Thompson Tractor Opens New Huntsville, Alabama, Facility

4 SPRING 2009 Thompson Tractor Co.
The Thompson Cat Rental Store:
Celebrating 10 years of growth
Thompson Tractor Co. Inc. has always rented
machines, but it was more in the rent-to-sale businesses.
Customers would typically rent these machines and
purchase them rather than return them to us. In April
1999, Thompson Tractor decided to be in the full-line
rental business (rent-to-rent) and started the Thompson
CAT Rental Store. In the beginning, there were two
locations employing 13 people, one in Birmingham at
6th Avenue South and the other was in Montgomery off
the northern by-pass. The Thompson Cat Rental Store
now also has Alabama locations in Anniston, Calvert,
Dothan, Huntsville, Mobile, Shelby County, Tuscaloosa
and Thomasville. We also have locations in Panama
City and Pensacola, Florida, as well as a new facility
built in the Birmingham location. We currently have
about 150 employees at these 12 locations servicing
our customers.
Some people ask, “What’s a full-line rental store?”
Well, at Thompson it’s a rental store that has a very
wide range of products in the rental fleet — including a
range of aerial lifts, excavators, backhoes, water pumps
and more. Of course, the Thompson Cat Rental Store
carries the CAT ® machines such as the 320 excavator,
D5 dozer, 930 rubber tire loader, skid steer loaders,
mini-excavators and so on. But what some do not know
is that Thompson CAT Rental stores also carry a large
amount of non-CAT machines, such as manlifts, carry
decks, cranes, dump trucks, water trucks, water pumps,
air compressors, welding machines and small electric
drills. Thompson CAT Rental Stores are also dealers
for many product manufacturers, including Shuttle Lift
Cranes, Manitex truck-mounted cranes, Miller Welding,
Multi-Quip and Genie Industries.
The Thompson CAT Rental Store has almost any
item a contractor would need to rent on almost any
job. Thompson strives to be a “One-Stop Shop” for our
customers’ rental needs. Not only that, Thompson is
more than happy to rent these products for a day, a week,
or really, as long as the customer needs them. That’s the
point, providing the services that our customers want.
The Thompson CAT Rental Store also has the
privilege to market and distribute the Caterpillar ®
CCE (Compact Construction Equipment) products in
the state of Alabama and in the Panhandle of Florida.
These products consist of skid steer loaders, multiterrain
loaders and compact wheel loaders. The sales of
these products have consistently grown over the years,
and now represent a large part of our business. With
the additional products now available from Caterpillar,
the Thompson Cat Rental Store can compete with any
product offering from our competition.
What’s the Right Machine for you?
Deciding between Skid Steer loaders, multi-Terrain loaders and new compact Track loaders
Matching the right machine to the
primary services offered by a contractor
can save time and, ultimately, make a
job more profitable.
But deciding when to use a skid steer
loader versus a multi-terrain loader
can be a difficult decision — and the
answer can change from one job to
another. The introduction of new Cat ®
Compact Track Loaders, meanwhile,
has added another machine to the
equation.
The good news: If you properly
analyze the benefits, you’re all but
guaranteed to improve your crew’s
productivity and your bottom line.
So which machine — skid steer
loader, multi terrain loader or compact
track loader — is the best fit for your
jobsite?
Skid Steer Loaders (SSL)
SSLs have been around longer than
their rubber track counterparts, and are
still the best fit for many applications
— mostly because of their speed.
“For everyday work the skid
steer, we’re finding, can grade very
well,” says Dan Hollowell, owner of
APEX Excavation and Services Inc.,
Meridian, Idaho. “Any time we have
a crew of concrete guys behind us, we
can outrun a grader.”
Consider the wheeled machine
when:
• Working on surfaces that aren’t
particularly sloped, rugged or wet.
If a SSL can get the job done, it’s
often the right choice because of
the speed and productivity the
wheels provide.
• Looking for compaction. The
tires compact materials, which is
desirable in some applications.
Multi-Terrain Loaders (MTL)
MTLs feature rubber track
undercarriages, which don’t damage
tender surfaces. “You can get through
a finished yard without destroying it,”
says Steve Hutchison, an operator for
Mike Dusselier Concrete Flatwork Co.
Inc., Olathe, Kan. That saves the firm
substantial seeding and sodding time.
Also consider MTLs when:
• Working in wet conditions. The
undercarriage provides low ground
pressure and excellent flotation so
contractors can work in almost any
weather.
• Traveling over curbs and sidewalks,
which also could be damaged by
other machines.
• Working in sharp aggregate or
construction sites where nails and
other objects can puncture tires.
• Working on grades. Operators report
the MTLs have better gripping than
SSLs.
