Monthly Archives: April 2016

How to clean a machine with a power washer

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Heavy equipment have to go through a lot of dirt and stains on a daily basis. The kind of work it goes through can only suggest the amount of mud it has all over its body and through that one can also understand the mud it has eaten and must be rotting inside its body. It is said that heavy equipment should be cleaned on a regular basis and if not done then there are higher chances of it getting damaged. People spend a lot for buying a machine and they can’t see it rotting just because it has eaten a lot of dirt and the guys are finding it hard to remove it from the machine.

Well, there is a very simple solution to this problem and that is to clean the machine using a power washer. It is also known as “Pressure Washer”. It gives you the access to reach those areas which are ideally not possible for human hands to reach. Well, in order to clean the interiors of the machine, you do not have to open apart each and every piece of it and then spray the dirt out. All you can do now is just use the power washer and get rid of stains and dirt that is in and around the machine.

It is also very simple to use a power washer and can be done by you or by your children (only if they are young enough to understand how it works). Also, it does not put a lot of stress on you. You have to select the time on the power washer that you think you will take to wash the entire machine and you also got to make sure that you have sufficient gallons of water that will sustain till the time you are cleaning the machine. The garden hose should be ¾-in diameter as that should suffice to connect to the washer’s inlet. You also got to make sure that you have tightened the hose connection so that no air passes in the line.

You need to ensure that you have set the spray want to 0 pressure so that there are no kick-backs when the power washer is started. Once you are done with this, you have to turn on the water faucet completely. Once you do that, slowly squeeze the spray wand so that you can wash out the air from the stuff. You can then start the engine and allow it to warm-up for a minute after which you can adjust the pressure and the settings on the spray making it ready to shoot water.

While you are working on the power washer, it is advisable that you keep the user manual handy as different power washers work differently. So you may need them when you are actually working with it. You may also ready it first and then try the washer. It may seem difficult but the moment you use it for the first time, things will turn out to be quite smooth for you.

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Top 5 favorite pieces of heavy equipment

When it comes to the construction industry, every machine has its value and people prefer to make the maximum use of the machine they get to use. For instance, if they are given the work to bulldoze an existing structure so that they can build something else in its place. They can get this part of the work done using a bulldozer manufactured by an ace company. In this situation, they will not be making use of any other heavy equipment as it will simply not be the relevant instrument to get the work done. You have to make use of a bulldozer for that work and can’t use an excavator or a truck for that matter. Similarly, you have to use a truck to haul materials from one place to the other. Here you can’t use a dozer. The construction companies are very specific with their wants and they do not ever compromise when it comes to the need of heavy equipment.

We will be speaking on the top 5 favorite heavy equipment that are liked and are equally in high demand by the owners of different construction companies.

Excavator:-

An excavator is one such machine that has no alternative. You can’t make use of any other heavy equipment for the work that is done with the help of an excavator. It will help you to dig deep in the ground and make a big hole so that you can lay a strong foundation. Today most of the major construction companies are making use of excavators to dig deep in a given plot of land and take all the mud out of it. Once the ground is dug deep, then start laying the foundation for the building. So the much needed heavy equipment is the excavator as without it, you can’t have rock solid foundations.

Bulldozers:-

The need of a bulldozer can’t be ignored. They are used to bulldoze any permanent existing structure into debris so that something new can be built in its place. They are probably the one which are used much before an excavator is brought on the site. However, it is used only in places where you already have a structure which needs to be demolished.

Graders:-

We all love to travel on flat roads. Bouncy roads can have a direct impact on our minds. We definitely do not like to have bumpy rides and in order to have a smooth road, we need graders in place. It has a single large blade that is attached to the front of the machine and using that it flattens the ground or the road making travelling far comfortable for us.

Dump trucks:-

There is a very important reason why dump trucks are considered as the most favorite heavy equipment. Well, once you demolish a structure or excavate a land or simply clean up the forest, we got to do something with the leftover material. This is why you need the dump truck which will facilitate in taking the debris and dumping them in the dump-yard.

Forklifts:-

Forklifts are much needed equipment in any worksite. You will always have the need to lift several pounds of materials at a go and this is where you will find the forklifts to be instrumental.

