Construction Equipment Guide
470 Maryland Drive
Fort Washington, PA 19034
800-523-2200
Wed December 15, 2021 - National Edition #26
To supplement their teacher incomes, brothers John and Jesse Flynn started an asphalt patching and driveway paving business in the Louisville, Ky., area in 1973, working from the back of their pickup truck. Flynn Brothers Inc. took off and younger brother, Ed, joined the company in 1980. In 1982, Jim Rice came on board to serve as a partner in the business. Under this management team, the company grew, with operations expanding to take on paving, sitework and utility projects.
Flynn Brothers Inc. became an employee-owned company in 2004 and its operations have continued to grow. Major projects include a total pavement replacement on a heavily trafficked stretch of Interstate 65 in Louisville; excavation, clearing and sanitary line installation for the 40-acre Buechel Basin Wastewater Storage Facility; and site work, underground utilities and asphalt paving for the Paddock Shops, one of Louisville's largest shopping centers.
Noted for its experience and expertise with projects involving the area's uniquely hard limestone, Flynn Brothers was awarded the contract to conduct site work and excavation for Republic National Distributing Company's new facility. Republic markets and distributes wine and spirit products to bars, restaurants, hotels and liquor stores throughout Kentucky. The company has more than 300 employees and handles more than 50 percent of wine and almost half of the bourbon sold in Kentucky. The new complex, located on Blankenbaker Parkway in Louisville, will include a 326,000-ft. warehouse and office complex.
Jim Slinker, head of Flynn Brothers' drilling and blasting division, was on site in October to begin the project. Slinker estimates that there are 80,000 yds. of mass rock along with storm sewer, sanitary sewers and water supply line access that requires drilling and blasting. Drilling depths for the project will range from 10 to 21 ft., based on the current plans.
While Republic National Distributing Company relies on Flynn Brothers to get the work done, Flynn Brothers relies on employees equipped with reliable and highly productive equipment to accomplish the task on time. For drilling rock, the company turns toRock Commander rock drills.
Flynn Brothers has used Soosan America's Rock Commander rock drills for the majority of its drilling needs since 2018. The company currently has three Rock Commander drills in its fleet: a JD1400E-II and two JD800E-II drills.
Designed to be economical yet dependable, the JD1400E-II is powered by the Cummins QSL9 engine, with a GHH Rand compressor and the YH135 drifter. The JD1400E-II can drill deep holes from 3.5 to 5 in. in diameter, with fast drilling rates and low maintenance cost, according to the company.
To improve overall productivity and reduce operator fatigue, the unit features a large cab design and tilt console for greater comfort. Available options include an extendable boom, water suppression, angle system and longer mast.
The newest addition to the Rock Commander lineup — the JD800-II — is smaller than the JD-1400E-II but shares a majority of the large machine's components. The JD-800E-II features a large cab design and tilt console and can operate with T45 or T51 drill steel and can handle hole diameters ranging from 2.75 to 4 in.
The JD800-II is powered by a Cummins QSB6.7, providing power for operating the hydraulics, compressor and the YH80A drifter. The JD-800E-II is used by construction and development contractors that need to drill a mid-size hole without breaking the bank.
With more than a year's worth of work complete on this project, downtime has been kept to a minimum due to Soosan's simple to maintain systems. Rock Commander drills are front and center on Flynn Brothers' latest project, as well as hundreds of other projects currently under way throughout the United States and Canada.
For more information, visit rockdrills.net. CEG