Working for scale - Plasterer Equipment Company

Working for scale
Toy story. Fred Ertl,
Jr. with one of the first
toys made in his family’s
Dubuque basement.
How scale models moved from
the sandbox to the trophy case
Our story begins in early 20th-century sandboxes
where British kids played with Dinky Toys and Yankee tykes with their TootsieToys®. Early models were
quite crude, but that was to change in 1947 after a
couple of British war buddies began pouring their
own die-cast models under the name Lesney Products. This company launched its most famous line
with a construction toy — Road Roller, Matchbox®
Series No 1.
In 1945, a metal
toy breakthrough
was also underway stateside. In Dubuque, Iowa, journeyman
molder Fred Ertl was on temporary unpaid furlough due to
a strike he refused to participate in. Not one to sit idle, Ertl
made sand-cast molds of an Allis-Chalmers WC Farm Tractor
and set up shop in the family’s basement at 398 N. Algona
Street. Smelting aircraft pistons and other aluminum scrap in
the home’s furnace and pouring the liquefied metal into the
sand molds, Ertl cast a number of toy tractors — including a
John Deere Model “A” — right in his home.
Working for scale
Up from the underground
Welcome to the “Farm Toy Capital of the World”
Assembly of the first toys was conducted upstairs in the family’s kitchen with the assistance of Mrs. Gertrude Ertl and all five
of the children, including 15-year-old Fred Ertl, Jr. “For painting,
Mom would attach a wire to the bodies, dip them into a bucket,
and hang them up to dry. That first month, we would pile into
my Dad’s ’41 Olds and drive around town selling toy tractors
to gas stations and candy and drug stores — any place with a
counter where we could display them. We’d get a buck a piece
for them, then we’d go home and make more.”
It turned out the younger Fred did The Ertl Company proud,
presiding over a move to nearby Dyersville in 1959 and the
worldwide expansion of a toy company that would make
products for fun and collecting, ranging from tractors to motor
graders, and from pedal cars to the Duke boys’ General Lee.
The customer base would also grow from farm kids to adults
bitten by the collectible die-cast replica bug that started ramping up in the 1970s and turned into a worldwide phenomenon.
Ertl changed from a toy company to a corporation building
products for people to enjoy from cradle to grave.
A month into the new company, the elder Ertl took two of his
sons, Fred Jr. and Robert — and a number of toy tractors — on
a pheasant-hunting trip, selling their product along the way
in every Iowa town between Dubuque and Waterloo. At each
stop, the boys would make their pitch, and their sales, and
would always leave a phone number behind for reorders. Two
months into the home-based sideline, the family realized Dad
wouldn’t be returning to his old job when the strike was settled.
“In those days, it was almost pure profit — inexpensive materials, no packaging design or production costs, and a sales force
of two teenaged sons. Of course, that was about to change and
in a hurry.”
An immediate hit
Within a year, The Ertl Company had moved out of the basement
into a nearby plant. By 1947, Ertl began working closely with
Deere & Company designing, manufacturing, and marketing
farm toys carrying the John Deere name. A year later, the
company was going strong with enough orders to keep 50
employees busy. Then, the bad news came: Fred Ertl, Sr.
was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer.
In September of 1947, he was sent to the Mayo Clinic for experimental surgery that yielded almost miraculous results — he
not only survived, but he lived to the age of 79. His running of
Ertl, however, was over, with 18-year-old son Fred Jr. taking
the reins for the next 44 years. “They told me, ‘You have to take
care of your brothers, go to college, and run The Ertl Company.’
“Wait, did I say help take care of my brothers? Well, the good
Lord had another surprise for the Ertls, and my sister, Carol,
was added to our family just six months after I graduated from
high school at Loras Academy. The late 1940s sure were a
productive time for my family!”
4 The Construction Review
Along with the transformation of the Ertl enterprise and its
customer demographic was the makeover of Dyersville, a
town later known for the movie “Field of Dreams” and since
the ’50s as the Farm Toy Capital of the World. Not only is Ertl
located there, but also a few other die-cast companies, two of
the largest annual farm-toy shows, and the National Farm Toy
Museum, which offers thousands of visitors a year a glimpse of
rare tractors — from Olivers to Fordsons to every Deere product
imaginable, even a few made in the Ertls’ cellar.
