Monthly Archives: October 2015

Mid range crawler dozers are widely accepted by customers in the construction domain

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Working in a small space will not allow huge equipment and you have to restrict the use to either mid-range or small equipment. When we talk about heavy equipment, it is not only about those big machines that you often see at construction sites but it is also about equipment that you see in your backyard clearing the garden or clearing the snow off the road. You do not always need a big dozer to clear the snow from the road. Imagine if the road is not that big to accommodate a big dozer, it will not be able to complete the work. In such a situation what you need the most is a mid range crawler dozer.

The demand for the mid range crawler dozer has increased over the last few years. People have begun to realize that it is not all about big machines but at times we also need something smaller in size to get the work done. This is how people have understood the importance of such machines and has led to the growing acceptability of it. Before we speak further on this, we need to understand what category of machine come under mid range and what goes above that. Machines that have horsepower between 130 to 200 hp are in the mid-range category. Anything falling short of that is a small machine and machines that have more than 200-300 hp fall in the higher range of machines.

A reports also suggest that the mid-range machines play a dominant role in the construction industry which was not the case few decades ago. However, not everybody likes to purchase high range equipment and keep themselves content with the lower version. Irrespective of the construction company being a big one or just a newbie, they all prefer mid range machines. The maneuverability of such machines are simpler and faster and are therefore considered potent for work that is meant for small range as well as high range equipment. Caterpillar’s Dave Cusac feels that though some companies want mid range machines to have hp more than 300 but due to certain technical alignment, it has been limited to the range of 150 to 215 hp.

Mid range crawler dozers have varied uses. They are not just used for single category of work but are used for several purposes and this is what makes the machine more in demand. Case Construction Equipment brand marketing manager has bifurcated the use of the machine on the basis of the horsepower it possess. According to him, the machine with hp of 130 is used for construction of roads and bridges but not into residential construction. Machines with hp of 150 are also used for building of bridges and roads but they can simultaneously spread their wings into larger jobs. Machines more than 214 hp can be used for mining, overburden clearing and similar operations. Having said this, it does not mean that these machines do not have the capability to perform heavy duty jobs.

Heavy Equipment that builds bridges

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

In order to merge two cities or places that is divided by a huge mass of water, we make bridges. Bridges that are strong enough to carry the load of heavy vehicles and cars all running at the same time over it. In order to build something that needs to be so strong, one can easily imagine the kind of heavy equipment that were used to construct such a bridge. The kind of heavy equipment that one can see in a construction or a mining site may not be very useful when it comes to construction of bridges over the water but if we are building a bridge covering a small area that has more of land, then the utility of equipment like backhoe loaders or an excavator becomes essential.

Building a bridge requires deep study of the location and skilled men who can execute the work. An operator who has been working all his life operating machines in a construction site may not find this work as his cup of tea and may probably not even understand how to go ahead with a given task. It is because the kind of work he has been doing all his life is entirely different from the work that has been assigned to him.

Utility of an excavator:-

Heavy equipment like an excavator are ideally used for building bridges that does not have a huge water body beneath and it needs certain degree of excavation to be done. Excavators are usually required for building bridges. Simultaneously, it has the capability to pull out the dirt from one place and put it on the truck. Though an excavator may not be required while building bridges over a huge water body or perhaps its use is limited during the initial phase of the construction and then it is replaced by other heavy equipments.

Bulldozer is needed to level the roads:-

A bulldozer is primarily required at the time of building roads on the bridge. There are used to level the roads over the bridge. The roll of a bulldozer is also quite limited and not used extensively during the construction of a bridge.

Heavy crane bridge building machine:-

In order to build big bridges, you require huge cranes that will help to put the slabs on the face of the pillars. It is unimaginable to place those heavy slabs without the involvement of a heavy crane. These cranes are initially used to give a structure to the bridge and once the structure is formed, the slabs are placed over it with the help of these cranes. Unlike an excavator or a bulldozer which may have limited use, these cranes are extensively used during the construction of big or small bridges.

Since the making of two bridges are not the same, crane manufacturing companies have come up with different types of cranes required for the construction. Each type of crane is meant for constructing a specific kind of bridge. They comes in different shape and sizes and it varies depending upon the sort of bridge that needs to be constructed.

