Monthly Archives: September 2015

Caterpillar D11T Bulldozer

It is a must for a construction company to possess a bulldozer because it is considered to be the basic heavy equipment one should have if they are in this business. Not having a bulldozer will only suggest that the company is not sound or is probably not so keen in conducting its business implausibly which will only deter the projects giver to give any businesses to the company and may move to some other construction company. It has been noted that people are ideally brand oriented when it comes to buying heavy equipment. It is quite seldom to find a person who is not so brand conscious and is ready to buy heavy equipment of any brand or else most of the guys prefer to buy machines of a particular brand and will stick to it.

Knowing this fact, the respective brands also need to work hard to keep up to the demands of their customers compelling them to think out of the box and keeping into consideration the wants of the customers they keep bringing in various innovative models with varied features. One brand that has set itself different from the rest is Caterpillar and being the pioneer in manufacturing bulldozers, they take pride in introducing dozers of high quality and reliability.

Caterpillar’s D11T bulldozer is quite an innovative machine manufactured by the esteemed brand with its specs mentioned below.

When we talk about bulldozers, we invariably mean power. The gross power of this machine is 935 hp. and the net power is 850 hp. with the power measured at 1800 rpm. It has a displacement of 32.1 liters and its aspiration is turbocharged. The total number of cylinders it has is 12. The operating weight of the machine is 104590 kg with a fuel capacity of 425.1 gallons. The cooling system fluid capacity and engine oil capacity is 63.1 gallons. The hydraulic fluid capacity and power train fluid capacity is 64.2 gallons and 91 gallons respectively. The operating voltage of the machine is 24 V and the alternator supplied amperage is 100 amps.

The total number of forward and reverse gears is 3. The maximum forward and reverse speed is 7.3 miles per hour and 8.7 miles per hour respectively. The ground pressure of D11T dozer is 20 psi with the contact area of 9781 in2. The standard show size of the machine is 28 in and the total number of shoe each side is 41 and the total number of rollers on each side is 8. The track pitch is 12.5 in and the track gauge is 9.5 ft in. The total pump flow capacity is 66 gallons per minute and the relief valve pressure is 3500 psi.

If we check the dimension of the machine, the length of the machine with and without blade is 34.9 ft. in and 19.8 ft. in respectively. The height of the machine to the top of the cab is 13.4 ft. in and the length of the track on the ground is 12.7 ft. in. It is overall an ideal dozer for anybody to have.

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Give your employees the opportunity to grow

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People ideally have the notion that construction sector is a highly rewarding sector and if they are able to perform in this industry, then they can really make it big. They see a lucrative career in this industry and hence try to stick with it even during turbulent times. Therefore it also becomes the responsibility of the employer to reward employees who have performed consistently for the last few years. They should be given with additional work and if they are able to perform well at all times then should rightly deserve a raise in their position.

Giving opportunity will help them learn new dimensions:-

Construction industry is a wide and dynamic sector and it may take ages for one to learn it in totality. Deserving employees should be given the opportunity to learn new things in this sphere. Before you give them the chance to learn anything new, check if they are interested in widening their horizon to learn more about this industry or they are happy doing the same work but just want to lead a team. The aspirations of your employees matters a lot when you want them to take up any additional responsibility. At the same time, you should also check what they are good in. Are they good leaders who have the potential to command respect or they are good in managing administrative work or simply desire to learn the next level. Whatever the case may be, you got to take the onus and understand what they want.

If needed, you arrange your human resource team to speak with outstanding employees and check their field of interest. The people from the human resource may be in a better position to understand their desires and accordingly you can chalk out something for them.

Provide them with options and let them pick up that suit them:-

It has been noticed that lot of times employees do not know what is the next level of work that they should be learning. After having worked in one kind of work, either they get bored of it or they become so used to it that they do not want to leave doing that. They like to stay in their comfort zone and doing anything else apart from that is a strict no. It is important that they become comfortable with their job but do not devote their entire life doing just that. You have to take them out of their comfort zone and hand over few other works. This process will help them to develop and learn more about the business. It is advisable that you give them options and guide them on what they should pursue. This will play a vital role in their overall growth in the construction industry. These men will then become valuable asset for you and there are chances that they will also remain loyal to the company.