“THAT FIRST MONTH, WE WOULD PILE INTO
MY DAD’S ’41 OLDS AND DRIVE AROUND TOWN
SELLING TOY TRACTORS TO GAS STATIONS AND
candy and drug stores — any place with a
COUNTER WHERE WE COULD DISPLAY THEM.”
— Fred Ertl, Jr. —
Ertl today
Fred Ertl, Jr. was president of the company from 1948 to 1992
despite several changes in ownership. Today, the company
does business as TOMY®/Ertl®. Vice President of TOMY/Ertl
Bill Walters told us, “We’ve been a licensee of John Deere for
over 60 years, and currently we have over 350 Deere items in
our line, including preschool, radio-control, riding toys, and,
of course, the detailed replicas of current and classic farm and
construction equipment.”
So how did these toys become collectible, Bill? “Well, kids took
them out of their boxes and played with them in their sandboxes,
and many of them were lost or thrown away. And when kids
grow up, many get nostalgic for their youth. The Ertl farm and
construction toys that did survive — especially those in their original boxes — became collectible. Later, as the collectible hobby
became more popular, we were on the forefront of building more
detailed and sophisticated farm and construction replicas.”
1
2
3
4
1 Reflections. Fred Ertl, Jr. at the National Farm Toy Museum pointing out
the detail on his father’s first John Deere toy — a Model “A” Tractor, circa
1946, that was cast either in his family’s basement or at the first Ertl plant
in Dubuque.
2 Memories for sale. Lamont, Iowa, replica retailer and Farm Toy Hall of
Famer Kate Bossen stocks the shelves with Deere 400D ADTs at her shop,
Bossen Implement.
3 From toys to men. TOMY/Ertl V.P. Bill Walters with a few of the 350+
John Deere products currently offered by his company.
4 Ertl iron. The Ertl Company started manufacturing construction equipment
replicas in the early 1950s — around the time Deere started manufacturing
the real thing. The first model off the Ertl line was a yellow 40D Crawler.
5
Working for scale
National Farm Toy Museum
Exploring a toy museum in Dyersville
with Mr. Ertl himself is quite the experience. We got to hear stories about
all the different tractor and equipment
companies — both scaled down and
life-size — from around the world. It’s
pretty easy to get swept up in seeing all
the Marx, Dinky, Eska, and Ertl versions
of pedal cars, tractors, backhoes, cable
cranes, and you-name-it from Deere
and bygone brands like Oliver, Fordson,
and International in everything from
crude tin toys to finely detailed replicas.
The National Farm Toy Museum is open
year-round and deserves the thousands
of visitors it hosts from across the
globe annually.
Walking through the museum’s gift
shop, a young couple recognizes Ertl and
asks him for a photo and an autograph.
While obliging them, they tell him they
are farmers from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and on their honeymoon. Upon
hearing this, he purchases a small Deere
tractor toy and autographs it for them.
“This is for your first child,” he says. It
seems the man so instrumental in his
company’s customer base changing
from children to adults still has a soft
spot for farm kids. >>
One year to make a lifelong memory
CHECK OuT THE VIDEO AT:
JohnDeere.com/ertl
We spoke with John Deere Construction & Forestry Manager of
Events and Promotions David Althaus about how long it takes to get
a construction equipment replica to Deere dealers and retail outlets.
The short answer is one year. The longer answer is:
12
11
9
7
6
3
2
★
MONTHS
OuT
MONTHS
OuT
MONTHS
OuT
MONTHS
OuT
MONTHS
OuT
MONTHS
OuT
MONTHS
OuT
COMPLETION
Althaus meets
with product
marketing
managers to
decide which
models should
be featured.
TOMY/Ertl
starts receiving
photos and
Pro/E files of
prototype
machines.
Deere C&F
receives white
styrene tooling
model from
TOMY/Ertl.
The “first
shot” — a quick
unpainted
version of the
die-cast toy
— for Deere’s
review.
Package
design is
shared, often
with actual
machine specs
provided by
Deere.
The updated
first shot is
painted and
decaled, and
becomes a
“deco model.”
upon approval
of deco model,
the replica
goes into
production.
Replicas arrive
at John Deere
dealerships and
other retailers.
