Category Archives: construction equipment

Veteran operators should act as role models to the newbie

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It is absolutely important for the tenured men to become role models for the new guys who would be taking over the work from them. You be a part of any industry but you need the experienced guys to teach you their work. You may have studied in the best of the institutions but having a hands-on knowledge is way too important than the bookish knowledge you have been imparted from your institution. Getting a degree from a college does not make you an expert. It is perhaps years of experience that comes into picture to become an expert in the field you are in. Therefore it is important to learn the tricks of the trade from a veteran of the industry who will impart you the knowledge which no institution can ever offer you.

Similarly, in the construction sector the work of an operator is considered to quite vital and when there are new recruits joining a construction company, it becomes the onus of the tenured operators to train them. They may have the technical knowledge but when it comes to practical training they will need your help. The new entrants coming straight from college aspiring to become ace operators have big dreams and it is your responsibility to give wings to their dreams. Help them in every possible manner you can. You become their teacher and apply every possible method to ensure that they do well on the jobsite.

Train them on understanding signals on jobsites:-

Comprehending signals is very crucial for an operator to perform in a construction site. He needs to read the signals well and understand what it means and accordingly move the machine. If he fails to understand it incorrectly, it may lead to a disaster. The veterans should ensure that the newbie learn to comprehend the signals and move the machine accordingly. Understanding the signals becomes all the more important in rugged terrain and bad weather conditions. Heavy equipment are required to work irrespective of the terrain and the operators are expected to work in that not so convenient condition. In such a situation, signals play a significant role for the operators to perform. The tenured operators should therefore offer their experience to the new guys and help them overcome any problem that they encounter on the ground.

Fix heavy equipment during breakdowns:-

Heavy equipment if breaks down during the course of work will result in no work on that day. This will lead to loss to the company. Heavy equipment usually give signs before completely breaking down and one can understand those signs only if they have worked on machines for years. The veterans can play a big role in understanding the state of the machine and can thus impart it to the recruits. When the machine is showing signs of breaking down, the veterans can point out the issue to the newbie and show how that can be fixed. In case if it requires involvement of an expert, the same should be explained to him.

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Renting construction equipment will turn out to be prolific in the long run

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Construction business has been continuously doing well for the last many years. Though it is haunted by certain ups and downs that can be said to be a part of any business, it has been a fruitful business for many who have managed to strive through the downs of the market. Similarly, there are many people who are becoming a part of this industry and are in constant hunt of quality heavy equipment. Since heavy equipment are high priced items, most contractors find it difficult to purchase it and therefore they depend heavily on companies that give them on rent. Now this particular need of heavy equipment has given rise to another business and that is renting construction equipment. So people who know about construction machines can also see a career in this business. As a matter of fact, many operators and mechanics have come together and have started this business through partnerships. They see huge potential in it and many of them are also doing well.

People who know about heavy equipment should get into it:-

Renting construction equipment business may not be for everybody. It is perhaps only for them who has sound knowledge about heavy equipment and has worked in the respective industry for quite a long time. People who have studied and worked on construction equipment will also understand the requirements of their client and in turn will be able to get the right stuff for them or give them the correct advice.

It may be risky for guys who have just completed their studies in heavy machineries and wanting to give it a shot. They may lack experience and this industry requires a lot of experience or there is a wider chance of losing clients. There are many people who are readying to take your clients and serve them. Also it is definitely not for folks who do not have absolutely any knowledge about heavy equipment. They may end up losing all their money that they have invested in the business.

Do not expect profits in the first few years:-

It will not be a wise thing to expect profits in the first few years of your business. Though there is every chance for you to incur profits but setting up expectation may not be the right way to take this further. Profits will happen once you gain momentum in your business and momentum comes only when you stick to your business for long. People start recognizing you for your work and more and more people will turn up to you to take construction machines on rent. You got to give them the time to know you. If there are other players, you have to prove that you are better than them and you can’t achieve that in a fortnight.

Be smart to beat competition:-

You will have a hard time beating your competitors. You got to be smarter than them. Outsmarting them is perhaps the only way out for you to make your mark in this industry. Come up with offers that sounds fresh and which might pull crowd to your shop.

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A sound business strategy is the need of the day in the construction business

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We all get so fascinated by hearing stories of people who have successfully carved a career out of their business and dream to follow them, to become someone like them. There is definitely no problem to think like that but it is important to think what they did so different than others that they are so successful in life and what price did they pay and are we willing to pay the price if we too take up the challenge. If someone is dreaming to make a career in the construction industry, then he needs to prepare himself right from the day he has begun to dream and start making plans to achieve his dreams.

