LaGasse Teams With Inventors to Make Ideas Into Reality

LaGasse Machine & Fabrication, manufacturers of the Harder Dump Box Spreader, is headquartered in Lyons, N.Y., a small town just south of Lake Ontario.

With its roots as a fabrication facility, LaGasse was originally founded by Cliff LaGasse, who made his mark as a master craftsman in the fabrication industry building specialty equipment. In 1983, Cliff turned the company over to his son, Dan, who expanded the company into a solid engineering and manufacturing company. But, perhaps most importantly, Dan led the way for LaGasse to become the manufacturing and marketing company for the Harder Dump Box Spreader.

As LaGasse continued to grow over the years, Dan also began pushing LaGasse into the agricultural industry where the company developed its own branded ag equipment, leading to the creations of LaGasse Ag Equipment. LaGasse Ag Equipment manufactures its own orchard equipment (bin trailers, hedgers, tree planters, remote tractor steer capabilities, maintenance trailers) and also are dealers for various brands of sprayers, automated picking platforms, root pruners, crop equipment, chemicals and bins. Inside the core business, LaGasse also works very closely with the local municipalities on truck repairs and custom fabrication work.

Photo courtesy of LaGasse

The Harder Dump Box Spreader was invented by a highway superintendent for highway superintendents. It is named for its inventor, Kenneth A. Harder, who envisioned and created the spreader as he served as highway superintendent of the town of Arcadia, N.Y.

Being a true innovator, Harder made a declaration one night as he watched the dump boxes from town trucks being removed to mount V-box sanders. According to his son, he asserted, “There has to be a better way!”

Harder drew his ideas on napkins at the local coffee shop and teamed up with a metal-fabrication business to make his dreams a reality, ultimately leading to the Harder Dump Box Spreader being patented in the United States and Canada in 1984.

David K. Harder entrusted LaGasse Works (now LaGasse Machine & Fabrication) with the manufacture of his father’s legacy product, which over time has made many improvements and remains today a much sought-after spreader.

The concept behind the Harder Dump Box Spreader was to develop a product for municipalities and other snow and ice removing companies that would eliminate the need for municipalities to go through the burdensome task of removing the dump bodies from their fleet of trucks and replacing those bodies with V-box or hopper spreaders for the application of salt and sand.

The concept at its core was simple: why not add an accessory to a traditional municipal truck’s dump box that would allow the dump box to double as a sand and salt trailer? The end result was a conveyor that can slide in/out of the tailgate of the truck’s dump body and extend the length of the truck. Outside of the tailgate, connected to the conveyor, is the material spreading system, which is secured with a single pin and contains the necessary hydraulic system of hoses to make the entire spreading system operational from inside the cab of the truck.

Besides the convenience of only needing a single truck body for year around truck utilization, according to the company, the Harder Dump Box Spreader has several other advantages:

• The Harder system is designed with a low center of gravity, unlike unstable V-box spreaders.
• All normal maintenance procedures are done at ground level, which is much safer for truck operators.
• The Harder Dump Box Spreader has been engineered and designed to withstand the rigors of year-round municipal use. It features heavy-duty pintle chains, 2-in. diameter shafts with cast iron sprockets and a cast iron gear box. All fasteners are made from stainless steel to protect from the corrosive effects of sale. The dual auger version hosts two solid augers made of 304 stainless and is dual counter rotating.
• To give wide distribution. the spinner disc has a 20-in. diameter and is manufactured from urethane.
• When using the dump box equipped with the Harder Dump Box Spreader you are carrying a significantly larger load than when utilizing a V-spreader. The typical municipal dump body has an 18-ton capacity versus a 14-ton capacity in the V-box, thus reducing the number of return trips to the salt pile, hence saving labor, fuel and wear and tear on your truck.
• The spreader’s compact design reduces the amount of storage space needed for equipment during summer storage. The spreaders are stackable to save space.
• The Harder system is economically priced, allowing a highway department to purchase extra units as backup, if needed.
• There are four standard models; however, LaGasse can customize a spreader to any size that is needed.
• One of the key features of the Harder is that you can “bump” the load when you return to the barn. This means that all that needs to be done is chain the tailgate and lift the box (with the spreader in it) and the material will come out. No shoveling is needed.
• The Harder Dump Box Spreader can be taken in/out of the truck body within 15 minutes.

