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Ledwell Celebrates Manufacturing Space Expansion

Ledwell Celebrates new manufacturing space with ribbon cutting

Ledwell recently announced the expansion of its manufacturing space with the addition of 66,000 square feet to supplement the existing twelve acres of space under roof.

With this significant expansion, Ledwell aims to add new jobs and increase efficiencies by focusing on technological refinements to its production line and engineering.

Ledwell celebrates additional 66,000 square feet of manufacturing space

Ledwell celebrates additional manufacturing space

Ledwell celebrates additional manufacturing space in 2023

Ledwell hosted a ribbon-cutting event on Thursday, May 18th, 2023, to celebrate. The Ledwell workforce in Texas and members of the community attended the event. The celebration was a testament to the hard work and dedication of the Ledwell team.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was led by Lesley Ledwell, President, who expressed her gratitude to everyone who has supported the company over the years. “We would not be where we are today without the support of our customers, employees, and community.”

Ledwell is known for meeting customer challenges with innovative solutions. This time, the solution is a brand-new manufacturing facility with endless possibilities. The new facility will offer the flexibility to fabricate and enhance its diverse product offering.

Ledwell add more manufacturing space in 2023

Aerial view of Ledwell's newest manufacturing shop

Lesley Ledwell speaking at ribbon cutting celebrating new manufacturing space at Ledwell

Ledwell Team In In The News, Industry, Innovation

Putting the Woman in Manufacturing

Girl Power to the Max Competition Winners

What comes to mind at the mention of women in manufacturing?

Rosie the Riveter, perhaps? Our minds revert to a throwback from the early 1940s. The only reason we have that icon is because men were off to war and someone—women—had to do the job. Once the necessity was over, the Rosies went back to non-manufacturing duties. Subsequent potential Rosies were prohibited or, at the very least, discouraged from taking technical and skilled trade classes.

Today, a smaller percentage of women are choosing to be Rosies than the originals, despite the evolution of STEM and manufacturing. Fortunately, an initiative is growing to put more girls in contact with manufacturing equipment.

Girl Power to the Max Competition Judges

Girl Power to the Max Competition Organizers

In partnership with three regional Arkansas education cooperatives, Ledwell kicked off Women’s History Month by hosting a manufacturing competition for high-school girls. The “Girl Power to the Max” event, held on March 1, showcased the entries of 21 finalists. Similar to applying for a job, the finalists were judged on creativity, construction design, technical skill, and interview responses.

The winners, including Kinlee Stivers, Mallory Abercrombie, and Emily Lewis, received trophies from Boss Laser, cash awards, and $500 tuition waivers from the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana.

Girls from De Queen-Mena, South Central, and Southwest Arkansas Education Cooperatives created projects, ranging from decorative to functional, using CNC cutting and lasering with an emphasis on welding and power structural systems. CNC, or computer numerical control, involves using specific computer-programming language to control the movement of factory machinery.

Essentially, it is modernized manufacturing and applicable STEM.

The goal of the competition is to increase the number of females seeking and qualifying for high-paying, high-demand, and highly skilled innovative construction/manufacturing occupations. Forty girls participated in last year’s competition, but that number increased to 125 this year.

Not only did more students enter the contest, more girls surveyed after the event answered that they would be interested in working toward a future in STEM or manufacturing. This is a big win for the competition!

Another win for the program includes significant grants from the Arkansas Department of Education’s Division of Career and Technical Education that have been awarded to districts without the latest CNC and laser equipment. Therefore, students will be learning to use machines that are being used in today’s manufacturing workforce.

Technical teachers are also receiving professional development led by welding instructors to update their skills and knowledge. Ledwell has offered to be in partnership in this endeavor.

With its educational outreach and in conjunction with “Girl Power to the Max” organizers, Ledwell plans to put more Rosies in the manufacturing workforce. Rosie will no longer be an image from the past but a trailblazer of the future.

Girl Power to the Max Competition - First Place Cutting

Girl Power to the Max Competition - First Place Laser

Girl Power to the Max Competition - Class Favorite

Girl Power to the Max Competition - Ledwell Choice Winners

Ledwell Team In Feed, In The News, Industry, Transportation

Ledwell East Providing Refurbished Solutions

Fayetteville, North Carolina, is located along the Cape Fear River in the Carolina Sandhills.

