Category Archives: construction equipment

Make a practice to wash your earth moving machinery

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A construction site is a place that is filled with dust, mud and dirt all over it. You probably may not find a single place that is not covered with dirt and people who are there to clean the place finds it extremely difficult to keep the place clean and free of dust. They always have to be on their toes and clean the place after every few hours. One can imagine how important a site office is for visitors and they would not expect that place to be dusty. Therefore, someone will always have to clean it up time and again to keep it look clean. That was about the site office. Now if we talk about how regularly we wash our earth moving machines, we will not find many doing it on regular basis. It is due to the fact that we all believe that earth moving machines are tough metals and they do not need the care that we take for our cars.

Undoubtedly, heavy equipment are tough piece of metal but that does not mean that they be left dirty without being washed frequently. Washing the machine regularly will only increase its longevity and one may also see acceleration in its performance level. If one believes that washing earth moving equipment can be done by an inexperienced person, he may be partly incorrect. An inexperienced person can wash the machine from outside but may not be able to wash the interiors of the machine. He probably may not know if it requires a wash in that area of the machine. So it may not be wise to give the machine to be washed by any person who does it to earn quick buck. On the contrary, it will be prudent to take the machine to an expert mechanic and ask him to get it washed. If possible you can stay there and see how he does the work. It may be a time consuming process but will be worth your effort. Just stay there for the entire time till he gets it washed and see how he washes it so that the next time if you feel confident that you can do it yourself, you do not have to bring the equipment to him. However, if you are not so confident then it is better that you bring it to him for getting it cleansed.

If you are a person who has lot of work to complete in a day and do not have the time to see if the machine is well maintained, then you should give that responsibility to someone who can get the work done. Remember, maintaining the machine is of utter importance as it only enhances the life of the machine. You may find the operator the best person to take up this responsibility as he would be the one who will be dealing with the machine on a regular basis. So you can rely on him if you find yourself with short of time to do the cleaning stuff.

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Second hand use of heavy equipment

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Heavy equipment come with a high price tag and not everybody can afford to buy brand new equipment for their business requirement. Some have to rely on taking it on lease and others have to do with buying used equipment. It is not always possible to find leasers who can lease the equipment at a price that you are willing to take. Most of the time, you find the equipment at a price you can’t afford to pay every month. On the contrary, it is better to buy used equipment that is perhaps not very old and is also in good working condition. In this way, you have a healthy asset with you that you can use for your projects.

Big construction companies may not have a problem buying brand new machines. They may not feel the need to keep on using the same old machine for every project and may have the capacity to buy latest technology machines when they arrive in the market. As a matter of fact, they give huge importance to state of the art equipment that can lessen their work without compromising the quality. This does not mean that the old machines that they were using is obsolete or has stopped giving quality output. It may be possible that the old machines may take more time in getting the work done.

When it comes to small construction companies or companies who are newbie in the industry, they experience a very common problem that is financial crunches. If they have a project in hand, they may have to ponder whether they should take the project or leave it as they may not have the heavy equipment required to complete it. And in order to buy the equipment, they have to spend a good deal of money which may leave them in a big financial mess. If they compromise on the machine, then they also compromise on the quality of work which will not help them in getting any further businesses.

This is one of the many reasons why many small construction companies could never make it big in the industry. They have to limit themselves with smaller projects which do not fetch good returns to them. The only solution that can help them is purchasing used heavy equipment. They have to first identify the requirements of the project and also need to check who can offer them good used machines at an affordable price. Once they jot down the seller/sellers they can contact them and try to strike a deal with them. It is imperative to first inspect the machine before signing on the dotted line.

For people who may not have the money to buy used equipment, they can opt to take a loan to buy the equipment. There are many financial institutions that are ready to help people who want to make their dreams come true. It’s just that you need to be doubly sure that what you’re buying is worth the price you’d be paying.

