Category Archives: construction equipment

5 tips to prevent the heavy construction equipment from being stolen

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Theft is a common problem, when it comes to the heavy construction equipment. These are so expensive, so much in demand and so easy to steal that the thieves frequently make a target of the equipment at a jobsite. Despite the fact that these machines and equipment are so huge, stealing them is not a problem because of the lack of anti-theft or theft-prevention measures that the owners take.

Here are a few tips that will help you to prevent the chances of theft and make it easier to find, if at all it is stolen.

  • Indicate the parts and label them:

 

It is very important that you add an indicator and make a note of all the parts and machines of the heavy construction equipment. There are indicating stickers and labels that can help you in doing so. However, it is quite easy to remove these indicators and sell the parts in the black market.

Hence, it is a better idea that you use an inscription to indicate every part of the equipment and have a note of these parts. This will not only help you to keep a track of the different parts of the equipment, but also, in case there is a theft, it will make it easier for the investigators to have a note of the part that is missing. Even after finding it, identifying it becomes a lot easier.

  • Use apps to monitor all activities:

 

There are anti-theft apps that can be installed to your system and it becomes easy to control and monitor, whether the equipment is being stolen or not.

  • Area surveillance:

 

Most of the heavy construction equipment thefts have taken place because of the lack of surveillance in any part of the jobsite. There is less CCTV surveillance than needed and even the lights are turned off making it easier for the thieves to steal.

In any jobsite, where there is the use of heavy construction equipment and if they are parked at the jobsite, it is a must that you install motion sensors. This will help you to detect any activity and movement that is caused to move the equipment from there. There must also be enough light towers that will help you to keep a notice of the equipment.

  • Parking the heavy construction equipment:

 

This is something that not every heavy construction equipment owner keeps in mind. When you park the equipment or the vehicle after a day at work, you need to park it one after the other, in a queue, so that it is not possible to remove any one of the vehicles or machines or equipment, without removing the other.

If you follow these simple and yet useful tips, it will be absolutely easy to keep a track of all of your vehicles. You will be able to prevent any chance of theft. However, thefts can be very expensive and to make sure it does not lead to financial loss, you need to have the heavy construction equipment insured.

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Dealer selling heavy equipment is a good career

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If you think that you are good in convincing people and also a good communicator then selling is perhaps the domain that you should be looking at. Now you can sell anything under the sun but there are few things which give you more commission than the rest. Apparently, it is also difficult to sell such things. For instance, not everybody can afford to buy a Porsche. Therefore the sales volume will not be as high as any ordinary car. But just a sale in a month can earn you real good commission.

So the bottom line is if you are good in sales then why not sell something that can give you good returns. There are few products that offer good cuts to the sellers. However, the pre-requisite is that you got to know in and out of the business and the product that you are selling. As long as you are thorough about the product, it is advisable that you should not get into the dealership business.

Construction business is at its peak and time and again customers have requirements of different types of heavy equipments. It makes perfect sense to try your skill selling heavy equipments and if you are good at it then you can definitely own a dealership of possibly all kinds of heavy equipments. So before you go to won a dealership, it is essential that you have sound experience of construction machines and should know possibly everything about it. You may not have the technical knowledge which a mechanic has but you still need to know the intrinsic features of the machine which will help you a ton in pitching the product.

Good commission:-

Once you own a dealership of heavy equipments, you need to ensure that you get the rights to sell heavy equipments of all the brands and their accessories. Just selling one brand will take you nowhere. If you have the right to sell all kind of heavy equipment, you will not restrict yourself in selling just one brand. You can then do a better study of the client wants and his budget and then after analyzing his situation can suggest the best possible option for him. Heavy equipment companies offer fabulous commission if you sell their machines. They also give you gifts at the end of every month (if you are able to sell good number of heavy equipments). So it is a win-win situation for you and you should not just let it go.

The demand is simply growing:-

With the ever increasing demand of heavy equipments and its accessories, you can develop a good market in your zone. Selling heavy equipment accessories can also make you rich as you will always get buyers for that. So you need not have to only depend on selling heavy equipments all the time. Sometimes it is the accessory that does the trick for you. You can sell attachments, machine parts and so on and so forth. If you are a person who understands the technicalities of heavy equipments and also understand project requirements then becoming a heavy equipment dealer can always prove to be a great career for you.