Ledwell added a second location on the east side of the city in 2008 to serve as a parts and service center for the East Coast.

Ledwell East has grown to include final manufacturing processes and refurbished equipment over the years. Fayetteville provides the same quality service as the main Texas facility.

To evaluate what work is needed, the team will work through a series of steps when a Bulk Haul Feed Trailer refurbishment comes into the shop. It starts with a bath. The feed trailer receives a good wash to allow for proper evaluation of the equipment.

Before & After Refurbishing Feed Trailer

Then, to assess the damage, if any, they run all the hydraulics, pneumatics, and electrical components.

Finally, a visual inspection of the entire trailer, inside and out, is done. This thorough walk-through of the trailer gives the team a clear idea of everything that needs to be repaired or replaced and an estimated time for how long it should take.

Occasionally, a trailer not common to their area will come in to be refurbished, but that doesn’t stop them. The North Carolina team works hard and are problem solvers. Ledwell East meets customer challenges with innovative solutions and gets the job done.

Ledwell Team In Construction, Fire, Government, In The News, Material Handling, Rental, Service, Transportation

Maintenance Schedule Helps Achieve Peak Performance

Ledwell Maintenance Schedule for heavy duty loading ramp

Equipment can get run down just like we do. How do you feel without a bit of self-care now and then?

Tired?

Sluggish?

When our bodies aren’t taken care of, we tend to move less efficiently. The same goes for equipment. The wonderful thing about us and machinery is that we can become more efficient with some work.

That work looks different for everyone. For your equipment? It looks different for each product type. No matter which one you have, it will operate at peak performance when you have a maintenance schedule.

A proper maintenance schedule, including greasing, can keep your equipment’s operation points swift and smooth. Depending on the type, these schedules offer daily, monthly, and yearly service points.

Routinely performing these services will help the equipment operate more efficiently and maintain operation for longer. Reduce downtime. Reduce cost. Reduce stress.

In short, performing routine maintenance equals a lower cost of ownership.

Preventative maintenance schedules are readily accessible to you! You’ll find everything you need to know about taking care of your machinery and ensuring it’s in tip-top shape.

Download Maintenance Schedule

Ledwell Team In Feed, In The News

Hanor Company Keeps the Pork Industry Moving with Ledwell Bulk Feed Trailers

Here in America, we love our pork.

We eat an average of 264 pounds of meat per person each year, and 67 of those pounds are pork products. Back in 1978 when Hanor Company’s roots in commercial pig productions started, the average person ate just 191 pounds of meat per year. As demand for pork grew, so did pork farms across the country.

What started as a single 1000-sow farrow-to-finish operation—which includes all stages of pork production from breeding to market—has expanded to seven states and now sells 1.4 million market hogs each year.

Hanor Company now has farms in Wisconsin, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Iowa, and Illinois, and their genetic breeding program supports an integrated pig production system that processes 9 million pigs annually. Neal Jordan, transportation environmental manager for Hanor Companies in North Carolina, said it simply: “We raise pigs for a living.” Jordan, one of the company’s 650+ employees, has been at Hanor for 20 years.

Raising pigs is anything but simple, though. In July, Hanor veterinarian Jon Tangen told FarmJournal’s Pork that the industry faces global threats like African swine fever and the war in Ukraine with Russia impacting grain prices and thus impacting the cost to raise meat.

Despite global challenges and those that hit closer to home—like inflation, oil prices, and finding and retaining employees—Hanor Companies employees are dedicated to maintaining high standards when it comes to their hogs. Hanor supports the Pork Checkoff’s We Care initiative, which includes acknowledging a farm’s responsibility to produce safe food, protect and promote animal wellbeing, and ensure practices to protect public health.

“It’s of our utmost interest to make sure our pigs are well taken care of the entirety of their lifetime, until we utilize them for a nutritious protein source to feed our neighbors,” Tangen told FarmJournal’s Pork in July.

Tough bulk feed trailers with high standards for safety, sanitation and biosecurity are key in the pork industry. And while farms spent roughly 60 percent of the cost of raising pigs on feed in 2017, farmers have seen those prices jump to 70%-80% over the past few years.

