Tree and Land Clearing Contractor Gains Efficiency with Onsite Equipment Fueling
September 2024
Thunder Creek fuel trailer helps contractors reduce fuel and DEF costs and cut back on labor and logistical costs tied to fueling equipment on remote jobsites.
By Steven Ile, regional sales manager, Thunder Creek Equipment
“If it’s not good enough for you, it’s not good enough.” That motto has established JR Landworks as a trusted contractor providing tree removal and vegetation management, along with land clearing, forestry mulching, and other related services throughout Northern Virginia. It’s at the core of the company’s values and philosophy
“We have a high level of expectations for ourselves and the projects we perform, and we want to relay that to our clients,” said Jonathan Baigis, founding partner of JR Landworks. “If they're not happy, we're not going to be happy. And that's the goal for us...to keep everybody happy.”
Along with caring for its clients, the company is committed to being stewards of the land. Baigis and his crews focus on environmentally responsible practices with the aim of preserving native plants and supporting renewed growth. That appreciation for the environment is the reason Baigis — an Urban Forestry graduate of Virginia Tech and an ISA Certified Arborist —founded JR Landworks in 2013. His passion for heavy equipment is another reason.
“Really, what got me started is my passion for trees and forestry coupled with large machinery. I started going to logging expos and equipment shows with my family, got a small skid steer, and the rest is history,” Baigis explained.
Since starting the business, Baigis has invested in specialized equipment, including a whole tree chipper, a horizontal grinder, excavators, track loaders with rakes, and feller bunchers. Onsite fueling of the growing fleet proved to be a challenge — purchasing a 690-gallon MTT 690 Thunder Creek No HAZMAT fuel and service trailer has simplified the process, plus brought additional benefits.
“We have a great dealer around here, James River Equipment, who reps Thunder Creek and they provided a good value and a great buying experience,” said Baigis. “The MTT690 was the perfect in-between unit for our needs compared to the smaller and larger models available.”
The Advantage of Fueling without a HAZMAT or CDL
Baigis manages the day-to-day operations at JR Landworks, including project estimates, leading crews of four to six members on site, and overseeing equipment. Those responsibilities have increased in recent years due to the growth that the company has experienced.
“We've really been growing throughout the last two years, particularly in the commercial clearing and grubbing space. Northern Virginia is a hot spot for data centers, so we've been active with those,” said Baigis. “Having equipment such as the Thunder Creek to support our equipment in the fields for these jobs and keeping downtime to a minimum is key.”
Prior to investing in the MTT 690, JR Landworks would have onsite fuel tanks delivered, which posed a challenge. According to Baigis, the pumps were terribly slow, and they would have to barricade them and provide secondary containment on most of the job sites (which added time, resources, and cost). They also used fuel transfer tanks on trucks that were equally time consuming to fill up. With equipment like grinders and chippers that burn 30 to 50 gallons an hour, lost time for fueling was a problem. And that’s just a portion of the equipment being used.
“On an average day, I'd say our equipment uses 300 gallons if we're really working hard,” said Baigis.
With the MTT 690, JR Landworks has significantly decreased its fueling time. The trailer, which holds 690 gallons of diesel and has a gas-powered pump, can fuel equipment at a rate of approximately thirty-five gallons per minute.
“Having this much capacity with a pump that pumps as quickly as the Thunder Creek does is really beneficial for us,” he said. “In no time, we're filling up 300-gallon tanks and the filter capacity on this thing is amazing. It’s efficient and we don’t have to worry about contamination with the pump.”
In addition to that efficiency, Baigis has found cost savings.
“Thunder Creek saves us a lot of money. We get a better price on bulk diesel fuel when it's delivered,” he explained. “Plus, I’m not paying labor to take 30 minutes or more to fill a machine with a pump.”
That cost savings extends to purchasing diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) for the one hundred gallon, 2-in-1 DEF delivery system that JR Landworks opted to add to its MTT 690. This system is fully enclosed and never exposes DEF to the elements, reducing the risk of contamination that could damage the emissions systems on the company’s machinery.
“All of our equipment uses DEF, except for our large grinders and chippers. That includes our trucks,” Baigis said. “We can refill at a fuel supplier in bulk and that's a huge savings. We’re paying $4 a gallon versus $20 for two and a half gallons.”
There are also logistical advantages to the MTT 690 for JR Landworks tied directly to the ability for these trailers to be moved from site to site by drivers without a HAZMAT or CDL endorsement. The trailer features six separate 115-gallon fuel tanks connected by a common manifold to a commercial grade pumping system. Because the tanks are separate, it is not necessary for drivers hauling it to hold a HAZMAT endorsement or a commercial driver’s license (CDL).
“The split tanks are a big factor for us. It's getting increasingly harder to find CDL drivers and even harder to find HAZMAT drivers,” Baigis said. “So having anybody be able to move this around is great, especially on site when we need to refill a machine in one area, and then big grinders at the other end of the site.”
Baigis also appreciates that the MTT 690 is easy to hook up to a truck and tow behind, “The hydraulic jack is a lifesaver, not having to hand crank it,” he explained. “We can back our truck up and hook the trailer up in no time. And it tows well.”
JR Landworks opted to add a rear utility box to its MTT 690 trailer package and installed a CTech Manufacturing custom tool and storage cabinet where they keep their consumables, safety equipment, filters, and tools. The utility box and the CTech box is lockable so that everything is safe on a job site. This addition eliminates the need to pack these items in their work trucks and makes it easy to service equipment when needed.
While Baigis is impressed with the features and benefits that their MTT 690 trailer brings to the business, he also recognizes the care and craftsmanship Thunder Creek has put into it.
“I'm a fabricator and a painter as a hobby. Seeing the paint quality, the weld quality, and the fit and finish — everything has come well together and just works,” he said. “It's packed into a compact package that performs exceptionally for us.”
He also expects continued efficiencies for JR Landworks as it grows and takes on more projects.
“Having a Thunder Creek is really invaluable,” said Baigis. “Having the ability to fuel large-capacity machines on site in one fuel delivery is incredible. The mobility — it's just an amazing unit for us.”
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