Category Archives: heavy equipment

Heavy equipment crashes

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Heavy equipment crashes has claimed many lives and we are yet to do something concrete about this. These sorts of crashes happen more often in small construction sites where the work is in charge of small time contractors who are not interested in spending any money in buying modern heavy equipment nor want to recruit competent heavy equipment operators. These crashes are somewhat taints the overall picture of the construction industry.

On one hand, people consider this business as one of the most profitable business and on the other hand, it is also being frowned at due to sheer negligence on the part of the contractors and other co-workers. Some accidents happen due to poor quality of heavy equipment, some happen due to experienced men working on the machine and some happen due to negligence adopted by people working on the jobsite. Overall, the ultimate sufferers are the men who work in such a risky environment and are prone to become victim of such a fatal crash.

One such crash happened with an earth moving excavator which was working next to a pond mistakenly went inside it and got submerged in it. The operator died in this incident. These types of crashes have become quite common but this can’t be used as an excuse. There is a human life that is getting lost in this process and it is high time that people start taking such crashes very seriously and also take preventive actions to avoid them in the future. Incidents like workers getting crushed to death have also come to the forefront. The pattern of accidents may not be common but the incidents are becoming rampant and the need of the hour is to ensure that mechanisms are put in place to curb such accidents and if at all they occur then there should be enough resources to tackle the problem and get the man out of the death trap.

Some learning that we can take from such accidents is to refrain from recruiting incompetent operators. They can post direct threat to their lives as well as to the life of others. Hiring inexperienced operators is still manageable as he can be given the right kind of training and can be used as a useful resource. You can figure out a competent and an incompetent operator from his attributes and his attitude towards work. This should give you a clear indication whom you should keep and whom should you fire.

Also make sure that you do not give lot of stress to the operator. Let him work in a comfortable environment. He is bound to make mistakes if he is under any sort of stress and any small error on his part can cost you dearly. While the heavy equipment is on a roll, clear instruction should be given to other workers to not work around it. They can move to a different place or do something else but not to wander around the machine. Following these steps can only minimize the incidents of heavy equipment crashes and bring down the figures of death toll on the jobsites.

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Biggest heavy equipment in the world

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Heavy equipment companies have manufactured and are also in the process of manufacturing bigger heavy equipment. The bigger the machines they are able to build, the more they get the recognition in the world of construction and mining. In order to get the work done faster, you either need more number of heavy equipment to do the work for you or you need one big giant machine that can take into account the work of all the machines put together. This one big machine may even take less than a day to dig up a place that is equal to the size of a football field. So big machines not only mean getting the work done sooner and employ lesser machines for the job. It also means doing the work with accuracy and maintaining the level of quality at any given point of time.

We will first be talking about a German made bucket-wheel excavator that perhaps does not look or sound anything close to an excavator. It is been christened as Bagger 288. The weight of this machine is around 13,500 tons and was built to excavate coal from a German coal mine. Right from day one, it seems that Bagger 288 is able to excavate around 240,000 tons of coal on a daily basis. This is simply phenomenal because if we compare it to something that we can comprehend, it means that it can dig up to 30 meter of a football field. As a matter of fact, the coal that is excavates on a single day can fill up around 2400 coal wagons. Speaking a bit about the excavator, it is up to 220 meter long and 96 meter high. The amount of electricity it requires externally is 16.56 megawatts and has a travel speed of 2-10 meter per minute. The minimum turning radius of the excavator is 100 meters and has an inclination of 1:18.

The Bagger 288 has 18 buckets installed in it which gives it the potential to hold around 6.6 cubic meters or overburden. However, the most difficult part is when the machine needs to be moved to some other place. It seems that it takes more time and money to dismantle the machine and take it piece by piece. On the other hand, they prefer porting the machine in one single piece. It has been agreed that utmost care needs to be taken to move the machine from one location to another. This also requires good number of skilled men who can ensure that while the machine is being ported, it does not damage the eco-system around it.

This seems to be an engineering marvel as it is even difficult to imagine something as huge as Bagger 288. Today, we also have an updated version of Bagger 288 which is Bagger 293 which weighs around 14,200 tons. Machines of this stature are one in million and the cost of producing such a piece is overtly expensive and also consumes a lot of time. So as long as heavy equipment companies do not get an order to produce something like this, they prefer to keep producing the conventional machines.

Rent a Cat heavy construction equipment from me

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Renting heavy construction equipment has never been as simple as it is in today’s time. Earlier when there was no internet and when people had to hunt for machines on rent, they were largely dependent on newspaper advertisements or classifieds that gets published in some magazines that is based on construction equipment or equipment salesman. Another mean to know if someone is renting a machine is through a person from their circle. Other than this, they were hardly any means to know if anybody is renting heavy construction equipment. Things have however changed for better now and with the advent of internet we are get what we want at a faster rate and we can also expect to get something better through internet. Nowadays, brand matters a lot and someone who is letting out branded items are invariably everyone’s choice.

We have Equipment Company that is in the business of renting branded heavy equipment and one can indeed vouch for what they have to offer to the construction companies. They are in the business of heavy equipment for the last 20 years which makes them one of the most experienced in the lot. Experience does matter and when it matters it matters a lot. So a company with over 20 years of experience will suggest you machines based on your needs. If needed they will do an overview study of your project and try to understand what kind of heavy equipment will best suit your project. This will help them to give you better suggestions and this is what they have been doing since long.

