COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — On Friday, March 24 Bradley Excavating shut down operations for the reveal of a fully rebuilt 330C excavator at 4Rivers Equipment’s Colorado Springs location.
The entire crew from Bradley Excavating came out to see the refurbished 2004 machine with 12,540 hours on it. This particular excavator has been an integral part of Bradley Excavating’s history, a company established in 2002.
“We bought this machine, our first big excavator, back in 2005,” Owner and Founder Bradley Grubeugh said. “This machine has a history of building the business with us and has been one of my favorite machines from the get-go.”
With such a history with the excavator, Grubeugh wasn’t ready to part with it when it seemed to reach its last life. That’s why when Colorado Springs Service Manager Rich Jeanblanc approached Grubeugh with the possibility of a Relife, it was an easy decision for the long-time customer.
“4Rivers has always been there as a partner and worked with us through the good and the bad. So, when they approached me about the Relife, I thought absolutely. The machine had good bones, great structure and I thought if we can replace all the organs in it and have a new machine with a three-year warranty, let’s go for it,” Grubeugh said.
Jeanblanc said Grubeugh was just like a kid with a new car when he presented him with the Relife package.
“As we talked about the Relife process I said, ‘if we are going to do it, let’s go all out,’’’ Grubeugh said. “I wanted new door panels, a new radio and a new paint job to make it look like the new machines.”
It took 4Rivers Equipment about five weeks and 350 hours to complete the project. It was a team effort between Service Technicians Jake Allen, Chris Winans and Nick Jewell. When the project was completed, the excavator was unrecognizable.
“When the curtain dropped, so did my jaw,” Grubeugh said. “It looks like a brand-new machine, and I can’t wait for it to hit the field. My phone is going to ring a lot with people asking me when I got that new 350, and I am going to have fun telling them it’s a 330 and it’s a 2004.”
The cost of a machine rebuild, depending on the condition of the machine is typically half or less than half the cost of purchasing a new machine. The process allows the customer not to give up a good product because it has seen wear and tear. It optimizes total owning and operating costs by getting a machine through its second life.
This project marks the completion of Colorado Springs first machine rebuild. According to the crew there, it was an exciting new venture and will definitely not be the last. Jeanblanc said the entire shop was enthusiastic and excited all week leading up to the reveal.
“We knew this was the week. We did finishing touches like you see on car rebuild shows. The same enthusiasm and excitement were in the shop — just making sure it was perfect and wiping down the dust. We had so much excitement all week and the reveal could not come soon enough,” Jeanblanc said.
Bradley Excavating already has the next rebuild project in the 4Rivers Equipment parking lot, a 2013 350G LC and plans to continue rotating their machines through. 4Rivers Equipment thanks Bradley Excavating for their continued partnership.
“The whole team at 4Rivers has been outstanding to work with, they’ve kept me in the loop all the way through and even added a couple additional touches,” Grubeugh said.
