McKinney Excavating, based in Urbandale, IA, handles grading and underground utility work across central Iowa. As an owner-operator, Ryan McKinney finds himself out in the field from sunup to sundown, face-to-face with the challenges associated with managing a diverse equipment fleet across multiple job sites.
This includes coordinating fueling and service, and addressing the new challenges created by heavy equipment that requires diesel exhaust fluid (DEF).
McKinney had been performing this work with a nurse tank and his pickup truck.
“We typically always filled the equipment with a 110-gallon nurse tank,” says McKinney. “They worked okay, but when we got to our bigger crews, my scraper tractor will burn 300 gallons a day some days. Then you add 100 gallons with a dozer. The other crews are burning 150 to 200 gallons a day as well—it gets pretty challenging to try and keep a 110-gallon nurse tank full all the time. You’ve got to try to figure out how you’re going to get enough fuel there to keep moving. You stop production, you’re losing money.”
McKinney needed an adaptable solution that provided fuel and DEF handling, as well as storage for other fluids and tools needed to perform field service across multiple job sites. That’s when he began investigating fuel and DEF service trailers, and discussing Thunder Creek Equipment’s newest offering: the FST Series Trailers.
“We looked at trade magazines and publications, and read a lot of stuff about them, and just word of mouth—reputation. It was one of those things for me—I’m not going to cut a corner. I wasn’t going to try to go with the less expensive one just to save a couple of dollars. I was going to get the best quality product I could have, and this is what we’ve decided to go with.”
The Need for Mobile Bulk Fuel and DEF Solutions
The addition of a bulk fuel and fluid trailer has significantly simplified McKinney’s daily service activities. The company chose the FST 990—which features 990 gallons of diesel storage—and customized it to include separate storage compartments for DEF, hydraulic oil, and engine oil.
“I can haul 990 gallons of fuel with this, as well as 100 gallons of DEF fluid, and hydraulic and engine oil at the same time. I can go through and fuel everybody up in one day. Typically, I can get three days out of it without having to go back to the bulk plant or having my bulk truck come out and fill me back up, so it saves me a lot of time, effort, and energy with the ability to get fuel where I need it, whether I leave it onsite, or whether I’m traveling from crew to crew.”
One of the advantages McKinney appreciates is the speed of trailer’s fuel pump and how quickly he can fill up each machine.
“The fuel pump is amazing. Throttle the motor up, and you’re able to fill up large tanks in a short amount of time. It’ll beat a 110-gallon nurse tank pump—it’s four to five times faster, easily.”
Closed DEF System
Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems are susceptible to DEF contamination, which can lead to costly downtime. DEF providers agree that closed systems are the best way to maintain the purity of DEF. This is especially true in off-road environments where the proper sterilization of open containers isn’t done and isn’t practical.
Proper DEF handling is a challenge that many owner-operators are currently faced with out on the job site as new Tier 4 Final equipment hits the market. Thunder Creek’s closed DEF delivery systems, made in compliance with the ISO 22241 Standard, are among the most convenient ways to maintain the purity of DEF and protect your equipment. “A lot of times, on the bulk trucks now, you can’t get DEF fluid, so you’re always either carrying 2.5-gallon jugs, or trying to figure out another system to get DEF flowing to the equipment.”
“You can carry more with you [with this trailer]. You’re not carrying a case of DEF fluid with you everywhere, trying to put two and a half gallons into a machine at a time, running the risk of more contamination the more times you climb off that track. It’s so much easier. You’ve got it all right here, self-contained. You pull up, you fill up, you’re done, put your lid back on and go.”
A Smooth Ride
In addition to comprehensive fluid-handling solutions, the FST Series Trailers are engineered for the road. “It rides amazing. The weight distribution is about perfect with everything; not too much in the tongue, not too much on the axles. You get a smooth ride on the truck. You’ve got enough weight there; you’re not bouncing around. It handles great going up and down the road completely full, with the diesel. It doesn’t slosh around, it doesn’t move, no sway in the tires, no sway in the wind. It’s a perfect setup.”
Customization and Adaptability
The Thunder Creek FST Series Trailers are customizable to suit the unique needs of every contractor. In addition to the scalable tank sizes—500 gallon, 750 gallon, or 990 gallon—Thunder Creek Equipment also provides an array of options including a utility box, light tower, solar battery chargers, welder/generator/air compressor combo, hose reels, and fuel meters.
When it was time for McKinney to customize his trailer, he went with options that he knew would be essential for his operation:
Light Tower: “The light tower is handy. The days keep getting shorter, but just because the guys are done working doesn’t mean that you can’t get the equipment fueled up for the next day. You’re going to want to pull the light tower up to fuel up.”
Welder/Generator/Air Compressor: “The welder/generator/air compressor—you never know when you’re going to have a need. The welder, you might need it for welding the rock box, a trench box, a track, a shoe, anything.
“The air compressor is a no-brainer. You’ve got to have an air compressor on there to clean filters out. You’re able to have an impact wrench on there to zip something off and put something back together real quick.”
Storage: “The ability to have extra nuts, bolts, and tools is essential. We play in the dirt—we play in the mud. A zerk’s going to get plugged up, a zerk’s going to go bad from being in moisture, so you’re going to want some tools to be able to take all this stuff off, and you’ve got your toolbox, but where do you keep it? If I leave it on the job site, it’s just one more thing for someone to walk away with or to disappear somewhere, so we decided to go with the toolbox option so we can lock everything in there, keep extra rags, fuel, oil spill stuff, that kind of stuff for the minor things, and zerks, nuts, and bolts for quick repairs.”
A Complete Field Service Solution
Having all of your fluids and field service materials all in one place can save countless hours going back and forth from job site to job site, which can translate to a healthier bottom line for companies of all sizes. McKinney has seen the benefits of having a comprehensive solution ready in the field, and continues to see thepositive impact it has had on his growing business.
“We had everything in different places. The air compressor was in one job trailer that the other crew didn’t have, or they didn’t have an air compressor in their job trailer. Zerks were in certain pickups with the fuel, grease guns were here, there, everywhere; you never knew where you were going to find them. Whether they’d be in the toolbox or the machine, in the job trailer, or in the pickup, so you were constantly just trying to track something down.”
“You’d pull up to the job site to fuel, and the crew might be done for the day and you just needed to fuel up and grease real quick, and everything you need would be scattered all over the place, so it’s nice to have everything convenient, in one spot. You can throw the fuel nozzle in, start going, and be checking other stuff, rocking and rolling, and keep moving.”