 

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Preventable accident heavy equipment safety

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Safety has always been a big concern in any construction jobsite. Even though people take utmost caution and follow all the necessary safety procedures, accidents happen. Some companies have even called upon experts who have done detailed study in jobsite related accidents and they have to say that it is sometimes mere ignorance on the part of the employees that they are so engrossed with their work following which they forget to follow certain procedure and the accident occurs. At times it is also due to lack of communication.

For instance, when heavy equipment is supposed to work at a site and everybody needs to clear off the area while the machine is working, it has been seen that many workers just do not know about it beforehand and they continue with their work. It is only when they get to know from other workmen that they move away from the area. The experts say that they need to be communicated about the evacuation before the machine is moved into the area and not after the workers see it inside the zone they are working in.

Make announcement that is loud and clear:-

In order to ensure that your heavy equipment does not pose any risk to the employees nor does it become a victim of any accident, it is necessary that an announcement is made on the jobsite informing all that the machine will be working for “X” number of hours and till that time, workers will not work in that area. In this way, you can prevent any accident from happening. You can make use of big speakers to make announcements so that it gets into the ears of everybody and nobody wanders near to the site.

Ensure that the brakes are in order:-

Make it a general practice every time before you start your day. Start the heavy equipment and move it a bit. Go to and from and apply brakes while it is in motion. In this way, you will ensure if the brakes are in order. It has often been witnessed that an accident has occurred as the operator was not able to stop the machine even though he applied brakes with all his might. Please understand that heavy equipment go under arduous work and there is a possibility that some function will just desist to work. Therefore checking if everything is in place should be your first task before you begin with the day.

Regular maintenance of the machine:-

Regular maintenance of the heavy equipment is of utmost importance. You never know for what reason the machine might stop working or if some functions of the machine fail to work, it can lead to serious problem. For instance, if an excavator while excavating earth pulls the dirt out and while loading in on a truck, something goes wrong and it just throws everything out on the ground where people are working, it can lead to injuries. Maintaining a machine means treating the equipment completely and if there is any sort of issue then weeding it out completely should be a priority.

Construction safety – teaching employee CPR

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It is believed that the safety of the employees in a construction site can be achieved only if the employees follow all the safety procedures while working on the site. Therefore it becomes a must to train your employees about the importance of safety while they are there on the jobsite and not just the importance but what all procedures they should follow to ensure that they are safe. It cost a lot of money to the construction company if an accident occurs on the site and they do not want something silly to happen just because the employee was complacent enough to follow the safety procedure. Now there are also certain risks to employees that are not related to their work. For instance, if an employee gets sudden cardiac arrest while he is working on the site. Here nobody is at fault as the employee can get a cardiac arrest even if he is following all safety parameters. But if nobody does anything to save the life of the person then everybody should be condemned.

Now the question arise what can one do when a person working next to them gets a sudden cardiac arrest on the jobsite and a team of paramedics will take nearly 30 minutes to arrive. If nothing is done, then it is possible that the person next to you will lose his life. It is better to do something than just standing out there and being a mere spectator. Well, if you are a witness to such a situation, do not just be a witness but act swiftly to save his life. Perform Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) immediately on the person which will probably bring him back to life or will give him that extra time so that he can take the pain and survive till the paramedics arrive to the spot.

CPR is a live saving technique which is a must to know. Many people suffer from heart related ailments and therefore it is very natural for one to get a cardiac arrest while he is travelling, eating, laughing or simply working with you. Now if a situation like this arises, the first thing you should do is alert the people around you so that a team of doctors can be called. The next thing is to kneel beside the head of the casualty and try to tilt his head a bit backwards. This will allow the airway to open. Check if the person is able to breathe and if he is not then you should start with chest compressions.

You need to interlock your hands and position it in the middle of the person’s chest and compress it for 30 times at a go. After doing 30 chest compressions, you should move the person’s head backwards and breathe in twice after making a seal over his mouth. Make sure that you do not inflate his lungs by breathing more than 2 seconds. Aim for conducting 100-120 chest compressions in a minute time.

These trainings need to be imparted to every employee so that they can not only save the life of a person on the jobsite but also of a person who is sitting right next to them in a restaurant, plane, train or a bus.

