Author Archives: Kevin

Construction of tunnels

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Construction work at many times can be quite challenging and it can be not everybody’s cup of tea. This means that the construction companies that are into building high rises may not find themselves comfortable with building dams or tunnels. They may have their expertise in one genre of the business and it definitely does not mean that they can’t try something else in the same industry but for projects that require experts to work, it is recommended that companies should stick to their genre of business and not move into the other genre. However, if they still want to try then they need to first gather enough details about the kind of work and also possess the required equipment to execute the project. Construction of tunnels is one such job that requires an expert to deal with. Companies dealing with construction work other than building tunnels may not understand how to begin and where to end the work. Therefore it makes sense for construction companies that have been dealing with construction of tunnels to dig their heads into it and execute the work with finesse.

Investigating the land is important:-

Investigating the ground condition is quite crucial to start with a major tunnel project. The company should first collect samples from boreholes by adopting geophysical techniques. Once that is done and everything seems to be ok, you can start with the excavation work. Now the investigation part is crucial because it will help the experts to foresee any possible dangers that might erupt once the construction work begins.

Availability of heavy equipment:-

Heavy equipment play a significant role during the entire process of construction of a tunnel. The company needs to have the best machine in place and also the best operator to control the machines. Now when we talk about heavy equipment, the most crucial is excavator. When you go about to construct a tunnel, you need to excavate the ground and rock to pave way. This work can be really dangerous if not done correctly and the operator needs to be very cautious when he is working on such a complex project. An experienced operator should be given the task to excavate the rock. Try not to involve a newbie in it. Once a way is paved the latter part of the excavation can be given to less experienced operators. Heavy equipment that are used in the project should meet international standards. Anything less than that can pose a risk to the lives of many involved in the project.

Groundwater control should be maintained:-

It is very crucial to maintain groundwater control. Any sort of water leaking or vertical shaft can largely reduce the stand-up time. This can lead to a risk of collapse if not checked in time. One can avoid the risk by installing dewatering pipes and pump the water out. Another technology that can be used is ground freezing. Ground freezing is an expensive option but quite effective. It freezes the ground and the soil surrounding the excavation until a permanent structure is built.

Wide-ranging cranes are available for construction works

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Construction cranes are valuable and essential properties for the construction industry. Cranes have some vital jobs on construction sites, especially when tall buildings, bridges, skyscrapers, etc. are constructed. Nowadays different types of constructions are done in odd places like in the middle of a river, or in a busy traffic area, where works can be smooth-sailing with the help of construction cranes.

Utility of construction cranes

Before cranes, construction industry worked differently as everything required human labor. Lifting, loading, unloading and shifting were done by laborers. It required lots of time and labor. The process was expensive too. The construction industry in many places needed to restrict their imagination and design due to lack of labor or expertise. These problems are readily solved ever since construction cranes were invented. It saves much time, labor and money of contractors or owners of buildings. Modern day construction cranes possess a huge capacity and a great many utilities.

Types of construction cranes

Various types of cranes are used depending on the requirements of the work and site location. Here are the mostly used construction cranes:

  • Tower cranes – These cranes are required in building skyscrapers, bridges, and tall buildings. Tower cranes are normally fixed on the construction site with a strong base as long as construction works proceeds. They rise hundreds of feet above and can also reach out hundreds of feet horizontally. Tower cranespossess18-20 tons lifting capacity.
  • Truck-mounted cranes – As the name suggests, these cranes are mounted on a vehicle and easily movable from one location to another. These cranes have two parts: the carrier where the crane is fixed which is also called lower, and the lifting component called upper. A truck-mounted crane possesses 13-14.5 tons capacity.
  • Rough terrain cranes – It is a specialized form of thetruck-mounted crane where the tiers of the carrier are specially built for moving on an uneven surface. Outriggers are used in these cranes so that the system remains firm while loading and unloading. These cranes generally possess 35-80 tons lifting capacity.
  • Crawler Cranes – A crawler crane is almost like rough terrain crane but it possesses crawlers or tracks for movement. The crawlers provide sufficient stability to this cranes, hence, they don’t come with outriggers. Crawler cranes possess high lifting capacity which starts from 40 tons.
  • Railroad cranes – As the name suggest, these cranes are mobile but only on the railway tracks. They possess flanged when suitable for movement on the track. The lifting capacity of these cranes generally varies from 15-250 tons.
  • Aerial cranes – These are the most modern addition to this product line. Aerial cranes are actually helicopters that carry loads to a great height or in an odd site like is a mountain site or in the middle of a river.

