‘THE TOTAL PACKAGE’

Better warranty, lower price prompt landfill to add Komatsu D155AX-7 dozer to fleet

The Midway Division of Waste Connections, Inc. serves the Chicago area through its Winnebago Landfill in Rockford, Ill. The 500-acre facility accepts 16 million pounds of solid waste daily, so having reliable equipment is paramount to the success of the operation.

When his dozer fleet began experiencing earlier-than-anticipated component failures, Midway Division District Manager Lacy Ballard decided it was time to make a change. In 2017, he turned to Komatsu and his local distributor to add a D155AX-7 dozer with a waste package, which offers enhanced features, such as striker bars and additional gap sealing, to protect the machine’s vital components.

“We were able to purchase a brand new D155 with amazing warranties for less than what we were quoted for a used, competitive dozer with 3,000 hours,” said Ballard. “Even before putting it to work, the D155 provided significant value.”

That worth continued to increase once the dozer got into action clearing tippers, which are tractor-trailer loads of garbage.

“The D155 doesn’t work nearly as hard to push the garbage; we haven’t experienced any overheating issues with the torque converters,” said Ballard. “The regeneration process is the best of any Tier 4 machine we’ve owned, the tracks are easy to clean and the visibility from inside the cab is amazing. It’s the total package.”

Stamp of approval

To top off the acquisition, Ballard says that the service and attention he receives from Komatsu is above-and-beyond.

“The experience is second-to-none,” shared Ballard. “Komatsu has been extremely beneficial in helping us address concerns, provide training and be proactive. For example, we had an issue with debris getting into the radiator, so Komatsu came to retrofit a fix and will incorporate it into the design of future D155 models. The attention we receive with just one machine speaks a lot about how Komatsu treats its customers.”

While this was the first Waste Connections facility to utilize a Komatsu dozer, it’s possible that additional D155AX dozers will be put to work at the organization’s other landfills across North America.

“I gave a presentation on the dozer at our annual corporate meeting, and I recommended it to our district managers,” stated Ballard. “I’m very happy with the decision to go with the D155 and Komatsu.” 

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