Your employees are one of the most important resources of your company and taking initiative to help them grow will eventually help your company to grow.

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Know the construction business well before you start one

Before you put your hand in any kind of business, it is first important to know a bit about the business. Not all businesses are the same and therefore you need to prepare yourself as per the needs and wants of the business. To become an expert in any trade is always a plus but there are few trades that expect you to be an expert. Anything short of that can put you in trouble once you have started your business. In order to overcome any business hurdles, it is necessary that you be ready with the insights of the trade so that when needed you can take the correct decisions and also do not make unwanted blunders.

Construction business in specific, you got to be very sharp while taking decisions. Any incorrect decision can prove to be very costly for your business with irreparable losses. Though the construction business can be very fruitful and also a very profitable business but it comes with a price and the price is if you take any incorrect decisions, it can ruin your business and can completely destroy your career in this industry. Therefore, it is advisable that you take some time out to first learn the tricks of this trade and then once you feel comfortable, you can begin your business.

Try to know how the business works:-

In order to run any form of business, you should first try to know how to run the business. For that try to work in a construction company for the first few years and learn every possible thing, right from getting clients, acquiring business from them, knowing the right amount of capital to be invested in the project, wages to be paid to different employees etc. This means that you have to work for few months in each department and try to learn things there. You may not know everything in detail but knowing a bit of everything will really help. You will get a fair idea about this business and can then give a thought to the fact that if this trade really your cup of tea or you should just restrict yourself in working with one such construction company and get fat package.

Pay good attention to the administrative and finance department:-

The administrative and the finance department of a construction company are like heart and lungs of a human body. They need to function thoroughly and any mistake on their behalf can really have a toll on the company. They both need to work in close sync with each other so that everything is in place and there are no chances of any fallbacks. You can get to learn a lot from these 2 departments on the entire working of a construction company. If you get the chance to be a part of the finance team, you will know the package that an operator as well as a laborer draws and working in the administrative department, you will learn how to take care of the various needs of the employees.

Learn every small thing that you can and only when you feel that you can start a venture of your own, give it a shot.

Keep a track on your finances while spearheading for any expansion plan

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When you think of expanding your business, it means that you are having sufficient money to let you think about it. It would be absolutely naïve for someone to even think about expanding his business without having enough money in hand. The other option would be to take loan from financial institution. However that will cost you interest that you will be required to pay for the next many years. Taking loan can’t be termed as a bad option. It is just that one should go for this option only when it is really needed. As long as they can do with the money they have in their account as surplus, they should try to take care of any expansion plan with that.

We will be discussing few very important points that one should take into consideration before they decide to spearhead for any business expansion.

Multiple projects should be avoided without adequate resources:-

When we talk about expanding our business, we have to pay a lot of heed to the fact of having enough resources to take care of the extra project. You can’t sign up with a company and commit them of completing their project if you do not know whether you have adequate resources in hand. One of the major components that come under the word “Resources” is availability of finance to fund the project. You just do not want to start up with something and then get to know that you are unable to carry it along due to scarcity of funds. That will be a nightmare both for you and the one who gave you the business. That will also go against your goodwill and will deteriorate your relation with your client. You definitely do not want that to happen with you.

Knowing your finances helps you to take better decisions:-

You can take better decisions when you know how much money you have that you can utilize for your business. Remember, you also got to meet your financial responsibilities with your existing company like paying salary to your employees, taking care of operating and non-operating expenses and many other expenses that probably your accountant may keep an account of. It is better that you call up a meeting and take detailed report from all the departments. Understand the immediate financial requirement of any department and once you have taken suggestions from every corner, you decide what should be your next step.

Turn up to a financial institution if you really have to expand:-

At times you may get an offer than would be too lucrative and naturally very hard to resist. You will certainly not want someone else to bag it instead of you. In situations like these, you may turn up to a financial institution to avail loan from them. However, before you do so, have a small talk with your business advisors and check what they feel about the project. In case, if they all are positive about it, you may take a shot.

