Deere GPS Dozers Help Ruttura Makes Grade at JFK

They say when something works well, stick with it. That&#8217;s what Ruttura & Sons Construction, of Long Island, NY, has done with its John Deere equipment, with a few modifications, of course.The company is using some of its Deere equipment, mainly its dozers, on two projects at New York&#8217;s JFK Airport.One of the jobs required the company to tear down the existing buildings on Track 8 and 9, according to Tommy Ruttura, president of Ruttura & Sons. Now it is doing grading work for new cargo buildings, taxiways and parking lots, he noted.The second portion requires the development of 25 acres (10. ha) of land outside the airport, which will be the future site of a new International Airport Plaza. Ruttura is doing sewer and drainage work on the site. This job, started in January, should be completed by September, Ruttura said.The company purchased a 410 backhoe, a 650 dozer and a 744 loader in November 2001 from Jesco Inc., of Bohemia, NY, for the project, in addition to other Deere equipment already on site. So far, Ruttura said, &#8220;they are working out dandy.&#8221; The dozers are equipped with a GPS system, he added. With the eight to nine satellites over New York City, it makes for an easy job for Ruttura. &#8220;The GPS picks up with the satellites and tells the operator what the grade should be, what the elevation is and where the drainage structure should go.&#8220;It is a neat setup with all the dozer being computerized,&#8221; he said. &#8220;The hydraulics on these dozers are so smooth, it&#8217;s great. They&#8217;ve had very little maintenance.&#8221;According to Ruttura, the company also owns approximately 18 Deere excavators and 20 other pieces that include dozers, backhoes and loaders. &#8220;We&#8217;ve had some of the excavators for 20 years. They just run and run,&#8221; he said.For more information, call 800/995-5610.This story also appears on Construction Equipment Guide.