Category Archives: Commercial

Hassle a newbie encounters for setting up his construction company

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Establishing a business of any form has never been easy for a newbie especially when you do not know anybody from your family doing it or anyone who can probably help you in setting up your business. Guys who inherit the businesses of their fathers may not have to go through a great deal of ordeal than people who have absolutely nobody and will be do everything on their own. Apart from this, life gets tougher when somebody ventures into an industry like construction where there is too much of cut throat competition existing and people are eying to snatch away whatever little project you have got.

We will be talking in detail about the different kinds of problems a newbie can encounter during his journey in setting up his own construction company.

In absence of knowledge, people may take you on a ride:-

If you are dealing with something that you do not have much of an idea, there are high chances that people will take you for a ride. It is quite evident that you may not know everything related to your business and at times you have to depend on an expert to help you on an issue. But it is important to know a bit of everything so that in case if someone is trying to play nasty with you, you can get a hint of it and play wisely.

Have a concrete strategy:-

When you are in the phase of building your construction company, it is very important that you lay down a strong strategy and then take relevant actions to walk on it. It will be equal to walking in the dark without a solid plan and often you may encounter troubles. Apart from this, the one who gives you’re the projects are also keen to know about any sort of plans that you have laid down to complete the project.

Getting the right sort of heavy equipment:-

Heavy equipment play a crucial role in building your construction company and possessing the right sort of equipment will help you to complete your projects on time. So it is important to know which construction equipment is needed by you for a given project and how can you acquire it. Construction equipment are highly expensive materials and you can’t simply afford to invest your money in buying something that may not be useful for your existing project. Alternatively, if you can manage to know the estimated duration a project may take to complete, you can just rent the machine rather than spending a fortune in buying them.

Make sure your financial position is not weak:-

You can set up your construction company if only your finances are in place and you can spend money to buy stuffs that are essential to carry on a project. In case, you see that you may not be able to afford for something that is vital for your business, make sure you will be able to manage to avail loans from some financial institution. Knowing your financial status is a must as it plays a huge role in shaping up the future of your business.

Two Ways to Differentiate Your Service Contracting Business from the Competition

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As the Information Technology has made the service contracting business reach the mass at a rapid rate, it has become very important for every owner of service contracting business to stand out in the competition. Only providing top-notch quality service is not enough, one has to become a good learner of the market strategies to globalise his service contracting business.  The two most important ways to differentiate your service contracting business from the competition is to use the social media like Facebook, Twitter and Linked In and listen to your customer with great care.

This article will define the above said two points to improve your service contracting business.

  • Use of Social Media:- Social media is the best source to reach the people. By using social media you can share the views of your customers and also tell them about the services which your company offer. You can use this media to inform the people about your service contracting business and why should they opt for you. A survey on the number of users of social media shows that nearly 1.7 million people use Facebook (leaving aside the surveys on other social media). Social media sites give opportunity to the users to communicate with other such service contracting business owners. And if the owners add you in their circles then you can also get some latest information about how they are trying to satisfy the customers by delivering services. This will definitely help you a lot. Account with more number of likes always attracts more traffic. If you have more number of likes, then people will visit your website and if they require any kind of service they will contact you either through email or phone. The increase in the number of likes in a social media makes the customer believe that it is trust worthy.
  • Carefully listen to your customer: In order to attain success in service contracting business, you have to listen carefully to your customer. Find out in which field they need your service. Ask them the deadline of delivering that service. Don’t delay in providing customer service and try to give them some offers or discounts to attract the customer. Try to give the customer quality service. If you give them quality service and that too within an affordable price the customer will definitely stay with you in the long run. Give good training to the customer service provider personnel isn’t a bad idea. If they are properly trained then they will make no faults while servicing. Even when your contract period with the customer is over, call them (though less frequently) to know the condition of the product. And if they make any complaints regarding the service then try to fix it and assure them that it will not happen again in future and you are really feeling very sorry for it.

 

Apart from this building an attractive website, giving online and offline ads, and an arrangement of weekly fun staff meeting where you can discuss about various steps required to take your service contracting business to the top are some other points which cannot be ignored.

 

 

Keeping your cards close to your heart is the thumb rule to success in the construction industry

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Every businessman has some or the other secrets that is the reason of his success in any industry. Especially in the construction industry, people need to be very shrewd about what they are telling to others. In no way they can utter a single line of their success mantra and people who write books claiming that they have written all the secrets to become successful in life are not so true. They may just give a glimpse of the entire mantra and elaborate it extensively to make it look like they have written everything in the book. However, that’s not the fact. A businessman would always want to keep his cards close to his chest and would hardly or never reveal his business secrets to anybody.

