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Ram Jack Oklahoma Installs (90) Helical Piles to Lift a Brick Kiln
Fall 2025
The Problem
Commercial Brick Corporation, near small-town Wewoka, Oklahoma, manufactures and supplies brick in vast variety to Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas. Established in 1975, they have become one of the foremost brick producers in the region.
In the production of brick, the plant utilizes several drying and baking kilns, or insulated brick structures measuring over two hundred feet long. Each kiln carries massive payloads of bricks stacked on “cars” which rely on a rail system to carry bricks on their journey through the kiln.
Months ago, plant officials noticed that the cars weren’t moving easily down the tracks. Before long, cars began to topple and collide with the brick walls of the kiln, damaging the structure and stalling production, costing the plant hundreds of thousands of dollars per week. West Virginia-based Danser Incorporated sent a plant maintenance crew to respond to the crisis at Commercial Brick, assess the operation of the kiln, and recommend a solution. Recognizing that the kiln’s foundation was experiencing settlement resulting in the rail issues, Danser recommended the help of a foundation repair company.
The Solution
Commercial Brick reached out to Ram Jack, whose manufacturing plant, corporate offices, and regional service operation are only 32 miles away in nearby Ada, Oklahoma. Within 48 hours of contact with the Ram Jack team, plant officials had received an evaluation, learned that the kiln had settled between 0.25” and 3”, and signed off on a proposal to install (90) 2 ⅞” helical piles and hydraulically lift both the interior and exterior of the kiln. The immense weight of the loaded brick cars required this double-sided approach to the pile layout.
Crews from Ram Jack Oklahoma began work by cutting out 24-inch by 24-inch squares of 12-inch thick concrete along the exterior side of the kiln, while simultaneously coring out 10-inch holes from the concrete slab on the interior side of the kiln. Then, each of the (90) 2 ⅞” helical piles could be installed. The interior of the kiln was supported by custom slab brackets, and the exterior wall received Ram Jack’s side-load brackets. Finally, crews hydraulically lifted the wall in sections, lifting as much as 3” in some places, successfully restoring the kiln’s operation.
The Outcome
Commercial Brick Corporation officials were highly satisfied with Ram Jack’s work. “Efficiency is key,” said plant manager Robert Pierce. “Time is money with us… everything they said they were going to do, it actually happened, in the exact time and manner they said it would.”
Click Here to Watch the Project Video
For more information about Ram Jack, visit RamJack.com.
