Mountain region contractor finding long-term success with local dealer

Trent Bess has experienced firsthand the growth of the aggregate market in Utah.

Since founding TKB Excavation in 2005, Bess has been a part of the booming market within the state, and his business has grown alongside it across nearly two decades.

“There have always been aggregate suppliers here – bigger companies that have had established pits for years and years – and now all the flat land is built out,” Bess says. “Everything is going into hillsides and mountains. Contractors are taking mountains down, and they need crushers to deal with it. Not every large contractor in town has a jaw crusher of some sort, but there is a good handful that has some sort of mobile crushing equipment.”

Bess’ scenario was no different. After starting his company doing excavation jobs, he found himself working with a lot of excess rock and in need of a jaw crusher. He opted for a Kleemann Mobicat MC 110i EVO2 about four years ago.

The demand for those kinds of jobs eventually declined, and Bess found a pit in St. George, Utah, in August 2023 to create more material for himself. He added a cone plant to his repertoire in September 2023, once again going with a Kleemann (Mobicone MCO 90i EVO2).

His additions didn’t stop there, though.

TKB Excavation can produce up to eight products with its three-plant crushing and screening arrangement. Photo: RDO Equipment Co.

“We thought we could do it with just the jaw and the cone,” Bess says. “We realized we needed extra screening capacity.”

It was at that point Bess rounded out his current Kleemann trio, adding a Mobiscreen MSS 802 EVO in January 2024.

Now, Bess’ setup can produce seven or eight different specs ranging from fill material to road base, with several different product size options in between. Typically, Bess says, up to four materials can be produced at one time.

Going with Kleemann – specifically the company’s diesel/electric options like the MC 110i EVO2 and the MC 90i EVO2 – was an easy choice for Bess. Seeing the difference between electric and hydraulic options, he identified a clear winner.

“When I got out of high school and got into construction, I worked for some of the bigger companies in town that had crushing operations,” Bess says. “All of those are electric driven. They either have a big generator or they’re on line power. I’ve [also] been around some hydraulic plants, and I just feel that the electrical side is more efficient.

“Kleemann is a more efficient plant, being diesel/electric,” he adds. “Better fuel efficiency. I started leaning more on Kleemann on all of my plants because I like dealing with [John] Deere versus some other guys.”

Equipment dealings

The jaw and cone plants came from Bess’ dealer at the time, Honnen Equipment – a John Deere dealer with locations in Utah, Wyoming and Idaho. The screen, however, was purchased after RDO Equipment Co. bought Honnen’s eight Deere construction equipment locations in November 2023.

Says TKB Excavation’s Trent Bess: “The support [from RDO Equipment Co.] has definitely been great. It’s a plus compared to what it was before.” Photo: RDO Equipment Co.

Bess’ point of contact didn’t change, though. Dave Turner joined Honnen seven years ago and inherited Bess as a customer following RDO’s acquisition. Recently, Turner says he’s seen other customers opt for diesel/electric offerings, as well.

“We’re definitely having a lot of success with them,” Turner says. “Our customers are really happy with the constant rpm and torque on them, as well as the fuel efficiency. Whereas hydraulic plants tend to jam up a lot quicker and they’re overheating in the summer down here, we’re not running into that with the Kleemanns.”

It isn’t just high-quality equipment that Turner and RDO are providing TKB. Since switching from Honnen to RDO, Bess says the service difference is noticeable.

“The support has definitely been great,” Bess says. “It’s a plus compared to what it was before. There are more resources with RDO than there were with Honnen. If there is something I need, it’s more easily accessible.”

Turner echoes Bess’ sentiments and says the relationship between TKB and RDO is a strong one.

“We went through a lot of firsts together as far as learning and working together on the Kleemann plants, crushers and some of our other equipment as well,” Turner says. “The biggest thing is I guess [Bess] might have had to call the dealership twice, but never three times. One phone call and it’s all hands on deck, and we’re doing everything we can to find a solution and work through whatever we’re going through.”