Category Archives: heavy equipment

Buying heavy equipment from dealers can get you more discounts

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We always appreciate when we get good discounts on products and especially when the product is an expensive one, getting huge discount on it can make us all the more joyful. It is a fact that manufacturers want to sell the product keeping it reasonable and within the reach of most buyers. It is perhaps the middle men or the intermediary who unjustifiably increase the price of the commodity thus making it expensive and outside the reach of common man. However, there are some middlemen who do not keep a major but and try to sell the commodity at a reasonable price. In case of heavy equipment, it is perhaps the same module that is being followed. The heavy equipment manufacturing companies have set up authorized dealers at various states across US who take the orders and then ship the item to the end user. However, in this transaction they also make sure that they keep their margin of profit intact.

There is a slight difference between the authorized agent and dealers. An agent is the one who will only deal with the heavy equipment of one particular company. However, a dealer has his hands into heavy equipment of several companies at the same time. The end users prefer to come to a dealer for their heavy equipment requirement. The reason is they get the option to choose the best machine of any brand from them. They do not get the same option while transacting with an agent. They may get the best machine but not at a price that they can afford and also do not have the option to check out equipment of other companies which may cost a bit lesser. The dealer plays a big role in bringing the price down. They are the ones who keep the competition buzzing. However, there are some dealers who do not want to break the market and keep the price at sky level.

Check the brand of heavy equipment that the dealer deals in:-

You have the freedom to pick the brand of your choice and if you feel that it is expensive and you can go to some other brand that falls in your budget you have the option to do so. Simultaneously, you can also build up some pressure on the dealer to reduce the price of the equipment that you want to buy. They will try and get things done for you if at all it falls in their limits. So as a buyer your role will be to check which brand of heavy equipment will suit your business needs more and how hard will it hit your budget. It always makes sense to go for a machine that is apt to your business needs and also goes easy with your pocket.

Dealers can help you get loans from banks:-

Dealers of heavy equipment have good connections with various financial institutions. They can easily get a loan sanctioned for you through any of the financial institution at a nominal interest rate. You may find it hard to get a loan but a dealer can get this done without much hassle.

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Use of internet to solve heavy equipment problems

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We often depend on technology to fix problems that has been created on a technological produce. We are now at a stage where we can’t take a step forward without the involvement of technology and that actually should be the case. The more you use technology the better it will make your life. It is just that you do not become completely dependent on it or else you will find it difficult to live without it. Too much of dependency on anything can be fatal and one must realize this before it gets completely out of hand. However, when it comes to taking help of technology to fix problems that has been the product of technology one should not refrain from doing so. In the construction business which involves small contactors who can’t afford to hire mechanics to fix small issues often do things on their own. They just can’t afford to pay the fees that a mechanic charges to fix a machine and therefore they believe in doing things themselves.

Blog can be helpful:-

If you encounter a specific problem with the heavy equipment and you do not know what should be done to get rid of it, try to log in to net and check if someone has created a blog pertaining to the issue. If there is a blog addressing the problem you can expect to find some help there? Just read through the blog, the questions posed by people and the resolutions that some has left. It may leave you awestruck upon reading suggestions that are extremely out of the world. They will speak about workarounds that are hard to believe but if you apply them practically it may get rid of the problem once and for all. Blogs have been extremely helpful to many amateurs who have just started their journey in the construction world and does not know much about heavy equipment.

Articles can at times do the trick:-

Articles on heavy equipment can at times be really beneficial to solve a particular problem. If the writer has stressed on one particular issue and has written in length about the possible workarounds it can prove to be really helpful for the read to get rid of the issue. Articles are lengthy and therefore one can expect a lot of workarounds for a single issue.

Hire mechanics online:-

We can even hire a mechanic online. Mechanics often post their work on internet and also allows others to hire them to fix problems. Their charges may differ and that can be negotiated over the phone or when once you meet them. Nevertheless, internet has provided them with an option to post their services online and since most of the things today happen online they can even sell their services on that platform.

Make use of training videos:-

Guys who do not want to involve a mechanic to fix heavy equipment problems can make use of online videos that teaches people to fix heavy equipment. They may use a bit of technical jargons. Hence the person who is following the video should be acquainted with the terms.

Renting a Scraper

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Companies which are ideally into earth moving business find Scraper as quite crucial heavy equipment. They may use other heavy equipment as well but a large portion of their business is covered with the help of a scraper. They can’t depend on an excavator or for that matter a grader which is also highly used for landscape or site development work. They need to get the dirt out of the site and for that reason they need nothing less than a scraper. A newbie should rather invest his money into buying machinery that matters the most for his business; for instance, hiring human resources. As far as heavy equipment are concerned they can also be picked up on rent. This brings us to the topic of how big is the rental business when it comes to heavy equipment.

