Over the years, kicking tires has paid off for Lancaster Development Inc., one of the largest contractors in Upstate New York.
Marty Galasso Jr., Lancaster Development’s executive vice president, likes to see what kind of production a piece of equipment has to offer before purchasing it.
The company’s extensive inventory includes a Lippmann 4800 horizontal impact crusher, which is currently on rental/purchase from Upstate Screens and Crushers of Holley, NY.
After the initial set-up of the Lippmann, some slight modifications were necessary to ensure that it would perform at optimum efficiency.
“We had a great experience with our original rental of the Lippmann 4800,” said Galasso. “Parts availability, service and technical support were wonderful from Joe Sidonio [of Upstate Screens and Crushers].”
“This was our very first experience with a portable horizontal impact crusher. Joe directed us to the Lippmann product and we had a comfort level with him because of our past business relationship,” said Galasso.
Before purchasing the Lippmann, Upstate Screens and Crushers had a solidified working relationship with Galasso, who had purchased an Extec turbo in 1998 and an Extec S5 portable tracked screener in 2004.
When Galasso first rented the Lippmann 4800 a few years ago, he used it to make crusher run out of ledge rock and cobbles. From both of these raw materials Lancaster Development made a spec sub-base product that met New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) 203 and 304 item.
The rental was for Lancaster Development’s company, Tri-City Highway Products. With the help of the Lippmann, 47,000 tons (42,638 t) of product was processed in its Binghamton, NY, facility.
“The ideal application for the Lippmann is as a recycling machine for processing concrete and asphalt, but it works very well as a primary and secondary crusher for processing sub-base,” said Galasso.
According to Galasso, the machine has helped process material from approximately 24-in. (61 cm) down to 1.5 in. (3.8 cm).
“Under decent conditions, we can hit production levels of 200 to 250 tons per hour,” said Galasso. “The 425 horsepower engine with a 100 kilowatt genset gives the Lippmann far more impact power than any other crusher on the market and that means more production for us.”
When Galasso needed minor modifications to his machine, Sidonio worked closely with Lippmann’s headquarters.
“Within 24 hours, he came up with a solution that had the Lippmann working in our application at peak efficiency,” said Galasso.
Over the years, Galasso has used track-mounted crushers for various applications. He has chosen to invest in Lippmann’s portable horizontal impact crusher because it is more efficient than other machines he has used in the past, he said.
The Lippmann 4800 has a pan feeder under the crusher chamber. It helps to align material in the direction of the belt flow and absorbs its impact and velocity, which protects the belt from hard impacts and guides materials up the belt in recycling applications, minimizing wear and tear.
Due to the space constraints below the crushing chamber inherent in the design of a track-mounted machine, there is not much room for a vibrating pan feeder, said Galasso.
Galasso also appreciated the Lippmann’s versatility.
“This year we were able to take a mixed pile of material from a highway reconstruction project. This material included broken concrete with embedded rebar and asphalt pavement mixed with some sub-base material,” he said. “From that mixed pile, we were able to make a crusher recycled sub-base [which we sold to several customers as well as to ourselves] in one pass. In this particular application, we really appreciated the Dings Magnet System, which was able to remove rebar and dowel pins from the mixed material and prevent significant damage to the crusher and conveying systems.
“The design is very impressive,” he added. “The plant runs off of a powerful and energy efficient C-12 Caterpillar engine with a Marathon generator mounted to it. We move the plant five or six times a year and our setup time is three hours.”
Galasso initially purchased the Lippmann due to the changes in the way he conducts business.
“Even in very rural areas of Upstate New York, it’s getting harder and harder to find places [where] you can dispose of concrete and asphalt, so reusing those materials from the job by processing and then using them on other jobs has substantial economic returns for us,” he said.
“The Lippmann’s design eliminated the need to put a jaw crusher in our processing line,” he added. “So [with] the Lippmann, we can process using just one crusher with the efficient Caterpillar engine and use electricity from the genset to power the conveyors, which means operating at a very efficient level, especially when you consider today’s fuel prices.”
In addition to the machine’s production and fuel efficiency, Galasso pointed out another advantage to the Lippmann’s design: “We can pull it down the highway using only one tractor. No lowboy is needed for transportation.”
About Lancaster Development Inc.
Lancaster Development has become one of the top five road and bridge contractors in Upstate New York with annual revenues exceeding $60 million.
The third-generation family company was founded in 1947 by Vice President Marty Galasso’s great uncle, Gus, who had started the business by building residential housing developments in western New York for GIs returning from World War II.
Shortly after WWII, the nation began creating the Unites States Interstate System, which helped Lancaster Development grow significantly during that period.
Currently, Marty’s brother Mark Galasso serves as Lancaster Development’s president.
Along with the help of loyal employees, the Galassos were able to turn a small family business into an established and profitable company.
When the company celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1997, Gov. George Pataki wrote the following in a congratulatory statement: “As a business whose primary focus is on construction and the provision of construction materials, Lancaster Development is of monumental importance to a most competitive industry and one that will enable New York to flourish and prosper as we enter the 21st century.”
Lancaster Development’s inventory includes 50 heavy highway trucks, 150 light and medium duty trucks and 250 pieces of off-road construction equipment.
The majority of the company’s work is conducted in upstate and central New York, primarily serving the corridor between Syracuse, Binghamton, Albany and the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Within the umbrella of Lancaster Development, there are several other companies including:
• Contour Construction — a commercial, residential and municipal paving and excavation company.
• Tri-City Highway Products — a hot mix asphalt, sand and gravel and trucking company that serves Broome, Tioga, southern Otsego and Delaware counties in New York, and Susquehanna and Bradford counties in PA.
• Chenango Concrete — a ready-mix, sand and gravel producer with three concrete plants and two asphalt plants that serve Chenango County in NY.
• Mag Enterprises LLC — This company provides heavy truck and equipment service and repair in its shop and a 24-hour road service. Soon, Mag also will offer trucking services, and recovery.
For more information, call 585/755-6238. CEG
This story also appears on Aggregate Equipment Guide.
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