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Volvo is likely to stick to its old plan for the year 2015

It seems the construction and the mining industry is the worst hit industries in 2014, which is why they are finding it tougher to recuperate in the forthcoming year. It has been seen that many companies saw a huge decline in their sales due to which they are forced to take some real tough decisions. Undoubtedly, these decisions also had an impact on the industry as a whole. Not only the sales figure dipped but also there were jobs cut throughout the industry which became a matter of concern for many. Hiring were the lowest across sectors and many people who completed their studies in civil engineering or learnt about machines were finding hard to get to a job.

Many heavy equipment manufacturing companies were of the view that they should be calling off their overseas markets, shrink their business to a certain extent and focus more on home turf. Others were of the view to pay more attention in countries that was giving them profits. It means that they were ready to take risks to produce more equipment for countries that showed them opportunities and by doing that, they were able to keep afloat in turbulent tides.

Volvo also gained success internationally but in some countries, it did not do well and that resulted in forcing them to cut jobs of its employees. Volvo is world’s 2nd biggest truck manufacturer and has a reputation of producing world-class trucks and delivering them all over the world. Many countries in Asia, Middle East, Africa, and Europe and in the America uses their products to cater the needs of the customer. However, the year 2014 was not at all good for them. They experienced a severe fall of demand for trucks and were finding it difficult to sustain. It became important for them to take some stringent decisions and they decided to lay off few people from the company. They are of the view to eliminate around 2000 jobs by 2015 which will happen in a phased manner. By that time, if the business picks up, they might reconsider their decision. Or else, they might have to stick to the old plan. It is assumed that the reorganization costs will be around $766 million and the annual savings is estimated to be lower than that.

Company biggies are worried about the reaction that their decision will have on the stock exchange. They were optimistic and feel that the market will react positively to their decisions as they understand the need of the situation. Volvo’s mission is to attain highest operating margins in the entire industry. They have planned to liquidate a North American unit. It is estimated to be over by the end of January. Volvo is also focusing on paying the same amount of dividends that will help a little to keep the prices of their shares intact.

Volvo feels that the year 2015 will be the year of efficient machines and cost reduction. If the company is able to attain these things, they will be able to sustain for now.

Top 4 Advantages of Heavy Equipment Auction Online

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Like all other internet auctions, online heavy equipment auctions can keep away the excess spending and inconvenience related with the selling and buying of the equipment. These kinds of auctions basically have two different choices of the seller and the buyer: either be at a sale at an online site which may take some time or take part actively in an online equipment sale. As the former one is time consuming not even giving any guarantee of a successful financial transaction, most of the business owners opt for the online auction of the equipment. Absolute benefit to all Many websites have now been developed to sell heavy equipment through either direct sell or online instructions. One can use this medium and post the photo and the details are posted on the website so that the prospective buyers all over the world can know everything they want to know about the equipment. The buyer can see the ad until the sale is complete. It also means that the equipment doesn’t have to be transported from one location to the other. The buyers can also look in other websites for getting their desired equipment without going from one store to the other. Most of the heavy equipment auctions dealing companies take in the potential risks associated with this type of selling assuring the vehicles given is representative of any kind of starting proffer and description. Benefit of the seller While doing online auctioning, sellers will definitely make some arrangements regarding inspection of the equipment by an affiliated appraiser. This minimises the risk of equipment being sold with wrong info so as to avoid any further risk of the site. After the post becomes visible to the viewers, action of bidding can make it in the website. The sellers sometimes list their ad under the section “buy now”. Both the types of ads bypass the process of bidding and give permission to the seller to provide vehicles through direct sale. Benefit of the buyers Online heavy equipment auctions are a perfect streamline through which the buyer can find out essential heavy constructional equipment which will allow access to the listed vehicle from any part of the world. The sale is designed to be done by proxy with the automatic increase of counter bid to an already decided amount. A buyer is not compelled to sit in front of his computer during the whole process of bidding but still will have the chance to get the maximum bid. Many buyers want to enjoy the live auction online. For them the owners of the equipment sites sometimes arrange live simulcasts of their products. Completion of the transaction After the successful completion of the sale, the owner of the online equipment company looks after the transfer of the funds and the titles. There are some companies which offer guarantee by providing financial assistance as well. The payment involved in these kinds of sales are generally cost effective compared to conventional approach of the sale through a third –party.