A person who has just set his foot in the construction domain and is finding it hard to come up with the expenses to meet his business requirements, it makes no further sense for him to spend anything on scraper, especially when he has the option to get a Scraper on rent. So is searching an owner who wants to rent his scraper a difficult task. Well, it is not at all a difficult one. All you need to do is go through the right channel to get the scraper you want. You basically have 2 options. The first one is by contacting an rental house who provides different kinds of heavy equipment. So going to him will be useful as you can speak about your needs and you will be suggested accordingly.

Taking help of a rental house also serves another purpose. They may guide you with the best available option which is not possible in any other mode. Just in case you are not sure which model of scraper you should be going with, the guidance of the rental house proves to be fruitful. If the rental equipment company is into this business for a long time, he may have well established contacts with the owners of heavy equipment which mean that you do not have to wait for long to get the scraper and start your work. It also protects the interests of both the parties. So if there is any sort of issue that crops up after the deal, you know whom to catch hold of.

The second option through which you can get a scraper on rent is by becoming a member of an online website that deals with renting heavy equipment. In this case, you need to know the kind of stuff you want for your business as you will have none to advice you. So do your research well and then hunt for the scraper. The online companies tend to protect the interest of both the parties but may not be as effective as the first option. So you need to be sure of what you are doing.

Sell machines that the construction companies need

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Construction industry is one of the most established and high profile businesses that are in a popular demand in the recent era. Given the huge population, there is a constant need for more buildings and constructions. Be it for the expansion of the cities or development of the cities or for residential and commercial complexes, some or the other kind of construction is always in progress. And, for making the construction smooth, it is a must that the construction companies are equipped in every possible way.

With more construction assignments, completing the construction faster becomes mandatory. As the demand is always high and there is a pressure from the owners to complete the tasks quicker, construction companies should depend more on the heavy construction equipment; rather than on the manual labour. Machines and tools can make the tasks easier and more accurate.

Buying the heavy construction equipment:

As there is a growing demand of the heavy construction equipment, it is a must that the construction companies buy the most suitable and appropriate machines or equipment. This will make sure that the desired task is done faster and better. The most common heavy construction equipment that one needs to own include –

  • Cranes
  • Excavators
  • Road rollers
  • Crawlers
  • Bulldozers
  • Forklift
  • Backhoes
  • Motor grader
  • Compactors.

Each of the heavy construction equipment has its own function that is absolutely different from the other. Hence, when you are buying these for your construction company, you need to be careful about the one that is most suitable for your company.

Trust the sellers:

There are various construction equipment companies that sell a lot of machines and tools, as well as the large scale construction vehicles. As you visit them, you will find all of the options and different varieties of the construction tools and machines. This can be a little confusing for you to choose the one for you. For that you need to discuss with the heavy construction equipment salesperson.

The salesmen of these businesses are more than just a salesman. They are vastly learned about the functions and benefits of purchasing heavy construction equipment. Hence, as you discuss your needs with them, they will be able to guide you through the different options. This will be quite useful for you to decide which one would be most suitable for you.

The seller would always sell machines that the construction companies need. If the requirement is for a tool or machine that would flatten the workspace, a road roller or compactor would be suggested. If the requirement is a machine that would help the construction companies or workers to load and unload the concrete wastes, dirt and dust and rubbish from a construction site, the seller would suggest a loader. For excavating a ground, an excavator and then a crawler would be more suitable. There are various companies that manufacture these vehicles in different sizes and powers. The best sellers would always be able to guide you about the right machine for you. Depending on the power of the machine, the prices are determined. Trusting the experts is always useful in not spending unnecessarily.

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Operators find it comfortable to work on technologically advanced excavators

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In order to speed up the work, you have to give your employees the latest equipment so that they are comfortable using them and can deliver in no time. You can’t use an age old machine and expect your men to complete the work in a stipulated time frame. They just will not be able to do that even if they want to. Same goes in the case of excavators. You can’t expect the operators to excavate a huge portion of land in just few days by giving them an excavator that is perhaps decade old. There is a possibility that the operator may not know its functions properly and might take time to get his hands on the machine or may just not want to work on it. So when you are looking to get a work done in a designated time frame you also need to ensure that you give your operators the equipment that they are comfortable working with.