New Caterpillar Excavators

New advanced excavators are the need of the hour as the construction industry needs is in dire need of such machines that has the capability of excavating earth in just few hours. The existing ones which most of the companies have are also competent enough to do the same work but the only difference is that they consume lot of fuel and the productivity is not that high as compared to the fuel consumption. This clearly indicates that the construction companies are not making enough profits which they could make if they have excavators that consumes less fuel and is more productive.

Keeping the needs of the construction companies into consideration, Caterpillar has come up with various models of new machines that are known to be highly productive and more reliable that all its previous models. They are also more technologically sound and gives more comfort to the person operating the machine. Simultaneously, the newer models of excavators can sustain rough weather conditions like working for hours in the hot summer or in the monsoon where the land is muddy and have high chances of dirt making its way into the interiors of the machine and during the chilled winters where the excavators is used to plough the snow out of the roads.

Caterpillar has produced many new excavators, some big in size and some are the smaller ones. The small excavators also popularly known as mini excavators are widely used by big construction companies. They find these machines to be very economical, user friendly and more reliable. At the same time, it can be used in sites where big excavators find it difficult to enter. These small machines due to its small size can easily enter small sites and does the work with equal effect as compared to the bigger ones. Caterpillar is concentrating to develop more of these mini excavators as it found this machine to be the blue eyed candy boy amongst construction companies and therefore they are focusing on making it more technologically advanced.

Though these mini excavators can’t completely replace the bigger ones as they have their own importance in the construction industry, it is just that they are easy to maneuver and can access sites which are not possible for the larger version of excavators. If we speak about the maintenance of these machines, they are not at all complex and can be done in a day. Servicing is however equally important in lengthening the life of the equipment. One has to ensure that he needs to service the machine at regular intervals as and when it is advised to him by the mechanic or mentioned in the service manual. Delays are understandable but it should not be a prolonged one.

The mini excavators are also quite affordable as it is normally within the budget of every owner of a construction company. They ideally do not have to take a loan to procure that machine and even if they do go for a loan, it can be cleared off in no time.

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Caterpillar D5 Dozer

Removing of debris, moving of dirt from one place to another and things like these are better done by few set of machines and a dozer falls completely in this zone. This means that a dozer is a far more beneficial machine when it comes to doing stuffs that not many machines are capable of doing. More to it, the price of a dozer is also pretty less. This makes it a machine that all can afford to buy and make complete use of it in almost all of their projects. It also works as a very good alternative for excavators which are used to dig just few feet and not deep inside the ground. A dozer can’t completely become an alternative of an excavator as it is meant for a different purpose but can be used at times when an excavator is not immediately available. This also makes it a multipurpose machine.

One company that takes pride in making top quality dozers is Caterpillar. It seems that they are one of the pioneers in manufacturing dozers as it all happened in the year 1925 that they produced their first dozer. Since then they are into manufacturing several types of heavy equipment. However, they still specialize in producing dozers. Talking a bit about the D5 dozer, it has been installed with a 105 hp engine and has a displacement of 640.7 cu in. The total number of forward and reverse gears that is available with the machine is 3 and the maximum forward and backward speed it can travel is 6.3 mph and 7.6 mph respectively. The total height of the machine that also includes its blade is 15”1’ long. Going by the standard blade, the width of it is 10 feet and 3 inches.

It has 6 tracks rollers on each its side and it looks like little wheels that help the track shoe to move. Moving into the operating weight of the D5 dozer, the weight of the machine including the tank full of gas and the average weight of the driver is around 25,794 lb. The total fuel capacity in the dozer is up to 65 gallons.

Once can certainly go through the specification mentioned here to decide if the D5 model of dozer is the one he is looking for in his upcoming project or if he needs something else. However, this is perhaps one of the most inexpensive models available with CAT. Though CAT has been given an impression of selling high priced heavy equipment which to a certain extent is untrue. However, this piece of metal is nowhere falling close to the expensive stuffs that CAT deals with. Having said this, the ones that people find as expensive are machines that are quite technologically advanced and therefore are slightly over priced than the conventional ones. The CAT D5 dozers can be easily purchased from the manufacturer or from their authorized dealers. You also have the option to buy them online as they are available on all the major online stores that deals with heavy equipment.