That makes efficiency in feed transportation even more important.

“I’ve been here 20 years, and Ledwell bulk feed trailers were here before me,” Jordan said. He said he’s still running a 1996 Ledwell trailer in his fleet. “Usually one that’s pulled every day, 300-400 miles a day, I try to move them out of the fleet in about 12-13 years.”

In North Carolina, Jordan is responsible for managing a fleet of about 10 tractors and 30 trailers. With skyrocketing feed costs, they have to choose transportation equipment that reduces waste and lets them get the most out of their feed.

“Ledwell bulk feed trailers are good equipment,” he said. “They’re reliable, not expensive to maintain. They’re always willing to help. They always make accommodations for what we need.”

Ledwell works with Hanor to customize their stock bulk feed trailer with modifications specific to the needs of Hanor’s farms.

In a business with lots of rough gravel roads that can be harsh on even the best equipment, drivers don’t have time for downtime.

“If we have a major breakdown, Ledwell is normally Johnny-on-the-spot as far as getting us what we need to get the repair done,” Jordan said. Ledwell can respond quickly to those requests because they manufacture more than 80% of their parts in-house, meaning they don’t have to wait on other suppliers.

That’s by design. The Ledwell Made Guarantee, which backs every product, promises swift support that helps you get back to work quickly and tough-built products that last for decades with proper maintenance.

And that’s exactly the kind of equipment that Hanor Company, one of the nation’s premier pork producers, needs to keep producing safe food for our communities.

Ledwell Team In Energy, Government, In The News, Waste

ASME Certification Continues

In 1916 ASME began its program for certification to companies in the pressure equipment industry. This program was developed to certify quality control systems for the design, fabrication, assembly, and inspection of boiler and pressure vessel components during construction.

Products manufactured by ASME BPVC certificate holders include a certification mark in accordance with the applicable certified section also known as a “U” stamp. A company can also be certified to make repairs or alterations to pressure vessels under the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors under an “R” stamp.

Ledwell began building pressure vessels, or in our case DOT Cargo Tanks, in the spring of 2010. This past May, we successfully completed our 5th joint review for ASME and National Board certification.

The purpose of the review is to evaluate the quality program and ensure the implementation for each product manufactured for fabrication, alterations, and repairs. Each assessment ensures the applicant’s quality program is implemented successfully and complies with requirements based on the ASME standard.

Certificates are granted after a review of the previous 36 months of work, verification of record-keeping requirements, personnel training, and required knowledge of pressure vessel design and fabrication rules.

Ledwell Team In Government, In The News, Innovation, Material Handling, Transportation

DLA Distribution Red River Team Increases Performance to 98% On-Time from 87% Thanks to Custom Gull Wing Delivery Trucks

Ledwell serves the material handling industry - Gull Win unloading

The Opportunity

During his 25-year career in the military, Seth Olmstead traveled all over the world—including Japan.

“Japan has a very narrow road network,” he said. “They have to maximize the space they have. One of the things I saw while I was in Japan was delivery trucks that opened on the sides to allow for quick, easy unloading.”

Fast forward to 2020, when Olmstead served as the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Distribution Red River Commander.

He was helping his team troubleshoot moving inventory in inclement weather. DLA services the Department of Defense and State throughout the world, Olmstead said, and when a requisition comes in for material, they fulfill it.

“We were having trouble moving material due to the rain,” he said. “We had $13 billion of inventory, but most of it was stored in cardboard boxes. When it rained, the only thing we had to move the material between warehouse and shipping locations was a flatbed trailer, but you can’t move cardboard boxes on a flatbed in the rain.”

Frustrated with the rain’s impact on his team’s performance metrics, Olmstead knew they needed a better solution—like what he’d seen in Japan.

The Solution: Ledwell Gull Wing

“I told my team to go back to the drawing board and figure out how to get one of those trucks,” he said.

His team researched trucks in Japan and began reaching out to vendors, but those companies would not export them to the United States.

Then, Olmstead’s equipment specialist came to him with good news: not only had he found that type of truck here in the U.S., but it was also made locally at Ledwell.

