At first glance, it might be hard to determine what John MacAdam, a Scotsman born in the 18th century and the Lindley brothers, David and Jeffrey, born in the 20th century have in common. Their common bond is their dedication to build a better road.
When MacAdam was appointed surveyor to the Bristol Turnpike Trust in 1816, he devised a new way of building roads — with crushed stone bound with gravel on a firm base of large stone. The roads were built slightly convex so that the rainwater would drain off before it could penetrate the foundation. This way of building roads later became known the Macadamized system.
For many years, an asphalt pavement was referred to a Macadam. Today, cold planning, hot mix asphalt and Superpave are the terms used in the paving industry and the Lindley brothers are a definitely a part of that industry.
Lindley Brothers Asphalt Paving Inc., of Northport, NY, was established in 1985 by David and Jeffrey Lindley. The company is run by David with Jeffrey as his partner. They started in the paving business doing residential driveway work. When the opportunity presented itself, the Lindleys purchased a competitive paving company and gradually moved into commercial paving.
At first, the company took on small jobs such as gas stations, but today they will quote jobs as small as 10 tons of asphalt or as high as 1,500 tons of asphalt.
In addition, the company also has found a special niche serving golf and country clubs such as the Nassau Country Club where Lindley handles everything from resurfacing a large parking lot to paving the course’s golf cart trails.
Just as MacAdam wanted to build better roads, so too the Lindleys strive to build better roads with the machinery they use. Recently, the Lindley brothers took delivery of a brand new LeeBoy 8515 paver, which they purchased from All Island Equipment located in West Babylon, NY. The brothers had purchased a LeeBoy 8500 paver previously and were pleased with the paver and the service they received from All Island Equipment. When it was time for them to step up to the model 8515, “It was a no brainer,” according to David.
The LeeBoy 8515 has some new features, not found on the older model, which include: dual electronic controls, which allow the paver to be operated from the left- or the right-hand side; and polyurethane pads on the track cause less damage to the paving surface.
In addition, the LeeBoy 8515 has new oversized 12-in. augers, which feed material faster to extensions of the paver. It also features hydraulic tilt on the extensions, which lends itself to paving shoulders, and the electronic steering provides for smooth maneuverability.
Another reason that they like the LeeBoy 8515 is the 15-ft. extensions. With the extensions, the paver can act as two machines in one — a small and a large machine. They also believe that the power extensions will make for a better crown, which will allow for better drainage, and overall the LeeBoy will provide smoother seams. All these factors add up to a happy customer.
The workmanship of the LeeBoy machines is not the only reason that the Lindleys continue to go to All Island Equipment for their machinery needs. They are impressed with the service they have received from Gary Wade, president of All Island Equipment
“We can’t say enough good things about Gary and All Island Equipment. When you do a deal with Gary you get a new partner who is on your side, who is very hands on. He desperately wants to keep you as a customer,” explained Jeff.
“When we have a question, he gives us great support. If he doesn’t have the answer, you are likely to see him show up at the job site with a factory rep. He’ll keep digging until he gets to the bottom of your problem,” said Jeff.
For 20 years, All Island Equipment has been supplying the Lindley’s with their equipment needs and in addition to the LeeBoy pavers, they have purchased Massey-Ferguson tractors, Interstate trailers, and various rollers.
As MacAdam was innovative in his roadbuilding technique, so too do the Lindley’s appreciate ingenuity in the products they use and they try to incorporate it in all aspects of their company.
As an example, last year they purchased an IH 7400 service truck with four doors making it handy for hauling laborers in and out from the job site, said David. The service truck also is equipped with five different tanks for air, water and petroleum.
In addition, the truck carries an industrial-size air compressor. The compressor is strong enough to operate two jackhammers simultaneously.
According to David, “When we pull in on the job site with our well-equipped International truck, we are confident that we can handle any curve balls the job may throw at us.”
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