Besides, telescopic cranes, floating cranes, level luffing cranes, etc. are also used in different construction sites. Again, contractors may require more than one types of cranes to work simultaneously. Cranes make any construction work rather easy and inexpensive than manual or semi-manual works. However, proper training for operation and safety is required while working with the cranes.

Construction brooms are mandatory for all types of construction works

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Construction brooms have a wide-ranging use in all types of construction works at all levels. These brooms have various purposes, especially in traditional finish of concrete slabs and road construction. Contractors use brooms to prepare a new concrete surface of a newly cast slab and polishing the bream of a slab for placing another one side by side. Brooms used in construction sites are specially made with metal fibers or hard plastic fibers. However, other types of brooms are also used in traditional construction methods. Construction jobs normally require hard bristle brooms, but in many situations, soft fiber brooms are also used for cleaning and washing purposes of the finished construction works.

Kinds of construction site brooms

Depending on the surface on which a broom is to be applied different types of brooms are used. Due to variances in the bristle size, material used, and bristle strength some types of brooms are not suitable on a comparatively soft surface, on the other hand, the hard surfaces always require hard bristle for cleaning or polishing. Inflexible brooms may form scratches on the hardwood, rubber, or other kinds of floors, while easy-going, synthetic bristles may not be robust enough on a concrete or metal setting. These days, machine driven brooms are also used in the large construction sites like in road or bridge construction.

Here are some manual brooms that are regularly used on construction sites:

  • Push broom: a push broom is used to clean a large area like a floor, or roof after the completion of construction work. Push brooms contain a long and flat head attached to a long wooden handle. The bristles are 3-4 inches long covered with a wooden or metal head that is generally 18-24 inches long.
  • Amish broom – These brooms are made with strong corn-straw and generally bound and sewn manually. These brooms are the most traditional ones, low cost, and enduring. It is often used in a traditional finish for a concrete slab which is also called “broom finish”. It is used across the surface of a semi-dried concrete slab to create artistic patterns.
  • Warehouse broom – These brooms consist of an oversize head with longer bristles. The head is specially designed to sweep heavy debris and fine dust from the concrete surface. These brooms work excellently on theuneven surface also.
  • Whisk broom – These brooms have an extensive use in construction sites. They contain small handle not more than 6 inches but with a long bristle. Whisk brooms are used in dusting surfaces where construction work will take place.

Broom construction

Textures of the surfaces and types of dirt vary throughout a construction site, so selecting the exact broom construction is imperative for maximum dusting and cleaning effectiveness. Different kinds of bristles and designs are used in manufacturing brooms, like structural foam block, wood block, horsehair, Tampico, Palmyra, polystyrene, polypropylene, nylon etc. In road construction, rotary brooms are mostly used for fast and accurate works. Experts are adding many new features in the construction brooms these days to enhance their utility, ergonomics, and practicality.

Get associated with a Repo company

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Guys who have big businesses today have started with something small at one point in time. They took help of other companies and incorporated their assistance in the work and simultaneously both grew. The thumb rule of success of any business is do not do everything on your own. Allow others to be a part of your business and take their assistance. The companies whom you will share your project with will provide you the necessary resources using which you can grow and make more money.

No company wants to utilize all of its finances to buy resources when it can easily incorporate another company to get the work done and simply share the profits. This is what the Repo companies also believe in. Not many Repo companies have a towing van to tow heavy equipment. Whenever they get an assignment from any banks or financial institutions they hire a towing vehicle from someone they know and get the work done. However, not all Repo companies follow the same modus operandi. Some believe in buying the van and keep it in standby so that whenever it is needed they can make use of it.

If you are a small time Repo company and you want to grow big, the first thing is you have to develop your contacts with financial institutions that lend money for heavy equipment or trucks or you get associated with another bigger Repo company who will give you assignments as and when it gets one. They will keep their share and give you the money of the work you have done. Ideally, they will only take the money for the information they have given to you and you get the money for the entire work. However, that is still better than having no work at all.

