Sometimes smaller is better, according to Eston Ross, owner of Northeast Laser Grading LLC, who is proving the point on a football field in Derry, N.H.

Under subcontract to Hillside Landscaping & Irrigation, Ross is using his compact Laser-Grader equipped with a Trimble machine control system to fine-grade, and establish a proper crown for, the regulation-sized field. The six-wheel-drive grader weighs about the same as a mid-size automobile (3,200 pounds), fits through a 5-foot-wide door, and is powered by a 22.5-horsepower diesel engine.

He said he gets extremely accurate grades and high-production with the little machine, and that it doesn't over-compact the soil — an important criteria for a playing field.

"I can establish the crown, set the grade for a specific slope, and the machine automatically produces the elevations to within 1/8-inch," said Ross. "And just as important, this lightweight machine does the job without the uneven compaction you might get from the wheels of a heavy, full-sized grader. Too much compaction is not good for grassroots."

Ken Cowan, owner of Hillside Landscaping & Irrigation, said he's familiar with the compact grader's capability because he's worked with Ross on a number of playing field projects.

"We've worked together on many jobs over the past six years," said Cowan. "In fact, this field is the fourth one we've done together for the town of Derry."

He noted that the town of Dover employed a Global Positioning Satellite system to check a field after Hillside and Northeast had finished it.

"Their GPS system showed the finished elevations were right on the money," said Cowan.

On a typical joint effort, Hillside brings in loam or other material to be graded and places it in piles on the field. Cowan will use a relatively small loader to spread the material around the field, then Ross will employ the Laser-Grader to produce the desired finish grade.

In Derry, Hillside was rebuilding the football field at Humphrey Road Park. Managed by the town's Parks & Recreation Department under director Eric Bodennaler, the field has seen plenty of action since Hillside first installed its irrigation system many years ago, and the playing surface had deteriorated. Ross confirmed the wear by taking measurements:

"I initially set up my Trimble Spectra Physics Laser at level to establish a level reference line, then I walked the field with my laser receiver unit to check elevations," said Ross. "I found out that the crown was just about obliterated, and the slope on each half of the field was less than 1/2-percent from the middle, so the field was very poorly drained."

In rebuilding the field, and creating a new crown almost 6 inches higher than the existing one, Hillside brought in about 700 cubic yards of loam. Ross set up his laser tripod beneath one of the goal posts at the centerline, and established the 1-percent grade. Then they began working in tandem, doing half of the field at a time.

Cowan was operating a relatively small tractor loader, a Ford 340B, to spread loam, with Ross following in the Laser-Grader, which smoothed the loam out at the required 1-percent slope. After working together on so many similar jobs, said Cowan, they hardly talk when operating the machines, using mostly hand signals to communicate as they move back and forth over the field.

They said they would finish grading the field in less than two days, including adjusting the irrigation system heads. Maine Turf of Fryeburg was scheduled to deliver and install about 60,000 square feet of sod. Hillside intended to lend Maine Turf a couple of workers to help roll out the sod, a task that would take about a day. Maine Turf is another company that Cowan has worked with many times over the years.

Hillside Excavating & Irrigation, located in Brentwood, N.H., has been in business about 32 years. Cowan's son, Gary, is involved in the business as an equipment operator, while his wife, Sharon, serves as the office administrator. The company owns a fleet of specialty and general construction tools and equipment, including trenchers, irrigation line pullers, excavators, and loaders.

Cowan keeps up to date with the latest technology in order to stay competitive. A case in point is the GPS system he keeps in his van. He employs this to log the location and elevation of the irrigation heads and lines he installs on all jobs. This technology has been invaluable in expediting repair and maintenance work on customers' irrigation systems.

"When a customer calls me and says one or more heads aren't working," he said, "I look up the system on my log and can tell the repair crew exactly where the faulty heads are located, and what type of replacements to bring to the job. This saves us a lot of time."

Eston Ross, owner of Gilford, N.H.-based Northeast Laser Grading LLC, is also a firm believer in the power of technology. Nine years ago, he bought his first Laser-Grader from Leo Paradis, owner of Precision Grading, and inventor and former manufacturer of the machine. In late 2004, after Paradis retired from manufacturing the machine (he still does contract laser grading), Ross purchased a newer model from the current manufacturer, Laser-Grader Mfg., a division of P. Ronci Machine Co. of Smithfield, R.I.

He said that when he's operating with the automatic grade control (its moldboard can also be controlled by manual levers) he essentially just steers the machine.

During automatic grade operations, the machine's two receivers read signals from a tripod-mounted laser transmitter that spins a beam at 600 revolutions per minute. The receivers feed this information into a dual control box, which processes each of the signals received and then drives a solenoid valve that controls the height of each side of the mold board individually at up to eight times per second.

Ross works on a variety of projects for many New England general and building contractors, from fine-grading gravel bases for indoor concrete building slabs to leveling athletic field gravel bases and topsoil. He also works on many tennis court construction projects, using the compact machine to fine-grade clay and fast-dry court surfaces, and gravel bases for asphalt-paved courts.