 

Related articles across the web

Rent a medium range equipment rather than buying one

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Experts in the construction domain share the same view that requirement of heavy equipment are based on situation to situation. You can’t use one type of heavy equipment in every location. At times you need to change the kind of machine you are using and take something else. The large range heavy equipment can be used extensively in big construction sites which have the capacity to accommodate those big guns but if you are working in a congested site, you may not be able to make use of those big machines. At that time, you have to come down to medium or small range machines.

One of the plus points is that the medium range machines are comparatively less expensive then the bigger ones and hence one can easily contain it in his budget. Nevertheless, experts are of the opinion to rent a medium range machine rather than buy one. They see that the operating cost of the medium range machine is high and that might become a pain for you. In order to curb that issue, it will be prudent that you rent a medium range machine, use it to complete your project and then return it to the user. In this way, you do not have to worry much about its high maintenance costs other than the regular maintenance expense that will be born by you if it is stated so in the rental agreement.

The million dollar question would be how would you know who is renting what equipment. Well, the beat way will be to search it on the net. There are so many websites available that deals with online shopping of heavy equipment. You just got to key in medium range excavator or dozer or whatever equipment you are looking for. Please mention in the search bar that you want to take it on rent. It will throw you all the options it has. You then need to check which one meets your requirement. It will be better if you go through the item description well as that will help you to understand if this is what you are actually searching for. If you are finding this difficult, you can simply go to google and key in your requirements. There it will give you the link of the websites that deals with people who wants to rent their equipment.

Once you are in there, check the stuff online and if you like any, you can call them and move on for more options. In case you get a deal that you believe is the best, try to establish contact with the giver. They do have options that allow you to set up a contact with the other party. Talk to him and be explicit on your requirements. Also try to understand his clauses and if you see any room for negotiation, go ahead with it.

This is one of the best way by which you can save a lot of money by getting the equipment on rent and also fulfill your business requirement.

Related articles across the web

The Latest Machine from the House Of Terex

As you know, Terex us one if the finest names in the world when it comes to making constructing equipment. You would be glad to know that the company has launched a couple of new models in its range of the backhoe loaders in the last few months. These two models are known as the TLB850 and the TLB990. The former is in the budget end while the latter is in the top end. According to Terex, the TLB850 which is cost effective equipment is more if a backhoe loader that is of the entry level. The primary aim of this equipment is apparently at hire markets. The base weight of the equipment is about 8230 kg. The machine is a bit beefy when compared to the 840 that weighs 7210kg. It comes with a newly designed hydraulic system with valves of central control that is closed. The new model also comes with an engine of 70Kw Perkins. The dimensions are more or less same as the previous version for this model. The digging depth of the model is about 5.39 meters. According to Terex, due to the new hydraulic system makes the operation of the dipper, boom, the bucket and the extender quite smooth.

The second version that has been designed by Terex is known as the Terex TLB 990. The operating weight of this machine is about 8248 kg. The weight of this version is not very different from the former version but the engine is of 74.5kw Perkins. The digging depth of the equipment is also about 5.64 meters. The 970 has been upgraded to build the new 990. Therefore, it comes with maximum torque which in turn makes the road and the loading performance of the machine much more improved. There has been a six percent increase in the break out force of the dipper. Operating the machine has become very easy after the simplification of the control panels. If you go for the servo models you will be able to get more foot space as the auxiliary operation models are not present.

Jon Beckley who is the product manager of the Terrex backhoe loader says that the key requirements of customers were productivity, versatility and comfort of the operator according to the research for the design of the new equipment. According to him, the designs of the new models will enable to meet all the above mentioned requirements that have surfaced at the time of the research. According to him, the breakout forces, the pushing power and the turning circle makes the new model a very productive and versatile option in the construction world. The general manager of Terex, Neal Nowick says that the 990 has been designed with new technologies and technical advances. He also says that it is one of the most significant developments as far as backhoes are in concern. Therefore, if you are considering new digging machines, these two models from Terex can prove to be an excellent option for you.

 

 

Related articles across the web

Ask a Heavy Equipment Mechanic a question

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

When it comes to the health and well-being of your heavy equipment, you can’t trust anybody but the best. Heavy equipment is a complex subject in itself and it takes ages for mechanics to learn it completely. As a matter of fact, many expert mechanics agree that they can work fantastically on some types of heavy equipment but if they are asked to work on something that they have never worked previously then they have to start with it from square one. This means that they will spend time to first learn the machine well and then only will start working on it.