Get into an agreement with the Repo company:-

When you are getting associated with a Repo company, it makes ample sense to first get into an agreement with them where you will define your rate to them and they will pay you accordingly. Your rates should differ depending upon the kind of work you have to do. For instance if you are assigned to tow a mid-sized heavy equipment you can accept a lesser price for that work but that certainly does not mean that you have fixed your rate on towing all types of heavy equipment. To tow big sized heavy equipment you require specialized towing vehicle and if you do not have that vehicle you may have to borrower it from someone who will bill you more for it. So mention your rates on the basis of work that you will do.

Deal with many Repo companies at the same time:-

It makes less sense to hang around with just one Repo company with the hope that they will keep you busy for the entire week or month. You need to be associated with many other Repo companies at the same time. This will let you get more businesses which will further help you to grow in a short time.

Selling heavy equipment can be an enjoyable job

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Selling products can become an enjoyable job only when you know how to sell things to people. This does not mean that you are going to sell items that they do not require. What you will do is show the end user that there is a need of the product in their lives and if at all they have not been using it then they should start doing so. This skill of creating the need in one’s mind and later convincing them to buy the items is the art of selling. A salesman will find his job enjoyable only when he masters the art and can sell anything to anybody just by creating the need of that product in their lives. However, there is one thing that a salesman should always bear in mind and that is they should not try to overdo things. At the end of the day, customers know what they want and what they should avoid buying. So a salesman should respect the wisdom of the customer and when he sees that the customer is not at all ready to buy it from him, he should leave it there.

Selling heavy equipment is altogether a different ball game. Here you can sell the products to a limited genre of people who will probably know about machines much better than you would know. So before you start using your skill to create the need you should be sure of what you are doing and with whom you are doing. There are certain selling tricks that are used but you can’t use the same trick on every individual. It will just not work. A person who is in the construction business for the last 20 years and have dealt with nothing but heavy equipment, it will be really difficult to play the trick with him. You should assume that he is a smarter guy and therefore you should simply stick to your point.

Know their business:-

To sell heavy equipment to such veterans is a difficult task and as long as you do not know their business well you will never be able to sell heavy equipment to them. They will always outsmart you with their knowledge and you will end up looking like a fool. Well, this is a fact. So in order to sell machines to them, you got to first impress them by letting them know how much you know about their business and what kind of machines are required for the successful completion of the project. You may even request them to allow you to visit the site and inspect the health of the machines that is currently in occupation. By that you will understand what types of machines he normally uses and if you have any better alternative.

Take less stress:-

Stress can weaken a person from inside and selling heavy equipment can put a person in lot of stress especially when he is unable to achieve his targets. However, if you are in stress it further adds up to your problem. Try to remain happy and if you are unable to sell those big machines try to focus on the smaller ones.

Learn to fix heavy equipment on your own

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We often encounter some or the other problems with heavy equipment. They may be quite minor in nature but as long as we do not know how to fix them, it always coerces us to call for a mechanic. Now the real problem is the charge you got to pay to the mechanic. The issue may be quite a petty one but you still have to pay him a good amount. This may often burn a hole in your pocket and you would definitely want to get rid of the problem.

The simple way to get rid of the issue is to learn how to fix heavy equipment on your own. If you learn to repair your machines then you can cut down on costs that you invariably spend on services received from mechanics. Having said this, it does not imply that you will try to give it a shot on every problem that you encounter on the heavy equipment. At times, the machine may throw an issue that you may be unaware of. This is perhaps the time when you should take some help of the mechanic and not get indulged in repairing it on your own.

User manual can be your best guide:-

To know about your heavy equipment you got to first read the literature that you get along with the stuff. It will help you to know your machine in a much better way. It has been seen that people learn something new about their heavy equipment after referring to the user manual after having owned it for a couple of years. The mechanic will never you how to fix the problem if it occurs again he will simply resolve the issue and will walk away with the money. It becomes your responsibility to understand what went wrong so that if it happens again you will be in a position to fix it without involving a mechanic. Therefore whenever you see an issue it is advised that you go through the user manual and check if they have mentioned anything about it. You may get leads from there and that will help you to sort the case. Also ensure that you have proper tools handy. You will not be able to open a part of the equipment without the tools.

Videos on YouTube:-

This is another option that can be tried to fix heavy equipment. You can learn a lot from websites like YouTube. There you will find a lot of videos related to how to fix heavy equipment on your own. You only need to mention the type of equipment and the issue you are experiencing. The search result will give you a lot of option and you can then watch them. The reason why watching videos will be helpful is because when you will try to fix the problem you will be able to co-relate what you have seen in the video with your machine. This will help you to understand your equipment in a better way.