Make use of eco-friendly heavy equipment to save our planet

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Our planet is almost on the verge of getting destructed by its inhabitants and the irony is that we know who is responsible for it and still can’t do anything about it. We have been polluting or environment for years and now we are at the brink. There has been a tremendous rise in the temperature and we are all feeling the heat of the situation. There have been several seminars and meetings held all across the globe to bring the alarming situation in front of the world leaders but nothing much has been done to curb this menace.

The construction industry is also a major contributor to the global warming issue and it is high time that we realize how devastating this is going to be for all of us. The big as well as the small construction companies should think about what they can do to bring things in control. Let them at least do their bit in saving the world. Their contribution can indeed work big time towards the big goal of saving the planet from an otherwise inevitable destruction.

First thing first. With the ever growing population and with the ever changing needs of the people, it is nearly impossible to say NO to construction. Construction industry is here to stay and with it there are also chances of it polluting the environment. But what can be done is if the construction companies start using eco-friendly heavy equipment, it can work as a major contributor in bringing down the emission of Co2 and other intoxicants. It is just that every construction company should take the pledge of stop using the conventional machines that is pretty high on the list of environmental hazards.

The way to deal with this problem lies with the companies that manufacture heavy equipment. They can produce equipment that are eco-friendly and at the same time also performance oriented. Well, the challenge in manufacturing such machines is that they will be very expensive and the heavy equipment companies will not see many buyers for it. As a matter of fact, not every construction company can afford to buy these expensive machines as the ones who have just entered in this industry are working hard to survive, disclaiming the idea to ask them to use such equipment. It is simply not going to work and there is a need to work this out in a different way.

Here the government plays a very crucial role. They can ask the banks to provide such small construction companies with loans at lower interest rate so that they can buy them and have to pay less compared to other big companies. The government can also bring subsidy to the tax payments wherein companies who are using eco-friendly machines would have to pay less tax for the initial few years. Slowly and gradually the price of these green heavy equipment will come down and when most of them are able to afford to buy them, the government can restructure the tax plan for the construction companies.

 

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Used equipment can be economically viable for your company

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Buying used construction equipment or a brand new one has been the topic of debate for years. Many experts feel that one should go for brand new equipment as they are installed with latest technology and one may find it far convenient to work on a new machine than a used one. However, others share a different opinion altogether. They feel that for new construction companies, it would be rather difficult to buy new machines as that can push them towards financial debts if they are unable to pay their monthly installments. Even if they manage to buy the machine outright, there are still high chances that they may drain away all their resources and end up borrowing to meet other business requirements.

It is difficult to judge what one should be doing as decisions should be taken based on the circumstances in which a person is. Let us assume that the construction business owner has surplus reserves and will have no problem if he pays the entire money in cash. Well, in this situation, he needs to analyze if he may need to pull out anything from the surplus to meet any of his business requirement for the next 9-12 months. In case if he feels that there may be a need for him to take some cash out and by investing the money in buying equipment can lead to financial difficulties later on, he should abort his plan to buy the equipment outright. But if he sees no encumbrances then he can make his way ahead to buy the machine.

Small construction companies should primarily focus on buying used equipment as that will not cost much to them. Used construction equipment can be bought at a reasonable price which they can easily afford. Nevertheless, the drawback a used construction equipment will have is that it will not have the advanced technologies installed in it that a brand new equipment will have. This will be a bit of pain to the operator and slightly more pain if he is accustomed with operating on new machines. He may not find it convenient to operate the machine like he used to with the newer ones. But if the operator can work on both old as well as new equipment, he will only need some days to get accustomed to the older version.

The other hurdle that a small construction company experiences quite often is with managing its finances. If they are not so financially stable, then it is never recommended for them to buy a new machine. That will only increase their business debts and it takes a long time to clear them all. They also have to do a bit of research work trying to know the lender who can offer them loan at the most affordable rate of interest. Now most of the small construction company does not have the time to do any of these research works. Therefore, it is prudent that they stick to the used machines and once they feel that they are getting financially stable that they should think of going for a new one.

