We now have a new Grinding Division based out of Waterloo.  This division has the capability of Bump Grinding, High PI (profile index) for smoothness, and Grooving for bridge decks and airport runways on both concrete and asphalt.  The lean and mean crew consists of Kevin Sorenson as Foreman and Aaron Widner as Grinding Operator.  The equipment consists of a Water Truck, Trailer, Grinder, and Support Van.  The Water Truck has dual tanks that will hold up to 3500 gal of water.  The 2000-gallon front tank provides water to cool grinding heads and the 1500-gallon back tank allows for the ability to haul slurry as grinding, if necessary.  The 31-foot tilt bed Landoll Trailer easily accommodates the PC 150 Diamond product with a 36 inch grinding head.    The Support Van houses spare hoses, fittings, profilometer and miscellaneous equipment that enable the crew to be totally self sufficient.  They can take care of any break down, which will minimize downtime. The crew also has real time wireless communications with the home office. 

There are only 2 other grinding crews in the state.  Previously, when we had a job that grinding was required, there was usually a 3 to 4 week wait after scheduling grinding before the grinding crew would arrive.  In the mean time, the striping was done and the road would open for traffic while awaiting the grinding phase.  During the grinding phase, traffic would once again be restricted by flaggers and pilot cars, and upon completion, striping would often need to be redone. Then we would go back to the jobsite and profile the road to verify the smoothness before calling the job done.  The capability to complete the job in a much more timely manner as well as increased use efficiencies of our equipment and resources saves countless dollars.  

To date, this new division has completed 12,000 sq. yds. of grinding and has an additional 15,000 sq. yds. on contract which will take approximately one month to complete. Only about 2% of the work completed has been for Manatts and sister companies.  The majority of business has been generated by subcontracting our services to other paving companies.  The goal of all paving crews is to create an exceptionally smooth surface.  The necessity for grinding is discovered after the job is complete and a smoothness test done.  Current jobs have taken the crew all over the state of Iowa and current bids have the potential to take them outside of the state.