Construction Water towers fulfill multiple of requirements on a job site

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Construction jobs require gallons of water and if it a big project than a continuous supply of water essential for accomplishing different jobs as also for the job site workers who are staying at the spot temporarily. Keeping the requirement in view, temporary or portable water towers are sometimes built in a large and long-term construction sites. The best thing about construction site water towers is that these can work even during power cuts. The hydrostatic pressure formed due to height is sufficient to supply water within the total area; however, for lifting water to a certain height like when construction work is going on at a height of 50-100 ft. from the ground level pumping water is necessary.

Why do construction sites require a water tower?

Following are the primary requirements of water on a construction site:

  • As a welfare facility for the workers or laborer engaged there
  • For continuing different geotechnical operations
  • For any hydro blasting or hydro demolition work
  • For washing, cleaning and dust suppression
  • For percolation testing of floors, concrete slabs, and roofs, etc.

Portable water towers for construction sites

Companies expert in providing portable water towers normally delivers the complete system and erect the tower with thereservoir as per the demand of contractors or engineers. They also provide water tanks on regular basis to fill-up the tower regularly. Typical portable water towers possess 8000-12000 Gallon capacity. Portable water towers generally use an engine driven thehydraulic pump and a cylinder. The cylinder is attached to a discharge pipe of different diameter. A 12-inchdiameter discharge pipe can supply water at 2500 GPM.

Features of a typical construction site water tower

Though different capacities of portable water towers are available. Following are the common specifications of a typical construction site water tank:

  • Rectangular steel tube is used for fabricating the base to give the system more strength and prevent material buildup.
  • Six legs are used having 5-6-inch diameter to support the reservoir in the raised position.
  • Normally 2 water inlets of 3-inch diameter are used to fill water.
  • The reservoir is systemized for auto shutdown with 8-inch diameter float.
  • The reservoir is attached to a ladder at the rear for accessing the top of the reservoir.

Benefits of construction site water tower

Having water tower provides a multiple of benefits to the contractors, some of these benefits are as follows:

  • These towers are portable, that means, they can be moved from one location to another as and when required.
  • Water towers can be erected at variable heights depending on the requirements at the job site.
  • Can be filled with any types of pumps in very short time.
  • They are usable with thewater pump or standpipe.
  • They can be quickly uninstalled

A water tower has multiple purposes. It basically stores water for continuous use in a job site. Contractors choose water towers instead of a tank when the job site requires ahigher flow of water and when maintaining a tank at the ground level is not possible. Water towers are extremely flexible and inexpensive process of storing and using water on a construction site.

Over aggressiveness can cost you the business

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It is believed that the one who is aggressive in the construction industry can only make it to the pinnacle. Others just form a part of it. Being aggressive is a want in this form of a business. There are other qualities that are also required to become successful in the construction business but out of all the other qualities, being aggressive is required the most. Now the word aggressive can give you many meanings and when we talk about the industry demands aggressive guys, it does not mean it is asking for hot headed people who can’t keep their cool and in this process take decisions that turn out to be utter failure. Aggressiveness here means not letting out the spirit in you die in any circumstances. You will get to see a lot of ups and downs, failures and hiccups coming down your way, but you fail the day you lose your spirit to get up and get going.

The moment you are crushed down, you should be determined to get back with a much greater force and this is what aggressiveness is all what. However, being over aggressive can pose lot of threat to your business. There are numerous examples where people have incurred huge losses as they went overtly aggressive and some even had to pay the cost by completely winding up their construction business. Over aggressiveness is displayed at many places. For instance, you feel like having too many heavy equipment as you foresee a lot of projects coming up. But you may go absolutely wrong on your calculation and rest will be quite traumatic. So you got to be patient enough before being aggressive. You can get everything in just one single day. Projects also take time to come and if you expect a lot to come, you got to strategize and plan with your people if they are ready to manage more projects.

Planning forms an integral part of your business. You need to get everybody into confidence before you take up any decisions. Also understand the challenges posed in front of different departments before you take any important decision. These things are quite critical in nature and overlooking them in any way can cause huge damage to the business.