Finest Construction Equipment from Asia

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The recent weeks have seen a lot of interesting machinery being launched from Asia to the markets all over the world. A very noteworthy business deal had taken place between the CNH Industrial and the Sumitomo Construction Machinery that has showcased some of the finest construction equipment in the modern markets. There have been a number of good machines that have the potential to revolutionize the construction energy. Some of the most interesting new developments will be discussed in the following lines

One of the best equipment that has been found has come from Korea. It is the maiden European unit of what is known as the Hyundai R 430-9A. It is an excavator of forty three tons. It is the new version that comes between the 39 tons and 48 tons Hyundai range. The very first unit of this model was bought by Finland. It was sold by Suomen Telakone Oy. The quarry company that bought the machine is called Murskaus Ramo and Karen Oy. The machine has a breakout force of 20.411 kg. The equipment comes with a Cummins QSL9 Tier Interim/Stage IIIB engine.

 

Another excellent equipment that has hit the market is the LiuGong 925E. The machine comes with the operating weight of about twenty two tons. It is a huge digging depth of about 6595 mm. the equipment gets its power from the 6.7 liter engine of Stage IIB Cummins. There are six models of this brand that you can choose from. They are Fine, Power, Economy, Attachment, Breaker and Lifting. The machine also comes with automatic shift or two speeds which allows them to go at a very fast speed during the normal conditions. At the same time, it can also run slow when you are driving it on grounds that are tricky.

The Kobelco of Japan has made its presence felt all over the international markets owing to the alliance with the CNH. The company has launched some excellent machines in the last few years. Some of the best of these products are the compact excavators. The most common of them are the single tonner. The new SK27SR, SK35SR and the SK30R are some of the newer developments from the company that have become quite poplar in the international market. A five tonner excavating machine is also to be expected in the markets very soon by this company.

Another excellent machine that has hit the international markets that comes with Integrated Flow Pump Sytem has Yamnar engines. The technology of triple oil pump is used by the engine for digging as well as loading. It also comes with some other excellent features that include a design of dozer blade so that the over spilling can be reduced at the time of leveling. It also comes with a function of boom offset so that parallel digging in the boundaries of walls and trenches can be done without a problem. It is one of the finest machinery released in the international market for construction as it is durable as well as highly functional.

 

 

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Construction industry is all about taking calculated risks and overcoming challenges

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With rising fuel prices and several cracks in the economy, it is the construction business that is taking the major blow. It is becoming increasingly difficult for small construction companies to sustain in this kind of an economy. The conditions of the larger ones are no different. Before they can think of any expansion they got to think of cutting costs and cutting costs generally means laying off of people from the company. In such a situation, if someone tries to make his way in this form of a business, they are taking a big risk of their life.

Construction business can pay you real well but only when you find yourself suitably fitted in this business and with no unhealthy competitors around you. But the actual situation is largely different. There is a cut throat competition in this sector and every person wants to eat the big piece of the pie. Unhealthy competition can also largely impact the quality of your performance as you may be in a hurry to pick more projects and in this process will not pay enough attention to the existing work you got. Other than that, if you do not have sufficient funds to complete a job, you try to compromise on the quality of amenities you are installing for the project. Compromising on the quality of work can never be a solution to anything especially if you are doing this to maintain enough reserves to fund another project.

Calculate your risks and do not overburden yourself:-

Knowing your risk is very important in the construction sector. People have gone for a royal ride just because they took more risk than they can and lost almost everything. Before taking up a new work, few things need to be analyzed. Check how big is the project and if you find yourself to be incompetent for taking up any big projects for the time being, it is advisable that you stay out of it.

You need to know the kind of infrastructure and men needed to complete the work and if you do not have them, you are heading for trouble. Big projects are profitable but they also take time to complete. So you got to analyze if you have the capacity to stick around for that long and complete the work. If you find that you may not be able to finish the work in time due to lack of infrastructure or lack of sufficient funding, it is better that you opt out of it. It makes no sense to overburden yourself by taking up something that you find is too hard to chew.

Taking calculated risks can help you overcome new challenges:-

Calculating risk is all about how you analyze your strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities. After taking into consideration all of these factors, you understand your position and the fact if you can overcome a particular challenge. Do not take risks that can have hazardously negative impact on your business.