Having a sound business strategy is considered to be one of the most important component for becoming a successful businessman. Now, a business strategy is required in any sort of business regardless how big or small it is. However, if one is chalking out plans pertaining to his construction business, he got to be make sure he comes out with a real good plan. Following are few pointers that will stress on how one can set up a sound business strategy.

Strategize your plans based on the business requirement:-

Strategies are often made keeping into consideration your business requirements. For instance, you are planning to buy some heavy equipments. Here you will consider the price of the machines, the utility factor, the features it possess and most importantly does the project really require any enhancements as far as the equipments are concerned. If you find positive answers for it, you should go ahead with your strategy or else it is better that you continue with the existing heavy equipments.

Take opinions of experienced people:-

If you are running a small business, you should far importantly take opinions of experienced people before you start planning up something. If possible share your plan with someone whom you can trust. People who are experienced in the construction segment will give you suggestions that will help you a long way.

A good strategy is the result of good team work:-

In case, you have a big business where you are required to big decision that will have a lasting effect, you should involve people who hold the top positions of various departments. You put to them your vision and ask them to come out with some plans. Ask them to think about the opportunities and threats involved. Once they give you a detailed report, you can absorb them all in your plan. You have the big picture in front of you. You only need to give it a proper shape. Once you come up with a final plan, place it in front of the senior most people in the company and see how good it sounds to them.

Keep your strategy flexible:-

The strategy you have adopted should be flexible and not stringent. When things may not go the way you have estimated them to, you may have to change them. Your strategy should allow you the space to make changes.

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Give importance to the safety of workers – They really worth it

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Safety is considered to be an important factor in any aspect of one’s life and when it is concerned with the construction business, safety of workers becomes all the more important. It has been seen that people pay lot of importance to the heavy equipment they possess, they take good care of their finances to ensure that the money is utilized in the most optimum manner, they give a lot of emphasis to their clients to ensure a continued healthy relationship but what they fail to prioritize is how safe they can make the working environment for their workers. Time and again we get to hear news of accidents happening in a construction site and a worker either ends up losing his life or getting grievously injured in the mishap. There could be two possible reasons why accidents are so prone in a construction site and what can be done to lessen it if it can’t be eliminated completely.

Safety measures not followed by the construction company:-

Many construction houses usually shy away from inducting appliances that can change the face of the existing safety issues of the workers. They simply do not have the money to invest it in introducing safety measures or they are least bothered about their safety and well-being. Well, this kind of approach of the employers should definitely change as there are several laws present in the country that talks about strict penalty if the companies are found not incorporating safety measures for the workers. Construction companies in order to maintain their good reputation should not fall into any legal trouble especially if it is pertaining to the safety of the workers. Other than that, they also have to compensate the worker if at all he becomes a victim to any possible mishap. The amount of compensation is huge and the company should think about modernizing its infrastructure that can reduce the instances of accidents rather than spending the money in paying compensations.

Safety measures not followed by workers:-

People working in a construction site are often habituated working in perilous environments and do not have the practice to wear any safety appliances while at work. Therefore, it becomes the onus of the company to prepare stringent safety parameters which should be followed by all working in a construction site. It should not be only limited to workers but also to people inspecting the work. All have to follow the safety guidelines while they are inside the premises. If possible, companies can appoint a person whose work will be to check if the workers are following necessary safety guidelines and when are into doing some perilous work, are they on with their safety equipment. If at all he finds anybody without his safety gears, he has every right to ask him to wear the stuffs before he gets to work.

Sufficient training should be given to workers:-

It is the responsibility of the company to educate its workers of the safety guidelines and explain them why it is important to wear the safety gears. If the workers understand the importance of the gears, they will not be reluctant to wear them.

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Know all about soil density and moisture and understand the need of compaction!

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Construction is a huge industry and to complete a construction project, a number of factors have to be completed. Amongst them, soil compaction is one of the most important one. Before soil compaction is conducted, why it is done and how it is done, must be understood.

About soil compaction:

Soil compaction is a mechanical process in which weight is applied to the soil to increase its density. Soil usually contains air and water particles. Thus, when weight is applied on it, the air gaps are removed or reduced. Therefore, the soil becomes compacted and denser. The process only removes the air and does not have any significant impact on the water particles.