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The Giants of the Construction and Mining Industry

The heavy equipment which are ruling the construction and mining site serve multi-purpose functions as they are designed thus. The list of such giants is very big including ultra hauler, excavators, bulldozers, loaders and the like.

List of the Major Giants and Their Applications

  • Excavator: – The spinning platform of the excavator contains stick, cab, boom and bucket. It is used for a variety of purposes like digging holes, trenches, forestry work, demolition, mining, driving piles and many more. Its notable manufacturers are Hitachi Construction Machinery, Bobcat Company, Case CE and CNH Global.
  • Crawler: – This machine is used to transport heavy objects and also to dig. Its major components are rotor support, chassis, turntables, central swivel joints, air conditioners, cab and the panel. Huta Stalowa, Hitachi Construction Machinery, Liebherr Holding GmbH, Terex Schaeff GmbH, Zoom Lion and the like are famous for the manufacturing of superior quality crawler.
  • Dump Truck: – It is used in the construction site to carry light materials like gravel, sand or dirt. It has hydraulic pistons and open box bed. It was constructed in the late 19th century in the US. All of them make use of hydraulics and use wide range of configurations. Each of the truck is designed to carry out a particular job. The leading manufacturers of the equipment are Asia Motorworks, Komatsu, John Deere, Terex Corporation, Volvo Trucks and Euclid Trucks.
  • Skid Steer Loader: – The equipment is a four-wheeled vehicle which is a substitute of excavators. It at first, dig a ramp, and then uses the ramp to drag the material out of it. It is mainly used where large excavators cannot work. A few models of skid steer loader consist of an automatic mechanism of attachment changer. Bobcat   Company, Wuhan Chancay Machinery, Fuzhou Julitaihe International, Qingdao Hengda Tyres, Dongguan Shangjha Model Products Company Limited and many more.
  • Bulldozer: – It is fitted with large metal blades which are used to push aside sand, rubble and soil at the time of conversion task. The term ‘bulldozer’ itself indicates heavy equipment but practically the term stands for tracked tractor having a dozer blade. The machine is also used in mining, road constructing, land clearing, forestry and the development of infrastructure. The basic tools of bulldozer are ripper and blade. Wuhan Kudat Industry and Trade Co. Ltd, Zeb Power Solution Co. Ltd and Fuzhou Julitaihe International are some of the renowned companies of bulldozer manufacturing.
  • Crane: – Crane is used to lift the loads up and down and shift them in a horizontal direction. It utilises more than one simple device to perform its work smoothly. It exists in a variety of configurations; each is designed differently from the other to arry on with a specific job type. Eurocrane China Co. Ltd, Wuhan Kudat Industry And Company Ltd, Dongguan Taiguan Lifting Machinery Company Ltd, Shenzhen Welmetal Heavy Industry Company Ltd, are some of the companies which have gained their fame in manufacturing cranes.

 

Undoubtedly, after going through this article, you have gained an insight into the various giants that became the masters of the mining and construction industry. So, purchase them from a renowned company today.

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Terex has big plans for China in 2015

The year 2014 may have not been so pleasant for many but some companies just know how to make fortune out of nothing. The overall construction segment has seen a decline in the year 2014. Right from heavy equipment manufacturing companies to the big construction houses, most of them have suffered losses. In general, it has not been the year that passed away pleasantly. It indeed gave lot of losses to big as well as small companies. Many companies saw a sharp decline in the sale of heavy equipment, something that was not experienced by many for the last many years. However, this was the year when almost all the companies have experienced the same issue and are struggling hard to get over it.