 

Don’t blindly trust any financial institution to take a loan on heavy equipment

Getting loans has become so simple that for any reason, financial institutions are ready to offer you loans. Be it buying a house or a car or for that matter buying furniture for your home, all you have to do is approach a financial institution and show them your good credit rating. They would be more than happy to offer you loans. If you need a higher amount, then they may also ask for your income and expense statements and other relevant documents that show the amount you earn in a month. On that basis, they evaluate and offer loan to you. This all sounds good when you have a descent income every month and a stable job with job security. However, things turn sour when it comes to individuals who want to start a business and are in search of institutions who can lend them money. Things go awry when the loan is for purchasing heavy equipment. Heavy equipment are expensive items and most banks do not want to finance it wholly. They would want the person to invest a portion of his money and the rest can be arranged by way of loan. That is also a valid point but for guys who are experience a severe financial crunch, they may find it hard to pay the initial portion.

For such individuals, there are institutions who will offer them easy financing but at an exorbitant rate. You may get tempted to take money from them and you may not read their terms and conditions and will sign on the dotted line but that will be just the beginning of your misery. You will be required to pay a very high rate of interest and probably very high service charge as well. It is prudent to first understand why they are offering you a loan when other recognized banks are not. They may have certain conditions that may not be favorable to you.

In order to stay away from such financial loan offering companies, you first recognize them. The first question you should be asking is why they are ready to give you loan when other companies have clearly defined their conditions. What happens if you are unable to pay the loan in a timely manner? Do they have the authority to take away the heavy equipment? On what terms are they offering the loan to you? These are few questions for which you need to find an answer. Check their websites and see if there is something that they are trying to hide from you. Look for complaints and grievances from other customers. You can also set up a forum where you can ask people about their views on such institutions. You will get plenty of answers on which you can make a sound decision.

Proper agreement is required before you rent your heavy equipment

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Construction business is never constant. It will have a rising as well as a declining trend and it may hit you hard when the trend is declining. Therefore it is necessary that you be prepared to meet the circumstances when things are not going the way you want. First and foremost you need to do away with your heavy equipment that are sitting idle. By doing away, it does not imply that you sell them off but you can make use of another option and that is to rent it to someone who has work with him but no heavy equipment. You can meet his need by renting the machine to him and in turn you charge him monthly rentals. In this way, your machine will be in use and there will be inflow in income on a monthly basis.

Since we are talking about renting the construction machine, we also should be focusing on another important fact and it is forming an agreement with the taker. An agreement with the taker is very crucial when you are handing over the equipment on a temporary basis to an unknown person. It actually guarantees that you keep on receiving the money till the end of the agreement and once the term is over, you can either renew the contract or can get back the possession of the equipment. Whatever the case may be, a contract with the party assures that your machine will be in order and if there is any major wear and tear that happens with the machine, the taker will be liable to bear the expenses to get that fixed.

An agreement is often made only after you are done discussing the terms verbally and you want to put everything on paper. It also implies that both the parties are accepting the terms and therefore it is there on the paper. The parties will then sign on the dotted line and then they are bound to abide by the terms mentioned in the agreement. If any of the side goes against the terms, they will be accountable and may be fined by the law of the land. Therefore, it is very important that one must go through the terms mentioned in the agreement thoroughly before they sign on the dotted line. Once it is signed they can’t go back on the terms.

The giver should mention the amount he will receive each month for renting the equipment and the total period for which he is renting it to the taker. He can also mention the type of care that the taker should be taking while the equipment is in his possession. Things like the time when the machine should be given for servicing, how long you can keep the machine working etc. also forms a part of the contract.

Renting the equipment has always been a viable option for people who have several machines lying idle with them and need someone who can make good use of them and in turn pay them the rentals.

Safety tips for heavy equipment

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We just cannot imagine doing work without heavy equipment in a construction industry. They are so important that work can come to a standstill; companies can lose projects just because of unavailability of proper heavy equipment. Alternatively, the construction companies who do not take good care of their machines end up paying dearly for getting them repaired and in this process may even lose the existing equipment forever; which means that they have to buy a new one. It is very important to take extreme care of the equipment knowing that it constitutes a major part for allowing you to earn your daily bread and butter.

