What started as a small home building company in 1990 has grown in to one of the most prominent names in custom homes in southwestern Pennsylvania. RWS Development began when current company president, Robert W. Shuster, opened and had intentions of building three to four homes per year. The company constructed 18 homes its first year in business and has grown steadily ever since.
Fast forward 25 years, and the family owned company has grown to average 55 custom homes per year. RWS handles all of its own site development, owns its own concrete plant and mixer trucks. All work is preformed in-house by RWS employees.
With the consistent growth of RWS, owner Robert A. Shuster who heads the site development side of the business, recently purchased a new Case CX700B excavator from Groff Tractor & Equipment Inc. The new CX700B made its debut on RWS’s Brookhaven Housing Development in Penn Township, Pa.
The Brookhaven job started on May 1, 2015, and completion is expected Sept. 1 of this year. The job entails moving 30,000 cu. yds. (22,936 cu m) of topsoil and 175,000 cu. yds. (133,797 cu m) of fill to create streets, lots and infrastructure for 39 new homes constructed on two cul-de-sac streets. RWS has been using the CX700B to strip topsoil and create large retention ponds on the site.
Robert A. Shuster answered a few questions about how the Case CX700B is the perfect fit for RWS Development.
Why did you choose the Case CX700B?
Shuster: The topography of southwestern Pa. requires much reshaping to accommodate the new home sites. Each site requires large quantities of dirt to be moved. Our cubic yardage numbers grow with each new site and we need to move the material in the most efficient way possible. Previously, we used three excavators to fill our haul trucks, now the new CX700 takes the place of all three.
What benefits do you enjoy most of the CX700B?
Despite being a very large excavator, the CX700 is nimble and moves very quickly. It handles the six cubic yard bucket with ease and has improved our truck loading time drastically. Formerly, it took six passes with our CX470 to fill a haul truck, now, using the CX700 it only takes two and a half to three buckets depending on the material and operators. The load time is 30 to 45 seconds per truck. Our drivers no sooner apply the parking brake to get loaded and the CX700 is blowing the horn to let them know they are full.
What do your operators think of the CX700B?
The CX700B is very quick for a large tractor and has an extremely comfortable operator environment. The hydraulics are at the top of its class and the machine is able to multi-task functions such as using the boom and stick functions while traveling. The tractor is extremely stable and handles the six cubic yard bucket easily. The greasing and service points are also very well planned; all the fittings are easily accessible from the ground.
Do you own any other Case CE equipment?
Yes, we have a long standing relationship with Groff Tractor & Equipment Inc. Aside from our new CX700B, we also have a CX470B, CX460, CX330, four CX210B’s, CX135, three 330 haul trucks, 650K dozer, 580M backhoe and two 586E all-terrain fork lifts.
We always say our customers don’t care what colors our tractors are, they just want their homes built right, on time, and at a fair price. Groff Tractor & Equipment has represented the Case product line to RWS for many years and has made it possible for us to focus on what we do best and let them worry about our equipment needs.
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