We would be discussing why one should not speak more about his achievements and the way he managed to attain success in public especially when he is dealing with men in the construction industry.

Your business model is unique:-

We all follow very distinctive business model and if it works we start reaping fruits. We add few things from it and deduct any unwanted elements which ultimately make it a model that many would like to follow. But the sad part of the story is that you can’t allow your business model to go public. Construction business is a highly competitive business and everybody wants to grow as quickly as they can. In this situation, if you make your model public and easily accessible to the general public, then there will be no stopping for people who will use your model and claim it to be theirs. You have only unnecessarily grown problems for yourself. Therefore, just keep the stuff with you without letting others have the slightest hint on what model you follow and how you work that you make such good profits.

Integrity is key:-

Integrity is a big business requirement and it is hard to get people who know what integrity is all about. It is absolutely important to hire the right set of people who understand the importance of honesty and integrity. People of strong character and principles should be the one you want them to be a part of your company. Once you are sure that you have found the right set of people on whom you can trust, you can share your business model with them and can work on it to take your business to new heights.

Avoid being a part of excessive limelight:-

We all like to become famous. But becoming famous at what cost would be an interesting question. It is fine to know people in your business circles and is also great being known to them. Having good connections always help you in your business but coming into excessive limelight can become a problem. Unknowingly, you may give people the chance to take undue advantage. Too much of anything is not good and definitely for your business.

 

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Dozer Engine Specifications – How can one know more of them?

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A construction site is installed with various heavy equipment. They need almost all sorts of heavy equipment to complete a project. Out of all the heavy equipment that they have on their site, a bulldozer is a must. Many big construction companies say that dozers are the most integral part of their business and they can’t dream of completing a project without the presence of highly efficient and easy to use dozers. Dozers are not only needed in big construction projects but also in projects which are not huge in nature. One can do away with any other heavy equipment which they feel can be ignored but never with a dozer. They will always feel the need of that equipment for the completion of their project.

Now we have something which is of such an importance. Have you wondered what would be the specifications of its engine which carries most of the load of the machine? An engine is said to be the heart of the machine and if that is in good shape, any external damage to the machine can be easily dealt with. However, if something goes wrong with the engine, it takes a heavy toll on the project as you may expect the machine to not to work for few days. Unless you have an alternative for the equipment, things will be harsh.

Let us now talk about the specification of the engine of a dozer. Before we go any further with the topic, please note that different companies have different makes and every make has variation in its engine. So the specification of the CAT dozer engine will be spoken in length.

The model of the CAT dozer engine is 3406 with around 315 horse power with a displacement of 590.9 cu in. The horse power that the engine gives is quite immense in comparison to models made by its competitors. Nevertheless, there are few makes manufactured by companies like John Deere, Hitachi etc that marvels many times that the CAT model.

In order to know in depth about the specifications of the dozer engine, the most reasonable way is to explore the internet. You may find unlimited search results that will help you understand the design or the pattern of the engine. Though exploring the internet is one of the best options but there are some flaws as well. Getting too much of options can sometime make things very confusing. You may not understand what to see and what to skip and especially when you are running short of time, it becomes a pain to browse the entire site just to know a simple specification of the engine.

In such a situation, it is often advised to meet a dealer or visit the dozer manufacturing company’s office and ask for a brochure which will contain all the minute information of everything. You can focus your attention to the design of the engine or can have a look at the entire brochure. You never know what might catch your attention the next minute.

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Small contractors should pay more attention to the quality of work than their profitability

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Profitability plays a very important role in the survival of any form of business. If there are no profits, people would not be into business. It is not just the sheer will that drives people to form a company or do any small or big time business but the main component or for that matter the primary reason behind forming a business is the capability to earn more money than what one can presumably make in a salaried job. Now, not everybody has the potential to start a business even they have the best of the minds to run one. They have to simply stick to a job. However, if somebody manages to start a business, for the initial few years, he has to work in a no profit no-loss environment. It is only after the break even period that he will be able to witness some profits from his business. However, till that time he got to manage to stick to his business and be determined that no matter what, he will not give it up.

It has primarily been seen with small contractors that during their initial phase they start looking for profits in their business and in this process they take up multiple work and are forced to compromise on the quality. They are able to make profits for the time being but the days are numbered. They belong to the lot of people who are not able to take their business for long. Earning profits should not mean that you have to compromise on the quality. Your client will never want you to do so. It is understood that as long you do not have a brand name, people will be reluctant to pay good sum of money but you create your brand with the good work that you do.