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Heavy Equipment #1 accidents

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We believe that accidents happen due to our negligence. That is certainly one of the reasons why accidents do occur but there are certainly other factors that contribute for such an incident. We can even contribute absent mindedness to be one of the reasons or for that matter lack of anticipation can even lead to accidents. So there is no one particular reason why accidents occur; which is why people find it extremely difficult to tackle the problem. There can numerous reasons why an accident can happen and therefore it is almost impossible to contain such an event. Not all accidents can be attributed to human error. Some just happen. Even after being cautious and alert one can meet an accident. So there is no fool proof formula to save a person from meeting up with an accident. However, by taking precautionary measures one can certainly avert an incident or can lessen the amount of casualty.

People can meet up with an accident while they are at work and there are some professions that are termed to be risky. This means that people who are into that profession can meet up with a possible incident at any point in time. Construction industry is one such sector where the incidences of accidents have increased over the years. In spite of taking utter care on the construction site some people accidentally injure themselves and at times it even leads to loss of life. One of the most crucial things that one needs to understand while they are at the jobsite is that they will just not indulge in anything else other than their work. This means that they can’t use their cell phones (It has been considered a prime reason for accidents on the jobsite) while they are at work. In case they need to attend some urgent calls, they can provide a Landline number located inside the jobsite but using a cell phone should be strictly restricted.

A lot of accidents happen when the operator fails to understand the signal or some incorrect signal has been given. The operator needs to be very sure of what he is doing. He just can’t take a wrong step because if he does that it can turn out to be extremely fatal. The #1 accident that happens in heavy equipment is perhaps from an excavator. Excavators have to work on soft land and if a detailed study of the land is not done then there is every chance of an accident to occur.

Moreover when the excavator is moving to and fro if someone comes in mid of the way and the operator loses sight of the person then that can even claim the life of the person. At the same time, one must stay away from the arm of the excavator while it is operating on the jobsite. You never know which way it will move and it is not possible for the operator to always make sure that no one enters the zone where the machine is working. Therefore, it becomes the onus of the people to understand that they should not be around the machine while it is active.

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Where can I sell heavy equipment?

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If you have construction equipment that you no longer use or feel that you want to replace it with a newer one, it is better that you start looking at avenues to sell the machinery so that you have enough cash to buy the new equipment. In our personal lives when we are fond of a thing we tend to buy it first without caring much about the burden it can have on the budget of the family. It is all paid through cards and we get the time to reimburse them. However, it still remains a burden that needs to be paid-off. Nevertheless, in a business you can’t expect to take such risk because the proportion of risk is higher in business and any miss calculated step can prove to a disaster. In construction business where the business owners deals with heavy equipment, they got to sharp enough to understand what they are doing than repenting it once the damage has been done. The construction companies therefore believe in first selling the old heavy equipment if they are not using it or are planning to buy a new one.

Sell it to small contractors or construction companies:-

When it comes to selling heavy equipment, you have enough avenues to do this. The first is selling it to small contractors or construction companies. You may come across a lot of small time contractors and construction companies that are always in look for good deals where they can buy used heavy equipment at a comparatively lower price. The way you can get hooked to these guys is through pervading the message that you are selling off your heavy equipment and channelizing it through your peers. The message thus passes on and it reaches many ears who will contact you to see if you can give them a good deal. Please ensure that before you put across the message of selling the used heavy equipment you get it repaired and painted. It should look good and worthy to buy.

Dealers who deal with used machines:-

You can get in touch with workshops or dealers who deal with buying used heavy equipment, refurnish it and then sell it off to customers. Their modus-operandi is to buy the machines at a lower rate, give it a new life and face and then sell it with a good profit margin. So just in case, if you do not find buyers using the first method, you can also make use of this one. Get hold of a workshop that repairs heavy equipment and check how much will they pay for the machine. They may quote a lesser price but it depends on how you negotiate the price with them. These guys are smart and they might quote you the price of a junk. However, you got to maintain its price and not let it go as a junk. Also it makes more sense to check the price with some of the dealers before you call it a deal.