This indicates us the fact that if an expert mechanic can experience problem dealing with a new machine, what will a newbie do who perhaps do not have any experience whatsoever. He may ruin the stuff if he does not get proper guidance. Therefore, it becomes very important for people who have little or absolutely no knowledge about the working of a machine to ask question to a mechanic. Alternatively, if they experience any problem in fixing a machine, it is better that they put their question in forth of a mechanic and see what he suggests him to do. It will not be wise to act without the guidance of a mechanic or else the consequence could be drastic and appalling.

We would be discussing what one can do to reach a mechanic and ask him a question or two.

Join a forum run by a mechanic:-

This is one of the interesting ways to interact with the mechanic. You will find most of the mechanics who deals with heavy equipment to be tech savvy and they also write articles pertaining to heavy equipment on their websites. You only have to get in touch with one such mechanic and if you have any question you can shoot it out there in that forum. There are chances that they might reply you with the solution. Just in case you do not see any reply, the next option would be to try and contact the person over the phone.

The contact details will be available on the website. You can fetch those details from there and probably email him first and if he wants you to call him, you can do that as well. Ideally, they will help you with some trouble shooting solutions and may even provide you a link that talks more about the subject issue. You check the link and see how it helps you.

Contact your local mechanic:-

Just in case, you do not get much help from the mechanic after having written to him on his blog/forum, the next best viable option would be to ask the same question to your local mechanic. If the question is related to some new technology that is available in the market and if that can be installed in your machine, you mechanic will at least take the effort to know about the new stuff and inform you if it is at all compatible for your machine.

Hire operators rather than operating the machine on your own

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

We can’t do everything on our own. Even the geniuses of our time and also in the past were not able to find success in all the things. They have to give away.  A few things to others who could do it better than them. Similarly, not everybody can operate heavy equipment. It is not child’s play that they can just sit in the cab and start working things inside. There are lots of stuff inside the cab which are very critical and if something is pressed incorrectly, it can lead to unwanted accidents, injuries or maybe even loss of life. You may also end up damaging your machine. Heavy equipment are highly expensive items and any damage to the machine can cost you dearly. Therefore, having the right person for the job is what every wise person will want to do.

We will talk about few a points stressing why we should hire an operator rather than operating the machine on our own.

Lack of expertise:-

We may be an expert in drawing strategy which is required for the growth of the business but if you now think of operating the machine knowing that it is not your strength, you may end up inviting trouble for yourself. Heavy equipment is quite a complex subject and not everyone can learn it well. It also requires good deal of practice to master the art of driving the machine. You just can’t wake up one day and start working inside the cab. If you don’t know much about operating machinery, the cab is just not the place for you. A qualified operator with years of experience can steer the equipment with much more ease than you can think of doing. So, it is better that you hand over the work to the expert and you do what you are good at.

Operators may know when the machine needs what:-

Many a times, heavy equipment give problems that could not be recognized clearly by a layman. It is not that the machine will stop working, but will give signs of ailment. A newbie may not realize the issue but an experienced operator will understand that there is something wrong with the machine and it needs to be checked. Alternatively, the operator knows when to service the machine, when to change the engine oil and when to replace an obsolete part with a fresh one. These are things that we may easily skip but an operator will take due care and ensure that the machine is always in order.

Saves cost of the mechanic:-

An operator has wide knowledge of the machine and therefore if anything goes wrong with the equipment, he can be in a position to fix it. Calling a mechanic can be avoided if you have an experienced hand on the machine. This will also ensure that your project does not take a beating just because the machine has a small glitch in it. Any small glitch can be taken care of by the operator.

Related articles across the web

Caterpillar Workwear

When you are working in a construction company, it is very important that you wear clothes that are supposed to be worn in construction sites. You can’t work wearing the clothes that you use at home as that will make you feel very uncomfortable and uneasy. At the same time, construction companies also have to follow certain protocols under which they give immense stress to the kind of clothes the workers should wear while they are inside the site. Though clothes are an important component, companies also believe that wearing of special glasses, gloves, boots, jackets etc. are all very important when it comes to the safety of construction workers and they all constitute under the umbrella of “Work Wear”.

Having realized the importance of Work Wear, the heavy equipment manufacturing companies have jumped in to produce the items and to meet the needs of their customer. They want their presence to be felt throughout the industry and should not want to be limited to producing only heavy equipments. The Work Wear produced by these companies are not only used by construction workers but are also used by people who belong to some other sector. They need those wears when they are about to renovate their house on their own or make certain modifications. So when they are doing this on their own, they also need to wear those stuffs so that they do not hurt themselves in this process.