Quality is something that you just can’t afford to compromise upon. If you do so, then you are only creating trouble for yourself. No sooner than you realize that things are going out of your hand and eventually you get to know that you are finding hard to get clients as they are moving to guys who can give them quality work. So the thumb rule should be that while you have set up your construction business, try to get some client and generate trust in their minds by doing good work. It will take time and will not happen in a day. Reach out to as many people as you can.

Creating contacts is the most important thing while you are running a construction company. People do not know you. You don’t have a brand name that will help you to get work. You got to build that. So rather than looking to make profits you should be looking for excellence. Give some time to your company to grow. Don’t be in haste as you will get nothing if you hurry. Things take time to happen and it will happen if you have it enough time. So follow the rule of not running behind profits and paying more attention to give excellent work.

Know the Fundamentals while Operating a Motor Grader

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A motor grader is a construction vehicle which is used for creating a flat surface at the time of grading. It has a long blade and also comprises of axles with engine and cab on top of the rear axles. The motor grader finds application for various construction purposes such as maintaining roads, landscaping. It is very important and versatile earthmoving heavy equipment but operating it can be quite complex as compared to other heavy construction vehicles.

Factors to keep in mind before Operating a Motor Grader

It will be advisable to use small graders if you intend to use ait for maintaining roads and building landscapes.

Consider the ground conditions before operating it. Ground conditions should be the first criteria before selecting the type and size of the motor grader. This is an important factor to consider before operating it because some ground conditions tremendous pressure from the blades while some other motor graders take advantage from lower pressure borne by the ground.

Use a heavy motor grader in case if you are operating it in those sites which are full of rocks and gravels because such rocky conditions can take a great toll on the machine pins and basic structures.

Try to operate a motor grader that has wider and thicker edges because they are suitable for complex construction purposes such as road maintenance and pioneering. Generally graders with thicker edges have better features such superior abrasion and collision resistance ability. Curved edges are narrow and thin in size than wider and thicker wedges, and if you prefer using curved edges then it will give you better performance in terms of superior infiltration and rolling action beneficial for fine grading and finish work.

The width of the ditch slopes should differ depending on the kind of road being built and also make sure that the soil type, ditch depth you use should be rightly available.

 

A flat-bottom ditch can tackle large amounts of rain or snowfall and can provide extra material if it is needed to lift up the road. If the enough to prevent construction site is subjected to severe rainfall, then raising the surface high is the best option to prevent water from leaking under the road. If a surface is raised then it allows to get rid of the snow from the road, reducing drifting.

 

Tips to Grade a Construction Site with the help of Motor Grader

To grade a site an operator needs to have skills to run the equipment as well as comprehensive knowledge about using latest technologies such as GPS and laser control system.

Grade the sites with those motor graders which have hydraulic engines with cooling fans to improve the cooling performance of the motor grader while operating it in hot weather. The cooling fans are important to prevent machine from getting overheated. It will be beneficial to invest in EPA Tier 2 and 3 engines as they prevent machine damage due to overheating.

Consider using less rpm to grade the construction sites, as it will be fuel-efficient and also increase the productivity of the motor grader.

To sum up grading a construction site requires some tips and procedures for the operators to follow such as the type and size of the equipment and ground conditions to operate it smoothly efficiently and get the best out of the machine.

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Tips to Procure Second-hand Heavy Equipment with Peace of Mind at Internet Auctions

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The nastiest nightmare of every used heavy equipment buyer is purchasing a machine and later realising that it is worthless. Though loads of bulky apparatus’s possessors properly sustain their investment over regular time period, the purchaser wants the equanimity that the equipment will run the way it has been promoted. But, unfortunately, what you perceive is not the same all the time what you obtain.

At the land-based auctions, the procurers do not always get the chance to examine the heavy apparatus, re-evaluate the fluid investigation report or operate it. Moreover, the data provided during the bid may be unfinished or imprecise. This can generate unwillingness about buying the second-hand bulky apparatus at a sell-off. The buyers who are opting for online auction feel apprehensive because there is no option for them to check the performance of the heavy equipment. The online heavy equipment buyers are lucky that they get the assurance of the apparatus with the help of guaranteed assessment reports.

