Proving What a Difference Undercarriage Can Make
Despite being an often forgotten component, a machine's undercarriage is vitally important.
Whether you’re clearing a site, digging a foundation or doing landscaping work, the undercarriage on your machine is critical to the speed and effectiveness of your machine’s ability to do the job. Jake Wade of EK Land Management knows this. “I have always loved everything Cat. It’s just better,” says Jake.
While working at his family’s business, Wade Quarries, Jake garnered over 20 years of experience supplying aggregates to companies like BNSF, Kansas City Power & Light as well as many state and federal highway projects. Jake founded EK Land Management after his family sold Wade Quarries in 2017.
The Wade family’s legacy is built on hard work. The core values Jake learned working alongside his grandfather and father are deeply embedded into his family and work at EK Land Management. Jake says, “The quarry was a great toolbox. I was able to surround myself with great people and was able to learn from each of them to help me become better at what I do.”
Jake is about continuous improvement. Always tweaking and engineering things to make them better.
Giving Talent The Right Tools
Jake says that a very important part of any job is the equipment used. The equipment needs to match the size of the project, the material being cleared and the rate at which you want it moved.
“In order to attract, develop and retain the best team, I recognized early on that I need to provide them with the best equipment, technology and tools to help them deliver superior work.”
Jake has always been sold on Fecon mulching equipment. He uses a Fecon FTX128L forestry mulcher with a BH85 heavy duty mulching attachment. It works quickly and efficiently when the terrain is steep/challenging/frozen and has a strong reputation for durability. “There is nothing it can’t handle,” said Jake.
When the Fecon needed an undercarriage replacement after only 1200 hours of use, he had an idea. Why not outfit the best mulcher in the business with the best machine undercarriage on the market to create a one-of-a-kind, best-in-class mulching machine?
Convinced that Cat undercarriage was the only way to go, he reached out to Rodney Warren, his Product Support Representative at Foley Equipment from his days at Wade Quarries.Exploring Possibilities
After a consultation with Rodney and Drew Deever, Shop Manager at Foley, Jake’s idea began to materialize.
“This was really an exciting project to be a part of,” says Rodney. “Jake’s concept essentially took the best of two worlds and combined them to create a unique, rugged mulcher with unbeatable loader arms and track power.”
The dry seal undercarriage Jake was replacing had given him about 1200 hours. Cat’s undercarriage utilizes an enhanced sealed and lubricated track system that seals in lubricants and keeps out debris, resulting a longer wearing system and reduced operating costs.
Jake selected a Cat track that would typically be installed on a Cat D3 Dozer that would support 19,000 lbs.
Because Cat manufactures its own undercarriage, every component meets strict specifications and quality standards that no competitor can match. Durable, reliable components result in the lowest total cost of ownership.
“A lot of tweaking was done throughout the entire process,” says Drew Deever. We modified the drive sprocket idler and roller under the roller frame. This required a lot of testing and fitting. Chad Droege and Dave Hahn two of our master techs were critical in the success of this project. We couldn’t have done it without them.”
Partners in Success
Jake says the team at Foley went above and beyond to help him realize his ambitious equipment improvement.
“Working with Rodney and the Foley service team has been a pleasure. The video and picture updates, as well as the communication through the entire project has been outstanding. They took something the manufacture said was impossible and made it happen. I couldn’t ask for a better partnership as I continue to expand my business.”
The relationship between EK Land Management and Foley Equipment reflects the companies’ shared values and is a testament to their commitment to being a partner in each other’s success.
EK Land Management is located in LaCygne, KS and services multiple states and communities in the Midwest. They offer land clearing services for right of way, acreages, utility and city municipalities. To learn more about EK Land Management, visit their web site at https://www.eklandmanagement.com.