Improved Pipeline Productivity

On a five-mile natural gas pipeline project in West Virginia, Momentum Pipeline relied on ALLU dealer Leslie Equipment Company and an ALLU Screening Bucket to efficiently process native soil into pipeline padding material directly along the right-of-way. 

Working with Leslie Equipment Sales Representative Pete Culicerto, Momentum Pipeline utilized an ALLU DH 4-17 Screening Bucket with 25 XHD blades mounted on a John Deere 300G excavator. The bucket screened out larger rocks from the excavated soil, producing approximately 1 1/2-inch minus (less than 40 mm) material that could be used to pad and protect the 24-inch steel natural gas pipeline. 

For Momentum Pipeline, the solution built on a relationship with ALLU equipment that has lasted approximately 12 years and has helped transform the company’s approach to pipeline padding. 

Protecting a Five-Mile Natural Gas Pipeline

Momentum Pipeline, a West Virginia contractor with more than 20 years of experience, began the project in April 2026. Approximately 75 workers were involved in constructing the five-mile natural gas pipeline, which connected a well pad to a mainline for distribution. 

Proper padding is an important part of pipeline construction. Larger rocks within excavated material can potentially damage the external coating of the pipe during backfilling. Creating a screened layer around the pipeline helps provide protection by removing oversized material before the soil is placed around the pipe. 

For Momentum Pipeline, the goal was straightforward: efficiently screen larger rocks from the excavated material and reuse the processed soil for padding and backfill. 

ALLU and Leslie Equipment Step In

Momentum Pipeline turned to ALLU dealer Leslie Equipment Company for the equipment and support needed for the application. Leslie Equipment has worked with ALLU for years, supplying screening and crushing buckets for pipeline projects and maintaining a fleet of buckets and replacement parts for its customers. 

For sales representative Pete Culicerto, finding the right padding bucket starts with understanding the project. Pipe diameter, excavator size, job size and the required completion schedule can all influence which ALLU bucket and how many units a contractor may need. 

Customers typically use between one and four buckets depending on the scale and timeframe of the project. Leslie Equipment’s inventory allows its team to help match contractors with an ALLU configuration suited to their particular operation. 

“ALLU is the preferred vendor that we use because of the productivity and support, which I tell our customers about,” Culicerto said. 

On the West Virginia project, that solution was an ALLU DH 4-17 Screening Bucket equipped mounted on a John Deere 300G excavator. 

Protecting the Pipeline from the Ground Up

On this project, the 24-inch steel pipeline carries natural gas from the well pad to a mainline, where the gas can continue on for distribution. Once the pipe is installed in the trench, the material placed around it becomes an important part of protecting the pipeline. 

Excavated soil can contain larger rocks that could come into contact with and potentially damage the pipe’s protective coating during backfilling. Momentum Pipeline uses the ALLU screening bucket to screen out those larger rocks and produce approximately 40 mm (1 1/2-inch minus) material for padding around the pipe. By processing the native material before it is placed back into the trench, the crew can create a finer layer around the pipeline while reusing material already available on the project. 

Processing Padding Material Where It Is Needed

The ALLU DH 4-17 allowed Momentum Pipeline to screen excavated soil directly along the pipeline and produce smaller than 40 mm material for padding. 

As the ALLU bucket processed the material, an excavator and dozer worked behind the operation to pull up fresh soil and help keep the process moving. Instead of relying on workers to manually identify and remove larger rocks during placement, the bucket screened oversized material before the processed soil was placed around the pipe. 

Production can vary depending on factors such as soil and moisture conditions. According to Culicerto, when material is relatively dry, contractors can typically pad a couple hundred feet of pipeline per day. 

“A lot of this pipe has to be padded back, so an ALLU Bucket is used on every project,” Culicerto said. “If not one, then multiple buckets at the same time.” 

Taking Labor Out of the Ditch

For Momentum Pipeline Operations Manager Wade Mace, one of the biggest benefits of the ALLU bucket is how it has changed the company’s padding process. 

Before adopting padding buckets, the operation required a laborer to work in the ditch as an excavator gradually placed material. The laborer watched for larger rocks and manually removed them before they could come into contact with the pipeline. 

“The padding bucket has helped our productivity, it has taken labor out of [the project],” Mace said. “Now, with the padding bucket, that eliminates the labor in the ditch and has probably sped up the process by at least 2x.” 

By screening the material mechanically, Momentum Pipeline can reduce manual material sorting in the trench while keeping the padding operation moving. 

A 12-Year Relationship with ALLU

The West Virginia project is part of a much longer relationship between Momentum Pipeline, Leslie Equipment Company, and ALLU. 

“We’ve worked with ALLU buckets for 12 years now,” Mace said. “Our local dealer, Leslie Equipment, is a dealer of ALLU and that’s how we got hooked up with them.”  

Momentum Pipeline now has several ALLU buckets, and Mace said ALLU has remained the company’s choice for this type of work. 

“ALLU has been the only padding bucket we’ve used since we’ve been in business.” 

According to Mace, Leslie Equipment originally introduced the contractor to ALLU as pipeline padding practices evolved. The relationship has continued through equipment support and parts availability. 

“Leslie’s service with ALLU is great, no complaints at all,” Mace said. 

Dealer Support That Keeps Pipeline Projects Moving

For Culicerto, productivity is only one reason Leslie Equipment continues to work with ALLU. Parts availability, equipment durability, dealer support, and the range of bucket sizes are also important when helping pipeline contractors select equipment. 

ALLU buckets can be matched to different carrier and project requirements, giving Leslie Equipment options for jobs ranging from smaller applications to commercial pipeline projects. 

“I would definitely recommend these buckets to anybody who needs pipelining, screening, crushing,” Culicerto said. “These are highly productive units with little to no downtime. Parts availability is great, and our dealer support is second to none.” 

Culicerto has also seen other bucket designs working in pipeline applications and points to ALLU’s productivity, including when conditions become wetter, as a reason Leslie Equipment prefers the ALLU equipment. 

For contractors, that combination of equipment and local dealer support can be particularly important on pipeline projects where keeping production moving is critical. 

A Proven Pipeline Padding Solution

For Momentum Pipeline, the West Virginia project demonstrates a process the company has relied on for years: combine ALLU screening technology with the equipment already working along the pipeline to efficiently produce padding material where it is needed. 

With Leslie Equipment Company and Pete Culicerto providing local equipment knowledge, bucket selection, parts availability, and support, Momentum Pipeline has access to both the attachment and dealer resources needed to keep its padding operation moving. 

After approximately 12 years of working with ALLU, Mace continues to recommend the equipment to other contractors. 

“We highly recommend ALLU to any other contractor or any other business,” Mace said. “They’re durable, the parts availability is great, and no complaints at all.” 

Watch the video to see the ALLU D-Series Buckets in action.