Compact Track Loaders (CTL)
CTLs feature a steel track
undercarriage, compared with the
rubber undercarriage on MTLs. The
steel provides extra strength and
durability.
“It’s more of a gritty machine,” says
Steven Stratton, president of Steven
Connecting Machines with Attachments
for Maximum Productivity
The cat ® Rental Store Business Tip
Making the right connection of
machine and attachment can help
maximize productivity on the jobsite.
First, select a machine that allows
easy exit and entry of the machine
and offers good visibility from the
operator’s seat to the attachment. Its
coupler configuration should allow an
operator unobstructed access to the seat
and a clear view to the attachment.
Second, determine the type of
coupler the machine will need. The
universal coupler interface and low
profile side plates of mechanical quick
couplers allow the most attachments
to match properly while keeping dirt
and debris out. Two high-leverage
handles serve to engage or disengage
the attachments.
Hydraulic quick couplers have a
rocker switch in the cab that controls
two hydraulic cylinders (that replace
the manual handles of a mechanical
coupler), allowing the operator to
change attachments while in the cab.
Hydraulic cylinders control the vertical
wedge pins that lock the attachments
in place.
High-Flow and Standard-Flow
Hydraulics
Hydraulic power not only provides
power to the wheels, but it also operates
the loader to enable lifting and tilting,
and runs the auxiliary circuit, which
drives attachments.
The criteria for “high-flow” or
“standard-flow” may differ from one
manufacturer to another. Typically,
high-flow circuits exceed 26 gallons
per minute and 3,300 psi. Highflow
machines designated “XPS”
(33 gallons/ minute at 4,050 psi) are
capable of maintaining maximum
pressure regardless of attachment
speed or working conditions, at low
or high idle. The typical flow for a
standard-flow machine is 22 gallons
per minute.
Types of Attachments
Attachments fall into two groups:
fabricated and hydromechanical.
Buckets and forks, which do not
have moving parts controlled by the
operator, are “fabricated” attachments.
Hydromechanical attachments include
multi-purpose buckets, mulchers,
hammers, augers, grapples, rakes and
other attachments that are powered by
the machine’s auxiliary hydraulics.
“Choosing
attachments that
can be operated by
multiple machines
may enhance
flexibility and
productivity on the
jobsite.
Fabricated attachments are the most
universal, and the machine from one
manufacturer can attach the buckets or
forks made by another manufacturer
with very little trouble, as they do
not require additional hydraulics to
operate.
Hydromechanical attachments have
more specific requirements. Therefore,
most equipment manufacturers
Stratton Inc., Hastings, Fla. “It’s
designed to be a workhorse.”
Consider CTLs when:
• Working in the toughest applications.
The undercarriage can handle sand,
coarse mud and even demolition
work. Those in the field also report
that the tracks hold up well when
working in jagged stone.
• Working in fines. Silt and sand
sometimes damage rubber track
undercarriages, but those involved
in the testing of the Cat CTLs
reported no problems from the fine
materials.
• Power is required. The Cat ® CTLs
have an increase of about 10
horsepower over the comparable
recommend that machines use the
hydromechanical attachments from the
same manufacturer. Why? Hydraulic
hose hook-ups and fittings are of the
same strength and brand, ensuring a
proper match and tight fit to reduce
leaks and loss of pressure. Machines
and attachments are designed to work
as a system, and these pairings are
intended to maximize the horsepower
and hydraulic capabilities.
Attachments to Match
Equipment manufacturers may
offer an attachment in a variety of
configurations. Augers are a good
example: Direct drive or planetary
drive augers are available for
standard hydraulic flow machines.
These configurations are designed to
MTLs, but those in the field report
it feels more like 20 horsepower.
• Speed AND tracks are required.
The fully suspended steel track
undercarriage helps deliver a
smooth ride, which in turn aids in
load retention. The standard two
speed on the Cat CTLs mean the
machines can move at 8.5 mph
while retaining their load.
The speed of the Cat CTLs has not
gone unnoticed by Cork Peterson, vice
president of Peterson Contractors Inc.
“If you can get one (hole) more per
day, it doesn’t cost you anything —
just a little bit of rock,” Peterson says.
“The labor is the same, the machine is
the same. The secret is getting the rock
to the hole fast enough.”
maximize the capabilities of the
hydraulic circuit and are intended for
medium-duty applications. A high-flow
planetary-driven auger on a high-flow
hydraulic machine would be appropriate
for extreme-duty applications. The
high-flow configuration is designed
for maximum torque, and the hydraulic
hoses and seals are built to withstand
the additional pressure and maintain a
leak-free connection.
Additionally, some are designed to
accommodate (or compensate for)
machines of a certain size. For instance,
a landscape tiller model for machines
up to 66 inches wide is offset to cover
one set of the machine’s tire tracks.
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