A meeting was immediately set for him and his team—including a driver and safety personnel—to visit Ledwell and see a Gull Wing, Ledwell’s version of the trucks Olmstead had seen in action in Japan.

Originally developed as a custom product for Wholesale Electric, Ledwell’s patented Gull Wing helped the electric wholesaler revolutionize its distribution model. Its watertight side doors keep valuable cargo dry and make it easier for delivery drivers to unload specific pieces of equipment quickly.

“Steve [Ledwell] and his team were very accommodating,” Olmstead said. “They answered every question we had no matter how crazy or off-the-wall it was. We figured out in about an hour that these vehicles would make a difference. DLA Red River purchased three of the vehicles.”

Adapting the Gull Wings to fit DLA’s unique needs is a process Ledwell is familiar with. Engineer Gary Gathright said several changes and safety features were incorporated into DLA’s Gull Wings, including a safety feature that prevents the truck from moving if one of the wings is open.

“We did the controls differently. We’ve since added those upgrades to all of the new Gull Wing units, whether it be for them or another client,” Gathright said. “We changed how things are operated in the cab, incorporated a greaseable hinge that makes the service life better for the whole unit. A lot of our improvements are customer-driven. We end up incorporating those not just into a unit for that particular customer, but into the unit as a whole, so we ultimately make our entire product line better.”

The Results

With its new Gull Wing units, Olmstead’s team was able to deliver efficiently no matter the weather.

Their performance metrics lifted from 87% on-time to 98% on time in a matter of weeks.

It’s hard to argue with that kind of success. Seeing DLA’s numbers inspired Anniston Army Depot to make their order, which Ledwell is customizing to accommodate Anniston’s lower awnings.

“It was almost seamless,” Olmstead said. “Gary was able to do the calculations for those changes on the fly, and Anniston immediately found confidence in the truck because the engineer gave them the nod that this equipment would work for their needs.”

Founded by a veteran, Ledwell has always had a soft spot for projects that help our military succeed.

“Just being a local source to provide a solution for what is ultimately a local portion of a worldwide provider of support services for our warfighters could, in the future, open up a lot of doors for us to continue our reach as a worldwide company,” Gathright said.

Truck Body Manufacturer Ledwell patented Gull Wing

Do you have a unique, custom truck or trailer need? We'll help you find a solution! Submit the form or call us at 888-533-9355 to get started.

Ledwell Team In Feed, Fire, Government, In The News, Transportation

Strategic Partnership Helps Lonestar Truck Group, Ledwell Grow Together

With 24 dealerships in eight states, Lonestar Truck Group isn’t your average truck dealership. If you ask Adam Arrington, Executive Vice President of Sales, there’s one central reason why the company has seen growth and success since it opened in the early 60s: people.

“We have a great team of people that live and breathe this business,” he said. “The culture of this company empowers our people to do their jobs, provide feedback, and make it a nurturing environment where everybody succeeds. Everybody says that, but when you can actually do it, it’s pretty impressive.”

Lonestar Truck Group is one of the largest Freightliner dealer groups in the country, and it counts third-generation family members among its leadership. With 1,200+ employees at its 24 dealerships, the company provides parts, service, new and used truck sales, trailers, finance and insurance, body shops, and more to its customers.

“We sell new and used trucks and trailers to a single owner-operator buying one truck, and we sell to some of the largest public companies in the country when it comes to procuring equipment and parts and service,” Adam said.

And at Lonestar, every task is important, no matter how big the order.

“You’ll never hear someone at Lonestar say, ‘That’s not my job,'” Adam said. “Everyone is willing to roll their sleeves up and get involved, whether it’s working after hours to get a customer a part or getting a truck delivered on time. It’s all we do. It’s our livelihood.”

Adam said that between supply chain and staffing issues, this year has thrown its fair share of challenges at Lonestar.

“This is my 21st year on the Freightliner/Daimler dealer side of the business,” he said. “I’ve never seen supply chains so broken. It’s been a huge disruptor.”

Bulk Haul Feed Trailer for sale by Ledwell with Lonestar Tractor

Relationships with longtime customers and partners like Ledwell have helped Lonestar weather what has been a challenging year for the manufacturing industry.

