Now under the RagnarTech, Inc. banner, Ragnarsson and his core team of professionals are forging yet another path forward, breaking new ground with that familiar commitment to continuous improvement and innovation that originated with Ragnarsson and now shapes this company’s DNA.

RagnarTech engineers and manufactures practical equipment that improves safety, optimizes performance, and reduces operating costs, making the work easier on site, on the environment, and on the bottom line. RagnarTech also serves as the exclusive North American distributor for JAK-Metalli Oy tree shears and UFKES Greentec chippers.

The RagnarTech 9700 is an extremely productive grinder that supports land clearing, stumps, yard waste, wood debris, and regrind of a variety of materials, while the RagnarTech 9400 serves as an HZ shredder, grinder, and chipper that can support medium contaminated material, high volumes of wood, and other debris.

Designed for application, the equipment comes in a variety of configurations to precisely meet the user’s needs with the promise of elevated performance, quality, and unmatched factory-direct service, a value proposition that has confirmed RagnarTech as the kind of market pace-setter that continually pushes the bar higher for itself, the competition, and the industry.

Rooted in innovation
Born and raised on a farm in Sweden, Anders Ragnarsson’s upbringing helped shape his genius for innovation, using his own insight and expertise to design equipment that intimately addresses the user’s needs in unique ways. After arriving in the U.S. in the 1980s, Ragnarsson established a tree service company and was quickly confronted with the limitations of existing wood waste processing equipment, which laid the groundwork for the next 40 years.

Credited as “a great mind,” it was Ragnarsson’s innovative approach, the unmatched performance of his machines, and the integrity with which he conducted business that won the respect of the industry. “He thought he could make a better version,” says Vice President Nate Eskeland, and so he did, time and again throughout his career with different companies and different iterations of his innovation.

In 1995, Ragnarsson moved away from tree service and established CBI with the launch of a mobile wood grinder that addressed a performance gap in the market. It also happened to steal the attention of the many operators who desired that level of quality and throughput.

In 2016, the decision was made to sell the company that he had built from the ground up. “After 25 years of starting and growing CBI and having the reputation of building the best grinder on the market, they eventually sold it to a large public company called Terex back in 2016 and Ragnarsson had a non-compete there for many years,” explains Eskeland, who knew that Ragnarsson’s plan was always to get back into the market when the non-compete expired.

After years of corporate ownership, Eskeland noticed the market was ready for his return. “Over the years, all of our legacy customers that we sold these really high-quality machines to have been knocking on our door, saying, ‘When are you guys going to get back into the grinder market? We want something better than what they’re making now.’”

Naturally, Ragnarsson had been working on something, but rather than launching this equipment for himself, it was purchased by Tiger Cat, a world-class Canadian manufacturer of large forestry equipment. “So, he designed the CBI grinder and now Tiger Cat’s,” says Eskeland, which meant that Ragnarsson’s designs had a corner on the market. Of course, he didn’t stop there.

In 2019, the time had come for Ragnarsson to relaunch his own venture, which is how RagnarTech, Inc. came to be. Built upon that same quality, service, and innovation that the market came to expect, and supported by the industry’s best, he was going to pull it off on a smaller scale both in terms of the equipment and the operation.

Outperforming in every way
From its 25,000-square-foot facility in New Hampshire, RagnarTech supports operators around the globe who prioritize quality engineering and high-performance equipment that is built to last, minimizing downtime and optimizing throughput.

Just as Ragnarsson’s return to the market created a buzz among former customers, the same reaction took place among former employees of his, like Eskeland, who joined him at CBI in 2003 right out of high school, as well as the engineering manager and production manager who rejoined him at RagnarTech and re-formed the core of a quality team.

“We’ve all worked together for so many years, and we just know how to do things. You can make an argument that we have here the most experienced personnel in the grinding world, and it shows in our innovation,” says Eskeland, who assures us that when you call RagnarTech, you will speak to someone who knows what they are talking about when it comes to the company’s manufacturer-direct support.

