The Challenge:
The icy Pennsylvania winters were stealing from S&T Excavating, with the crew paying a “tax” of two hours every morning just to strip frost and prep the site.
- The Daily Fine: $1,000 in lost production.
- The Monthly Leak: $20,00+ out the window every 20-day work cycle.
- The Safety Gamble: Machines “taking off” on icy slopes, risking $100k+ in pipe damage of a catastrophic injury.
Operations Manager Cody Nussbaum didn’t just want traction; he wanted those mornings back.
The Solution:
S&T Excavating ditched the “old way” of welding lugs and moved instead to TrackGrip’s mechanical bolt-on system.
It is quick and easy to install. Plus the instant stability gives the machine operators the ability to work near the pipe and on steep slopes safely and confidently.
Frost was removed from the delay equation. S&T could confidently schedule winter work and hit critical pipeline milestones, making their bids more reliable and attractive. “Showing up and being productive from minute one builds incredible trust with customers,” Coday says.
The Outcome:
Cody Nussbaum saw that TrackGrip wasn’t just a tool – it was a competitive advantage. “We show up and get straight to work”, says Cody. The improved efficiencies essentially added an extra month of production to their winter season.
- Zero downtime: the machines stay in the dirt, not the shop
- Straight to work at 8:00 AM recovers $1000 every day (so the setup paid for itself in the first week)
- Zero machine “runaways” prevents the $50k+ “oops” moment on the pipe
- Transport ease: no ruined decks or permanent track damage
“If you want a product that is easily installed and keeps your machine where you put it, this is worth every cent,” Cody explains. “It turned a seasonal weakness into a demonstrable advantage.”