“For our true partners, like Ledwell, they know we’re doing everything we can to get them what they need and when they need it,” Adam said.

He said his relationship with Ledwell began 20 years ago when he first met Steve Ledwell.

“I always heard stories, but aside from dropping a truck off, I didn’t know who they were or what they did,” he said. “My relationship with everyone at Ledwell has changed drastically over the last six years. Steve and I talk every day except Sunday. Lesley and I talk weekly. I talk to every salesman and engineer in the building at least once a week, whether it’s about inventory, or a project, or trucks that are being upfit for our customers.”

Lonestar Truck paired with Ledwell Feed Trailer

TMA Crash Attenuator Truck for Sale Ledwell

Adam said it’s not just business—it’s personal.

“Ledwell is our largest customer, but on the flip side of that, they’re also our friends,” he said.

Ledwell buys a lot of trucks from Lonestar, but they count Lonestar as a customer as well—Lonestar buys truck bodies, rigging, PTOs, wet kits, trailers, and more from Ledwell. Lonestar also provides secure financing and lease options for Ledwell customers when needed.

Adam said his customers love Ledwell products because of their exceptional quality, endurance, service, and parts accessibility.

“They just take care of things,” he said. “We’ve had issues before, but every time, without fail, the first thing they say is, ‘Where’s the truck?’ No arguing, no complaining. They exhaust every single resource at their fingertips to get that truck, or trailer, or body fixed in a way that’s hassle-free for the customer.”

Adam hasn’t just worked with Ledwell in his current role. When he sold trucks, he said, he had the opportunity to see Ledwell’s hard work in action.

“It was New Year’s Eve in 2003,” he said. “I had a logger call me from Mena, Ark., who wanted to buy a couple of trucks and had to buy them that day because of tax reasons. Installing logging-specific equipment like trailer rides, headache racks, and digital load scales takes eight to ten hours. I called Ledwell at 10 a.m., and they said, ‘Bring it on.’ They had a team of people waiting for us, got it finished, and got it delivered. The customer was happy. I was happy. That’s the way the Ledwell culture is.”

When you work with Ledwell, he said, you aren’t just a customer—you’re becoming part of that family.

“At the end of the day, they’re just good people,” he said.

Ledwell Team In Feed, In The News, Service, Transportation

Add Time Back to Your Day – Efficiency in Feed Transportation

Ledwell Feed Trailer Manufacturer Test Every Bulk Haul Trailer

Ledwell built its first steel bulk feed body in the late 1950s. A couple of decades later, we moved into manufacturing aluminum feed equipment, and we even made a few chicken hauler trailers along the way. We’ve learned a thing or two about the poultry industry over the past 75 years, and we’ve compiled some of our top efficiency in feed tips in this article.

Ledwell Original Chicken Transport Cages

Incorporating some of these practices and equipment add-ons can help you improve efficiency in feed delivery, adding valuable time back into your day. In this book, we’ll cover technology, delivery systems, hydraulics, safety, and service.

If you have any questions, please reach out to us we’re happy to answer any questions.

TECHNOLOGY

In recent years, technology in automated unloading systems has allowed operators to reduce unloading times and be more attentive to their surroundings while minimizing human error while unloading. An
automated system maximizes efficiency in feed delivery and allows the trailer to run at peak performance. You aren’t relying on the driver/operator to adjust the floor to keep the pressure where it needs to be.

Most variations of an automated system are measuring pressure in the hydraulic circuit and making adjustments to the hydraulic flow, keeping the system running at optimal potential throughout the entire unloading process without the operators’ need to make these adjustments manually. This allows the operator to step away from their valves and gauges to be more attentive to their surroundings, open bottom floor gates, or watch a feed bin while unloading.

By continuously monitoring and maintaining the hydraulic circuit to run at maximum potential, you will see improved unload times, reduce the chances of plugging up the system, and extend the life of all
hydraulic components.

A benefit of Ledwell’s automated system is that it is easily retrofittable to any existing trailer.

Classic Drag Chain Feed Trailer for sale by Ledwell

Classic Auger Feed Trailer for sale by Ledwell

DELIVERY SYSTEM

The two most common floor delivery systems in the marketplace are the auger and drag chain systems.