Some companies found 2014 to be more difficult because they did not foresee the issue in advance. They relied more on domestic markets giving less importance to other global emerging markets. They were of the opinion that it may be difficult for them to conduct business in other countries and they may lose their share of hold in the domestic markets. Therefore, they paid less attention on international markets where there were more opportunities and took a hit on their sales. Simultaneously, there were few companies like Terex that made a smart call and took the plunge to overseas markets. They made some real big plans for countries like China. They have planned to increase their annual revenue to $1 billion from $300 million in the next 3 to 5 years. This means that they have taken far better calculated risk which is likely to pay huge dividends to them in the future. Ron DeFeo, the chairman and the chief executive officer of Terex feels that China plays a significant role in making Terex a $10 billion revenue company by the end of 2015. The CEO sees China as an important player that has plenty of demand. Terex in return has a lot to offer to China. They see immense business opportunity in that country and also in other South East and Middle East countries.

According to the CEO, in the year 2014, China has single handedly contributed around 8 percent of the $4.4 billion revenue generation in the year 2014 and they forecast that it is expected to enhance its contribution to 20 percent. They see immense investment opportunities in China. Terex will be working on their aerial work platform and agrees that the government in China gives a lot of importance to safety and efficiency. The company will therefore pay a lot of attention to the safety and efficiency part and ensure that it abides by the rules and regulations of the country. Slowly and steadily, they may work to create a safety aerial work which will not be restricted only to the business but will be relevant to the whole society. They are in talks with the government to make something of this kind possible.

Terex sees the overseas market as the market with potential and feels confident in doing business away from home.

Managing Heavy Equipment Made Easy With Asset Management

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Being involved in the construction arena invariably means working with heavy equipment. And in this context one has to acknowledge the difficulty that construction site authorities face when it comes to managing all those heavy equipment. It is perhaps this difficulty in managing heavy equipment that has given rise to the popularity and demand of the asset management software ion the construction arena.

What Is Asset Management All About?

Now, the very first question that must be knocking your heads right now is what is the asset management software all about? Well, to begin with, as the very name must have made it clear that asset management refers to managing of those objects that are valuable, in short assets, for an organisation. Now, purchasing particular equipment, deploying it, maintaining it and keeping a note of its whereabouts is not an easy thing to do. And this is where the entire asset management deal comes in. This system not only makes the entire deal of managing assets easy, but also reduces the chances of them being misplaced or stolen or the like.

Asset Management and the Arena of Construction

If the statistics of the National Insurance Crime Bureau is taken into account, one can easily see that around 11,000 heavy equipment get stolen every year with the recovery rate being as low as 21%. Now, as heavy equipment form such a part of the entire construction industry, one could easily assess the loss that comes equipped with misplaced or stolen construction equipment. This is perhaps the biggest reason why asset management has become such an important part of the construction industry. Not only does the use of asset management software help in reducing costs, it also acts instrumental in improving information availability and customer service.

Asset management allows you to coordinate your scattered fleet geographically, thereby, reducing the cost of operation quite significantly. Operating an entire construction site is no easy a deal and when there is extensive paper work involved, you can be assured of the entire business getting as gruesome as possible. But by means of the electronic trip orders, the construction organizations can efficiently manage and organize assets, manage projects, coordinate with those involved in the business, drivers, operators and the like and thus, handle things efficiently.

With asset tracking and management tool, you can remain close to your equipment even when you are far from it. The system has been designed in a manner so as to alert you as soon as the heavy equipment leaves their designated position. This allows you to save quite a lot of time that would have otherwise gone into tracking the equipment manually.

Hence, one could easily conclude the asset management tool to be quite an asset in itself in the construction area.

Working With A Scraper- How To Go On About It?

