O.W. Larson Designs Refueling System for Marine Corps Camp Using Green Loading Racks by Benko Products

MINNETONKA, MN, November 09, 2010 (Press-News.org) Oscar W. Larson Company, headquartered in Clarkson, Michigan, has served as a fluid handling and equipment contractor for the petroleum distribution industry for over half a century, with customers also involved in automotive, commercial, government, military and other applications. When O.W. Larson was tasked with building a refueling system for military vehicles and tanker trucks at Camp Lejeune, a Marine Corps Base in North Carolina, it was the first time the company had needed to build a loading rack for their system design. The rack would be used to provide sufficient, safe operator access to the vehicle during the refueling process--and a standard model wouldn't suffice.

"We needed loading racks with a broad range of flexibility, as they would be used for filling vehicles of different sizes," said Darren Painter, project manager at O.W. Larson.

For this project, O.W. Larson selected five loading racks from the Green Access & Protection line by Benko Products. The Green Loading Racks could be customized in size, with access options such as safety stairs and bridges, as well as a variety of canopy styles to meet O.W. Larson's specific application requirements.

"We design each loading rack for the geographical zone in which it is located--including hurricane-prone areas or those susceptible to high winds," said Doug Ingram, general manager for the Green Access & Fall Protection line. "This customer-specified construction ensures the access equipment can withstand up to a decade of frequent use, while our structural platforms and canopies last several decades."

Some racks included canopies incorporated into their design, which are used to protect operators from rain, snow or even sun during the refueling process. They also help protect the integrity of the gasoline, diesel and JP-8 fuel that operators use to fill the vehicles, keeping unwanted moisture from entering the tanks. These canopies are often customized to pass building codes or extended to accommodate larger vehicles, as was needed with the Camp Lejeune project.

"In this application, we were dealing with larger-than-normal military vehicles and taller-than-standard tanker trucks," Painter said. "It was a custom project from the onset."

"Every loading rack and canopy is custom-built to meet our customer's needs," Ingram added. "Here, we needed to extend the canopies without extending the structural platforms beneath them. Plus, we made the racks about ten feet high to accommodate the larger vehicles."

Other options O.W. Larson selected included aluminum safety enclosures, which provide fall protection for operators during refueling, and adjustable chain stops that make the rack's gangway self-supporting, thus providing extra sturdiness. They also selected aluminum self-leveling stairs that offer both stability and convenience.

"Some trucks they're refueling are nine or 10 feet high, while others such as isotainers have tanks that are 13 feet high," Ingram said. "If the trucks are misspotted, the operator will be unable to reach them without taking the time to reposition the truck--which is both inconvenient and time-consuming. But the stairs O.W. Larson selected are on a pivot mount, so they can be moved 15 degrees left or right, making the system more forgiving of misspotting and saving operator time and hassle."

For their first rack installation--and due to the unique nature of the solution--Painter said he and his coworkers at O.W. Larson wanted to see for themselves how the loading racks were designed.

"We went to the factory to see how they were fabricated, and to get a feel for what would be required for installation in the field," Painter said. "The project involved lots of coordination between vendors to make sure all the equipment selected would complement one another."

O.W. Larson installed the five loading racks without vendor assistance beyond the detailed installation instructions Benko provided.

"We offer free supervision, so they knew they could call us at any time if they needed help, and we'd come in," Ingram said. "But we didn't even have to stop by."

Now the system has been in use for almost a year, and Painter said it was the combination of customization and simple installation that made the Green Loading Racks the right selection for the Camp Lejeune project.

"The biggest benefit for us was that, instead of a cookie-cutter solution, we got something that exactly met our needs," Painter said.

For more information about O.W. Larson, visit www.larsonco.com. To learn more about Green Loading Racks by Benko Products, visit www.green-mfg.com.

Next Communications is a full service marketing communications firm specializing in print, online and search marketing. For further information, contact Dennis Gallaher at 952-934-8220 or dennis.g@nextcom.com or www.nextcom.com.