Pat Pieton (pronounced PEE-ton) is someone you should know and not just because his last name suggests that he has 2,000 pounds of urine inside of him. (He claims he doesn’t.)

As the leader of the Binkelman Conveyor Maintenance team, Pat brings decades of experience to each project. There’s a lot of knowledge trapped under Pat’s hat, so let’s see if we can get at some of it.

What are the services you provide for clients?

Pat: Everything conveyor-related: belt replacement, mechanical and hot vulcanizations, plus general troubleshooting. We install belts, saddles, Dutchman, rollers, bearings and pulleys. We work on conveyor tracking issues and, in some instances, we can remove the old rolled belt from the customer’s property.

What’s one of your team’s specialties?

Pat: We’re very versatile, especially when it comes to installing new conveyor belts that need hot vulcanized splices or mechanical splices (Flexco or Super Screws). Our team is broken into two groups: one handles conveyor belt installation and the other focuses on conveyor maintenance and repairs.  With the two teams we can divide and conquer or combine our resources when needed. Having two teams is very unique and allows us to safely and efficiently accomplish tasks that other belt installers can’t take on.

What is your typical response time to a customer’s request for service?

Pat: Our Belt Crew needs a day or two’s notice and the Conveyor Crew needs a day. We know how expensive downtime can be, so we always work with our customers to get them up and running as quickly as possible.

Any truth to the rumor that your body can store a super-huge amount of liquid waste?

Pat: Next Question.

What’s new and improved with the Conveyor Maintenance team?

Pat: We’ve added a conveyor repair team to handle welding, fabrication and general conveyor troubleshooting, repair and maintenance. Each member of that team has several years of aggregate maintenance experience.

And we purchased two state-of-the-art vulcanizers, a service truck with auto crane, a shop welder and a plasma cutter to support both service teams.

Binkelman is committed to conveyor maintenance for the long haul and we’re proving that by investing in the people, the training and the equipment to provide the best service in the area.

Contact your Binkelman Account Rep for assistance.

Hey! Let’s talk about conveyor pulleys! C’mon, it’ll be fun!

At Binkelman, we carry Dodge conveyor pulleys for two reasons: 1) they’re great pulleys and 2) someone at Dodge has embarrassing pictures of us and a donkey at a Christmas party, so…

Drum Pulleys

Available in many common sizes or custom-made to your specs, Dodge heavy-duty and mine-duty extra drum pulleys are known for their high performance. They meet or exceed CEMA application standards for use with conveyor belts rated up to 750 PIW by 131 kN/m. Drum pulleys are definitely the most outgoing of all the Dodge pulleys, which means they’re a hoot at parties.

Wing Pulleys

Dodge wing pulleys meet or exceed CEMA application standards for use with conveyor belts rated up to 450 PIW by 78 kN/m. They, too, are available in stock or custom sizes and highly regarded for their performance. It’s rumored that, inside each wing pulley, the Dodge team hides a treasure map that leads to a pirate’s booty somewhere in the Caribbean Sea. We’re not sure we believe that, though.

Bushings and Hubs

Dodge bushings and hubs – also known as hubs and bushings – are designed to endure rugged environments, while extending the service life of your conveyor pulleys. Dodge’s XT bushings can be used to replace bushings on other brands of conveyor pulley products. And hubs can be used in fan rotors, impellers and agitators that need to be mounted securely to the shaft. Together, bushings and hubs – or hubs and bushings, if you prefer – pack a dynamite one-two punch that we think is outta sight!

By the way, the Binkelman team can work with Dodge to build an entire pulley assembly for you or replace just the pulley. Pretty neat, right? Contact your Binkelman Account Rep for assistance.

Headaches and car crashes and explosive diarrhea can all make for a bad day. Throw in a tussle with the mother-in-law and you may feel like jumpin’ off a bridge.

But PPI Retro Rolls give you the strength to get through life’s rough patches. That’s because you can use proven PPI Idler Rolls in any manufacturer’s frames. How ‘bout that for flexibility? You’ll also enjoy PPI’s famous durability and low maintenance, all without the need to replace existing frames.

Is that better than a sack of hot dogs or what? But wait! There’s more.

Just look at PPI Retro Rolls’ terrific features:

• The heavy-duty ball bearings are sealed for life, so they’re maintenance free.
• The Low Total Indicator Run-out means good balance and lower horsepower usage.
• The proven seal system ensures a long, trouble-free service life, even in punishing conditions.

And if you’re the kind of guy, gal or gaseous vapor that won’t settle for a one-size-fits-all solution, get a load of these options:

• They’re available for all major idler brands and in all standard CEMA classes.
• Choose from different engineered shaft and bearing combinations.
• Quarter-inch wall tubing, lagging and Poly Sleeve are all available.
• Choose slotted shaft ends or adjustable adapter nuts.

Your Binkelman Account Rep will be as happy as all-get-out to tell you more. Contact him today.

It sounds painful, doesn’t it? Crimpnology. But, actually, it’ll make you feel quite good.

It’s a technology that lets us build an integrated, leak-free hose system using any brand or type of hose. And since Crimpnology is a proprietary process developed by Campbell Fittings, anyone using it needs to be a Campbell Authorized Distributor, like us. That’s your assurance that you’re getting a safe and effective air, steam, chemical, petroleum or specialty hose assembly.