Together, they “went back to building quality grinders again,” reengineering the designs using only the highest quality inputs like high-pressure plate from Scandinavia and the John Deere JD18, which Eskeland refers to as a “game changer.” For the better part of the previous two decades, Caterpillar’s diesel engine had been the standard, and while it is still available, RagnarTech and its customers have demonstrated the reason for the departure.

“We were building machines from 700 to 1200 horsepower, and there were basically three engine models that covered that horsepower range, and it was only ever Cat. However, with our new machines, the 9700 and 9400, John Deere came out with a new 18-liter 908-horsepower engine that has no DEF, EGR, or DPF while still meeting Tier 4 standards,” says Eskeland.

The ability of John Deere’s inline six, an 18-liter, 908-horsepower engine, to compete with Caterpillar’s C27, a 1050-horsepower V12, is a surprise to many, but what is most significant is the price tag, which is significantly less costly.

Eye-opening quality
A client who took delivery of a RagnarTech grinder early this summer quickly identified the performance advantages and cost savings associated with its operation compared to the legacy equipment they were running.

“They’ve got about 1000 hours on it, but in the first one or two months of running it, they got numbers that blew us away,” Eskeland shares. Not only was the new John Deere engine outperforming their other grinders with 1050 horsepower; the client was achieving eight-to-ten-minute trailer loads, saving two minutes on average.

Beyond performance, the equipment burns less fuel, using only 28 gallons of fuel compared to the previous 52-gallon amounts, for impressive cost savings and tangible environmental benefits. Additionally, not needing DEF, DPF, and EGRs results in lower overall maintenance costs.

“The numbers have blown them away… I won’t get into the design much, but it’s not just the engine—with our improved feeding system, it feeds more aggressively, which we attribute to better production than higher horsepower machines,” Eskeland says.

According to customer-reported data, even the components of the equipment are holding up better than the competition. The tips, which are used to grind down the material, performed for 350 hours before needing replacement, compared to 80 hours from competitors’ tip sets in comparable material.

One of the biggest industry challenges that Eskeland has experienced over his time in the sector is persistent quality issues due to premature part wear. Certainly, price is important, but when cost savings of this magnitude are being achieved, the upfront costs of quality are negligible. “It’s a little bit more expensive, but you know what? When you’re in the woods on a pipeline where you’re grinding for a billion or multi-billion dollar energy company that needs right-away work, when that machine goes down, saving a few bucks because you wanted to buy something where the steel wasn’t quite as good, that cost difference doesn’t matter at that point.”

The philosophy at RagnarTech is to “engineer in the quality,” and not apologize for being a little bit more expensive because the value of the equipment’s performance speaks for itself.

Only the beginning
With experience, expertise, and a culture of innovation that starts at the top and permeates the ranks, RagnarTech has only just begun making its impact on the market.

As it grows slowly and steadily, in both size and capacity, through the addition of strategically located parts and service hubs and a vetted distribution network, the company will continue to take on as much work as it can, though demand is likely to outpace supply for a while, especially as word has it that Ragnarsson once again has a springboard for his creativity and innovation.

“Not only does he know the equipment, but he is intimately involved in the industry and what people are doing and how they’re doing it and why they’re doing it—and that’s what really drives the innovation,” says Eskeland. “He’s made quite an impact on not only the wood processing industry but the recycling world. There aren’t a lot of people who’ve been owners or know anything about wood grinding that don’t know the name Anders Ragnarsson.”

The post Quality, Innovation, and a Runaway Reputation<p class="company">RagnarTech</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Appropriately located in Quarryville, Pennsylvania, four decades in the industry has cemented SSI’s belief in doing things right the first time, establishing itself as a trusted voice in the field. Vice President Scott Gartzke is confident in the company’s new product, performance, and the game-changing capabilities it provides customers with. “We have an established track record and reputation for providing high-quality and customized solutions in the aggregate industry,” he says of the new product, a machine the company sees as important to the industry to improve product quality and significantly reduce maintenance.