When you are over aggressive, you tend to leave the people who are a bit slow and can’t match up with your pace. Well, that is not how it should be. We all have our own way and speed of doing things. You feel that it is better that you move ahead by leaving them behind or else they will hold you back. However, look at it the other way round. A leader is the one who takes everybody along with him. A person who is aggressive with his business will always ensure that his employees are on the same page and if anybody is having issues with catching up the pace, helps is given to them.

Heavy equipment rental companies

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In recent times, it has been observed that owners of heavy equipment prefer to give the machines on rent rather than keeping it idle with them. They see absolutely no sense in keeping the machine without making any use of it. Also for owners who have bought the machine by borrowing money from a lender and have no project in hand finds it extremely hard to pay the monthly payment. The solutions to deal with this problem may be few and many of them not suitable enough to be pursued. Hence, the best available option would be rent the machine to people who need them and in return make some money from the deal. Owners of heavy equipment may find it difficult to get hold of people who need exactly those machines that they possess and therefore the workaround here is to get associated with heavy equipment rental companies and assign them the work to get rent for you.

There are plenty of such heavy equipment companies that deal with renting heavy machines. How to find them is also simple. All you have to do is use internet and check for these companies on the net. The internet will throw the names of all the companies that are located in your city and some in your neighborhood. Once you get the name of the companies, you need to call them up and check if they can help you get rent on heavy equipment. Do not strike a deal with them if you find a good deal. Try to talk with other companies as well and check who gives you the best quotation. This should be your goal. Never go for less when you can get more from a deal. If possible meet the companies in person and try to get a feel of how ethically they work.

Remember to check the reviews of the rental companies on the internet. By no means should you get attached to a company that has poor reviews and complaints from all corners. They may give you brilliant offers but that is just setting of a trap. You should be wise enough to understand these things as no one can give you precise advice on this. So once you have selected a company and you decide to reach out to them, check with them if they want you to drop the machine with them or just leaving the pictures of the machine will suffice. If they ask you to leave the machine with them, be a little reluctant in doing so because then you do not have absolute control on it. Most of the heavy equipment rental companies do not ask people to drop their machines with them. They prefer to visit your place along with the client so that they can show them the machine and if the taker likes it then all the parties can talk over it.

Assigning the work to heavy equipment rental companies is one of the most preferred ways to rent heavy equipment and there is less hassle on the part of the owner to find a user.

 

How to operate a track loader

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Operating any kind of heavy equipment is assumed to be a difficult task and construction companies believe none other than the experienced lot that they have when it comes to working a track loader. This means that the newer lot will get less exposure to it. Well this is not the case though as far as large construction companies are concerned. They prefer both experienced and inexperienced operators to work on track loaders. It is quite obvious that a company has to shell out more for an experienced guy than they have to pay for a newbie. Keeping that in mind, they prefer training the new guys under the older ones so that they get maximum exposure and learn to operate the tracker on their own. Other than that there are so many training videos that one can have access to that will help a trainee learn from it. All you need is an internet connection to make your life simple. The practical part can be achieved only at the jobsite.

Knowing the functions is crucial:-

A track loader comes with various functions that are meant for different purposes. An operator should be aware of all those functions and should also understand to use which function at what time. That is perhaps the most crucial part of his job. Every other switch or lever or a joystick that one can see inside the cabin is there for a specific purpose and it is important to know the different functions of those mechanisms. This is the first step forward to learn to operate a track loader.

Move the bucket well before you begin your day:-

One should primarily start his work by first checking if all the functions of the machine is in order. So start the engine and try to move the machine a bit. Check if it is moving smoothly. Other than that, try to move the bucket using the levers inside the cabin. You will ideally not find the levers in a rough state but the problem lies more on the execution part. You must have pressed the lever to move the bucket but it just does not move or it does move at a very slow pace. You should keep this into consideration before you begin your day’s work. Also check the brakes are in order. Try applying brakes after moving the loader at a medium speed. This will let you know the exact condition of the brakes.

Undercarriage and the tracks are an important component:-

The undercarriage and the tracks are perhaps the most expensive component in the machine and also that it gets deteriorated after having worked for just 800 hours. When you are working in rough conditions the chances of the tracks to get ruin increases tremendously. This is something that you got make note of while you are operating the machine. It is not a tough job to operate a loader. It is just that you got to keep few things into consideration while you are working on it.