Nearly a decade ago, Ross Bros. & Company focused its attention on governmental highway work throughout the Pacific Northwest. The move has proven to be fruitful for the Salem, Ore.-based company that celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2008.

With an average of 65 employees, Ross Bros. & Company works six to eight crews and does some of the most high-profile and large-dollar projects in Washington, Oregon and California. Its handiwork includes thousands of miles of roadway and bridge work, including award-winning projects such as the West Trent Avenue bridge replacement in Spokane.

Often, its work involves removal of old paving, busting out such materials as concrete, to make way for new construction. Ross Bros. & Company turns to Link-Belt excavators equipped with Tramac V56 variable-impact breakers to demolish and remove much of the materials.

The V56 variable-impact breakers were designed to sense changes in the hardness as material is processed and to automatically adjust to the optimum combination of impact power and striking rate. They work equally well in soft and hard materials, including lightly to heavily reinforced concrete. A TPS (Tool Protection System) lengthens tool life, even under heavy conditions.

“We started using Tramac hammers a couple of years ago, and we’ve seen a good return on investment with them,” said President Steve Ross. “Being able to bust up paving materials quickly is a key element in the removal process. The Tramac hammers have served us well in that regard. They’ve been tremendous time savers.”

Key Savings

Ross noted monetary savings as well with the Tramac V56 hammers, which save time and man hours in setup, as well as an auto-lube system that keeps Tramac’s fully hydraulic attachments constantly greased.

“The system automatically puts a premeasured amount of grease into the hammer as it’s being used,” explained Ross of Tramac’s HammerLube System, standard on the hammers. “That means there’s a constant flow of grease, rather than having an operator pump a load in the first thing in the morning — if he remembers. It allows the hammer to run all day long without drying out or the operator having to get off the machine and put more grease in. It adds life to the hammer.”

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