6 The Construction Review
Bucket teeth checkup
Contractors are boosting uptime while lowering operating costs with
Deere-exclusive TK-Series Bucket Teeth
After more than two years in the field, thousands of
teeth working on sites every day, and TK-Series Teeth
shipped as standard equipment on most John Deere
models with buckets, our proprietary bucket tooth
system is tried and true. Case in point? Montgomery
& Stone, an Okemah, Oklahoma, contractor that does
a lot of timber clearing and pond digging — just the
kind of activity that’s extra tough on bucket teeth.
7
Says owner Richard Stone, “We’re a small contractor, and we
rely heavily on our John Deere 200LC Excavator. And as great
as that older machine is working for us, we were losing time on
the job due to broken retaining pins and lost teeth — especially
when working in timber. When you break or lose a tooth, you
have two choices: shut the machine down until you can replace
the tooth, the pin, or both — or try to keep going and risk wearing your shank out.” With teeth or pin failure occurring almost
daily, Stone called CL Boyd, his John Deere dealer, in search of
a third choice.
tooth proBlem solved
“Unlike some of the larger contractors,” says Deere TK
Product Manager Cory Ouellette, “Montgomery & Stone
couldn’t absorb the expense of the constant downtime
they were experiencing with a competitor’s bucket tooth
system. So they called their dealer and asked about the
TK-Series Bucket Teeth they’d been hearing about.”
What their dealer told them would make the decision to switch
to the new teeth a no-brainer. “Kevin Cook at CL Boyd told us
about a promotion where Deere would give you the TK-Series
adapters free with the purchase of the teeth,” says Stone. “Kevin
highly recommended the TK Teeth, and after doing some
research, we decided they might be exactly what we need
to solve a very expensive problem.
“That was over a year ago, and we haven’t had a single problem
with broken pins or teeth since. Since we installed John Deere
TK-Series Teeth, we’ve gone from breaking a tooth almost
daily to no downtime due to lost bucket teeth in over a year.
We’re very happy with our TK-Series Bucket Teeth.”
Field tested, contractor approved
Says Deere’s Ouellette, “Montgomery & Stone’s experience
with the TK-Series is very similar to what we’re hearing across
the country over the past two years. We want to get the word
out about how the benefits of these bucket teeth go way
beyond the system being hammerless. They are remarkably
durable and provide superior tooth retention in the most
difficult applications. TK customers are experiencing virtually
zero pin and tooth breakage or loss.
“The performance of the TK Teeth has been exceptional, and
warranty claims have been almost nil — that’s across the full
line of tooth profiles and sizes, with thousands of TK Teeth in
use on Deere and aftermarket buckets.” >>
Montgomery & Stone is serviced by CL Boyd, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
CHECK OuT THE VIDEO AT:
JohnDeere.com/tkseries
8 The Construction Review
EMiSSiON
SPOTligHT
John Deere continues its leadership role
in updating equipment to meet U.S. EPA
Interim Tier 4 (IT4)/EU Stage IIIB and
Final Tier 4 (FT4)/EU Stage IV standards.
Engine technology in all models is simple,
fluid efficient, field proven, and fully
integrated and supported.
Our latest IT4 equipment models are
highlighted below:
SCRAPER TRACTORS
9R/9RT
WHEEL LOADERS
204K
244J
324J
344K
524K
544K
644K
644K Hybrid
744K
824K
BACKHOE LOADERS
310K
310K EP
310SK TMC
410K
710K
304K
444K
624K
724K
844K-II
310SK
410K TMC
TRACTOR LOADERS
210K
210K EP
CRAWLER LOADERS
605K
655K
755K
CRAWLER DOzERS
450J
550K
700K
750K
650K
850K
SKID STEER LOADERS
313
315
332E
328E
COMPACT TRACK LOADERS
CT315
329E
333E
TeeTh as Tough as nails
All styles of adapters are free with the
purchase of TK-Series Bucket Teeth.*
E xC AVATO R S
27D
160G LC
245G LC
350G LC
670G LC
130G
180G LC
250G LC
380G LC
870G LC
135G
210G/210G LC
290G LC
470G LC
ARTICULATED DUMP TRUCKS (ADTS)
250D-II
300D-II
370E
410E
460E
Here’s a list of our FT4 equipment to date:
Weld-on adapter
Bolt-on adapter
(center)
MOTOR GRADERS
670G/GP
672G/GP
772G/GP
870G/GP
770G/GP
872G/GP
SKID STEER LOADERS
318E
320E
326E
COMPACT TRACK LOADERS
319E
323E
Bolt-on adapter
(two-hole end)
Bolt-on adapter
(one-hole end)
E xC AVATO R S
17D
35G
60G
75G
50G
85G
*See your dealer for details. TK-Series Teeth installed on
new John Deere construction equipment are painted yellow
as shown. Aftermarket TK-Series Teeth are black.
