Posted on May 8, 2024
FLORIDA – Harrell’s®, LLC, a leading producer and distributor of agronomic solutions based out of Lakeland, Florida, recently took delivery of their third brand new IMS 7012 HP Versi-Dredge®. The 7012 HP Versi-Dredge is dredging reed sedge peat from Harrell’s peat reserve which is then combined with other premium ingredients to meet their customer’s custom blended requirements.
Harrell’s selected the 7012 HP Versi-Dredge due to its patented Starwheel Drive® self-propulsion system which allows the dredge to operate anywhere in the peat reserve without the use of anchor cables which are not effective in distances beyond 1,000 ft. (305m). Additionally, cables and shore anchors would require additional labor which is very costly under current labor market conditions. The peat reserves in Avon Park can get up to 2,000 ft.+ (610m) in both length and width which makes the Versi-Dredge the right solution. The powerful GIW 10in. x 12 in. (254mm x 305mm) ladder mounted dredge pump with 5,000gpm (1,136m3) flow and 30 ft. (9.1m) dredging depth make the Versi-Dredge very economical when compared to other dredge models of the same dimension.
“Harrell’s runs an intelligent operation. They have done the math and know that on a per cubic yard basis the IMS 7012 HP Versi-Dredge is more effective than all other units on the market. It’s not just the pump performance, but it is the dredging depth and self-propulsion that eliminates additional labor other dredge systems require. You simply can’t find another self-propelled dredge that reaches the depth and performance of the 7012 HP Versi-Dredge without jumping over the USD 1mm mark and going to a multiple truck design.” said Ryan Horton, Vice President, Ellicott Dredge Technologies.
Back in 2014, Harrell’s rented a cable driven dredge to try and increase efficiency over previous mechanical harvesting methods and quickly realized the technology was outdated. The dredge required cable anchor re-setting which required more labor and downtime, so the operational expenditure eclipsed any perceived initial capex savings of a lower cost cable driven hydraulic dredge. That is when Harrell’s reached out to IMS to discuss their requirements and then invested in their first of IMS 7012 HP Versi-Dredge. The system worked as planned and most importantly the numbers worked. As a result, Harrell’s scaled up their harvesting operations progressively over a 10-year period and invested in two additional 7012 HP Versi-Dredges and two booster pumps.
Harrell’s has over 450 employees and serves five core markets including: specialty agriculture, turf and landscape, sports, horticulture, and golf. Harrell’s serves over 10,000 loyal customers both domestically and internationally.