SSI’s application of this machine is not only beneficial to reduce environmental impact, but also for companies’ operational and mining efficiencies. Higher water consumption increases the need for bigger and more settling ponds for slurry and post-operational water treatment processes to enable recirculation within the parameters of the Clean Water Act (CWA), administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). These ponds also take up an enormous amount of space that could be used for mining. In addition, settling ponds are notorious for demanding continuous maintenance and call for high capital investment in heavy equipment, human resources, time, and effort.

The new system is, therefore, about to disrupt an industry ripe for modernization. Gartzke designed the Mule Screen system himself, noting that it is unique in the market. “We consider this to be the first vibratory machine that’s designed with rinsing aggregates as its primary focus while doubling as a fine material wash screen,” he explains. What sets the machine apart is a revolutionary overhead drive mechanism that runs three 900 RPM vibratory motors. As this eliminates the need for v-belts (flexible power transmission belts) that come with motor bases needing regular upkeep, maintenance is comparatively minimal, with zero oil changes.

Its operation is surprisingly straightforward. While two overhead motors spin toward one another, creating a linear motion, a third produces circular motion. The intersection of these two motions results in a thin elliptical motion that controls travel rate and bed depth for improved washing and rinsing action while minimizing the need for maintenance. With multiple sizes and deck configurations having the capacity to process 300 to 350 tons of stone per hour, the Mule Screen is an adequate size for industrial aggregate processing operations.

With the company maintaining a healthy stock of motors, these are easily replaceable, and older machines can be rebuilt—fine selling points and music to large operators’ ears. “Since you only need a crane and a wrench to unbolt them, anybody can unbolt and fit a new motor as opposed to traditional vibratory screens that mostly use eccentric shafts in an oil bath through bearings, which you have to be able to change,” Gartzke adds. This, of course, means less downtime as the usual lengthy bane of remachining housings is also brought to a timely end with this system.

The machine was also designed to integrate seamlessly into the SSI layout framework for design and setting up aggregate plants. As its system typically favors dry-sizing material first before rinsing, as opposed to doing it the other way around, it saves breathtaking volumes of water from being wasted. And, because rinsing consumes one and a half to three gallons of water per minute and washing takes five gallons per minute, the savings are notable. “We feel that we get more accurate gradation control utilizing dry sizing and then reduce water consumption by utilizing rinsing on sized aggregates,” Gartzke explains.

Stone is not the company’s only forte, however. The company has also built large sand-processing plants that require modular screen towers that it engineered and fabricated. Then there is of course the creative aspect of the business—one that Gartzke enjoys immensely and contributes to prolifically. To this end, technology-wise, the company invests in the best software to support its research and development, engineering, and the design work which underpins its fabrication. This level of attention to detail is part of its heritage.

In operation since 1987, the company was started by Scott Gartzke’s father, Craig Gartzke, and his partner, Rick Welch. Today, their sons run the company. Together, Scott Gartzke and his partner Joel Welch are proud to follow in their fathers’ footsteps. Gartzke remembers his father spending hours at his drawing board in their basement, designing new systems and finding ways of bringing them to life as he and Rick continued expanding the business, envisioning what it would one day become.

With the two founders now retired, the second generation of leaders has been at the helm of the company for the past seven years, to great success. As the grandson of a salesman in the industry following WWII, Gartzke is proud of the 75-plus years of combined expertise the families bring to the company. Performing like a small family itself, the team is comfortable and happy to work shoulder to shoulder. As a low-overhead business, the company’s frugality has translated into job security for the people who are its backbone. Genuinely caring about them means the company is also passionate about keeping its people safe in potentially hazardous jobs. “We want everybody to be safe in the process of doing a good job. It’s a dangerous industry and a dangerous job,” Gartzke says.

Following nearly 40 years of building the company into a stalwart in the aggregate industry, the team of 45 is as engaged as one could ever wish a team to be, committed to the company’s longevity and growing its customer base alongside its reputation. “Everybody is on board with providing a unique and quality product because what we do is exciting. Our people are all skilled,” Gartzke says of the talented engineers and fabricators who take pride in developing premium systems for customers.