9
independents’ Day
John Deere helps independent rental yards — such as
Theros Equipment Rentals — thrive
Revenues for the rental equipment business in the United States have grown approximately
seven percent so far in 2013 — more than three times the growth of the U.S. gross domestic
product (GDP). And they’re expected to increase even faster in 2014 and 2015, fueled by
growth in the construction industry, according to the American Rental Association (ARA).
U.S. CONSTRUCTION AND
INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT
RENTAL
REVENUE
FORECAST
$30,000
Revenue (Million US$)
$25,000
$20,000
$15,000
$10,000
$5,000
0
2013
2015
2017
©2013 American Rental Association
and IHS Global Inc.
10 The Construction Review
With four locations near Washington,
D.C., Theros Equipment Rentals, one of
northern Virginia’s leading construction
equipment rental companies, has witnessed this growth firsthand. In recent
years the area has experienced a surge
in urban development, as the concept
of the “mixed community” — the combination of housing, shopping, jobs, and
recreation — continues to grow.
we were an equipment dealer, too. In
2001, we decided to focus on rental.
That’s what we’re really good at.”
To compete against large national rental
chains, Theros works hard to provide
better service. “We have to be more
attentive to each and every customer,
whether they are renting an excavator
or a small hand tool. And we do that
really well because
“OF ALL THE BRANDS WE’VE
“John Deere has
we have excellent
been instrumenDEALT WITH OVER THE YEARS, people who can
tal in helping us
address every
DEERE IS THE BEST.”
gear up to meet
problem that might
the needs of this
come up. I’m really
— Joel Theros, President —
busy expanding
proud of these
market,” says company President Joel
longtime staff members who put their
Theros. “There are a lot of residential
hearts and souls into this business every
projects right now, along with the comday. Our customers see that, which is
mercial work that goes with it. There are
why they keep coming back.”
numerous infrastructure projects going
on around the Washington Beltway, too.
Theros’ customers not only expect good
And there are a number of big governservice, but good equipment, which is
ment projects. Wherever there’s a job
why they chose John Deere construction
going on, we’re there providing equipmachines. “We’ve had very few problems.
ment, including John Deere machines.”
And the support we get from our local
John Deere dealership is outstanding.
They are very responsive to our parts
Declaration of independents
and service needs.”
Theros Equipment Rentals opened its
doors in 1996. The company serves
Uptime is everything to rental companies,
everyone from do-it-yourselfers to large
according to Theros. “If you don’t keep
contractors and everything in-between,
the equipment running on the jobsite, or
including utility contractors, electricians,
if it is unavailable for rent because it is in
plumbers, bridge and road builders, dirt
the shop, your customer will eventually
excavators, and landscapers. “For years,
go somewhere else.”
Above all, John Deere listens and
responds to the needs of the independent rental business. “They understand
who we are and know our history in this
market. And Deere has a program aimed
at independent rental yards that allows
us to stay competitive with much larger
rental companies and earn a good return
on investment.”
iconic brand
Theros offers a variety of John Deere
machines, including backhoes and
excavators. “The customers who are
renting John Deere equipment from us
have been very happy. They appreciate
the performance and rugged durability.
And they love the roomy, comfortable
operator stations and ease of operation.
We might have other brands on hand,
but many customers will ask us when the
John Deere machines are coming back in.”
That positive brand equity — the added
value that customers attribute to and
expect from the John Deere name — is
important to Theros. “The John Deere
heritage is very meaningful to customers.
It’s a popular brand everybody knows
and trusts. People wear hats and shirts
and collect toys with the John Deere
logo. The name itself signifies quality.