Importance of soil compaction:

The soil compaction technique is a mechanical one and it is very important in the construction field. In order to make a site suitable for construction, the site needs to be turned into a flat base. The flat construction base is mandatory for various construction requirements such as –

  • Buildings
  • Roads
  • Pavements.

With this compaction process, the soil becomes denser and thus, it gains more stability. The resistance power of the soil is also increased.

What happens without soil compaction?

If the soil is not compacted, there is always a chance that after the construction is complete, moisture will be absorbed and penetrated within the soil particles. Thus, the soil and the construction will start to encounter movement, resulting in damage and failure of the construction. Without proper and quality soil compaction –

  • Building walls may experience cracks and they might even fall down
  • As the roads and pavements start to encounter movement, the pipes beneath these construction sites will encounter holes, cracks and leaks.
  • Entire construction may collapse.

Types of soil compaction equipment:

Though a mechanical process, the technique of compaction differs, depending on the type of soil. There are two types of soils, cohesive and non-cohesive and both require different compaction methods. In order to yield proper compaction, right heavy construction equipment must be chosen. There are a number of soil compaction equipment types. The most popular ones are –

  • Smooth wheeled rollers
  • Sheepsfoot rollers
  • Grid rollers
  • Pneumatic tyred rollers
  • Trench tamper or power rammer
  • Vibrating plates.

The right soil density:

Whether the right soil density and moisture level is achieved or not is a factor that must be taken into consideration. For that a number of lab tests are done for the soil. These are proctor test, field test, sand cone test, soil modulus test and nuclear density test. All these tests can determine, whether the right soil density is achieved or not. These tests can also determine the impact of moisture on the soil density. Optimum moisture level can be identified with these tests through a moisture density curve.

If you want to compact the soil for a construction purpose, you must understand these factors in details and then choose the right equipment for compaction. This will ensure that the construction is done properly, with no worries of soil movement and moisture penetration.

Top 5 construction equipment safety tips that you must follow

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Equipment, tools and machineries are some of the most important aspects of a successful construction industry. To make sure that they offer a long and desired performance, it is a must that you take care of the equipment. With proper care, your construction equipment, tools and machineries will perform better and longer.

However, it is not just the longevity and performance of the equipment, but also using the equipment safely that is equally important. This will make sure that the hazards, damages and accidents caused by this equipment are low. Since these are often powerful and large, they need to be handled with safety. Here are a few construction equipment safety tips that you need to follow.

  1.  Learn operating heavy equipment:

 

Those, who operate the heavy equipment at a construction job site, must have professional training in how to operate them. This will ensure that no hazard or accident occurs while operating the machines and equipment. While operating, one must –

  • Be alert
  • Know the blind spots of the equipment
  • Stay aware of the surrounding and the functionality of the machines.

This will ensure that the job is performed better and faster, with no possibility of danger.

2.  Safety measures:

 

There are a few factors related to safety that one must keep in mind, while operating these construction machineries. These include –

  • Not climbing the machine or heavy construction equipment while it is moving
  • Always wearing the seat belt to avoid possibility of damages caused by accidents
  • Loading only till the capacity of the equipment or machine.

The heavy equipment can accidentally face a rollover. In such a case, wearing a seat belt can save a life.

3.  Checking the equipment:

 

Often negligence is the root cause of an accident. The heavy equipment is designed to perform a number of tasks. When you turn on the equipment, it is a must that you check each one of its parts such as the tyres, tracks, wires, components etc. In case any disturbance is found there, you need to repair it at once. Neglecting can lead to a possibility of permanent damage and accident.

4.  Falls:

 

Maximum of the accidents that occur, happen due to not following the safety standards for getting on and off the equipment. Workers often jump off and fall from the equipment and this is a major cause of accident. Always maintain the proper methods to get on and off the equipment.

5.  Loading and unloading:

 

When the load of the equipment is released, there is a chance that the equipment might rollover, if proper functioning is not done. Hence, the conductor must know how to do the loading and unloading task, balancing the equipment.

These are some of the most important construction equipment safety tips that one must keep in mind, while operating these tools and equipment at a job site. If safety measures are followed, there is no chance that these equipment and tools can cause accidents. Moreover, maintenance will also aid in the longevity and good performance of these equipment and machines.