For large static aggregate plants looking to purchase the new machine, the typical lead time is 20 weeks, or slightly less in pressing situations. Gartzke is confident in the company’s ability to meet high demand worldwide. “We have no problem working on a national scale and potentially even on a global scale if we have customers in other areas,” he says. Moving ahead, the firm is considering an expansion of its fabrication facility to accommodate its growing clientele. As nearly all its business comes through repeat customers and recommendations, consistency is key. With these customers spending impressive sums for the best crushing plants around, living up to its reputation for excellence is central to the company’s continued success.

By driving its own efficiency, SSI’s commitment to improving and optimizing its customers’ efficiency is a natural response to maintaining its position within the industry. As a result, the company’s quality continues to lead the way, alongside its innovation. “Everything else comes secondary to quality,” Gartzke says. “We’re always loyal to our word.”

The post Crushing Success<p class="company">Steel Systems Installation</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Over four days in early March, those hard-working Americans and thousands like them will find Texas Pride Trailers at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026 for the very first time. The show sprawls across 2.8 million square feet of exhibit space at the Las Vegas Convention Center, making it the largest construction trade event in North America.

If Texas Pride has been the best kept secret in tough-as-nails work trailers and haulers across the American Southwest, it’s no secret anymore.

For a tried-and-true American company that has been building trailers in Madisonville, Texas since 1998, the decision to exhibit represents something straightforward: the construction industry needs to know what landscapers, ranchers, and independent haulers have already figured out. Texas Pride Trailers builds made-to-order, rock-solid trailers sold the right way: factory-direct, delivering the fastest turnaround times at the fairest prices for hardworking folks across America.

The difference in factory-direct
The trailer industry has changed dramatically over the past decade. Consolidation has become the norm, and while it’s been good for corporate margins, it hasn’t been favorable to buyers. Lead times have stretched from weeks to months. The relationship between buyer and builder has largely disappeared, replaced by dealer networks and corporate cost-cutting.

Texas Pride operates differently. Every trailer that rolls out of their Madisonville facility is built to order and to their customers’ exacting specifications. Virtually no unsold inventory sits on a dusty lot. No mass or offshore production. No shortcuts that compromise what is needed for hardworking Americans to accomplish what’s in front of them today or in 20 years. Instead, this is a company that works directly with their customers, whether it’s a landscaping crew in the Carolinas, a ranch operation in Oklahoma, or a construction contractor in Arizona. All to deliver precisely what the job requires.

And the results show up where it matters: in delivery times of two to three weeks, not two to three months. In one-to-one sales and support. In pricing that reflects actual manufacturing costs, not layers of dealer markup. And in build quality that consistently exceeds industry standards. Because Texas Pride believes that when you’re talking directly to the person who’ll be using your product every day, cutting corners for a few extra pennies never pays off.

Texas Pride’s dump trailers led the market in standardizing cylindrical hydraulic lifts over the less reliable scissor-lift designs used by most in the industry. The roll-off trailers accommodate construction dumpsters of multiple types from most manufacturers, with hookup systems built for job-site efficiency and flexibility. The flatbed and lowboy configurations are built for the dimensions and weight requirements of the most used construction equipment, from skid steers to excavators, with decks that maximize safe loading and secure tie-down.

All are built from U.S. steel by American workers, customizable to spec, and delivered in weeks, not months. You might think that these are the norms in this industry, but in fact, it’s a rare set of values that defines Texas Pride Trailers in today’s trailer manufacturing landscape.

A reputation forged in Madisonville, Texas
Jim Bray founded Texas Pride Trailers in 1998 with a straightforward conviction: the people who build America, feed America, and keep this country running deserve equipment built the same way they work. With integrity and built to last.

27 years later, that conviction hasn’t changed. Walk through the Texas Pride facility and you’ll find multi-generational families working side by side. Some employees have been there since the beginning. Others represent the second or third generation of their family welding, fabricating, and assembling trailers on the same floor where their parents or grandparents built their livelihoods.