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Putting heavy equipment in shipping containers

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We live in a global village where almost every product is accessible to every part of the world. All you need to do is ship the item to the place of demand. This is why Wal-Mart is eyeing Asian markets as it feels that the population of people is more in countries like India and China and this means more consumers for them which in turn lead to more business. Though Wal-Mart has still to make inroads in countries in India it does see it as a hot business destination. All they have to do is ship their products to India, China and other such countries and make good business. It does not take much effort to ship products that are smaller in size and less heavy but when it comes to things that are huge and are also heavy shipping such items should be done with care. You may not want to see any defect that arises on transit. The buyer will definitely not buy an item which is expensive and has dents on it or has gone faulty because of improper shipping facility.

 

Heavy equipment manufacturing companies no longer limits itself in doing business in US only. They have spread their wings and want to fly in all directions. They want to expand to countries where they see huge scope for the construction market. This is why they have also set up offices and industries in various countries so that they do not have to always ship items from US to the destination country.

 

At times heavy equipment companies receive orders of machines that they do not manufacture in the country from where they received the order. They are then compelled to get it shipped from the place where the item is available. Now the issue is not during loading the machine but you face the problem while unloading it. At the time of loading the item you take utmost care to use all the mechanisms in place to ensure that the machine is loaded carefully but while unloading it in a different country, the people out there may not be trained or informed or experienced in unloading a heavy equipment and they goof up big time.

 

Just because they do not have the necessary resource to unload the item they end up keeping it at the dock for days. This causes lot of issues to the company who actually ordered the item and also a great deal of embarrassment to the manufacturing company. What needs to be done is make a note of all the stuffs that were used to put the heavy machine in the shipping container and transmit the message to the party of the country where the machine will be shipped. Ask them to come down with a crane or a fork lift that has the potential to lift the machine and take it home.

 

By following few simple rules it becomes absolutely simple to load heavy equipment in containers and then ship them across.

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Why most construction companies want to use CAT heavy equipment

Among the 33 heavy equipment manufacturing companies present worldwide, it is only Caterpillar Inc (CAT) which is the world leader. It is the leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. It’s construction industries segment’s product portfolio includes more than 300 various machines and related parts, such as backhoe loaders, compact wheel loaders, small track-type tractors, small wheel loaders, track-type loaders, medium track-type tractors, skid steer loaders, mini excavators, select work tools, multi-terrain loaders, small, medium and large track excavators, motor graders, medium wheel loaders, wheel excavators, telehandlers, compact track loaders, pipe layers and mid-tier soil compactors. These are the workhorses of any construction and mining industry and make their job easy and quicker. CAT produces equipment which are embedded with latest technologies for increased safety, comfort, reliability, durability and of good quality with an aim to help customers meet their needs. Customers have found their equipment up to their expectations and are satisfied. Hence, they are popular and widely used in construction industry making CAT a world leader. Further, no competitor company can match with caterpillar’s product range

 

The following are the reasons for construction companies use CAT heavy equipment:

  • Focus on customer satisfaction:
  1. They have more than 300 machines which are durable, innovative and reliable which satisfy customers for the investment that they have made in purchase of the equipment. CAT has ability to see the job from customer’s point of view and meet their needs.
  2. CAT sells both new and used machines. The used machines are sold at a cheaper price than the new products.
  3. CAT gives option to customers to upgrade their equipment. This opportunity allows customer to use the same machine for a long time.
  4. Their products, services, solutions offered by them, help customers to succeed.
  5. They provide solutions for maintenance which minimizes downtime, reduces cost and keeps equipment in run mode during peak performance. In addition, local CAT dealers technician’s have the experience, knowledge and training necessary to troubleshoot problems faced by customers and provide maintenance and repairs of equipments. Thus, efficient service by CAT allows the customers to manage their business effectively.
  • Marketing and Distribution: Its pioneer in exploring new age marketing
  1. They have the best distribution and product support system as compared to any other capital goods industry.
  2. They have dealers which are as old as the company. They have wide and strong network of dealers in different countries.
  3. They have built their brand and improved corporate image. They participate in various marketing channels such as trade shows and participating in technical seminars. Also use of internet has been used for advertising.
  4. Construction boom in Asian countries gave them good opportunity to expand especially in China.

This strategy has increased and made customer base stronger in developed and developing countries.

 

Thus, good marketing strategy along with innovative and durable products has won over the customers, due to which Caterpillar Inc’s equipment and machinery is widely used in construction industry.