Is Renting Wheel Loaders a Good Business

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The construction activities have increased due to increase in population. Many big and start up construction companies cannot afford to a buy and maintain all new equipment for their work, especially in case of short term projects. Hence, they prefer to buy equipment and machines on rental basis at an affordable price and return it after use. Thus, rental business is profitable and is booming. It is observed that many equipment rentals only rent specific equipments and do not keep all types of equipments. It is because they have studied market and functional aspects of the equipment. Since most of the heavy equipment are multifunctional, being in rental business of specific equipment can be a good idea as it saves the cost of buying and maintaining different equipment.

Wheel loader (front end loader or bucket loader), is one of the widely used machines in construction. It is primarily used in construction applications such as material handling, digging, load and carry and road building and some even are used for waste handling. They are versatile and have good payload capacity to perform multiple functions at low cost. They are very much required in any construction project, however they are expensive.

Tier 4-compliant models, the cost of a new machine is more than it has been in the past. The cost of these A survey reported that overall the heavy machinery rentals have jumped by 75% in 2013 to 2014 alone, with wheel loader rentals soaring up 273%. Thus, renting of the wheel loaders (WLs) is a profitable business due to the following reasons:

  1. It has been observed that as a result of the engine refinements made to machines, their cost now ranges from between $86,000 and $245,000. Due the enormous cost factor, most individual contractors, small and big construction business purchase either single or an entire fleet of wheel loaders on rental basis. This becomes more cost effective.
  2. There is overall a downfall in economy and purchasing such expensive machines is not affordable to many construction industries. Hence they prefer rental WLs.
  3. Buyers are also interested in new models of WLs since they are easy to operate, have advanced technology and increased speed. The new models include features such as
  • Electric loaders as compared to the diesel or gasoline engines
  • Range of attachments such as grapples, forks, buckets of varying sizes.
  • Reduction in fuel transmission
  • Good cab/cabins for the operators to get greater range of visibility on all sides.
  • These factors increase productivity at a work place. If the rental service providers (RSP) can add such advanced WLs to their fleet and provide on rental basis then it will increase their business.

 

4.  RSP should have good business plan and strategy, advertise in newspapers and on websites, know about their own expenses (owning a store, ability to purchase these high end equipment, maintenance and repairs of machines, water and electricity bills.)

5.  Buying used equipment on rental basis is common for the short duration projects, hence they are in demand. Thus, RSP can also look for option of renting ‘used’ or ‘second hand’ WLs too, since purchasing such equipments is cost affordable. However, they should be careful while choosing such machines that have undergone less wear and tear and their parts are available.

6.  RSP should be careful while renting the expensive and used WLs to the buyer. They should understand the nature of work requirements of the customer and should guide them properly. They should help the customer to choose appropriate model of WL with proper loading and bucket capacity. Further, they should make sure that the buyer has the capability to pay the rental amount and would take care of the equipment and will return the equipment in good condition. After all the terms and conditions are acceptable to both parties, a rental agreement has to made between RSP and prospective buyer.

 

After sales service can turn the fortune of a heavy equipment company

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We have all made to understand that the growth of a company is determined on its sales. By large, this perception is true but not the ultimate truth. There is something that plays an equally important role when it comes to the growth of the company. Not only this, it also helps in increasing the sales by upsizing the goodwill of the company. This important instrument is known as the after sales service. There was a time when not much importance was given to after sales service and people believed that it is only high sales figure that counts to the growth of the company. But later people realized that good after sales service plays a dominant role to increase the sales and since then companies who are into manufacturing business have started with the servicing department as well. Soon other industries from non-manufacturing background also followed suit and today people give lot of credibility to after sales service.

The after sales service is a much needed concept in the heavy equipment industry. Here people are dealing with machines that cost them thousands of dollars and just in case for some reason if they stop working, the consumers are in the middle of nowhere. They will be completely lost and may not know whom to approach to get the issue sorted. They will come up with the belief that the heavy equipment company has sold them a faulty stuff and may put the entire blame on them. Now this hampers the goodwill of the company which the heavy equipment company will not want to happen. It is therefore that the after sales service becomes so instrumental. Now the buyer knows that he can approach the company if the stuff stops working and they will take charge of the situation and try to get it resolved.

Now every heavy equipment manufacturing company has got a customer care number. Now a consumer can use this number to get connected with the sales team or with the after sales service team or with any other department of the company. So when the consumer has issues with the machine, dial up the number and speak with the agent out there. Tell the person your problem and he/she will connect you to the right team. Once you are connected to someone from the team, the next person might ask you follow certain things that will let you to take care of the issue but if that does not work, then an engineer will be booked.

