Category Archives: construction equipment

How to buy second hand heavy equipment

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There have been often instances where you get a lot of construction projects but you are unsure if you can take them all. The issue is with the limited resources that you have at your disposal. You may not have sufficient manpower or heavy equipment to start working on the new project. Hiring additional manpower is no big deal as you can hire people in a matter of days but the real challenge will be with procuring heavy equipment. Construction companies always run tight on budget and when all of a sudden they get some new projects that they were not expecting can really leave them thinking if they should indeed agree to take them. Taking new projects means spending funds on buying heavy machineries and then to sit tight for months till you get any payments from the project givers. This actually makes your position vulnerable and can also give you thoughts to deny accepting the work.

Well, this entire situation may definitely sound to be quite challenging but there is a solution to it and that is to buy second hand heavy equipment. It is also amply simple to buy used machines at much lesser price than the market price for the new ones. First thing first, you can get in touch with the authorized dealer in your area and check if he has any used machine with him or if he knows anybody who is willing to sell second hand equipment. These guys often have information and they can pass it on to you. The transaction may happen by keeping him in the loop which means that he will take a cut out of the deal. However, you can be assured that you will get the best deal.

The next option is to check with guys in your circle if they know anybody selling used machines. If you need more than one machine, it is better that you stick to the dealer but if you are looking for just one machine, you can talk it out to guys in your circle and you may get some lead.

The third option is probably the best that one can avail. You can search for second hand heavy equipment on the internet and it will throw number of options to you. You do not have to compromise on anything out there since you have plenty of options and you can take your time to select the best deal. Just go through the description as you will get to know a lot about the heavy equipment through its description. You can then establish contact with the seller and close the deal if you like the stuff.

There is one more option which some people prefer to take. They get in touch with the guys who pick up old machines, refurbishes it by installing new parts that makes the machine run smoothly and can give a good fight to the new ones. They sell such heavy equipment at an unbelievably low price and therefore it does make some sense to buy machines from them. However, it is not much recommended one.

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Selling heavy equipment is driven by passion

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In order to do any kind of work, it has to be driven by passion. If there is no passion in a work, the end result will not be a fabulous one. You will not put that effort in your work if you do not have the passion for it and therefore you should do things that interests you and not out of coercion. Working as a salesman requires a lot of that component in you. If you do not have passion to sell things, you will perhaps have to find something else that suits you and when you are selling heavy equipment you need to be more passionate towards the stuff you are doing. You can achieve good results only if you like the job. For many the subject of heavy equipment does not comes with any interest. They find this topic to be very boring and when you start talking about earth moving machines, there is a tendency that it may drive away the interest of people. Such men are just not suitable for selling heavy equipment even if they can sell anything in this planet.

As a matter of fact, the subject of heavy equipment is indeed a boring one but guys who find it to be interesting, they can see their place in selling heavy equipment. Though it offers good money to the salesmen who are able to crack the deal, but this does not mean that the guy who feels bored by hearing about earth moving machines can find his place there. He can’t be a part of this profession just because it offers good money on a successful deal. He simply will not be able to survive in it for long. He will face a lot of hardships down his way which will make him realize that this industry is just not for him. However, for people who love to talk about heavy equipment and have the urge to learn more about it, they can see themselves as a part of this industry.

Selling heavy equipment requires lot of passion to do this work. Guys who love machines often experience tough time to sell machines. They feel that this is just not their cup of tea. However, there are also examples of people who have excelled like anything. They feel that they can’t do anything better than selling heavy equipment. Now this is the passion that is required to sell machines.

Selling is often considered as an art but it is believed that people who have mastered this art have at times found hard to sell machines. Selling cars is certainly different from selling heavy equipment as there may be more takers for cars but it will be only some industry specific guys who want to deal with heavy equipment. You can’t sell machines to anybody but to only those who need it and it is perhaps the passion that you have for this profession that will lead you to those kinds of men.

