GOMACO World Index --- GOMACO World 44.1 - November 2016

The New Commander III – Faster, Smoother, Higher Production

 

Commander III

Extreme temperatures and high winds create paving challenges for Northern Nevada Concrete.

 

Northern Nevada Concrete Inc. specializes in road improvements to the public right of way, including curb and gutter and sidewalk projects.  Last year, the company slipformed approximately 122,000 lineal feet (37,186 m) of curb and gutter utilizing their three-track Commander III slipform paver. They have approximately 20 different mold profiles in their inventory to accommodate their home city of Sparks, Nevada, as well as other municipalities within their 25 mile (40 km) work radius. They added a new three-track Commander III to their company in April of this year and have already put it to work on eight different curb and gutter projects in Nevada. Projects include a 12,000 foot (3658 m) rollover curb job at the Schulz Ranch subdivision in Carson City, as well as 30,000 feet (9144 m) of a different profile of rollover curb at the Damonte Ranch planned community in Reno. 

“Everybody wants something different up here,” George Sperry, Project Manager for Northern Nevada Concrete, said. “We have the Orange Book, where all the agencies got together to make everything uniform, and then each agency went ahead and put in their own little subsection. The roll curb has become popular. It makes it easier for the developer to place any house on any lot and not worry about where the driveway cut is. In the city of Sparks, they predominantly use a Type 1 curb and gutter. It’s an L-curb, 24 inches (610 mm) wide and six inch (152 mm) curb.”

Slipforming in the mountains of Nevada presents challenges with temperatures that can reach over 100 degrees F (37.8˚ C) or high winds that can start to blow early each afternoon. Northern Nevada Concrete’s slipform crew averages approximately 600 lineal feet (183 m) of curb and gutter per hour while they can work. Finishers work behind the Commander III troweling and brooming the new curb, and applying a spray cure finish. The crew also installs control joints every 10 feet (3 m) to help control any cracking caused by the high winds or hot temperatures.

“The city agencies we work for in this area, especially Sparks and Reno, hold us to high expectations on the finished quality of their projects,” Sperry said. “Life in the mountains, though, you just never know what you’ll get for weather. We deliver every day with the best operator in the area, a good crew, and the Commander III. We love the Commander III and our operator is just ecstatic with it and its smooth operation.”

The new Commander III features the GOMACO-exclusive G+ control system for easy and quiet operation. When Northern Nevada’s Equipment Operator Tim Hall first climbed onto the machine, he didn’t know what to expect from the new technology.

“I was thinking it might be a little bit over my head, but I’ve been on a GOMACO since 1992, so I’ve seen the changes along the way,” Hall said. “I like the G+ and its display screen. I can look at the screen and see all the information the machine has to offer. You just have to have a little faith, get used to it, and it’s good as gold. GOMACO is the only machine I’ve ever run and I have no desire to run anything else. They are so reliable and pretty hard to beat.”

The new paver has an optimized cooling package with a hydraulic fan controlled by G+ to adapt cooling needs to job-site conditions for quiet and efficient operation. The operator’s console pivots and allows hands-on control and visibility. The platform is also isolated to eliminate vibration.

“I feel like I’ve customized the operator’s console to me with how I have the placement of the console and other controls. It’s so quiet, too. I can talk to everyone around the machine as we work,” Hall said. “Our new Commander III is just so smooth. You wouldn’t believe how quiet and smooth it is until you climb on the machine and experience it for yourself.”

One of the advantages he has noticed is an increase in the overall travel speed of the new machine, which makes it faster to move around a job site. The next generation Commander III’s redesign includes improved efficiency in the hydraulic system. Northern Nevada Concrete pretrims most of their curb and gutter projects. Hall also likes the trimmerhead and says it provides him faster production. 

“I just feel that we’re going faster... pouring faster, trimming faster,” Hall said. “This machine reacts fast and we just get a better product. I’d say our 2003 Commander III operates in inches and this new one is operating in 64ths. It’s just so smooth and words don’t do enough to explain that, or I just haven’t found the right ones yet.”                 

Northern Nevada Concrete is on track to once again slipform over 120,000 lineal feet (36,576 m) of curb and gutter this year. Their new Commander III will be kept busy.

“We like the Commander III,” Hall said. “They’re just big and beefy. We use them pretty hard. They can take what we give them and can handle almost anything. It has all the power we need in one really reliable machine.”

 

Commander III

Northern Nevada took delivery of their new Commander III earlier this year and have already put it to work on several curb and gutter projects in Nevada.

 

 

 

 

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