Contractors Sales has been in the mining and construction equipment sales business for 81 years and it has a pretty good idea as to what’s good for business and what isn’t. The Albany, NY, company attributes its long-time success, in part, to its partnerships with pioneering equipment manufacturers, such as Sandvik Mining and Construction (SMC).
Today, Contractors Sales is a full-line Sandvik Mining and Construction equipment dealer, renting and selling to contractors involved with quarrying, construction, dimension stone and heavy-duty tunneling work in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Virginia. Its rental fleet typically includes three DTH (down-the-hole) rigs and at least a dozen top hammer rigs — all Sandvik equipment.
Recently, Contractors Sales sold the first Sandvik Titon 500 drilling rig in the United States. Initially, Contractors Sales purchased the unit for its rental fleet. The Titon 500’s versatility made it a favorite rental unit to many different contractors.
According to George Haas, Contractors Sales drilling equipment representative, “We deal with the individual who drills as many holes in a day as he can, all the way up to the large half-million to million-ton quarry operations,” he said. “The Titon 500 is a typical blast-hole drill but has also been used on the New York City water tunnel project. It is very popular where ground conditions are tougher, where you need straight holes and bigger production shots. In our market, it is used to drill limestone, sandstone, granite and shale. The Titon 500 will typically drill in one spot for a week and then the contractors come in and shoot from 30,000 to 60,000 tons of rock at a time.
“That first Titon 500 was constantly in use during the seven or eight months of our season, which runs from April until the middle of November. And one of those contractors liked it so much, he bought it. So we’ve added another Titon 500 to our fleet to replace that first unit,” Haas added.
The Titon 500 is a member of the Sandvik BPI range of DTH drilling rigs. It has been designed to meet the most versatile requirements of mining and quarrying applications and is considered best suited for 105- to 152-mm hole sizes. Easy transport and high compressor output makes the Titon 500 a flexible tool for any quarry, mine or contractor with high productivity requirements and varying drilling needs.
“The Titon 500 is compact, easy to move and has the right physical dimensions,” said Haas. “It loads on-trailer easily, is 10,000 to 12,000 pounds less than comparable rigs, and it’s a ’legal load’ as far as weight, height and length. No special permits are needed to transport the Titon 500.”
The Titon 500, when outfitted with the Driltech Mission range of Mirror Impact DTH hammers, is an ideal drilling combination for any rock condition, representing more than 40 years of experience of DTH drilling rig design, which has been translated into a long list of product improvements that are standard on the unit, including: easily removable fuel tank, unique ground stinger, maximum interior air-flow for cooling, adjustable collaring mode, roomy comfortable cab, easy access and joy stick controls, to name just a few.
“We are firm believers in our partnership with Sandvik,” Haas said. “The company offers a complete package, end-to-end, whether you want to drill a hole that is an inch in diameter or something that is 18 inches in diameter. Sandvik backs us up with the best engineering, technical assistance and training. We all want to make it work and satisfy our customers. SMC has brought in engineering and training staff from not only Atlanta but their European product center as well to deal with Titon 500 matters. They are a class act.”
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