Like their slogan says, ‘Nothing Runs
Like a Deere.’ Having this equipment
in your rental fleet improves the overall
customer experience and makes it easier
to get them in the door.”
That experience has been great, according to Theros. “Deere helps us keep
our customer base intact because they
produce a quality piece of equipment
backed by strong and responsive dealer
support. Of all the brands we’ve dealt
with over the years, Deere is the best.
Many other manufacturers don’t have all
the pieces together to serve independent
rental yards. Deere does.” >>
Theros Equipment Rentals is serviced by James
River Equipment, Manassas, Virginia.
CHECK OuT THE VIDEO AT:
JohnDeere.com/theros
According to Joel Theros,
president of Theros
Equipment Rentals,
John Deere has been
instrumental in helping
meet the needs of the
Washington, D.C.,
market and
independent
rental yards.
11
Playing
through
PoPP
AT
y
hills
18 holes on the bucket list
Frontier Golf uses Deere iron
in their 18-hole renovation of
Poppy Hills Golf Course
It only took a quarter of a mile for us to
stop grumbling about the $10 toll to gain
entrance to the Monterey Peninsula’s
wonderfully twisty 17-Mile Drive. This
road winds through the Del Monte Forest
and past legendary California golfing landmarks — Cypress Point Lookout, Carmel
Bay, The Links at Spanish Bay, Spyglass
Hill, Pebble Beach Golf Links, and our
destination, Poppy Hills Golf Course.
This time we left our clubs at home
because we’re checking on the progress
of a complete 18-hole renovation that
started in March.
Every golfer’s list of must-play courses features the fairways
of Pebble Beach, including one-time National Pro-Am course
Poppy Hills. The course’s links were designed by Robert Trent
Jones II back in 1986, and it is the home course of the Northern
California Golf Association (NCGA). According to the NCGA,
the all-new Poppy Hills will feature:
– A new irrigation system to better manage water usage
– Reconstructed teeing areas
– Redesigned doglegs that will help the course unfold more
naturally
– Renovated bunkers that employ state-of-the art subgrade
protection and more uniform sand playability
– Replaced and redesigned putting greens
– Sand-capped fairways to greatly improve drainage and make
play firmer and faster
– A completely renovated clubhouse
Pulling off this massive redo requires contractor Frontier Golf of
Jones Mills, Pennsylvania, and original course designer Robert
Trent Jones II Golf Course Architects (RTJII) to basically bring
the entire course back down to natural grades and tie it into its
surroundings, creating a unique golfing experience on the Monterey
Peninsula. Fortunately, both Frontier and RTJII are playing at the
very top of their games.
Bunker mentality.
Frontier Golf managers Jason Sloan
and Tom Huesgen
show off one of
Poppy Hills’ new
bunker hazards at
the Hole #4 green
complex.
12 The Construction Review
Loading up on productivity.
Out on Hole #7, a 624K
and a 300D Series-II work
together to move a whole
lotta dirt.
Play it as it lies
According to Frontier Golf Director/Project Manager Jason
Sloan, “The Pebble Beach area is unique in the variety of golfcourse types and styles it offers, and that’s one of the reasons
Poppy Hills is being renovated. There’s been a trend in the golf
industry to irrigate less turf by integrating more natural sandy
and grassy areas into the course and using them as strategic
elements and hazards. So the tees, fairways, roughs, bunkers,
and greens at Poppy Hills are designed for more exciting play
while blending with the natural surroundings — the Del Monte
Forest.” To accomplish this requires plenty of iron, including
Deere excavators, crawlers, loaders, and articulated dump trucks.
“For the new drainage network, we dig trenches with a Deere
compact excavator and install perforated pipe along with
larger-diameter solid pipe to carry the water to the outlet. We
use 750K Crawlers with a Topcon 3D-MC2 system to give larger
areas such as the fairways and roughs their initial shape. The
bunkers are shaped using a 650K or 750K Dozer, depending on
the size of the bunker. We core them out with a mini excavator,
install drainage pipe, and cover it with pea gravel. Then, a
special polymer is sprayed to make a solid surface that is
porous and allows the bunker to drain.”
