Then & Now: A 75-Year Journey

Jan 1, 2021 - 4 years ago

As part of Supply Post’s 50 Year Celebration, we are reprinting interesting articles from past issues and catching up with old friends along the way. Read about Rollins Machinery’s 75 years in business below.

Then & Now

Article reprinted from Supply Post, June 1997

Then & Now: A 75-Year Journey with Rollins Machinery

The above photo was taken to showcase the Insley K-12 cable excavator that Fred Rollins sold to the district of Coquitlam in 1950. At 87 years of age, Mr. Rollins can remember details of the sale such as the $12,000 selling price on the machine, which may sound cheap to today’s standards, until you use house prices from 1950 for comparison, and realize machines now aren’t as expensive as they seem. Mr. Rollins also remembers specifications such as the shovel having a 1/2 yard capacity, an approximate weight of 18,000 lbs. and powered by a U.S. built 40 hp Buda engine.

The Insley is seen loading a Universal 880 gravel plant and it’s a good thing that the WCB didn’t exist yet because no one is seen wearing a hard hat.

In the 50 years that he’s been in the heavy equipment business, Fred Rollins has seen some dramatic changes in construction equipment. In the 1940’s and 50’s, cable excavators were considered state-of-the-art, and a tremendous amount of Vancouver was built with those old units, according to Fred Rollins. At that time they were a big step up from a pick and shovel. Then in the early 1960’s the first hydraulic excavators came on the scene. Back then Fred Rollins remembers some of the old timers expressing doubt as to whether the hydraulic units would catch on.

The competitive marketplace and changing demands have forced all manufacturers to innovate and improve. Technology in today’s excavators has taken a quantum leap forward improving productivity, reliability and versatility. Excavators now support a huge variety of attachments and some even have dozer blades as shown on the Hyundai pictured here. Excavators are being used for jobs that didn’t exist in 1950 such as silviculture and environmental clean-ups as seen in the photo above left. Computer assisted controls make the machines’ movement so smooth and precise that operators can perform remarkably delicate tasks with ease. Rod Graham of Rollins Machinery comments that the customer today expects a high level of versatility and performance and is looking for features that give them an edge in productivity. The dozer blade on the Hyundai 130LC-3 excavator/dozer in the photo can be used in areas that a standard excavator does not handle easily such as levelling sites or backfilling trenches and provides extra stability when needed.

Then & Now: A 75-Year Journey with Rollins Machinery

Construction equipment has become big business with large corporations making huge investments in research and development to constantly reinvent the products. The evolution of construction equipment in years to come should be interesting.

Rollins Machinery Speeds Up Dryland Sorting

Article reprinted from Supply Post, March 1980

With the conversion to dryland sorting, Rollins Machinery of Vancouver have designed a mobile rig to speed up the strapping operations of sorted logs.

Dryland Sorting with Rollins Machinery

The basic unit consists of a Ford 3600 tractor with an Atlas-Copco Model LE6 air-cooled compressor driven from the power take-off. A platform is added for the strapping dispensers and storing of the tools. The Ford tractor is a diesel unit with a two post ROPS canopy.

Optional equipment available would be front end loader or a dozer blade for clean-up operations. Also, custom made platforms to suit customer’s requirements.

Among units supplied, Q.C. Timber has 3 units in operation, with a 4th on order.

Company Profile & 2021 Update

Rollins Machinery: 75 Years Of Serving British Columbia

In the 20 or so years since the printing of these articles, Rollins Machinery took an interesting right turn. The company has since branched into specialty markets: Municipal, Light Industrial, and Farm machinery. According to Vic Rollins, owner of Rollins Machinery, the company is the largest municipal supply house in British Columbia, the territory they serve.

Rollins Machinery

“The bulk of the refuse trucks in B.C. come from us,” said Vic Rollins from Rollins’ head office in Langley, B.C. “We are the largest supplier to the waste industry, municipalities, and to First Nations,” he continued. They also supply many municipalities with bins for recycling and waste collection, as well as hydro excavators, sewer trucks, camera trucks, and street sweepers.

Along with municipal supply, Rollins’ equipment sales include light industrial equipment and farm equipment.

“The Chemainus (Vancouver Island, B.C.) branch is a New Holland franchise, which we took over,” said Rollins. “The 12,000 sq. ft. shop employs 10 people, and we plan to train for and blend in the light industrial and municipal business into this branch for sales and service as well,” he added.

The most recent branch for Rollins Machinery is in Kelowna, B.C., which is also a New Holland dealer.

“The Kelowna branch does a great business supplying farm machinery to orchards, wineries, and berry growers,” said Rollins. “We are planning to add in light industrial and municipal sales and service to this location,” he continued.

Rollins Machinery employs over 80 highly skilled and factory-trained people at their four locations: Langley, Kelowna, Chemainus, and Chilliwack. Vic’s son, Jeff, is the Vice President and Sales Manager, and Rod Graham (mentioned in the article above) is President. 2021 will mark their 75th year in business, and Vic Rollins couldn’t be more pleased.

“I believe that are focus with municipal, agricultural, and light industrial equipment has kept this company healthy,” Rollins said. “It’s our objective to continued to look for opportunities to help improve Rollins’ presence and reputation in all areas of our business.”