“We’re making these trailers for people who get going early, finish on a handshake, and don’t cut corners,” says Bray. “That’s not marketing. Rather, it’s about who walks through our doors and who calls our shop—relationships. When you’re building for people like that, you’d better be people like that. Our team understands what’s at stake when someone’s livelihood depends on the equipment they’re pulling behind their truck. So we build it right. Every weld. Every bolt. Every trailer.”

Over all this time, the company remains family-run and operated. That independence allows Texas Pride to make decisions based on quality and customer relationships rather than external financial pressures.

The choice shows up in the product: heavy-duty U.S. steel throughout. Structural components that many in the industry would consider overbuilt. Welds that exceed specification. Axles, suspension systems, and running gear designed for sustained heavy use, not just meeting minimum weight ratings. Premium paint systems that resist chipping and corrosion. Sealed wiring harnesses. Industrial-grade bearings. The heaviest-duty brakes and tires for the jobs at hand.

Every trailer ships ready to work. No assembly required; just hook up the gooseneck or bumper pull and roll.

Trailers built for real work
Cody Archie runs Bar 7 Ranch, a working cattle operation that also manages rental properties and handles equipment moving across multiple locations. He owns three Texas Pride trailers, and all of them see constant use.

“I need equipment that handles everything,” Archie explains. “One day I’m moving cattle panels and feed. The next I’m hauling a tractor to a rental property. Then I’m loading demo debris from a renovation. The build quality is obvious the first time you use it. The deck doesn’t flex under load. The gates operate smoothly even after thousands of cycles. These trailers work as hard as I do, and I don’t worry about them.”

That reliability stems from design choices baked into every Texas Pride trailer: heavier steel than industry standard, reinforced crossmembers and structural supports, and components sized for doing the work, not merely rating for it.

For construction applications, those choices translate to equipment that holds up under daily job-site conditions. Dump trailers that cycle multiple times per day without hydraulic issues. Roll-off systems that handle the abuse of construction debris. Flatbeds that don’t develop stress cracks after a season of loading equipment.

Delivering real American value
The phrase “American Made” feels like it’s lost its true meaning when companies apply the label to products assembled domestically but that use imported steel and foreign components. Texas Pride takes a different approach.

The steel is American. The workers are American. From start to finish, every trailer is built in Texas. The entire supply chain prioritizes domestic sourcing wherever possible. The company’s growth strategy centers on expanding American manufacturing capacity.

That commitment costs more upfront: American steel carries a premium; American labor runs higher. But those costs deliver value over the life of the equipment: trailers that last longer, hold resale value better, and require less maintenance.

“Real American value goes beyond the sticker price,” says Devin Davis, Senior Vice President of Sales Operations & Fulfillment. “When you buy factory-direct from us, you’re getting a trailer built to your specs, delivered in weeks, backed by people you can actually talk to when you need support. You’re working with the people who built your trailer. That relationship matters, especially when you’re running a business and downtime costs you money.”

The construction industry understands total cost of ownership. A trailer that costs 20 percent less but requires frequent repairs or suffers premature wear ultimately costs more than a higher-quality alternative that works reliably for a decade.

Texas Pride’s factory-direct model addresses both sides of that equation. By eliminating dealer markup, which can add 30 percent or more to the final price, the company delivers professional-grade trailers at prices competitive with mass-market alternatives. Premium quality steel at working-person prices, built without compromise.

Join Texas Pride Trailers in Vegas
CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026 runs March 3-7, 2026, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Texas Pride Trailers will be exhibiting at Booth S64113, showcasing dump trailers, roll-off configurations, and flatbed options tailored for construction applications.

For attendees, the booth offers a chance to see factory-direct quality firsthand, discuss specific equipment needs with people who actually build trailers, and understand what American manufacturing looks like when done right. For those who can’t make it to Las Vegas, Texas Pride remains available the same way they’ve always operated: directly, honestly, and ready to build exactly what the job requires.

Let’s Roll.

See the full line of rock-solid Texas Pride Trailers at texaspridetrailers.com.

The post Built to Last, Rock-Solid, and Ready to Roll: How Texas Pride Trailers Delivers Real American Value to Heavy Construction<p class="company">Texas Pride Trailers</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.