How to Make an Inspection Report

An inspection report presents proof that a piece of apparatus has been systematically reassessed and operated. It embraces all the information what the heavy equipment purchasers are probing for. The condition and the traits of the machine are properly mentioned in the report. In this inspection statement, the used heavy paraphernalia buyers also get the data about the cosmetic, structural and motorized facets of the equipment. Here in the below mentioned discussion, you will get to know the strides to create a guaranteed inspection account:

The quality of the scrutiny report automatically rises when it is produced by the knowledgeable and unprejudiced individuals. Some of the auction organisations hire inspector-in-house whereas the other companies recruit autonomous contractors to accomplish the assessment properly. To lessen the cost of purveyors, it is perfect when the supervisor conduct the scrutiny at the seller’s construction site in order that the possessor does not have to budge the paraphernalia until the transaction with the procurer is accomplished.

The purchasers want the examination report to perform as their ears and eyes. However they are required to ensure that the information mentioned in the report are not just the estimations. Preferably, an assessor would apply a standardised course of action to examine the heavy equipment so that the reports are trustworthy and unswerving from instrument to instrument.

Important Points Incorporated in an Auction Statement

As the purchasers employing networked auctions will not be on the construction site to observe the performance of the heavy apparatus, the assessment report should be inclusive in every facet. The idyllic statement should include the following significant points:

  • Lab results of the bulky paraphernalia
  • Images of the interior and exterior parts of the equipments
  • Numerous sections and line-item ratings
  • Report must verify the structure, age and sequential number of the weighty apparatus.

Guaranteed assessment reports are gaining popularity in today’s construction equipment market because a large percentage of procurers prefer online heavy equipment souks to fulfil their needs. This report helps in building the confidence the between the buyer and the seller. So if you are hesitating to buy heavy equipment from the internet auction, then guaranteed inspection report is the most effective solution for your business.

 

 

 

 

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How to Solve the Transmission Problem of Caterpillar 140h Motor Grader

Transmission is the significant part of heavy equipment’s power train. Its purpose is to take the productivity from the engine and operate it to manage the swiftness, direction and torque. Often, the Cat 140h motor grader users come with the grievances that they are facing some troubles related to its power train transmission. If you are also worrying about the same problem, read each word of the following discussion thoroughly and get to know the guidelines suggested by Caterpillar to avert this situation. Because of their multi tasking quality, Caterpillar heavy equipments employ various kinds of transmissions that embrace hydrostatic, direct drive, countershaft powershift and planetary powershift. Each of this transmission is planned to alter machine power in to exact amalgamation of torque, speed and direction needed for a definite purpose. The feature of transmission accomplishes the task with the help of hydraulic drive or hydraulic clutches. Transmission Management Guide Provided by Caterpillar for its 140h Motor Grader The transmission management guide of Caterpillar not only helps its customers to gain knowledge of transmission thoroughly but also but also recommends the operators to follow its maintenance manual in order to enhance the productivity of the heavy equipment and to augment the service life. Caterpillar, the well-renowned heavy equipment manufacturing company allocate the transmission maintenance process in various steps. Some of those strides are fluid analysis, premeditated maintenance, and systematic inspection and so on. As you continue to move down this paragraph, you get to know the importance of Scheduled-Oil-Sampling service suggested by Caterpillar for maintain the transmission quality in its equipments. The transmission oil proffered by this company helps in maximising the performance level of its 140h motor grader product. The exam result of S-O-S is facilitated to the customers within 24 hours. The test report is easy to understand where the 140h motor grader users can easily find out the problem. It saves money and time of the heavy equipment owners by detecting the problem in its early stage. The preventive maintenance plan of Caterpillar is acknowledged as the most lucrative way to keep the transmission quality of 140h motor grader in top level. This defensive sustenance plan helps the 140h machinists to avert the situation of parts failure. If the operators change the property of the oil in repeated interval, it will surely assists in enhancing the durability of the components. The systematic inspection of Cat 140h motor grader not only detect the locale troubles before they turn in to major problems and but also assists the operators to manage and design the functioning cost and downtime related to this version of Cat motor grader. Benefits of Drive Train / Transmission Oil in Solving Caterpillar 140h Transmission Problem Cat Transmission / Drive Train Oil (TMS) is a partly synthetic mix multiviscosity oil that is obtainable in three different oil types. It is chiefly utilised in hydraulic systems, wet brakes and powershift transmission. If you want to know some of its benefits, read the following cited points: • It gives the long lasting protection service. • This oil enhances the function of sheer down feature available in Cat 140h. • Helps in managing the brake chatter and proffers rim pull quality in machine. As this web page nears the bottom, it is a suggestion to all Cat 140h motor grader users to try this transmission maintenance plan for a once and witness the result with your own eyes.

