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By
Mike Bragar
Technology can
be a contractor's closest ally. A new device, machine, or
system can make all the difference in completing the job quickly,
easily, and at the lowest cost. Increased efficiency and precision
result in contractors being able to take on more work. In
effect, a contractor taking on more work, while keeping costs
down, will most likely end up netting a greater profit. Mesa
Contracting Corporation learned just how valuable cutting-edge
technology can be with its Trilogy Project. Located in Corona,
CA, the Trilogy Project involved the grading of 470 lots and
the Trilogy Glen Ivory Course, a deluxe 18-hole golf course.
Time restrictions plagued the project, however, allowing only
90 working days for its completion.
With a little over
three months, Mesa Contracting's grading foreman, Ted Perry,
knew that the job needed to be done swiftly and smoothly.
"The time for the project was very constrictive,"
he maintains. Therefore, Mesa Contracting decided it would
be a good idea to try out SiteVision GPS. Created by Trimble
of Sunnyvale, CA, SiteVision is a global positioning system
(GPS) that combines satellites with grading and surveying.
SiteVision GPS
involves three integral pieces: a base station, satellites,
and machinery such as bulldozers and blades. "It's pretty
quick installation," relates Perry. "It took about
one day to hook it up. Once you set up the base station, you
don't need to set it up again." The base station is essentially
the brain of SiteVision GPS. A rover backpack gathers a digital
terrain model. These data are then input into software known
as the site calibration file. The site calibration file is
loaded into the base station so that it knows the levels of
the terrain in a 6-mi. area. The base station sends signals
to satellites that, in turn, send signals to the bulldozers
and blades telling operators where they need to go and how
to position their equipment. Light bars and monitors mounted
in the grading machines guide the operator with such tasks
as repositioning the blade vertically or moving to the left
or right. Perry says, "It's very simple. It took 30 minutes
of training to learn how to read the screen." Total Control
Construction Systems Inc. of California installed the SiteVision
GPS equipment on the Trilogy Project. It also thoroughly trained
operators and assisted whenever support was necessary.
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The Trilogy Project
had no need for traditional lasers to guide the dozer and
blade operators. Perry states, "(SiteVision GPS) is more
accurate than lasers because it has a lot less restrictions."
He explains that some of the restrictions that decrease lasers'
efficiency include wind, fog, and darkness. Nevertheless,
with the GPS method, conditions and lighting are not limiting
factors that often obstruct working with lasers. As a matter
of a fact, Mesa Contracting was able to do a topo at 7:30
p.m. "It only took 20 or 30 minutes," Perry recalls.
"We wouldn't have been able to do a topo that late or
that quickly [with traditional means]." Indeed, the Trilogy
Project was reaping the benefits of a system not restricted
by lasers.
The absence of
lasers was definitely an advantage for Mesa Contracting. In
addition, the contractors were impressed by the significant
increase in efficiency on the Trilogy Project. "The dozer
is at full potential all the time," Perry notes. "[We
no longer needed] a grade checker waiting for the dirt to
move or an operator who has to wait for layout." Instead,
the base station directly transmits the information to the
operator. "I don't have to wait for surveying, wood,
or any grade checkers," he adds.
As any grading
contractor knows, a golf course can be a very challenging
and time-consuming project. Normally the various grades and
levels require many stakes, measurements, and plenty of laser
positioning. Yet this did not prove to be the case for the
Trilogy Glen Ivory Course. SiteVision GPS made the staking
obsolete and increased the movement speed significantly. Perry
points out that hole 18 specifically seemed like it would
be a problem: "It's about a 300-yard shot, and the hole
is on this 100-foot-high ridge. We couldn't disturb the vegetation
on either side. Without SiteVision, it would have been a nightmare."
The Trilogy Project
was Mesa Contracting's first time using SiteVision GPS. After
the completion of the grading, grade checkers went on-site
to verify the accuracy of Mesa Contracting's cuts. "It
was right on the money," Perry says. The grading foreman
is also impressed: "I've become so reliant on it that
I can't believe I worked without it before. It saves us around
30% on both time and labor." Perry also points out that
it potentially could be used on different jobs. "If you
had a different job within 6 miles you could use the same
base station. It works on an unlimited amount of dozers and
blades in this radius."
Trying a new system
paid off for the Trilogy Project. Working with Total Control
Construction Systems provided Mesa Contracting with complete
training and installation of the SiteVision GPS equipment.
Total Control Construction Systems also offers free demonstrations
and full support with the systems.
Mike Bragar
is a writer based in Goleta, CA.
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