Heavy equipment disasters

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Heavy equipment have often been the reason of numerous accidents in a construction site. Nonetheless, they have also been the reason of some major disasters. Accidents are prone t happen but when we talk about disasters, it means quite serious ones. Heavy equipment disasters are not so often but when they do occur, the repercussion could be irreparable. You may find a lot of videos of heavy equipment disasters on internet and they are all real ones and not fabricated. Watching those videos will make you wonder how dangerous heavy equipment disasters can be and you may never want one such thing to ever happen in your site.

Mostly disasters happen when you can’t figure out what could happen next and continue with your act. There have been so many mining disasters that have taken many lives. The operator was not sure how much more to go and he kept doing his job. He did not receive any proper direction from the engineer about the same and things went awry. You may come across many such cases of disasters. In some of the cases, it was also because of poor quality heavy equipment or even outdated ones.

Here was an instance that happened in Houston where a huge pile of concrete slab fell on earth moving equipment that was stranded just next to it. The machine was severely damaged. However, fortunately no one was there inside the machine and therefore there was no loss of life. Had someone been there inside the cabin, he would have died for sure. Now the operator would never know if the crane could no longer carry the slab and will leave it. Such types of disasters are quite seldom in nature but they do happen and the impact of it is quite large and irreversible.

Some tips can be followed to ensure that such type of disasters do not happen in the future.

Keep the heavy equipment under the open sky:-

When you are parking your heavy equipment, make sure that it is parked under the open sky and does not have any heavy object looming over it. There are always chances of things falling down and therefore taking such unwanted risks should be avoided.

Clear communication is important:-

Most of the times, disasters occur due to unclear communication from either side. May be the operator failed to understand or it was not effectively communicated to him. Moreover, during the monsoon or in the winters, things may become very risky and the chances of disaster happening in such occasions increases manifolds. The operator may not find things quite visible and he may take a call that may turn out to be completely incorrect. He may fall in a ditch or may get trapped in mud. Once he gets trapped there, it becomes way too difficult to get the machine out from that. It may require the help of emergency team who will come down with their equipment to get the machine out of it. Therefore, what he should do and what he should not must be communicated very clearly to him.

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Not losing focus is the key in construction industry

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To grow in any form of industry one needs to remain focused throughout the time he is in the business. He can’t afford to allow his thoughts to wander in some other direction or simply get distracted by something else. Any sort of distraction can turn out to be quite fatal for the company. For an industry like construction where there is cut throat competition throughout the spectrum, one can’t let his attention get diverted to anything other than his business. No wonder that there are other things than business that one needs to take care of in their daily lives. But any personal problem should not act as a barrier towards the growth of your company. There are examples of people becoming rich by being focused and disciplined and also examples of people who lost everything because they could not manage their personal as well as their professional lives.

Helps you to take the right decision:-

In the construction business, whatever decision that you take should turn out to be the right one because if it goes wrong, it can have a lasting effect on the company that you hold. Guys who are not focused tend to make series of errors while taking decisions and it ultimately results in incurring severe loses and even winding up their business. If you are completely attentive to what is happening in your business and the external forces that is affecting the industry as a whole, you will know what should be your next move rather than just letting things to happen. It means that you are in control of your position and are leading from the front. This also boosts the morale of your investors as they feel that you are the guy with a vision and can’t get easily diverted.

Updates your knowledge:-

You always need to keep yourself abreast with the latest updates that are pertaining to your industry. The kind of volatility that is engaged with the construction industry makes it mandatory for you to have all the updates with you. You can keep the necessary information on your laptop for reviewing your business plans that is so strongly dependent on the external market forces. Being focus will draw you closer towards achieving your business plans which is possible only when you have correct updates about the industry.

Make rapid changes in your business plan:-

When you are dealing in a volatile environment where things can go wrong in any minute, being attentive always helps. For instance, you took a decision and on the basis of it things are progressing. However, all of a sudden you get to know that due to some unforeseen reasons you have to revamp your business plans. If you are not focused enough, you will probably not even come to know about any such changes and you may continue with the same old plan. Since you remain absorbed in your work, you were able to pick the odd at the right time and could revamp your plan. Focus has become key to run any successful business.