Heavy equipment manufacturing companies have sensed the pulse of the operators and have therefore manufactured various types of machines that are technologically advanced. These types of machines mostly have automated functions which eases the work of the operator and at the same time lessens the chance of any accidents happening on the jobsite. Now we have several types of excavators in the mining and construction industry such as dragline excavators, bucket wheel excavators which might have existed for decades but the changes that are brought in is from within. For instance, the engine of the machine has been made better. The levers in the machine have been lessened and with the help of just few levers, the operator can handle most of the work.

It seems that there are no major changes made in the concept of the excavator it is just that the changes are made in the interiors which make things convenient for the end user. When heavy equipment companies manufacture excavators, they have to take into consideration a lot of factors. Factors such as if they are manufacturing the excavators for construction industry or for mining industry because the make of the machine will be different for different industries. The requirement of a mining industry will be obviously different from the construction one. They might want some additional features which is not required in the construction sector or can ask for adding few attachments in the existing excavator.

Ideally, many heavy equipment companies conduct surveys to understand the need of the operators. What they want to be added and how they want it to work. If there are any deficiencies in the existing model, how can they bring some improvement? They manage to take the survey from different companies across many states and then on the basis of the wants of the operators, they try to bring it new features. It is evident that the engineers have a tough time to get most of the features in but they still manage to do so. They eventually understand that in today’s time in order to exist in the industry they have to make as per the needs of the operators.

Pitch heavy equipment that go by customer’s needs

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People who are into selling often complain of targets that they find to be unachievable. Many find it hard to even go close to the target assigned to them and there are hardly few who are able to make it for the month. In the race to achieve given targets, salesman often commits the mistake of miss-selling items to the buyer. They just not bothered about the needs of the client. What they are more interested is to achieve the targets and get good commission out of it. In this process they are losing one big thing and it is the old customers and probably the chance of getting new ones too. Customers are smart enough to understand that you have not sold them the right product. They may not realize it at the point when you are selling it to them but will definitely get to know after some days. This is when you lose him.

In the construction industry, customer’s needs are very specific. You can’t try to fiddle with them because if you try to do so, you can get caught the next moment. Remember the guys to whom you have approached are there in the industry for the last many years and they have been dealing with different kinds of heavy equipment which you must have never heard about. So there is absolutely no point in talking something that does not make any sense to them or giving them with fake assurances. You got to be quite clear with your approach. If you have the item you say yes or else pitch some kind of an alternative that will go well with the equipment they require. But do not try to pitch a product that does not have any relevance to the requirement of the client. This will just not go well with him.

Do some research on the client’s business:-

Your client will appreciate your effort if you take some time out and try to understand his business. Every construction business is different from the other and so are their requirements. You got to first realize what they are dealing with and for that what kind of heavy equipment shall they need. Now this take some time and you do not get any money to do this research but remember that this very research will get you rich dividends as you may get all the orders of heavy equipment. The client will know you for the time you have given to understand the business and also have the confidence that you will not try to miss sell any heavy equipment.

Pitch the product that the client is looking for:-

Many a times, construction companies are not sure what heavy equipment should be used for a specific kind of work. They may have a number of options in their mind but could not figure out the correct one. This is where your expertise comes into play. After knowing his business needs, pitch a product that is very close to what he needs. That will generate the trust in the mind of the person and you can then expect to get many more orders from him.

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Regular maintenance is vital. It can fetch a good resale value.

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We have seen so many instances where we tend to forget things that are very important for us. For example, paying utility bills. These things however can be corrected if you pay them later but there are few things that are so important that you just can’t afford to delay and if you fail to take care of those things in a timely manner, it will have a big direct impact on your business and may take a good amount of money to get it resurrected.

One of the thing that you just can’t miss is giving your heavy equipment for regular maintenance. If you have construction business then you know it far better than any person the importance of heavy equipment in your industry. Heavy equipment is considered to be the lifeline of the construction, mining and agricultural sectors. Without the machines, one just can’t imagine to conduct his business smoothly. Machines do undergo a lot of wear and tear if they are put to work rigorously for all the days in a week and if not checked in time it will give up soon and may come to a stage where the cost of getting it repaired will become way too expensive. A wise businessman will undoubtedly want to save his money from getting spent in such unnecessary expenditures.

Apart from incurring an additional expense, if one manages to do timely servicing of his heavy equipment then he has far better chances of getting a good resale value. You can also fetch a good rental value if at all you plan to give it on rent. It has ideally been seen that big construction houses believe a lot in upgrading their machines that are more technologically savvy and far better than the old models. Now the question is what they do with the existing machines. Well, they either sell it off at a dirt cheap rate to small time construction companies or simply rent it out.