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If you are into the mining industry, then you must be well aware of the important position that heavy equipment holds in the smooth operation of the entire business. If you are involved in the mining arena and are not aware of what a particular equipment is used for or how does it work, then you are not exactly on the route to success. The wheel tractor scraper is one of the most commonplace heavy equipment to be put to use in the arena of mining and highway construction.

Wheel Tractor Scraper- What Is It?

Shifting earth from one place and dumping it to another is one of the most significant aspect of the mining industry, as it is on this that the rest of the work depends. The wheel tractor scraper or the scraper is among the many earth moving equipment that rules the mining and highway construction industry. Consisting of a wagon with provision of a bladed bottom, the scraper is primarily used for scraping away the earth into the hydraulically run hopper. Once the hopper is filled with earth and cannot be loaded anymore, the gate is closed and carried away for dumping. The scraper is generally used for scraping the earth over smaller distances, usually about two miles.

Running A Scraper- How Is It Done?

Operating a scraper is not that difficult a deal, provided one deals with the entire affair a bit skilfully. However, having a basic idea of how the equipment operates wouldn’t hurt. So, let us take a look at the basic tenets of operating a scraper.

  • The ripper shanks of the scraper have to be elevated to the maximum position before driving the scraper forward. Before the scraper is again lowered to the ground level, operators should ensure that there is nothing there that could be damaged or cause damage.
  • It is better not to drive the scrapper too fast, or else the purpose of the equipment will not be served. As the operator proceeds with the scraper, the part of the earth that is scraped gets accumulated inside the box like structure. In case of greater contact with the earth, it is wise to let down the shanks one at a time, taking care to not to let the entire thing fall too low as that would bring the entire scraper to a halt.
  • While emptying the scraper of the accumulated dirt, make sure that you raise the shanks slowly and gradually. This will allow all the dirt to fall off. In the event of the scraper filling up too fast, you might consider elevating the shank further.

There is absolutely no doubt about the fact that wheel tractor scraper forms an important part of the mining and highway construction industry. It is, therefore, quite obvious that one faulty step on your part in the operation of this heavy equipment might lead to untoward consequences. It is, therefore, best if only the skilled hands of the industry are hired for the job. Having information on the basic aspects of the entire functioning of the scraper is also a good thing.

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Best Options for Leasing Heavy Equipment for Construction Industry

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With the increase in construction projects the demand for leasing construction equipment has also increased tremendously. Construction industry is labour intensive as well as capital intensive. The contractors also need to use complex and diverse equipment such as Tractors, Excavators, and Loaders etc. Construction activities are numerous and diverse. Contractors have to manage and bring all the factors of production together such as land, labor, capital etc. Cost of all construction projects is an important factor .The contractors nave to control the budget and coordinate competent project supervision. Construction equipment are costly and the maintenance and repairing costs are also high. Specific heavy equipment requires qualified and skilled operators. Smaller contractors face financial constraints to buy heavy equipment since their budget is fixed. Bigger contractors lease or rent heavy equipments to be cost effective and also get the appropriate equipment for construction purposes.

Leasing is a lucrative option for both large and small contractors to cut down their expenses in construction projects. But there are several factors to consider before leasing heavy equipment.

 

Capital: When a contractor, project manager purchases new heavy equipment, they need to find out what are the best options available to them. The heavy equipment tend to decrease in value with daily wear and tear. So instead of making huge investments in buying them it is the best option to lease the heavy equipments to conserve money for unforeseen needs.

Equipment Supervision: Another factor to consider before leasing heavy equipment is equipment supervision. Heavy equipment such as scraper, cranes, excavators, loaders, rigging equipment are very costly. You need proper maintenance as well as dexterous operators to run them well. You may also require utilizing the professional operators to supervise the equipments and legalize their use.

Government Strategy: Government policies are important to consider before leasing heavy construction equipment. The government has laid down certain safety and security instructions regarding the superiority of the machines to be used in the construction site.