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Heavy equipment listed on Craigslist

With the introduction of internet, businesses have taken a new shape and most of the things are now happening on the net. You need to contact somebody or write a letter that needs to reach him immediately internet is the answer for that. Whatever information you are seeking, you can get it all on the net. It provides you with a wonderful virtual world that helps you to get anything under the sun. This has also helped the heavy equipment industry big time. People who are in the business of buying and selling heavy equipment can all come under one roof and accomplish their wants. It has given a wonderful platform to both the buyer and the seller.

There are number of websites that deal with buying and selling of heavy equipment but the one the ace the list is Craigslist. This website particularly deals with heavy equipment and if you are unable to find a machine is any website, you can expect to find it here. They are in this business for the last many years and are only getting stronger with every passing day. Many people have made millions with the help of this site. Though there are also some instances of fraud that took place under the name of Craigslist but it seems that the concerned authorities have taken this seriously and have streamlined the process of buying and selling.

Become a member of Craigslist:-

In order to list item on Craigslist, you got to become a member of this website. The registration is for free. However, if you list machines on the website, you got to pay an amount to the website and for every sale you got to pay some extra fees to them. Apart from that, it offers you the service of highlighting your listing so that it catches the attention of the viewers. You got to pay a very nominal price to avail this service. It seems that people who have availed this feature are more successful in selling their heavy equipment as compared to the ones who have not taken this up.

Protects the interest of both buyer and seller:-

Craigslist believes in protecting the interest of both the buyer as well as the seller. Sellers can’t get away easily by selling a faulty machine on this website. One complaint can ruin the prospect of the seller to list any more items on the website. This is the reason why sellers ideally stick to what they have described on the listing. They do not dare to sell faulty machines on this website or else they will not only lose the money but will also lose their reputation. On the other hand, buyers also can’t get away without paying for the machine. They have to pay the money first and then the seller ships the machine. The shipping cost and other miscellaneous expenses are worked out amicably between the buyer and the seller.

Overall, Craigslist has made a good reputation in the online business platform.

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Caterpillar 740 Articulated Truck

Do you know who carries the debris after the demolition is done? Any heavy equipment that is mostly used on a construction site is not able to carry huge pile of debris from the jobsite to the dump yard and for this you need a truck to get the job done. Trucks are not only used by the construction companies to haul debris but are also used by many mining companies as well. Mining companies can’t spend a day without using trucks. This indeed shows the relevance of trucks to the overall industry. Not only hauling of debris but when it comes to hauling other heavy equipment from the source to the destination, trucks are widely used. An articulated truck plays a very crucial role when it comes to transporting big heavy machines as they can’t make it all by themselves even if they can move on the roads. Heavy equipment can move at a shorter distance. They are not made to get transported on their own. It will take days for a machine to reach one place if it has to move all by itself and therefore the need of trucks becomes so imperative.

Almost all the heavy equipment manufacturing companies are into producing trucks but there are few who are simply exceptional when it comes to trucks. To name a few, Volvo, CAT, Hitachi are some that has an incredible reputation in the market and has also managed to maintain its position over the years. They just changes position in terms of ranking but never has it happened that they have taken a sharp fall in terms of sales figure.

We will be discussing in brief about the specification of CAT 740 articulated truck. The gross and net power of the truck is 464 hp and 445 hp respectively. The power is measured at 1700 rpm and has a displacement of 927.6 cu in. The total number of cylinders installed in this truck is 6. Moving to the fuel capacity of the truck, the total fuel capacity of the vehicle is 61.6 gallons. The hydraulic system fluid capacity, cooling system fluid capacity, engine oil capacity and transmission fluid capacity is 61.6 gallons, 21.1 gallons, 10 gallons and 19 gallons respectively. Talking about the gears fitted in this truck, the total number of forward gears is 7 and is limited with just 2 reverse gears and has a maximum speed of 34 mph.

The total weight of the truck when it is empty is 32840 kg and when it’s loaded the weight is goes to 70840 kg. The overall length of the truck is 35.7 ft in and the overall width is 11.3 ft in. The overall height along with the wheelbase is 12.3 ft in and 17.1 ft in respectively. The height of the dump is 23.2 ft in and its ground clearance is 2.3 ft in.