They probably do not make any money by selling it at a cheaper rate. It is because they were never bothered to give their machines to a mechanic for servicing. They are perhaps so busy with work that they hardly care about the maintenance part or assign a person who will take care of the maintenance part of the machines. If the man fails to do his work properly, then the machine starts showing problems and eventually it gets sold at a very cheap rate. It is therefore important to assign somebody really trustworthy who can take up this work quite seriously and won’t fumble with his responsibilities.

Other than this, if one services his machine at regular intervals, it increases the longevity of the machine and it can sustain under tremendously difficult terrains. People buying used equipment will definitely pay a good price for something that’s reliable and won’t give up when they really want the machine to work.

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Things You Should Know before Renting Articulated Trucks

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Trucks are used by construction industry to carry huge pile of debris from the jobsite to the dump yard. Articulated trucks (ATs) are specialized trucks are used for hauling of heavy equipment from their source to destination. Hence, many construction industries, prefer buying ATs on rental basis to reduce their expenses. However, one has to be diligent while buying rented machines since it is expensive.

The following are some of the tips which may be useful for the buyer:

  1. Purchase equipment which is in good working condition:

Although it is used, buyer must take care that ATs must be in good working condition. Instead of buying on rent very old AT, one should purchase AT which is less than five years old.

2.  Perform a thorough physical and mechanical inspection of the equipment:

  • Being one of the most difficult machines, evaluating AT is a difficult task. A physical inspection of AT is needed by investing enough time and taking it around during daylight.
  • Establish its serial number and the number of hours it has been operated. The serial number indicates the year of manufacture. While if it has run for less than 10,000 hours the machine is in better condition.
  • Different locks and articulation hinge joints should be checked for their movement. There are two parts to it. Oscillating part and articulation part. If there are problems with the former part then its repairs are very expenses as compared to the articulation part.
  • Engine, hinge pins, brakes, tires, battery, cab, mirrors, air filters, oil filters, suspension system in front should be thoroughly examined.
  • Buyer should make sure that brakes get applied to all wheels. Use of wet brakes reduce cost and requires less maintenance.
  • AT should be checked for its uphill movement and the amount of fuel used or the smoke released.
  • Truck’s comfort should be assessed in terms of cab’s safety and great visibility and comfort.
  • Machine’s maintenance records should be checked to know the service history. Knowing the past history of what it was used for hauling gives an idea of the wear and tear the machine must have gone through.

3.  Buyer should evaluate their work requirements.

Buyer should learn about application of ATs and should know if it useful for their type of work. They should check various details including the type of material, travel distance, cycle times and the equipment to be carried in AT. Since it is to be mentioned in the agreement, it is necessary that buyer should know the required duration of ATs at the work place.

4.  Product specifications:

There are different models of ATs. Buyer should know which type is required for their purpose since each model has different characteristics. The user should refer to product manuals and distributor/manufacturer’s websites, to learn about each model’s application. This will enable buyer to choose the right type of model for AT. It is important to know if the current model of ATs is supported by the manufacturer, which makes it easy to find parts of repair. In addition, buyer should also seek to know about factors such as high production per man hour and check the payload capacity both of which are important for increasing productivity.

5.  Consider the speed and gas gauge:

The travel speeds of ATs play an important role in productivity. The buyer should look at top-end speeds for long run and the pulling power for shorter distance. Check for the unit’s abundance of horsepower and torque which will allow operators to move fast and haul more in one cycle.

The buyer should also consider fuel efficiency based on material per gallon, which can be increased by proper planning of truck’s activities and by maintaining AT.

6.  Cost:

Buyer should know the expenses incurred due to rents (both of machine and its additional parts), maintenance, repairs of the oscillating part, fuel used and greasing of the parts and expenses due to hired operator.

7.  Making of an agreement:

When the buyer is satisfied with the rental machine and the costs associated, then will go ahead with an agreement with the rental service provider.

Following these tips can guide buyers in purchasing appropriate articulated truck on rental basis and get the job done well.

Rental Tips for track loaders

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The increasing population has led to increase in the construction activities. Many construction companies cannot afford to a buy and maintain all new equipment for their work. In case of short term projects, after completion of work the equipment is no longer required and this leads to waste of money. Hence, companies prefer to buy equipment and machines on rental basis at an affordable price and return it after use. Thus, the equipment rental business has gained a lot of momentum in last few years and is profitable.