Over the years, the drag chain floor has proven to be extremely dependable and less maintenance, over time, than an auger floor. The chain and crossbar design of a floor chain simply outlast the flighting of an auger screw. In the event that the chain or sprockets need to be replaced or repaired, the repairs are typically quicker and easier to access than a floor auger and bearing system. This results in less downtime for maintenance and repairs.

The 5:1 Gear ratio used to drive the drag chain floor provides exceptional torque for unloading the heaviest of feeds and the depth of the chain pan allows for more volume of feed to be carried to the rear, in comparison with an auger floor, resulting in a higher rate of offloading. Pit dumping with a drag chain is easily achieved by shutting off the discharge leg of the hydraulic system and unloading from the rear of the trailer.

When pellet quality counts, the drag chain floor is the answer. Studies show that a drag chain floor reduced the destruction of pellets through the unloading process by over 60% in side-by-side comparisons to two other auger floors. This can play a huge factor in feed conversion rate with poultry.

Ledwell’s drag chain floor features flat rack and pinion bottom doors that allow for virtually 100% cleanout and no residual feed left after unloading, which may otherwise require downtime for flushing between loads or products.

HYDRAULICS

Traditional wet kits required a large volume hydraulic oil reservoir to run a feed trailer, typically 60 gallons or more. This volume was required due to heat buildup during the unloading process of the feed trailer. The added weight of such a large volume of hydraulic oil makes a direct impact on the amount of payload you could haul in each load.

With today’s advancements in hydraulic oil coolers, you are able to operate with a much smaller oil reservoir, around 10 gallons, while more effectively controlling the oil temperature. This can result in 400-pound weight savings that translate directly to the added payload in each load, greatly affecting your bottom line over the life of your equipment.

There are several other advantages of reduced volume. With less oil, it takes less time to bring the oil up to operating temperature in cold weather. This reduces the time required once you reach your delivery destination and gets you back to reload quicker.

These oil coolers directly affect your bottom line and are also more environmentally friendly. For example, you could completely drain and replace a 10-gallon system six times more often for the same cost as replacing your fluid one time in a 60-gallon tank. This keeps better oil in the system throughout this duration, extending the life of all hydraulic components it is running through. In the event of an oil spill, you are potentially losing six times less oil to clean up and replace.

Ledwell Severe Duty Cooler - Hydraulic Cooler

Hydraulic oil cooler

SAFETY

Times have changed since we first started building feed trailers. Working smart and efficiently also means being safe. Here are a few features we think are important to implement to enhance safety.

If you have access to the top of the trailer via a ladder, we strongly recommend a catwalk system that incorporates a handrail and/or a tram. With these safety features in place, it makes it much safer when access is needed on top of the trailer. For Ledwell, we have made that a standard feature on all our trailers unless otherwise requested by our customers.

There are also disabling devices and alarms available to notify an operator and/or prevent them from moving their trailer when their boom is not saddled. This can be as simple as an amber strobe light and audible alarm in the cab to a device that disables the tractor from moving without the PTO disengaged and boom in the saddle.

Ledwell Classic Feed Trailer - Drag Chain Feedbody

Hand rails for added safety

Those of you who have been in the industry for a while understand the shoulder fatigue involved with opening and closing bottom floor gates day in and day out. To combat that, Ledwell offers Air-Operated Doors that allow the operator to open and close floor gates with the flip of a switch or the push of a button on their wireless remote. Not only does this greatly reduce shoulder fatigue, but it also allows the operator to stand at their controls and monitor their gauges without having to go back and forth opening gates. Pressure gauges can clearly indicate when a bin is near empty and it’s time to push a button and open the next gate.

Incorporating an on-board bio-security system will save the operator time and energy by not requiring them to get out and spray down your equipment manually. This option allows the operator to disinfect their equipment with the flip of a switch in the cab before leaving a farm. Spray points strategically located around the tractor and trailer provide direct application of disinfectant agent via an onboard pump and reservoir, typically located on the front fender of the feed trailer. This is common practice to minimize the chances of cross-contamination between farm to farm.