The later part is simple. The engineer will check the machine and will try to fix the problem. In case, if he finds that the problem is irreparable and was some kind of defect on the part of the company, he might even raise a request to send you a new machine. Ideally, they try to sort the problem first and keep the replacement of the faulty machine with a new one as the last option.

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Sharing your knowledge on heavy equipment by writing blogs & articles

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Sharing knowledge always helps. It may help the person who wants to know things which perhaps you know and in return you can make some money or can generate contacts through which you can get some business. There are various platforms available where one can share information that can be helpful to the mass. The most common platform is internet where one can write things on his blog and the entire world gets to read it.

Other than this, you can also post information on magazines, newsletters or can even make it to Television. Sharing knowledge on the internet is sought to be the most convenient and favored method in today’s time. If you write something in a newspaper, that will be only read by people who reads that particular newspaper. Newspapers are area/city specific. So if you have written something in a newspaper, it will not necessarily reach out to many people. This is why writing blogs and articles on the internet make more sense.

Articles on heavy equipment are read by many who are associated to this industry and needs to update their knowledge on the subject. There are people who know in depth about different sorts of construction machines often uses internet to spread their message to the public. They have in a way become a brand by writing numerous articles. People do not intend to read any new reader as they do not trust anybody other than the person they have been reading. It is quite a powerful tool and hence should be used with caution. The writer should mention things with caution in his article and must maintain that he does not put in something that he is not so sure about. If he is not sure about anything, he should mention that in the footer of the article.

Good way to share one’s experience:-

An article is perhaps a better way to nice one’s experience to the people. An expert who knows the in and out of construction machines can pick up a different topic and write on it sharing his experience, his knowledge and what he feels should one do in a certain situation. He should also invite others to come up with questions or any doubts after having read his article so that he can clear them all by answering them. He should also share some stories that have indeed happened, the mistakes that he has committed or have seen people doing so that it can be avoided by others. The articles could act as a learning curve for many who are new to this industry and do want to make the same mistakes which the writer has done.

Talk about different kinds of heavy equipment:-

When you are writing articles on heavy equipment, it should not be contained to limited equipment or machines of some selected brands. You have to speak in totality. Most importantly, you should not only speak about the goodies but also point out the negatives. People want to read about different kinds of heavy equipment so give them what they need.

Buying a backhoe loader

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Out of the many expenses that a construction company has to bear buying of heavy equipment is one such expense for which they have to plan it months in advance. They have to allocate funds for this purpose some even set up a fund for the same reason and invest some amount of money on each and every month and once they see that they need to buy the equipment, they utilize the saved amount and for the surplus they approach a lender for loan. The lender keeps the machine as mortgage and lends the money to the borrower.

In this entire transaction, the borrower is benefitted by just one factor. He ends up paying less interest to the lender. Just because was able to save over the months he did not have to borrow the entire chunk. Almost every kind of heavy equipment is more or less expensive in nature and one has to shell out good deal of money to buy a machine. However, if they are given the option to buy a machine that can serve their dual purpose they might definitely want to go for it. This is when a backhoe loader comes into picture for companies that deal with digging works.

The normal range of a backhoe loader varies from $10,000 to $25,000 depending upon the features and the brand of the product. As a matter of fact, different models of backhoe loaders manufactured by the same brand can have widely different price tag attached to it. So the price of the machine also primarily depends upon the quality of its intrinsic parts. So you have a loader whose engine is exceptional and can work for long hours will naturally be expensive than the other models of the same company which are perhaps not so long lasting.

In order to buy a backhoe loader, you can largely depend on the company and in case you live in a city or town where the company does not ship the item, you can check online if there is any seller who can get the item shipped at your place. It seems that shipping the item at times has come up as a major problem for those who stay outside the city limits to where it can be delivered. For people like them, it is prudent to make the purchases from internet. They can register online and buy the loader from there. However, prior to buying the item, it is imperative that you check with the seller if they can ship the item to your place and who will pay for the shipping.

Also, you need to check the condition of the machine just in case you are dealing with a used one. Second hand machines must always be inspected first before they are bought or else you might later feel cheated but you will not be able to do much about it. You also got to be patient while buying heavy equipment. You can’t afford to make a purchase in hurry or there are chances that you might end up with a rotten one.

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