The CAT 740 is perhaps the truck that every owner of a construction or a mining company would like to possess and it is also pretty much within their capability.

Heavy equipment industry is fast catching up the rental market

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Heavy equipment companies may experience a hard time to sell their machines in the market. They might not find buyers at all times. Due to the cost of the machine which is invariably high, not many construction companies can afford to purchase them and at the same time the needs of the companies also change which means they have to keep on changing the heavy equipment as per their needs. Now it is certainly not feasible for a small construction house to keep buying machines as per the demand of the project. Therefore the best suitable option available to them is to rent the machine till the time they need them. Get done with their work and hand over the machine to its owner.

Though heavy equipment manufacturing companies do not directly deal with renting the equipment but there are entities that make good revenue by purchasing machines from the heavy equipment companies and then renting it out to the end users. Since they are dealing with new stuff, the rental amount one has to pay is comparatively higher than the ones given on rent by individuals. They may be slightly expensive but the quality of the equipment is unparalleled with any other machine listed by any individual.

On the other hand, the equipment possessed by these entities are thoroughly checked before it is listed on their website. So it means that when the guys who want the equipment on rent comes to get the machine, he can be completely assured that he will be taking the best with him. These entities are slowly catching up the heavy equipment rental market and they particularly believe that the year 2016 will be a great year for their business. It is primarily of two reasons. The first is the construction and mining industry are at its peak and it does not seem to come down at least in this year and the second reason is people want quality stuffs and they also need assurance which is provided to them by such entities.

It has been witnessed that people who take machines on rent have a hard time to convince its owners that the machine has developed some complication that was beyond his control and the giver of the machine penalizes him for the problem. This issue is somewhat managed if they take the machine from these small companies. Since these companies have their engineers who can work on the problem they do not fine the takers for anything and everything. This actually increases the confidence of the takers on these companies and they prefer to go with them. Moreover, they are also assured that these companies pick new machines either directly from the company or majorly from banks that confiscate heavy equipment over non- payment of installments.

These companies have quite easily won over the hearts of the contractors and small construction houses and have found a good opportunity to make decent income.

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Learning heavy equipment will be fun with the help of training videos

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Learning new things are always fun if one can add the fun element in it or else it may lead to boredom and one may lose interest from the topic. Therefore in order to add the fun element, a lot of unique stuffs can be added in the subject thus making the subject simple to understand as well as interesting. It has been observed that people learning about heavy equipment can at times find the subject to be quite boring and may completely lose interest from the topic. It is due to the complexity of the subject. You always deal with machines that are not so simple to understand and especially when you got to understand them just by reading it from a book concentrating hard to understand the diagrams given in it, it becomes all the more boring.

Just to make things a bit simple, you can take help of the training videos that are uploaded on the internet. You may find them to be really awesome and helpful. You only got to key in the stuff that you want to learn and it will throw you all the videos it has pertaining to the subject. Click on either of the video and watch it fully. Now when you see things happening in front of you, you will not find it difficult to co-relate the things that you have read in the book. You may possibly learn a few things more by watching the video that you may not find in the book.

Some of the training videos are free of cost while some others are chargeable. However, once you access the videos you will be informed that if you want to learn more about the subject then you got to pay a subscription fee to the uploader. In case, you want to check out more on that, you can pay a nominal fee that is mentioned at the end of the video and download the chargeable video on your computer.

For instance, you want to know how to change the engine oil in a wheel loader, you just key in the stuff you like to see in the search bar and it will throw all the videos that are concerned with the subject. You pick up the one you want to see and watch the complete video. In case, you feel that you want to see other videos as well, you can go back to the main page where you will find the list of videos and then select the next one. It gives you ample of information, something that you will not be able to find in your academic books.

You can always be a step ahead than your peers if you follow the videos properly. Your understanding on the subject will be far better than the other guys studying with you in your institution. Ultimately, it will give you an edge over the others when it comes to getting a good employment with a company. You will find yourself to be in a much beneficial position than the rest of the guys.

