Four Silos Land Management in N.Y.'s Hudson Valley specializes in excavation, forestry, and landscape design for residential clients. Innovations like the Rotastar screening bucket and Mecalac 8MCR machine have boosted efficiency and capabilities, elevating the company's craft of shaping outdoor spaces.
CEG photo
Polyurethane stars are the key to the Rotastar's efficiency and durability.
In the rolling hills of New York's Hudson Valley — between Poughkeepsie and Hudson — Four Silos Land Management is carving out more than just earth.
Based in Ancram, N.Y., this boutique excavation and land management company has steadily built a name for itself in Columbia and northern Dutchess Counties, focusing on specialized services that blend excavation, forestry and natural landscape design.
At the helm is owner Mason Berlinghoff, who grew up on a family farm, where early exposure to landscaping and equipment sparked a lifelong fascination.
"My mom had a landscaping business since she was 18," he said. "We had tractors and small machines around — I always loved getting on the equipment."
Today, Four Silos Land Management offers services in excavation, trenching, selective forestry work and landscape construction. Its approach is deeply hands-on, with one employee and occasional help from a business partner.
"We're not your typical contractor," Berlinghoff said. "Ninety-five percent of our work is directly with residential customers — no home builders or big developments. It's all custom, site-specific work."
The company's projects often include trenching for utilities, woodland thinning, invasive species removal and natural hardscaping using bluestone and native boulders.
Over the years, the company has grown and prospered. A nice assortment of equipment was acquired as the need arose.
A breakthrough for Four Silos came in the form of a Rotastar portable screening bucket, purchased through A&D Equipment. Mounted to the Mecalac 8MCR, the Rotastar uses durable polyurethane stars to aerate and screen material efficiently — without the need for an expensive screening plant.
"I had been eyeing something for screening material, but small screening plants were going for at least 30,000," Berlinghoff said. "The Rotastar was significantly less expensive, had no engine to maintain and was way easier to transport and operate on tight job sites. You do not need to transport the materials, to the screening point — that saves a ton of money — you are only handling the materials once."
A&D Equipment loaned a demo unit, letting Four Silos test it out (this is done through the Rotastar Tour America Program, which A&D Equipment will ship the bucket to a potential customer at no cost to use for a couple of weeks. The company also provides virtual training and best operating practices.)
"Once I used it, I was sold," he said. "We were able to screen sod, garden soil, even chunky concrete-laced material. It handled everything. I haven't had a single star wear out or break yet — and I've put 50 to 70 hours on it."
The company opted for one of the mid-size Rotastar buckets, the RS4-9, which features four shafts of stars, improving output and letting the company screen approximately 30 yds. of material per hour.
"It's been a major time-saver.," he said. "In trenching jobs, we screen right next to the trench, place the screened material back in as bedding and dump the excess rock farther down the line."
The Rotastar also has been great for creating high grade topsoil from sod and other difficult to manage soil types.
"It does a great job breaking and aerating material," he said. ""I am very glad we purchased the RS4-9 with four shafts versus a smaller unit with less shafts. I believe it greatly increased our production volume. When we are trenching, we use all of the materials that the screener produces. Oversized stone is used toward the top of the trench and the screened material gives us great bedding."
"A&D Equipment's support also has been phenomenal," he said. "I didn't even have them install the bucket, but they were ready to walk me through anything I needed including the installation. They're quick to respond and really care about their customers. It's rare to find that level of personal attention."
To elevate its capabilities, Four Silos also recently made a game-changing investment: a Mecalac 8MCR, purchased from Lorusso Heavy Equipment in Massachusetts. Marketed as a hybrid between a skid steer and a compact excavator, the Mecalac offered the flexibility the business needed.
"I first saw the Mecalac on social media and was immediately intrigued," Berlinghoff said. "Then, I got to test it out at a demo event hosted by A&D Equipment. It's a powerful, compact machine with the ability to fold up and maneuver under low branches and wires — it was exactly what I needed."
While it doesn't fully replace a skid steer, it covers a wide range of tasks and reduces the need to haul multiple machines to job sites.
"I wanted something I could use in tight spaces but still move a lot of material," he said. "The track speed and overall design impressed me. It's refined, almost like a piece of precision engineering."
To optimize the use of the Mecalac Berlinghoff also purchased a Steelwrist tiltrotator from Lorusso Heavy Equipment.
"In 2019, I saw a tiltrotator in action for the first time," Berlinghoff said. "That was the hook. It showed me a whole new level of precision and capability. I knew I had to have one — and that I wanted to move forward building my business around it."
"The tiltrotator really changed the game," he added. "Compared to others, the Steelwrist stood out for its engineering and support team. The quick oil S-coupler system was a major upgrade from what I'd used before."
According to Berlinghoff, the tiltrotator dramatically changed how he did work.
"I was able to bring a variety of attachments with me to each job site, whether it be a grapple or a ditching bucket, a pair of forks, … each attachment I could easily change out from the cab of the machine in literally seconds," he said. "It has been a huge time saver."
As for the learning curve with the Mecalac and Steelwrist?
"It takes time," he said "The geometry changes with every movement, and you have to think differently. But that's what I wanted — a machine that challenges me and lets us do complex work in tight spaces."
At the end of the day, Four Silos Land Management isn't just about moving dirt — it's about crafting the land — cleaning woods, building gardens and shaping terrain with a level of control and creativity that only modern tools and a deep passion for the work can deliver.
"We love making woods walkable, building boulder walls, laying stone steps and giving people beautiful, functional outdoor spaces," Berlinghoff said. CEG
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