Stability and center of gravity is another factor to consider when spec’ing your next bulk feed unit. Anti-Lock Braking Systems and Roll Stability Support is a standard feature on any new Ledwell feed trailer. This helps mitigate the loss of control and roll-over situations. Taking stability a step further, we also offer a drop-deck keel design in our bulk trailers that have successfully lowered the center of gravity of the load by up to 30%.

Ledwell Manufacturer of Parts with in-house Machine Shop

SERVICE

Lastly, the last tip to improve efficiency in feed is often not considered on the front end of a purchase decision, but can quickly become a major factor in the productivity of your delivery program. Service and parts availability after the sale.

Before purchasing equipment there are a few questions you should ask your potential supplier. Ask about parts availability, same-day shipping availability, service, and support after the sale. Ask for references or ask others in the industry for their experience.

Downtime can be extremely costly, and in many situations, you simply can’t wait days or weeks for parts. Same-day shipping on most parts is something Ledwell prides itself in and is known for in the industry.

Download your free Efficiency in Feed Transportation E-Book (.pdf)

Ledwell Team In Construction, Government, In The News, Industry, Rental

From the ’50s to the 2020s, Rental One Grows with Ledwell Equipment

Truck body manufacturer - Ledwell and Rental One partnership lasts over the decades

Rental One is a Texas-sized success story. From its origins as a single store called A1 Rental in the mid-’50s, the company was sold to a national brand in 1998 and then reopened as Rental One in 2004 under third-generation family leadership.

“The core of our business is commercial and industrial contractors,” said Mark Lemons, Executive Vice President of Rental One.

Today, Rental One has 17 locations in North and Central Texas, with a service area stretching from the Red River to south of San Antonio. The company’s decades of renting equipment give them solid expertise that its customers can rely on.

“The knowledge level and industry experience we have at Rental One is unmatched, that I know of, anywhere,” Lemons said. “The years and years and years of experience—that’s what makes Rental One special.”

The original founder of A1 Rental, Ray O’Neal, knew Ledwell founder Buddy Ledwell, and the two started doing business in the late ’50s.

“When we started back up as Rental One in 2004, it was just natural for us to buy Ledwell equipment,” Lemons said. “There was already a relationship and a partnership we had built with Ledwell.”

Getting equipment to customers on time requires dependable transportation. That’s where Ledwell comes in.

“We purchase delivery trailers, delivery rollbacks, stake bed delivery trucks, and we’ve purchased some Lube Buddies and water trucks,” Lemons said. “We rent out the water trucks, but everything else is used for our own internal delivery fleet.”

Lemons said Ledwell’s stock of chassis and upfitting capabilities as a truck body manufacturer helped streamline Rental One’s truck purchasing process.

Rental One Equipment and Ledwell work together

Ledwell - Building relationships with Rental One

”One of the challenges in the past was that you had to buy chassis from a dealership, and then you'd have to arrange transportation to take it to the body up fitter," he said. "That created issues with weight ratings and warranty issues. With Ledwell, we can just purchase a truck and have it upfitted, which basically saves you from dealing with the issues and headaches of dealing with two different entities and risking mistakes with vehicle rating, warranty issues, and those types of things.
Mark LemonsExecutive Vice President, Rental One

Lemons said working with Ledwell has been an all-around good experience.

“I would rank Ledwell very highly,” he said. “One of the nice things about Ledwell is that they listen to us, they understand our operation, they understand what our use is for a given trailer or truck, and they’re flexible and tailor things based on our individual needs. They understand the product and what they’ve built for us. And if we have issues, they’re quick to respond and rectify those issues. They’re top-notch.”

He said Rental One values its relationships with vendors.

Ledwell and Rental One Equipment working together since 1950

“Sometimes it’s not all about price; it’s just about having a great relationship,” he said. “We truly look at our vendors as partners in our business. Ledwell is in the top tier of folks we deal with as far as relationship, fairness, willingness to look at a situation and help us out when needed. We want our vendors to view us as a company that has integrity, that is willing to work with them and look at the big picture, not just chasing the cheapest deal.”

Lemons said Rental One has a reputation of not changing vendors a lot.

“We really value that relationship,” he said. “We look for the top vendors, and when we build that relationship, we don’t move around. We’re proud to have a relationship with Ledwell that started in the 50s.”

Ledwell and Rental One Equipment Rental grow together

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