Ensure the cooling system of your machine is doing well this summer

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Heavy equipment take quite a beating during the summer. It has been found that mostly the cooling system of the heavy equipment does not remain in order which is why the problem crops up and the entire machine goes out of service. Now after knowing the importance of heavy equipment in the construction business, it very unlikely that the owner of the construction company will take the risk to leave the cooling system of the machine unrepaired. Heavy equipment that work in states like Texas have probably experienced the worst heat and if the engine is not cooled at regular intervals, there are chances that the machine will break down every now and then. You start the engine for a couple of hours and it becomes hot like a volcano waiting to burst at any moment.

We will be speaking about some very generic cooling techniques that should be used to keep the machine going under any summer season.

The coolant technology should be checked regularly:-

Different heavy equipment companies have installed different types and different qualities of coolants in their machines. These coolants have an expire date and if they are not checked regularly then it only shortens the expiry date. Contractors are not even aware of any expire dates of the coolants and they believe that giving it to the mechanic means results to end of any and every problem related to the heavy equipment. Well, that is not the case. A mechanic only services the machine and if he finds anything that has gone wrong, he will inform you about it and only if you say so he changes the parts. Some mechanics do not bother to check the quality of the coolant as long as they are not asked to. Therefore, you should take the initiative and ask him to check if the cooling system in the heavy equipment is in place.

Make use of the right machine to complete the task:-

Though nowadays heavy equipment are multifaceted and are expected to do work that does not fall in its line of business. This has been a boon to the construction companies but at the same time when they try to make use of this boon more regularly, it may back fire. You can’t use a grader to demolish structures. Though you can use attachments to get some temporary work done but do not make it a routine. Other than that, the terrain where you want your machine to work can also be an issue. Not all heavy equipment are equipped to work on every terrain and incline. If you compel it to work where it is not meant to, then the chances of the engine heating up increases manifolds. You have to keep that in mind and ensure that you do not use your machine in places where it can’t work.

Do not overwork the heavy equipment:-

Heavy equipment has certain capacity to work and if it moves beyond the capacity the problem begins. You need to stop the machine right at the very stage where you see it can’t take any further. Also instruct the operator about it that you do not want the machine to be overworked at any cost.

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Heavy Equipment Maintenance Tips – Increase its Life and Performance

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Let’s be clear on one thing and face the reality – heavy equipment does not come for a flimsy price. They are expensive and when you decide to invest on something as expensive as a fleet of heavy construction equipment, it is important that you take all the necessary measures to increase its life. If you want to see great returns, you must follow these maintenance tips.

Maintenance is the very basic of all the necessary measures that you need to take in order to take care of your heavy equipment. Usually owners think that hiring trained professionals and installing one or two anti-theft protocols would do the job. That will not! Here is what you need to do.

  • Cleaning:

 

Heavy construction equipment often has to work in extreme working conditions and environment such as dust storm, dirt and mud. Hence, it requires a regular cleaning routine in order to keep its appearance as well as function proper. In fact, dirt and dust can damage the machinery and engine. Therefore, cleaning is a must.

  • Engine Oil Changing:

 

Changing the engine oil is one of the most important maintenance factors that you need to keep in mind. Engine oil loses its liquidity and becomes like sludge with time. This is because the engine oil accumulates the carbon and other elements from the engine and reduces the chances of explosion as well as the heat that is generated from friction of the engine. Hence, to make sure that the engine is in complete working condition, the engine oil is important. The instruction manual always guides you about how frequently the engine oil needs to be changed.

  • Servicing:

 

Servicing the heavy equipment regularly is crucial. Changing the damaged parts and replacing them with new ones in case any of the parts loses its functionality, are some of the most important maintenance tasks that you need to do.

  • Check for Leaks:

 

Leaks are possible in the heavy construction equipment. Always check for the leaks from the valves. If any, have them repaired at once.

  • Check Tires and Axles:

 

Since the heavy equipment works on mud, dust and dirt, the tires and axles can get damaged. If they stop working, the machine will not move. Hence, they need to be checked regularly.

  • Monitor Usage:

 

Overuse of the machine is one of the main reasons that the equipment becomes wearied. That is why, it is important that you keep an eye on the usage.

  • Safety Training:

 

Just as hiring professional workers and heavy equipment operators is important, it is equally important that you have your operators go through safety training. This will help the operators to operate the equipment safely and thus, the longevity will be increased.