In the case of leasing, a contractor can ask for subtraction for the full price of the heavy equipment from the taxable earnings. Capital grants can be asked for the total price of the assets if you are leasing it for a time period of more than 5 years. In certain cases time period of 7 years is mandatory.

Wrap Lease: This leasing contract allows the contractors to merge some lease payments into a single, usual payment. This is an appropriate option for those building contractors who need to lease heavy equipment all of a sudden. Leasing combines their outstanding expenses and they can use it to invest in leasing new heavy equipment. This is extremely useful for those building contractors who are undertaking colossal and complex construction projects with volatile requirements and difficulties.

Fair Market Value Lease: Fair Market Value Lease is an extremely vital factor when you are considering leasing heavy building equipment. This option is beneficial in that case where there will be a fast decline in the value of the equipment due to usual wear and tear as a result of constant daily use. The repairing costs can be high too. These days a number of leasing companies are supplying services of expert workforce at no cost for performing maintenance and repairing work.

So leasing heavy equipment can be can be tricky task. Several factors have to be kept in mind before you make your decision to lease it. The article will give you all the information you need before leasing.

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Keep Away from Compact Heavy Equipment Interval with Industrious Precautionary Sustenance

As a construction business possessor, you know it very well that during the situation of downtime, the income generation graph suddenly stops rising. The poor performance of the heavy equipment makes you frustrated and at time if there is no technician to repair the heavy construction equipment, the matter becomes the worst. To curb out the construction firm owners from this crisis situation, application of defensive maintenance plan is considered to be the best method.

The ability to protect the bulky construction paraphernalia and its durability completely counts on the effective preventive sustenance plan. This maintenance scheme comprises of three chief factors that are increasing the awareness of sustenance trends, ensuing the suggested downtimes and foreseeing wear and evaluate the business requirements appropriately with equipment competences. If the heavy equipment owners give their entire focus on these above-mentioned three elements, then their equipment will never have to face the problem of troubleshooting. Read the following discussion thoroughly and get to know the importance of industrious precautionary maintenance plan for your heavy construction equipment.

Consider Aptitudes

The heavy construction equipment industry connoisseurs consider that the initial step to enhance the proactive introduction to sustenance is examining how you will utilize the loader or compact excavator and scrutinising particular ability ranges. For instance, if you want to use an excavator for digging the ground, first it is important for you to determine the depth of the dig and have to understand the quality of the ground. On the other hand, when you want to accomplish your construction job with loader, you are required to know the weight of the lifting material. When the equipment is owed to task, the operators sometimes have to face an underperforming mechanism which may require recurrent repair.

Predict Wear

It is sensible for the operators to be acquainted with the sustenance section of the equipment’s function and maintenance instruction booklet. If any machinist has no manual with him/her, she/he gets the chance to read the digital format of that guidebook by ordering it online. This e-instruction booklet informs the drivers of the heavy equipment about the sustenance intervals. In majority of the instruction booklets, the operators can see that the maximum time duration is 8 to 10 hours. This routine maintenance plan helps the operators to keep the features of the equipment in proper conditions like filters, lubricants and fluids. Usually, wear happens on field-engaging pieces and the technician should change it with the new ones when productivity begins to decrease.

Improve Knowledge

The owners of the heavy construction equipment should attain knowledge about emission policies and the allied maintenance needs. Nowadays, most of the bulky construction apparatuses are equipped with varied echelons of emission acquiescent machines. Therefore, it is very much significant for the equipment possessors and operators to know about the provisional Tier 4 and Tier4 tools. The need of lubricant in the modern heavy equipment is different from the old versions. The other components that vary from the outdated heavy construction equipment are diesel particulate filters, diesel oxidation catalysts, high pressure common rail fuel injection method etc.

Finally, it can be said that prevention is better than cure. The more effort the heavy construction equipment owners give for evaluating the capability of the apparatuses, pursuing suggested sustenance downtimes, foreseeing wear charges and grabbing modern trends directly, the more business productivity they will experience.

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