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What is the ultimate small dozer?

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You do not always need big things to get smaller work done. Similarly, in case of heavy equipment when you see some petty work, it would be highly unwise of the person to bring in the big heavy equipment to get that small work done. In case, if he tries to work with the big machine, he may get everything wrong and may have to start things from all over again. Therefore, it is always advisable to identify the machine and check if it is compatible for the work before you start doing your work. The sight in a big construction company will have all huge machines however; you will also get to fix your eyes on some small machines. Wonder why? It is only because they understand that not all work can be done with the help of these big equipments. They also need small heavy equipment to complete certain kind of work.

We would be discussing about small dozers and how they are effective in many scenarios.

Why do we need a small dozer when we already have the bigger ones?-

A big dozer is a heavy machine and at places where we do not need the strength of a bigger machine, a small dozer comes handy. For instance, you just want to work with the garden area at the front of your house and you need to do some digging work and after that dump the dirt at a place that is meant to do so. In this situation, you can’t use those big dozers because they will simply pull off the entire mud making it improper for you to work on it. You will need those small dozers which have less strength and can get the required work done. Moreover these dozers are quite user-friendly. You will not have a tough time dealing with them and can get your work done in a smooth manner.

No need of specialized operators to work on it:-

Big construction companies have specialized operators who work heavy equipment. It is believed that the function buttons of these equipment are quite complex and it needs good deal of training to completely understand the different buttons and levers which is not possible for a naïve person to do. As the small dozers are quite simple than their complex counterparts, a person will definitely go for it. They just want to get their work done without wanting to know the complexities involved in operating a bigger version.

Companies that manufacture small dozers:-

There are many companies that are manufacturing small dozers. However, some of the prominent companies are Cat, John Deere, and Case, etc. Caterpillar has 4 models of small dozers. All the dozers are less than 130 hp. All the models have full power turn potential, dynamic braking. Steeples speed range and few other important features that one may find helpful while operating the machine. The joystick of the machine takes care of speed, direction and steering lessening the strain of the operator.

 

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Does Caterpillar have the best track loader?

It seems that almost all the heavy equipment manufacturing companies have something best to offer to its consumers. Some of the companies are good in manufacturing dozers; some are good in excavators while some are good in manufacturing track loaders. However, if one has to decide which one should he be using for completing his projects, then that would be a hard decision for him. There are few companies who have earned their goodwill in the industry by providing quality machines and offering great after sales services. In today’s time, it is just the brand that makes the sales for them. Out of these many companies, the name Caterpillar has made its mark in almost every kind of heavy equipment. Be it back hoe loaders or crawlers or track loaders, Cat seems to be the best.

If we talk about CAT 953, it has a free wheel power of 148 horsepower with a bore of 4.13in and stroke is 5.0 in. It has a displacement of 402.76 in. It has been fitted with the state of the art technology and seems to be one of the best in the industry. The track shoe type is double grouser and its standard width is 18.9 in and optional width is 15.0 in. The number of shoes installed on each side is 37 and the track on ground is 91.4 in. The drive system is one of its kinds as it has hydrostatic drive with a speed of 10 km/hr.

Apart from this, the loader is multi-specialty equipment as it can be used for many applications like excavating, landscape contouring, grading and truck loading. Ideally, heavy equipment manufacturing companies produce machines that are multi-specialty equipments and are meant to do more than one job.

Cat has another track loader model (CAT 963), that is at par with the 953. Having almost similar specification, it has been branded as one of the best track loader in the market. The one thing that distinguishes CAT 963 from the 953 model is its bucket that can be of general purpose, multipurpose or for extreme multi-purpose use. The bucket is meant to do heavy clearing, shredding topsoil, excavating, backfilling, carrying material truck loading and other loads of things. The earlier model may have certain restrictions. However, the engineers have taken notice to those limitations and therefore designed this model that is more or less based on the same line as the previous model but given few added benefits.

In case if people want to place orders to buy either of the models, they can directly approach the company and check if they can offer them with any deals. A discount in the price is what one can expect the most. Alternatively, they can also sign up for after sales service for a lesser price and in case if any of the part goes faulty, then that can be replaced or fixed without being charged an additional penny. Overall, if a survey is done wanting to know what people would prefer to buy, it would be undoubtedly either of the models.

 

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