If you follow these maintenance tips, it will surely help your heavy equipment to be operating for long. The owner must always keep in mind that maintaining heavy equipment and its functionality is less expensive than repairing its damages, once done. Hence, it is a must that you take your heavy equipment to professional service centres.

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Ensure that you pay the monthly dues of your heavy equipment

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Buying heavy equipment by paying hard cash has now become almost obsolete. No one wants to invest all their reserves into buying heavy equipment and keep their money locked there. They know that by paying hard cash to buy heavy equipment, they will not be able to meet other financial obligations which would be perhaps more important than anything else. Therefore there is no point in keeping the money tied where you have options to take loans from financial institutions to buy construction machines and pay them every month. Contractors big or small have now made this as a mandate of their business. They do not invest their reserves into buying heavy machinery and rely on financial institutions to lend them money to buy machines. This is the reason why almost every contractor as well as owners of construction companies tries to keep their credit rating healthy. This will enable them to get loans without any hassles.

Not paying your dues can lead to repo:-

If you think that non-payment of the monthly dues can only affect your credit score, then you will be rather alarmed to know that the banks have the authority to claim the machine back citing the reason as non-payment of monthly dues. Though they do not take such stringent actions immediately and allow the borrower to arrange for funds. Normally, borrower who has the intention to clear the debts but for some reason is unable to pay the due for a particular month can inform the bank well in advance. This results in increasing the chance for the bank to waive off any late payment fees. The borrower will have to pay the interest of the due but that is still manageable. However, for borrower who just does not want to pay the dues, the banks do not have any option other than to repo the heavy equipment.

One fine morning your machine is gone:-

Your bank might send you several notices to pay the due but if you ignore them and do not communicate with the bank, the bank will contact the repossession team who will just come to your construction site or the place where you have the machine and will tow it away. The repo team may or may not inform you about their arrival. Generally, they do not inform the borrower about their arrival and they will slyly tow the machine and bring it in their possession. You can’t complain the policy as the bank has first lien on the machine and since you have failed to pay installments for months they have every right to repo your machine. Therefore, it is recommended that you allocate some funds out of your business to pay your monthly dues rather than facing the music.

Business will suffer:-

Once the heavy equipment is taken by the bank and you do not have machine to work, your business will suffer severely. Construction companies never take this risk. It only makes matter worse for them.

 

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Avoid making poor investments that can cost you your company

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Taking right decision and making good investments are both quite crucial for the success of any business and when it is about construction, you got to be sharper with your thinking skills. Any poor decision can cost your business a lot and simultaneously any bad investment can have a drastic impact on your business. When you are dealing with investments in the construction sector, you are ideally dealing with lot of money and you got to be doubly sure that the plan will not backfire before you go ahead with the decision of making some big investments. For instance, you plan to hire some men for a new project that you foresee to bag. You are somehow confident of the fact that you will be able to get the project and have therefore allocated capital to pay salary for the additional workforce. In this scenario, you are heavily investing on human resources. So as long as you are not completely sure about the project, you should hold up your plan to hire any further resource.

People have lost millions in their business after having made the mistake of making poor investments. They were not aware that situation will take a downturn and they will have a hard time to come up with it and will lose a major chunk of their business capital. Even the most powerful in the construction sector have to face the music at times and they learn their lessons the hard way. There have been cases where the head of the departments had to resign for taking callous investment decisions that has cost the company a bomb. Mighty construction companies at still able to take the blow of bad investments but it is irreparable loss to small construction houses and contractors who vie for every small project.

Buying heavy equipment has been one of the most common poor investments by big as well as small construction companies. For some reason they could not figure out the kind of heavy equipment they need and they end up buying machines that were not required in the first place. They realize it later that the machine they have bought was capable of doing multiple tasks and they need not buy more machines. Since they have already invested in heavy equipment, they are left with not many options. They either sell it off at a lesser price or let it out to others.

In case, they have taken loans to buy heavy equipment, things become all the more difficult. They have to pay the bank the entire amount along with the interest or else it might have an impact on their credit rating which is in no ways good for the business. You get investments from private investors who are not necessarily banks and they invest in you by knowing that you have a good credit rating. So any poor investment decision should not be the reason for your credit rating to take a dip. This is perhaps the last thing you would want to happen.

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