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No Rain Delays
TANGIPAHOA PARISH LANDFILL REMAINS OPEN, NO MATTER THE WEATHER
A hard rain’s been falling for days; this is Louisiana after all, but a steady parade of trucks makes their way into the Tangipahoa Parish Landfill in Amite. A Cat® 140K Motor Grader keeps the access road in good driving condition, despite the weather, and the trucks keep rolling.
“It’s been raining all week, so it’s muddy. We put limestone and gravel down to keep the access roads open,” says Donnie Colona, landfill operations manager. “The biggest challenge is keeping access roads open through the weather that we have here.”
“They expect us to be open, regardless of the weather,” Colona says. “It doesn’t matter if it rains. We still have to do the work. We don’t want to be closed.”
When Tropical Storm Barry blew through Louisiana last summer, Tangipahoa Parish Landfill was open for business as usual on the Monday after the storm.
“There were probably 15 garbage trucks lined up at the gate that morning. They worked Friday, so they had to unload their Friday garbage in order to run their Monday routes,” Colona recalls.
The Type II landfill processes between 500 and 600 tons of trash daily. It’s open Monday through Friday, and accepts materials from the parish’s 132,000 residents on Saturday mornings. The landfill, which has 34 employees, has a projected life of approximately 100 years.
Running Smoothly
Sixteen Cat machines help keep operations running smoothly at the Tangipahoa Parish Landfill.
While the 140K Motor Grader keeps roadways in good driving condition, a Cat 826K Landfill Compactor pummels trash into place on the working face. The compactor utilizes a Trimble compaction system with 3D imaging to improve efficiency.
“It helps us to be efficient by putting the materials in correctly the first time, and the equipment helps us make sure that we’re getting the compaction that we need,” Colona says. “We put the slopes in right the first time, and we know that we’re not wasting air space.”
The 3D imaging system is easy for operators to use. “The operator gets in that machine in the morning.”
He pushes a button to start the compactor, and the Trimble system comes right on. He’s ready to roll in less than five minutes,” Colona says. “It’s color coded, and lets the operator know when an area is compacted. It lets the operator know the material isn’t sinking anymore, and it’s time to move on to another area.”
A Cat D6T LGP Dozer outfitted with GRADE with 3D builds cells for the placement of trash at the landfill. Cat GRADE with 3D is factory-integrated technology designed to help operators improve grading accuracy and efficiency. Cat GRADE with 3D matches blade load with ground conditions, helping the operator achieve full blade loads and produce smooth, quality grades with less effort. “It takes all the guesswork out. It’s awesome,” Colona says.
Eight Cat 730C and 730C2 articulated haul trucks transport material excavated for cell construction to the working face, where the material is used to cover trash.
“We work 12 hours a day,” Colona says. “We’re hauling 200 loads of dirt a day with those trucks.”
Keeping Uptime High
All Cat machines in the Tangipahoa Parish Landfill fleet are leased from Louisiana Cat. Leasing means that the fleet consists mainly of newer equipment. Leased machines are typically under warranty as long as they stay in the fleet. This helps keep uptime high.
“The main advantage of leasing is machine uptime. With newer machines, uptime is high,” Colona notes.
A service agreement with Louisiana Cat is included in leases.
“You call, and they’re here right away. They’ve got good mechanics. The service department is excellent, very dependable,” Colona says.
Louisiana Cat technicians travel to the landfill to service machines, which helps machines return to work quickly.
S•O•SSM Fluids Sampling helps keep uptime high, and prevents small problems from escalating into larger ones.
“If there’s any trace of dirt, metals, wear, anything like that, they send me an email or call and ask when would be a good day to service the machine,” Colona says. “They’ll come by after-hours, or before work begins in the morning. They schedule service around our schedule, so we can keep working.”
Parts delivery is another service provided by Louisiana Cat.
“If we order a part today, we’ll have it the next day,” Colona says. “It’s very quick.”
Leasing and other services provided by Louisiana Cat including technology that improves efficiency, high-quality machines, and top- notch employees combine to keep Tangipahoa Parish Landfill open during inclement weather and operating smoothly.
