Since its founding in 1964, The Snider Group Inc. has provided customers with one-stop shopping for site work. The Zionsville, Indiana-based company does everything from “land clearing through curbs and pavement,” including underground utilities, said Mike Snider, vice president.
The ability to handle all phases of site prep, including land clearing, “allows us to accelerate the schedule on projects, because we are not waiting to get the work done,” he added. Recently purchasing a Morbark 6600T Wood Hog Horizontal Grinder further improved that capability.
The company had tried using subcontractors for land clearing, but “there’s a real need for more clearing contractors in this area. On projects over the last few years, we didn’t get enough timely responses to get the job done. We felt there was a need for us to get back into land clearing,” Snider said.
With that need in mind, the company started examining its options for processing trees it cleared. Previously, The Snider Group had used a Vermeer tub grinder.
Snider considered several brands, including Vermeer, Bandit, and Morbark. “I was impressed with the Morbark 6600T. The size of the machine matched what we wanted to do for our customers, and we liked the speed of the machine and its efficiency. I knew it had good support and a good history based on my research. Morbark has an excellent reputation,” Snider said. “I have a friend in the mulch business who runs Morbark equipment, and he felt strongly it was a fantastic product.”
In the field, the Morbark has exceeded Snider’s expectations. “We don’t measure output, but in terms of the number of days it takes to do a clearing and proceed forward with a project, the Morbark is significantly faster than anything we have used before. It’s more efficient than what the people we’ve hired have used.”
With an infeed that measures 66 inches by 50 inches, the 6600 is designed to handle whole trees with ease. “We’ve been able to put large trees and stumps through it with no problems from the load we’ve put it under,” Snider said. The chips then go to a mulch company that regrinds the product.
To feed the grinder, Snider’s crews use two machines, including a Komatsu PC228 with a thumb. “Often, we need to load the 6600 with two machines just to load it fast enough,” Snider commented.
Having the grinder on tracks also increases productivity and efficiency, he noted, especially on subdivision job sites where crews are clearing many spots over several acres.
The sitework contracting company was founded by Mike Snider’s grandfather, Leo Andrade. Mike’s father, Steve Snider, took over in 1990 and gave the company its current name. The Snider Group works on commercial developments and subdivisions around Indianapolis for builders such as Pulte Homes.
“This was our first purchase from Columbus Equipment Company, and they were great to work with,” Snider said. “They were very informative and have a good knowledge of the equipment they handle. They delivered everything on time. Everything they said would happen did happen, and that makes everything in my world easier.”
“I am really pleased with the product and the way it’s performing, and as our people become more familiar with the machine, it will only increase our efficiency,” Snider said. “I think we made a really good choice in purchasing the Morbark 6600T.”