To a “T”
Meanwhile, on #15 green, Michael Dodson is putting a 750K
Low Ground Pressure (LGP) Crawler through the paces. “We
use this LGP dozer on slopes and wet areas because its wider
30-inch pads tread lighter on the ground. The hydraulic system
on this machine is so smooth, and the response time of the
controls is excellent. Combine that with its 13.5-foot blade,
and you’re really moving some dirt effectively and efficiently.
“The reversing fan is another feature I really like — handy when
working in all this dirt. It blows out the coolers automatically so
you don’t have to shut down to clean out the radiator.”
INVISIBLE HERO:
John Deere WorkSight™
In the era of telematics data, one of the greatest
features of current John Deere equipment isn’t readily
apparent. “We keep a close eye on Frontier Golf’s
equipment at Poppy Hills — from our shop 90 miles
away in Newark, California,” says Papé Machinery
Rental Manager Dave Mustin.
“We monitor machine functions on their fleet via a
remote connection through JDLink™ Ultimate, which
is standard equipment on most new Deere equipment. In
fact, our techs have used John Deere Service ADVISOR™
Remote 208 times in the first four months of the Poppy
Hills Golf Course project to remotely retrieve diagnostic
trouble codes, monitor and record machine data, and
update machine software.”
Seeing Dodson has matters well in hand, we point our Gator™
down the cart path to the former driving range where a 250G
LC Excavator is serving up dirt to a 300D Series-II Articulated
Dump Truck, with a 250D Series-II waiting on deck.
13
Playing
through
PoPP
y
AT
hills
Practicing his
swing. Operator
Richard Soria
gets a 250G LC
bucketful for a
250D Series-II ADT.
Back with Jason Sloan at the clubhouse, we ask him how the
equipment’s been serving Frontier Golf to date. “With an
18-hole renovation, you need to move tons of dirt, gravel, and
sand. And the Deere ADTs, loaders, dozers, and excavators have
been valuable to us in getting the job done.”
So, will Frontier Golf have Poppy Hills ready for its Spring 2014
reopening? “Yes, and it’s going to be a truly unique golfing
experience worthy of the Monterey Peninsula and future golf
tournaments. We’re getting great uptime from our John Deere
equipment and excellent support from our dealer, and we’ve
got the best people in golf-course construction working on this
project. We’ll be ready.” >>
Frontier Golf is serviced by Papé Machinery, Newark, California.
Doze prose.
650K LGP operator
Michael Dodson
waxes poetic
about the powerful
and surefooted
performance of
John Deere
K-Series Dozers.
CHECK OuT THE VIDEO AT:
JohnDeere.com/poppyhills
Crawlers equipped to smoothly handle the rough
To keep uptime and productivity high,
and daily operating costs low, Frontier
Golf counts on Deere dealer Papé
Machinery to spec its equipment to
deliver reliable performance. Here are
just a few options Frontier chose to
keep their dozers crawling strong:
Low Ground Pressure (LGP) models’
extra-wide tracks provide great flotation when working in environmentally
sensitive areas.
Extended Life Undercarriage with
SC-2™-coated bushings make working
extensively in sand neither a trap nor
a hazard. With these Deere-exclusive
undercarriage parts, you can get twice
the life out of a bushing before needing
to turn it — in many cases, bushing
turns can be eliminated completely.
14 The Construction Review
As anyone who ever scored a birdie will
tell you, the green has to be a perfect
grade — and with Topcon 3D-MC2
systems in their 650K, 750K, and 850K
Dozers, there’ll be smooth
putting at Poppy Hills.
As a side note, all K-Series
Crawler Dozers are now
available with the new
factory-installed Topcon
integrated grade-control
option so it rolls off the
dealership trailer with
a 3D-MC2 grade-control
system ready to go.
Delivers True DiagnosTiC DaTa anywhere.
Makes TeChniCians appear ouT of nowhere.
Thanks to John Deere WorkSight™, don’t be surprised if your technician
contacts you before you even realize there’s a problem with your machine,
then appears on-site with the right information, parts, and tools already in
hand. That’s because your dealer can now remotely read trouble codes and
record machine-performance readings. Even better, if a software update is
needed to Ɵx a technical issue, you’ll see your dealer do that remotely, too,
without ever stepping foot on your jobsite. All of which means you’ll be
seeing a lot more uptime as well. See more online or contact your dealer.
www.JohnDeere.com/worksight