MACHINES ON A MISSION

Family-owned since 1882, the 23,000 acres of Rancho Mission Viejo (RMV) have been transformed in the last century. Based in South Orange County, CA, The Ranch now includes a nature reserve, lifestyle village and entertainment spaces. For its next stage of development, the owners needed reliable, expert contractors like LB3 Enterprises.

Similarly to RMV, LB3 has experienced huge changes in the last few decades. Started by President Larry Brown, the business has become renowned in the region for its expertise in mass excavation. In partnership with Vice President Tim Cramer, the contractors have expanded into southern California to work on mass grading and housing projects.

RMV and LB3 also have a shared respect for the Californian landscape. This made them a perfect match for RMV’s latest development, Project Rienda. These plans will see a range of buildings, including houses, apartments and leisure spaces, built on around 326 acres of The Ranch.

To complete the mammoth rough grading and storm drain improvement work for this project, LB3 needed machinery and teams they could rely on.

OPERATION CLEAR

Moving 9.5 million cubic yards of earth is just one hurdle the LB3 team has had to overcome on this project. Three canyons, trees and natural waterways have all had to be negotiated from the initial phases, including when clearing and grubbing the site. To do this effectively and sustainably, the LB3 team have had to take a unique approach.

As Joshua George, LB3’s Superintendent for this project, explains. “This is a cut-and-fill operation where we are doing the remedial excavations first, along with some canyon drain excavations that open up some deep fills. The site is designed to balance without import or export of material,”

To securely build the pads for the development’s buildings, including residences and a school, the team has filled and excavated buttresses alongside canyons and subdrains. Temporary water lines have been replaced with a permanent steel pipe and an MSE wall is also being constructed.

Though the LB3 team is delivering around 65% of this contract, they’ve also been working closely with utility providers and quality subcontractors like The J.V. Land Clearing Company (San Dimas). The expertise and excellence of this team have been key to keeping the project on schedule.

“It was important that we get in there and perform the canyon removals right away in anticipation of the wet winter weather,” Josh explains. “We are working on big draw areas with projections of large amounts of water coming in from way off-site. We are also doing some wet removals next to Gobernadora Creek, which is a protected stream. This requires a small amount of dewatering, but our crews have it under control.”

CAT POWER

Alongside a reliable, expert team, having the right machinery on site has helped everything run efficiently. Josh explains, “We are running 22 Cat 657 scrapers, six Cat D10 dozers, two Cat D8 dozers, four Cat D6 dozers, John Deere and Hitachi 470 (100,000 lb.) excavators, six water trucks, a water pull, multiple wheel compactors and motor graders for the haul roads.”

The Cat Wheel Tractor-Scraper 657 machines have taken on a large part of this workload. With a powerful twin engine, their push-pull loading capabilities have made moving dirt around the site easier for the team.

A payload estimator and Advanced Productivity Electronic Control transmission system have also maintained productivity during earthworks tasks.

RMV is wonderful to partner with, as every project they undertake is put together with integrity and purpose...

Comfortable interiors with ergonomic controls have helped LB3’s experts perform at their best. Plus, by emitting 7% fewer carbon emissions than the previous model, the latest 657 machines help the LB3 team protect the local environment - a priority for them and the owners of RMW.

By having a range of quality, easy-to-operate equipment like these scrapers in the on-site fleet, the LB3 team can perform even the most challenging tasks efficiently. “The 657 scrapers are moving the majority of the dirt and the dozers are doing the hard ripping in the sandstone,” Josh explains.

“We are using the excavators and Volvo articulated trucks for removal in the tight spots within the canyons. As we get closer to grade completion, we will be provided with final design specifications to support the delivery of blue top pads to RMV’s builder partners”.

MISSION SUCCESS

Some contractors may have found the scale, landscape and particular requirements of this project overwhelming. However, LB3’s unique approach, expertise and quality equipment means they’re on track to deliver this exciting development.

Darcey Hardeman, Project Manager for LB3, commented, “RMV is wonderful to partner with, as every project they undertake is put together with integrity and purpose. We appreciate that RMV views our success as their success and always remains available to us for any challenges or guidance.”