CUSTOMER| A SALUTE TO AN CUSTOMER |
KOMATSU PC228 EXCAVATORS EXCEL ON I-235 PROJECT
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Three well-recognized Iowa bridge-building contractors have discovered that Komatsu PC228USLC-3 "short-tail-swing" excavators are wellsuited for work on the high-profile I-235 reconstruction project in Des Moines. Jensen Construction Company, Inc. and Cramer & Associates, Inc., both headquartered in Des Moines, and United Contractors Inc., based in Johnston, are involved in the large and complex job in the heart of the state's capital. The I-235 improvement project was launched in 2001 and is one of the largest ongoing jobs in Iowa. The project involves demolishing and rebuilding
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rebuilding approximately 70 structures along the heavily traveled freeway, including bridge deck and approach removal and replacement. Jensen Construction, Cramer & Associates and United Contractors are using a large fleet of Komatsu equipment from Road Machinery & Supplies Co. through veteran Des Moines Branch Territory Manager Bob Newman on the job, including PC228 excavators. Ideal excavator for tight spaces The short-tail-swing radius of the 143-horsepower, 51,765-pound PC228s makes them ideal for work in tight and congested areas like those on the I-235 project, said Newman, while giving operators the same power and lift capacity of comparably sized conventional excavators. Plus, the contractors are using a variety of attachments on the versatile machines, including breakers and compactors, in addition to buckets. "The PC228 has been the perfect machine for us because it allows us to work in the confined and narrow spaces we have on the job," noted Randy Freel, General Superintendent for Jensen Construction. "We fell in love with our first 228 and added a second one to help us with the amount of work we have going through town. The biggest challenges on the job are the limited amount of space we are working in and moving traffic in and out of the area. So the PC228s have been great for us and we have had good luck with them." Guided by President Kurt Rasmussen and Vice Presidents Jeff Rasmussen and Dan Timmons, Jensen Construction was founded in 1908 and focuses on bridge construction projects throughout the Midwest. Kurt and Jeff are members of the fourth generation of their family to guide the firm, which has a large fleet of Komatsu equipment from RMS, including 13 excavators and 10 dozers. |
Jensen Construction Company, Inc. has utilized two Komatsu PC228 “short-tail-swing” excavators, including the machine pictured above,
during work on the I-235 freeway reconstruction project in downtown
Des Moines. Randy Freel, General Superintendent for Jensen
Construction, pictured at right, said the unique excavators are wellsuited
for work on the tight and congested job. “The PC228 has been
the perfect machine for us,” he said, “because it allows us to work in
the confined and narrow spaces we have on the job.”