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Fuel price affecting the construction industry

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For the last few years, we are seeing a decrease in the oil price across the globe. The price of crude oil that was $129 a barrel has now fallen down to less than $50.00. This is a quite a fall and it has affected the economies of many developing and developed countries. However, there are very few countries whose economy has not been affected by this reduction. Any rise or fall in the price of fuel has a huge impact on the heavy equipment and construction industry and as per the current scenario where the prices have dipped sharply it has left a huge impact on the construction sector. If we assume that the cost of construction will fall with the fall in the oil price, it may not always be the case. On the contrary we also see an increase in the price of finished products. However, the chances are more for the price to go down.

Fuel price plays a significant role in lowering the price of transporting raw materials and other items that are necessary for the construction business. Also the fuel required in heavy equipment will cost the company less which means that the company can now utilize the funds for some other purpose or can just keep it as reserves so that whenever it needs to take any strong financial decision, it can do so and utilize the reserves. Even the industries that are associated with the construction sector benefits a lot when the fuel price is down.

Market experts are of the opinion that the fuel prices that are currently at its bottom will soon pick up and then the picture of the construction industry will differ from what it is for the time being. As of now, it is hurting the oil and gas exploration and production companies but is benefitting the rest but as soon as it starts to increase, they will start benefitting and the construction sector might have to face the heat. Countries that import oil while the prices are down experiences good profits but as soon as the price goes up, they feel the pinch. They then have to import oil at higher price. As a result of this, the construction sector at that time takes a hit. They can’t afford to sell the end product at a lesser price.

Countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other Gulf countries that extracts oil and are also the major exporter do not experience any crunch when the prices are high. They in fact find it to be convenient to them. They can sell the fuel at an increased price to the rest of the world. The construction industry in these countries also makes good deal of profit as the fuel prices are mostly less. In case it incurs any loss, it has to do with factors other than the fuel price. Low fuel price has come as a boon to many small construction companies who have just started their business few years ago. They are now able to spend less on fuel and can utilize the money to attain business accomplishments.

Looking to grow your business – Make use of LinkedIn

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Internet has indeed become a boon for many people who have aspired to start a business of their own. When you begin a business, the first hurdle that you come up with is procuring good clients who will stick around with you after receiving quality products or services from your company. Getting clients who can give business to you was becoming very difficult and on top of that you have those big business houses that were not ready to let their businesses go to small start-ups. They were doing everything possible to ensure that the small companies do not get clients and eventually they get rid of them and there stays no competition.

Things have now changed a lot and acquiring new clients is not as difficult as it was a couple of decades ago. Especially people who belonged to the heavy equipment business had suffered a big deal in the past but with the advent of internet and many social networking sites they are able to show their work to thousands of people at a time and they are not paying anything extra for it. There are some sites that do charge a nominal fee for promoting a business but not every website does. Someone who is associated with the heavy equipment business should definitely try LinkedIn to connect to people associated with the construction industry so that the ones who are in his list will know every detail of his business that he wishes to share.

First and foremost, you need to sign up in your LinkedIn account and create a profile. Please make sure that the profile you set up should be very professional as it will be viewed by people who will connect you for business purpose and hence do not leave any scope for any casualness to appear on your profile. Share all your details and write a lot about your business and what you ideally do. For instance, if you are engaged in selling and servicing of heavy equipment you should state that in detail. Mention which kind of machine you basically deal with or if you deal with every kind of construction equipment you should mention that explicitly out there. Since when you are in this business is very important for others to know as that will help them analyze the experience you have in this form of business.

Your language should be polished and avoid using any slangs. This can go against you in a big way. If you have accomplished any goals that you want others to know about, do share it on LinkedIn. People have the right to know about your accomplishments. Simultaneously, always keep our LinkedIn account updated as it will let others know that you are an active member and you have taken this up quite seriously.

Putting up your photo is also of much importance. However, you can’t put a shady one or the one where you are partying along with your friends or you are enjoying your time with your girlfriend/s. You should post a decent picture that has only you in the photo and with decent looking attire. This all will go a big way in generating more contacts which will be fruitful for your business.

