After years of working in bridge construction and using hydraulic breakers for demolition, Spencer Flatt became frustrated with the cost of the equipment, replacement parts and the time it could take to get those parts when a breaker went down.
Flatt grew up in the bridge construction business, accompanying his father to job sites at a young age. He worked summers during his teenage years before eventually joining the operation full time.
That experience put Flatt behind the controls of the same type of equipment his customers use today.
Hydraulic breakers were regularly needed for bridge demolition, and Flatt recalled buying an early refurbished breaker that cost more than some of the new units the Okarche, Okla.-based 3West sells today.
Parts presented another problem. When something was needed, he said it could take a month or longer to arrive.
“Things break. There's no way around it,” Flatt said. “That's one thing I wanted to really shine on, just parts and availability.”
Those experiences eventually led Flatt to begin looking for a better option for his own construction operation.
Drawing from years of operating and maintaining hydraulic breakers, Flatt focused on components that had caused problems with breakers he had used in the field.
“Parts that we could change, we changed and just upgraded,” he said.
The first 3West breaker arrived in 2019.
Instead of immediately taking the product to market, Flatt put the breakers to work in the construction operation. He considers the first four to five years a design and testing period, using the breakers on bridge construction and demolition projects while evaluating the product.
That testing exposed the breakers to demanding applications. Flatt said the units have worked through hard concrete and bedrock, with applications ranging from bridge demolition to rock work. Those jobs gave him an opportunity to see how the breakers and the changes made to their components performed under regular use.
According to Flatt, the first unit operated for approximately four-and-a-half years before requiring what he described as a “soft rebuild” of wearable components.
As the 3West breakers proved themselves on the company's jobs, they began replacing other breakers Flatt had previously used. What started as an effort to find a better option for his own operation gradually developed into a business.
Today, Spencer Flatt, Raymond Flatt and Clyde Brushwood make up the 3West Equipment team as the company continues to grow its hydraulic breaker business.
3West offers breakers for equipment ranging from compact machines and mini excavators to larger excavators used in construction, demolition and rock applications.
Flatt said the smaller breakers also have opened the product line to different types of work. He discussed units being used with mini excavators and compact equipment for applications where contractors may be working in tighter spaces, while larger breakers are suited for heavier demolition and rock applications.
Flatt's experience as a contractor continues to influence how 3West works with customers. Rather than simply matching a breaker to the size of a machine, he considers how the customer plans to use it.
Machine size, application and whether the carrier uses a quick coupler can affect the configuration. A contractor breaking concrete may have different requirements than one working continuously in limestone, granite or quarry applications.
“What will you be using it for? What machine do you have?” are among the questions Flatt considers when helping a customer select a breaker.
That approach comes from years of buying and operating equipment and understanding that the application can be just as important as the size of the carrier.
Parts availability remains another priority for 3West.
Flatt said he wants customers to be able to maintain and rebuild their breakers rather than reach a point where replacing the entire unit becomes the more practical option.
3West stocks replacement components and offers rebuild options for its breakers. The company provides a two-year manufacturer warranty covering the case and major internal components, according to Flatt.
For Flatt, the goal is straightforward: Provide contractors with a quality breaker and stand behind it with the parts and support to keep it working.