When a person buys heavy equipment, he/she is given a list that talks about the safety norms that he/she must follow to keep his machine in good health and working for many years to come. It has been seen that people do not follow the safety parameters mentioned in the list. They use the machine as per their own whims and fancies and when they start experiencing complaints from the machine and then they feel that they should have followed the safety measures. However, it gets too late for them to do so.

We would be talking about few very generic safety tips that one must follow to keep his heavy equipment up and running.

Qualified and trained personnel to work on your machine:-

You may not want to give your machine to any layman to operate. It is recommended that you hire an efficient operator who knows about the machine and also has experience in operating it. Operators who have good knowledge in operating heavy equipment will often guide you when you should be servicing the equipment. They also get to know well in advance if there is anything wrong with the machine and at times can get that fixed without giving a call to the mechanic.

Avoid any sort of collisions:-

Due to lack of communication, operators end up bumping off the machine with other equipment. These accidents are bound to happen. However, if there is proper communication, then a lot of these accidents can be avoided. It is imperative to communicate with the people who are working around you and also to be alert with the things happening around you. There have been instances where the operator has just bumped off another machine lying at a place as he failed to locate the machine there. Well, the operator can’t be held responsible for that as he gets so engrossed with this work that it is possible he may fail to see things that are lying low and may knock the stuff. Had he been communicated or informed that there is something lying down that low and he needs to be careful, the accident could have been avoided leading no injury to the machine.

Regular maintenance of the equipment:-

While you are busy with work, you may skip the thought of maintaining the equipment. However, that does not go well with the machine. It needs regular maintenance and if that’s not done then it can lead to lot of problems later.

 

 

 

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Reasons to Choose Rock Trencher for Exhuming in Hard Materials

If trenching is the important part of your business, it is sensible for you to understand the features and advantages of a rock trencher thoroughly. The task of trenching is considered as the most complicated job in any construction site. The larger the level of the trenching, the more heavy equipment is required for accomplishing the project.

Rock trencher acts as a life saver for the labors who are trying their hard to dig holes in the rocky fields. This weighty apparatus has the capability to excavate fissure in any sort of hard material like rock, caliches, dense clay and so on. A trencher is a part of construction paraphernalia which is employed to dig ditches particularly for installing wires, pipes, drainage or in the grounding of furrow warfare. Often, this trencher is attached to the tractor or skid steer loader for digging trenches in the base of the mountain. By the time, you finish reading this article; you will find that trencher is the most suitable trenching equipment for your business.

Features of Rock Trencher

  • The rock trencher has the potency to adjust to any size of trench.
  • Electronic control system of this heavy construction equipment helps the construction business owners to run the job site smoothly.
  • The volitional remote attachment facility in this rock trencher helps in starting or stopping the engine, raising or lowering the trencher boom, and decreasing the speed of the chain rotation.
  • The elevated cab attached in the rock trencher helps the operators to get an enhanced view of trench, conveyor and boom.
  • Slide shift attribute for the machinists to work in confined space.
  • It is available with elevated torque motor which proffers maximum excavating power for outstanding production.

Benefits of Rock Trencher

The most important fact of any rock trencher is that the speed of the trenching increases with the weight of the trencher. In other words, it can be said that a light-weighted trencher is unable to cut the hard quality soil. There are scores of traditional excavating equipments like trackhoe and backhoe which dig the rocky earth slowly. On the other hand, the speed of the rock trencher is incomparable. Here are some of the advantages of rock trencher which will surely make you understand the reason of its popularity among other trenching machines:

  • This weighty paraphernalia is available with numerous carbon tilted teeth on the rips of the belt. These teeth break the hard rocks in to tiny pieces and eliminate those at the same time.
  • A heavy duty rock trencher has the capacity to cut the rock properly and fill the trenches with remaining small sized materials.
  • The dredge and jetting systems of this weighty construction equipment help in giving the efficient production.
  • Some of the rocks trenching machines have the capability to lift the flooded tubes easily and to install them in varied sorts of soil.

So, if you are going to buy a new trenching machine for your business, keep in mind the abovementioned features and advantages and procure the one which gives you the maximum number of facilities.