Joint Checks with Heavy Equipment Rental House and Construction Companies

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Construction companies are often of the opinion of taking heavy equipment on rent rather than buying them as it may prove to be very expensive for them. However, they also find it difficult to gather information of people who are willing to rent their machines. They may do a search on internet but the results are not always encouraging. Most of the times, they do not get what they are been searching for. It is quite obvious to not get the machine they want as the guys who want to rent their machine do not know what the other party wants.

They just put up the ad based on what they have and this what makes things difficult. The taker needs are not necessarily met by searching for machines over the net and therefore they need someone to help them meet their requirements. This is where a heavy equipment rental house comes into play. They are the ones who act as a bridge between the giver and the taker and they do this quite successfully. The modus operandi is pretty simple. Since both the parties know about the existence of a rental house, they turn up to them and give them their requirements. The giver’s requirement is usually the rental amount that needs to coincide with the comfort level of the taker.

If the taker feels that the rental amount is well within the budget of the company, then he asks the rental house to show the machines. The rental house in turn contacts the giver and asks him to come down with the machine or arranges a meeting of both the parties in his office or at a place that is convenient to both the parties. The taker can then inspect the machine and if he finds everything satisfactory, then he goes for the deal and just in case if he does not find the machine worth for his project, he lets the rental house owner knows about it.

In the entire process, one thing that is very crucial is that both the heavy equipment rental house and the construction companies should stay in close contact with each other as there may be always a need to procure machines on rent or give it on rent. Either ways, being in close contact will help both the parties know the requirements and what the rental house can offer. There have been scenarios where the big construction companies could not get good machines as they were rented out to some other small companies. This mainly happened due to lack of joint checks between the heavy equipment rental house and the construction companies.

The party who wants to rent out their machine should also stay in close contact with the heavy equipment rental house as it will be easier for them to rent their machines quickly. They can just walk in to their office and check if there is any party who is interested in taking a particular machine on rent. If they find a taker, the transaction can happen quickly.

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Make your career as heavy equipment designer

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When a heavy equipment manufacturing company is working on a state of the art machine, it also has to invest a lot of time and money in getting its design correct. On the other hand, it is the design that will accommodate the intrinsic features in the machine. Therefore there is a big market for heavy equipment designers today and they all are fetching handsome salary probably the best amongst everybody who are working in various other departments in the same company. The manufacturing company also understands the importance of designers and hence they are offering them high package and many other perks that others are not given.

Well, this will then give all of us the thought to become heavy equipment designer and flourish our career there. As a matter of fact, it is way too hard to become a good designer and the one who are not anywhere close to good at ideally kicked out of the company. This also gives us the impression that if you are unable to perform and show your skills then you do not have your place in the company and it is also not possible to move to any other company because you may not remain anywhere if you can’t perform. Therefore, it is not everybody’s cup of tea and only people who have the knack of designing machine or even parts of machines can see themselves working.

Institutes groom you for this industry:-

For guys who are good in designing stuffs and want to design heavy equipment can get themselves enrolled with institutes that teaches students different sorts of designing work. Now, they may teach right from fashion designing to animation, it depends upon the students where they want to go. So enroll for the right course. These institutes will groom you and make you a worthy designer. They will know your strengths and weaknesses and will work along with you to improve your skills.

Placements from institutions:-

They conduct some exams at the end of the course following which they give you grades and also invite companies to hire you. They have tie-ups with heavy equipment companies who come to their campuses and conduct interviews. Your grade and your performance matter a lot there. You get selected on the basis of your performance and the way you present yourself and your work to the interviewer. This is just the beginning to the world of a lucrative career.

Can work as a freelancer:-

A heavy equipment designer has to work for hours in a day and most of the time he/she is unable to give enough time to his/her family. Well, in a situation like this, he can leave the job and start working as a freelancer where he will just deal with one company at a time and once he is done with that company and intends to rest for a while, he has the liberty to do so. This makes him his own boss and he can run his business the way he wants to.

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