5’x16’ High Energy Screenbox on the R155 easily pulls out the oversize material and sends it to the optional extended tail conveyor while the lower screen efficiently sorts the finer material. It’s a high production machine capable of screening whatever Mr. Schivito or Mr. Murphy need to run through it.

The tracked 512RET trommel screener is also tough for the loader to keep up with. Mr. Murphy is able to operate the hydraulic tipping grid with a remote while operating his loader, ensuring oversize material isn’t fed into the trommel drum. It’s producing plenty of topsoil and is able to do so even when the weather turns wet. Equipped with a 100 hp (74 kw) diesel engine, a radial conveyor with a sweeping 180° radius at a height of 11’8” (3560mm), and a drum screen with a 5’ diameter that is 12’ long, the 512RET is built for efficiency.

At this point, the I44R recirculating impact crusher and ST80T have yet to see significant use, but plans are in place to get crushing and stacking at the expanded site.

Mr. Schivito has no doubt his new equipment will meet the needs of his growing business and will prove itself to be a good investment. He knows he purchased high quality, high production machines and that the backing of McCloskey International and Commonwealth Equipment means the service he needs will be there when he needs it most.