New in 2023, LaGasse developed a dual auger model which fits in the same footprint as the chain model. The dual auger system is ideal for adding/mixing materials and liquid within the truck body to create a slurry to distribute onto the roads. The dual auger also helps to break up material in the truck box. Each auger is 7 in., 304 stainless and dual counter rotating — this makes for an extremely heavy-duty auger system.

The design team at LaGasse understands that everyone has their own preferences when it comes to product design. Therefore, the Harder Dump Box Spreader is available in 304 stainless steel and powder-coated carbon steel.

Photo courtesy of LaGasse

The existing truck body can be easily converted to a Harder system by purchasing a Harder tailgate kit. The tailgate kit provides an easy opening for the spreader to slide through and into the dump box floor, according to the company. Kits are available in two configurations and fabricated in prime-painted carbon steel, 304 stainless steel or aluminum.

Between 1983 and today, the company has grown and prospered with the Harder Dump Box Spreader serving as a very important part of the company’s growth. In 2019, Kaye Stone-Gansz and her husband, Ross Gansz, purchased the LaGasse Group of Companies. Kaye, who serves as the company’s president, grew up on a family-owned crop farm which also had a retail sales and service business in upstate New York.

According to Kaye, “Growing up working on the farm and in the family retail/service business is where I developed an interest in the area of fabrication and engineering. I was always trying to help invent new ideas or fabricate new pieces of equipment to improve the farm’s efficiency. I left the family businesses to get my college degree at RIT in Rochester, N.Y., where I received my engineering degree.”

Kaye joined the Xerox Corporation in 1986 where she worked in engineering, product development and worldwide service. She retired from Xerox in 2011, and in 2012 purchased a local gravel pit and stone quarry where fabrication continued to be a part of her daily activities.

At LaGasse, Kaye is involved in day-to-day operations and is responsible for the overall success of the company’s operations. She is actively involved in driving sales, quoting/estimating fabrication and machining projects, and works very closely with her customer base.

According to Kaye, “I spent more than 25 years working at the Xerox Corporation, where I honed my desire to start my own business in the manufacturing arena. LaGasse is giving me a great opportunity to design and develop and build custom solutions for my own company.”

Kaye and Ross Gansz, as any new company owners are looking to expand the Harder Dump Box Spreader into new markets.

“The Harder system has received a great reception from municipalities in New York State, basically our own back yard,” Kaye said. “However, we have barely scratched the surface of getting our message to highway departments outside of New York. We have really started to focus on Massachusetts and the surrounding New England states and have been attending trade shows in that area to get the word out.

“The Harder conveyor has always been hydraulically powered using 5:1 gearbox ratio 304 stainless steel and 304 stainless steel idler assy. We see a great growth potential in adding an electric-powered option, which would also help us in satisfying the needs of converting smaller chassis and dump boxes than what we have typically done today.”

Photo courtesy of LaGasse

The Gansz’s also are looking at expanding into the contractor market.

“We believe our product can be successfully used for spreading aggregate on the job site, similar to a stone slinger. It would by no means have all of the features of the stone slinger but could be utilized by contractors that want to spread 2-inch minus aggregate over a large area.”

As the overall company goes, the Gansz’ also are working to expand LaGasse’s agricultural offerings. Kaye and Ross still have heavy ties to the agricultural industry. They own a 200-acre farm and roadside market, which consists of 50 acres of orchard and 150 acres of crops. This connection to the land gives them valuable knowledge on how to best expand the agricultural division.

In 2023, Kaye and Ross purchased GD Youngs in Sodus, N.Y., another fabrication shop, to expand the company’s overall capacity and portfolio, specifically, getting into sanitary welding and giving them the ability to take on onsite projects.

“Bringing on GD Youngs has expanded the employee base as well as added more capabilities to the products / services LaGasse Machine & Fabrication can offer to the customer. This purchase adds tremendous value to the LaGasse brand.”

For more information, visit www.lagassefab.com. CEG