It is observed that many equipment rentals, rent only specific equipment and not all types of equipments. Being in rental business of specific equipment can be a good idea as it saves the cost of buying and maintaining different equipment. Track loaders (TLs) are type of heavy equipment, used to move aside or load materials such as asphalt, demolition debris, snow feed, rock and so forth into or onto another type of machinery. TLs can do every kind of construction activity. Although not a perfect tool buying different equipment for every work is not possible for any construction company since it’s a heavy investment. Hence, multifunctional TLs are in demand. However, they are expensive, hence most construction companies prefer buying these equipment on rent.

The following are some tips for person in business of renting track loaders to make it profitable:

  1. TLs are expensive and rental service provider (RSP) should be able to afford to buy them. He should be aware of his personal expenses while owing a big place or showroom, advertising, labour and maintenance costs, and so forth. He should make a business plan and have strategies to sale TLs on rent.
  2. TLs should not be overpriced. Many people are willing to buy on rental will find it difficult to purchase. Hence they will negotiate with the price. Quoting the appropriate price is important.
  3. They should make his business known by advertising through newspapers and websites.
  4. Buying brand new TLs is costly. Hence instead of purchasing the entire fleet of TLs (of different sizes and models), the RSP should study the demands of the market to know what is mostly preferred by the construction industry. Keeping TLs from small to mid-size of different brands is a good option.
  5. Due to technological advancements, the new equipment have become compact and easy to operate. This increases productivity at the work site since the speed of work increases. The new compact TLs are more in demand and are said to replace the heavy bulldozers and preferred than the skid steer loaders. RSP should provide such technologically advanced TLs on rent, which increases the customer interest and sales.
  6. 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’ TLs, since purchasing such equipment is cost affordable. However, they should be careful while choosing such equipment that they are not very old aged and not used much. Only when these used machines have less wear and tear and their parts are available that they should be purchased from the seller.
  7. The RSP should be careful while renting the expensive heavy machines to the buyer. They should understand the nature of work requirements of the customer and should guide them properly. Also they have to make sure that the buyer has the capability to pay the rental amount and should take care of the equipment and will return the equipment in good condition. The rental agreement has to made between RSP and prospective buyer before the equipment is rented that all the terms and conditions are acceptable to both parties.  
     

 

Operators should learn to fix heavy equipment

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Breaking down of heavy equipment in midst of loads of work is nothing less than a nightmare for the construction company. This is perhaps the last thing that they will ever want to happen in their business. Heavy equipment not working due to technical glitch and unavailability of a competent mechanic is a big problem that one can imagine. Dependency on others especially mechanics have proved to be pretty expensive for many construction companies and for which time and again they had to pay a heavy price for it. Therefore one should learn for the mistakes and never let it happen again.

Since the onus of the well-being of the heavy equipment lies mainly on the operator, it is therefore the operator should also take the onus to learn how to fix machines. Many small construction companies who can’t afford to hire a team of mechanics hire operators who have fair deal of knowledge to fix heavy equipment. It makes more sense to pay more to operators with good knowledge of heavy equipment than paying to mechanics who charges a bomb from the companies.

Make use of user manual to learn repairing techniques:-

When there is a minor glitch in the heavy equipment, there is no point to call a mechanic. The operator if he knows how to fix minor glitches can prove to quite a resource to the company. In case, he does not know to fix glitches he can take help from the user manual and understand the basics of the machine first. As a matter of fact, he has to use the user manual to check the various functions and how to use them properly. He can’t experiment as long as he is not aware of the different functions of the machine and therefore his first book of reference will be the user manual. He will also get to learn few basic tricks to repair the machine if there appears to be a minor technical glitch somewhere down in the engine or any other part of the machine. He will find it to be extremely helpful and can manage things on his own rather than having dependency on a mechanic to sort such a simple problem.

Blogs can be helpful:-

Ideally most of the operators are attached to some or the other blog that talks about heavy equipment. Now if they experience any issue with their machine which they are unable to sort, they can simply put forth the issue on the blog and check for people’s responses. One can expect some marvelous workarounds to the issue and applying them can really work for you. So make use of blogs in times when heavy equipment has ceased to work and get some solution from there.

Videos on internet can be a quick solution:-

Watching videos that shows how to fix a problem can prove to be really helpful. There you will watch the guy actually fixing the machine and you will have a better idea to solve your problem. Moreover you do not have to wait for anybody’s reply on solving the issue. You can get a quick solution in no time.

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