Caterpillar has once again proven its metal by producing quality Work Wear for its vast customer base. Caterpillar is probably the only brand that takes invests time and money to understand the requirements of its customers and design products that will meet all their needs. They also try to remain abreast with the latest style that is more user friendly and liked by the end user. They are renowned for making boots and other accessories that plays a crucial role in ensuring that workers can do their work safely and by keeping their comfort level intact.

Quality comes at a price but they are reasonable:-

Though the products (Work Wear) produced by Caterpillar are one of the best in terms of quality but that does not mean that they are overtly priced. They want their products to be used by anybody and everybody and therefore they have taken utmost care that they do not charge an amount that most will not be ready to pay.

Construction companies buy CAT Work Wear in bulk:-

Many construction companies big or small tend to buy Caterpillar Work Wear in large quantities. Buying in bulk can be beneficial for them in many ways. Firstly, they can buy the products when Caterpillar is offering good discounts on their products. It makes perfect sense to shop when they declare some kind of discounts on their products as the company can save lot of money in the bargain. Secondly, they do not have to waste time to wait for the delivery. If they have a new worker joining in, they can simply give him the stuffs that they have as extras to wear and make full use of it.

 

 

Choose Best Online Heavy Construction Equipment Training Institute and Become a Proficient Operator

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Nowadays, heavy construction equipment training courses are popular among the teenagers due to the rapid development of construction and mining industries. Weighty paraphernalia training courses provide wide variety of opportunities to the trainees. Often, it can be seen that graduate pupils are browsing on the web to find the best online heavy construction equipment training school so that after the completion of the course, they get the job in top rated construction companies.

If you want to become a heavy equipment operator, you should gain knowledge of operating varied bulky apparatus such as backhoe, bulldozers, excavators, motor graders and so on. The heavy construction paraphernalia operation programme teaches the trainees the procedure of running the equipment in safe manner. Majority of these courses are provided in amalgam system because the main subject is related to the several bulky paraphernalia operating rules and regulations. To get admission on any online heavy equipment training institute, the learner should be bodily capable of controlling a heavy construction apparatus. Though, nowadays, apprentices get the scope to learn the theory papers at their home due to the introduction of online education system but it is essential for them to attend construction site to gain practical knowledge of operating heavy equipment. As you scan every word of this web page, you will realised that practical knowledge is also a vital part of online heavy equipment operating course.

Catalogue of Well-accepted Heavy Equipment Training Courses

If you want to pursue your career as a proficient heavy equipment operator, you are required to do the heavy equipment operating program. Due to the beneficial factors of online educational institute, many of the virtual institutes are now offering bulky paraphernalia training programmes that help the apprentices to learn the technical rules related to the different heavy apparatus properly. Choose your suitable programme from the below mentioned list of heavy equipment training courses:

  • Heavy Equipment Safety programme educates trainees about the safety rules and regulations ascribed by the weighty paraphernalia manufacturing industry. In this course, the students get to learn the particular hand signals and communication process, operators use while running the equipment.
  • In Heavy Equipment Operation course, the faculties teach various techniques of operating heavy equipment to the apprentices. Some of the common heavy equipments whose operating techniques are included in this curriculum are loaders, excavators, earth movers etc.
  • There are scores of online equipment training institutes which provide Heavy Equipment Maintenance programme to the trainees. Basically, this course focuses on the effect of equipment on natural factors such as soil condition and temperature, climate on the job construction site and so on.
  • In the Heavy Construction Project Management course, the apprentices get to know about the procedure of securing the big construction assignment by construing documents and contracts.
  • If the trainees accomplish the Heavy Construction Infrastructure program, they become proficient in scheduling and scrutinizing varied infrastructure like utility and marine system.

As this page ends, surely you will realise that if you completed one of the aforementioned heavy equipment training course, there is none to create obstacle in getting a prestigious job in well-renowned construction companies.

Related articles across the web

Benefits of Bulldozer: Earth Moving Equipment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Familiarized in 1920 and employed extensively ever since, the bulldozer widely recognised as dozer, is a clear descendant of the crawler tractor. Applied in combination with the earth moving apparatuses, the bulldozer is a potent and indispensable gizmo utilised in more or less every construction site of the world.

The earth moving heavy equipment, bulldozer was primarily manufactured in United States by some of the heavy equipment manufacturing companies like Case Tractor Company, John Deere and Caterpillar. This earth moving weighty paraphernalia proffers engineering application to several fields for instance agriculture, waste management, construction, mining etc.