And if all that doesn’t give you a big case of the happies, you might just be a crusty, ol’ bastard incapable of experiencing hose-related joy.

By the way, all Campbell fittings, couplings, ferrules and sleeves work as integrated parts to meet the published performance criteria. The turn-in end of the ferrule locks into the interlock groove on all fittings and couplings to ensure a 360° ferrule-to-fitting interlock. And the coupling/fitting serrations provide the ultimate in hose retention and sealing.

The endorphins are really kickin’ in now, aren’t they?

Your Binkelman Account Rep is standing by, panting with anticipation in hopes of telling you more about Crimpnology.

Raise your hand if you like saving money.

We’ll assume your hand is raised and remind you that cutting your electricity usage saves money. And an easy way to use less electricity is to optimize the performance of the belts driving your machines. When those belts are tensioned properly, you can enjoy significant energy savings, and that will leave a lot more money for company pizza parties.

Here’s an example from Continental:

In the cement industry, V-belts drive machines that commonly operate at 75 kW (~100HP). If that type of machine runs ’round the clock every day, it will use 657.000 kWh of electricity per year.

Assuming drive system friction results in a natural energy loss of 5 percent, that drive will transmit a total of 624.150 kWh to the driven part. But slippage between an improperly tensioned belt and a pulley can require an 8.5 percent increase in electricity to operate the machine – an additional 53.000 kWh annually.

That’s the same amount of energy typically used by 32 people in a year; roughly the energy consumption of a medium-sized apartment building – all wasted by a single set of V-belts!

The good news is that the first of many pizza parties is just around the corner, thanks to Continental’s Make Power Smart app.

The Make Power Smart app helps you optimize your energy and MRO investments by making it easy to evaluate drives, install belts properly and reach out for assistance.

The app can calculate the target belt tension, measure key dimensional figures of the belt drive and determine the misalignment between two pulleys. Ideally, you’d be able to order your pizza right from the app, too, but that’ll have to wait until version 4.0.

The Make Power Smart app is available from the App Store and Google Play.

Contact your Binkelman rep today for help in analyzing current or new drives, and we’ll provide recommendations for that drive and its application.

Conti Repair is a two-component, no-VOC urethane material that makes it easy to quickly repair conveyor belts, elastomeric products and concrete.

When dispensed through the product-specific gun, the urethane in each of the two tubes automatically blends. It can then be applied to repair burns, impact damage, skirt liner wear, even punctures. The product hardens in just two minutes and is ready to buff in 30 minutes.

The resulting repair is flexible and permanent and it won’t shrink.

The Binkelman team has been using Conti Repair to fix damaged belts and cover hinge splices with great success.

Repair, bond and seal many types of surfaces quickly with no messy measuring. Ask your Binkelman Account Manager about Conti Repair.

There’s nothing worse than calling a company for service or support and gettin’ a dumb guy on the line.

Except maybe when a mule kicks ya’ in the teeth.

They’re both pretty painful, really, so we’ll just call it a tie.

At Binkelman, though, members of our customer service group train regularly so they can stay on top of the topics that are important to you.

Shelby Wolford is our Customer Service Manager. “We train our team on a wide range of products for the mining, agriculture and energy industries, plus automotive, glass and steel manufacturing. That training comes from product experts from our top suppliers. They provide a general overview of a topic, and then get more advanced as the year progresses.”

We’ve held on-site training at each of the three Binkelman locations, as well as virtual sessions. “We want our CSRs to have as much information as possible in order to best serve our customers, so we find ways to make it happen,” said Shelby. “The more direct knowledge we have from our manufacturing partners, the quicker we can exceed our customers’ expectations.”

And that’s better than a kick in the teeth any day.

Martin Marietta is a leading supplier of aggregates, cement, ready-mixed concrete, asphalt and other building materials. They have facilities in 28 states, Canada and the Bahamas.

On Christmas Eve 2022, Cory Mason, the Procurement Manager at the company’s Woodville, Ohio location, called on Binkelman’s emergency services team.

“We needed 3VX750 belts to run some required equipment,” wrote Mason. “Then, on Christmas Day, we needed a belt for one of the conveyors that feed fuel to two kilns.”

Binkelman Account Manager Dave Vanliere got involved right away. “Dave made the trip to Vandalia, Ohio to pick up the belts. Then, he opened the Binkelman shop, had his guys slit a belt to length and delivered it to us on Christmas day. Dave played a key role in both situations. He was our go-to guy. His efforts to ensure that our needs were met were top notch!”

Help from a Dedicated Team

Our team’s quick action saved Martin Marietta a lot of money. “It prevented unplanned downtime, which could have resulted in missed shipments and reduced production. That would have cost us thousands of dollars,” wrote Mason. “We rely on Binkelman’s emergency service several times per year, typically for belts, belting, bearings and conveyor items.”

Mason added, “Binkelman truly understands the importance of supporting a 365/24/7 operation like ours. To answer the call and perform on the Christmas holiday exemplifies their commitment to customer service. We appreciate the relationship we have with Binkelman and that we can count on them when it matters most.”