Components of an Earth Moving Heavy Bulldozer

Bulldozer characterised for its versatile track and immense blade is comprised of several engines, pneumatic and construction assemblies. Here in the below cited points, the readers will get to know about the various essential parts of dozers:

  • The mainframe and the undercarriage parts of the bulldozer are made-up of low carbon structural steel platters.
  • The cab of the dozer is fabricated from plastic, rubber and glass materials that help in improving the ergonomic feature of the paraphernalia.
  • The steel made parts inside the engine of the bulldozer have the capability to bear the high operating temperatures.
  • When the dozer is filled with assorted sorts of fluids like oil, coolant, hydraulic fluid and fuel, its weight augments drastically.
  • Paint, decals and the patterned trim of the dozer helps in creating it the most artistic and appealing earth moving heavy equipment.

Advantages of Bulldozers

  • Dozers are big-sized weighty vehicles making them a perfect option for cleaning construction sites and for the purpose of demolition. The high-quality tracks offer bulldozers a distinct benefit permitting them to be astonishingly invariable for their excessive weight.
  • The tracks of the dozers have the quality of strong grip that assist them to undertake the rough terrain. These tracks also help the bulldozers to distribute their heavy weight thwarting them from submerging in dirty or mud-covered land.
  • Bulldozers are famous for their quality of grasping the ground tightly that gives them exceptional potency to shove and pull the obstructions coming in their path.
  • Some of the replicas of tanks attached in the dozers have the ability to pull up almost 70 tons of weight and are especially utilised for construction and military purposes.
  • In a bulldozer, the customers can find chiefly three types of blades that are straight, universal and S-U combined blades. These blades are normally employed for grading, carrying extra materials and for shoving large-shaped mound of rocks for instance quarry.
  • When the bulldozers are used in battle fields, the blades are attached on the battle tanks for clearing various anti-tank obstructions.
  • If the construction business owners want to buy dozer with stump buster, they get the additional benefit of brush scrape blade that helps in clearing in the land effectively.

So, if you are looking for an upgraded version of bulldozer, you can find it very easily by browsing the internet, as there are scores of dozer manufacturing companies that provide efficient modern technology designed dozers in reasonable price.

 

Caterpillar 815 Compaction Roller

While you are working on a project, you need to ensure that the path on which the construction workers will walk and heavy equipment will move is smooth as butter because if it is not smooth then it will cause enormous problems for the workers to move on it and it may also lead to an unprecedented incident in the site. Government of any state gives a lot of stress on having real good roads. They understand the need as well as the importance of transportation for the economic progress of the country and therefore it is very crucial that the roads are well maintained with no potholes after every couple of meters away. In order to keep the roads smooth, compaction rollers play a mightier role and when we talk about compaction rollers, we can’t trust any other brands other than CAT. Caterpillar is known for producing hi-end heavy equipment for its huge customer base all across US and compaction rollers is one such make from them.

We will be discussing about CAT 815 compaction roller in particular and the specifications of the machine.

The gross and net power of CAT 815 compaction roller is 253 hp and 240 hp respectively. It has a displacement of 628.5 cu in. The operational weight of the machine is 20755 kg and its fuel capacity is 446 liters. It has been fitted with hydraulic system fluid capacity which is around 88 liters and the engine oil capacity is 34 liters. The cooling system fluid capacity and transmission fluid capacity is 55 liters and 50 liters respectively. The operating voltage of the machine is 24 V with the alternator supplied amperage is around 70 amps.

If we talk about its gears, then it has 3 forward gears and 3 backward gears and the maximum speed that it can take is around 18 km per hour. The width of the front wheels drum is 39 in and the drum diameter is 40.5 in. The width and diameter of the rear wheels are also the same as it is of the front wheels. The height and width of the blade of the compaction roller is 34 in and 12 ft in respectively. If we talk about the dimension of the machine the length with its blade on the ground is 6845 mm and the width over wheels is 3243 mm. The height of the machine from the bottom to the top of the cab is 11 ft in and the ground clearance is 1.3 ft in.

Buyers ideally do not experience issues buying this model and there are great reviews all over the internet from buyers all over the globe. If you are in US, you can order this machine by calling the company’s sales number or an authorized dealer who will help you with the sales proceeds. You can pay them all in check if you have sufficient money in your bank or can take a loan at minimal rate of interest to buy the machine.