You can vouch on them on any kind of heavy construction equipment. Right from a dozer to an excavator to scraper or a grader, all you have to do is name the equipment you are looking for to take on rent and you will get that at a better price; a price that you will not get at many places. So here you can get some real good branded machine at an affordable price. All you have to do is check their website and see the machines. In case, you need to speak to someone to get a better picture about the services you get from them, then you can get the number of the person and call them up to get all your questions answered.  817-733-3799

Common Equipment Used in Demolition

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Heavy equipment is manufactured for all different fields of work. Each machine type has a general application that it may be used in such as dirt work and excavation. Some machines can be used for applications other than what they are primarily intended for. Crawler loaders, dozers and excavators make dirt moving equipment but they are also great machines to use for demolition purposes.

Demolition using a crawler loader:

Crawler loaders are great when moving dirt and materials. They are also very handy in the demolition side of the construction industry. Crawler loaders can not only be used to push down structures but are also used for clean and moving debris. Using a tracked loader is ideal for clearing debris because of its use of tracks to propel the machine. This allows the unit to move freely amongst the construction without worry of damaging tires as you would with a wheeled unit. Also with tracks a crawler loader can track up on to piles and clear out areas a wheel unit would not be able to get into.

Demolition using a dozer:

Dozers are typically used to push dirt, grade, and cut roads. In demolition a dozer can be a very useful piece of equipment.  A dozer can be used to push down and clear smaller structures with a single piece of equipment. The dozer can push the structure down, then it can be used to clear the area or pile the material. While not being the most efficient piece of equipment for demolition it still does maintain its usefulness.

Demolition using an excavator:

An excavator is probably one of the most useful pieces of equipment used in demolition. Dependent on the size of the machine, it would be able to take down most structures big or small. Excavators are very versatile in demolition because of the different types of attachments available. An excavator can be attached with hammers, claws, buckets, thumbs, magnets, and shears. All of the attachments can be used for the various aspects of demolition. For example an excavator with a hammer can be used to break down a structure, then swap over to a claw then use the machine to clear and load the debris. Alternative to using those attachments an excavator with a bucket and thumb could do both. The thumb attachment allows the excavator to grab and hold on to debris as it is picked up.

Depending on the needs of the job any of the machines are suitable for demolition. Whichever machine is chosen would be based on the needs and demands of the work load.

What makes oneself a good heavy equipment sales person

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Like not everybody is capable of becoming a doctor or an engineer. In the same way, not everybody can become a good sales person. It is true that we all need to sell some or the other thing in our lives but that does not make us a good salesman. In a nutshell, selling is considered to be the most difficult profession and not many can succeed in making it their career. Being a good sales person needs skill, needs confidence and needs all the ingredients that will make the other person realize that you are selling the right stuff to them. In case, if you are not confident on what you are selling, then they might hesitate to buy the most beneficial thing of their life.

Selling items of less value may not be so hard but if you are given to sell heavy construction equipment then you may find yourself in a tough spot. Heavy equipment are real expensive items and it is certainly not an easy task to sell it to construction companies. Moreover, when you are trying to sell the equipment to a person who uses heavy equipment of some other brand, it is very difficult to penetrate and steer their thoughts to buy your product. They may be very loyal to their brand and may not feel comfortable to switch to some other brand. You may have to know yours as well as his products really well so that you can first make a comparison at your end and understand what extra you can offer him which he may not get from his brand. Providing discounts may not always work because people look for quality in machines. They may not want to have any discounts and will certainly not be ready to compromise on the quality of the machine.

Learn the in and out of the product:-

It is very important to know the in and out of the machine you are trying to sell. You can’t sell something that you are not sure about. While you are in the sales business, you may come across people who are experts in construction equipment and may give you a valuable suggestion about the product. Therefore, knowing about the product will give you the scope to counter them and possibly may sell the item to them.

Know your competitors well:-

Remember, you are not the only person selling heavy equipment and therefore you will have to face good number of competition from other players. It is imperative to know your competitors before you start pitching in for your product. Having no knowledge about your competitor’s product would be dangerous as it may tarnish your reputation as a salesman. People will find that you do not update yourself with the recent happenings in the world of heavy equipment.

Understand the needs of the customer:-

Please do not try to sell the customer something that he never wanted to have. You should first understand his requirement and then come up with a product. In this way, you will not only make a sale but will also earn respect for yourself.

Using a Compact Wheel Loader for Landscape Work

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The construction industry is quite big in itself and it consist of many subgenres where one can specialize in and use all of its resources to make the most of it. One such genre is the landscaping, which requires the use of various types of equipment to complete the job in an optimal manner. Making beautiful landscapes is quite profitable. Landscaping can be time consuming depending on the size of the job. Landscaping can range from small yards to entire gold courses. The type of equipment that is used on these jobs can vary greatly. A popular piece of equipment used in landscaping is the compact wheel loader. These can be found anywhere from jobsites to the yards that stock the materials used in landscaping.

Compact wheel loaders are not only used for landscape work, they have several other purposes as well. Compact wheel loaders can be equipped with a coupler allowing the machine to interchange between a bucket and forks. This allows it to be used to move earth as well as materials such as slabs, pallets, and larger pipes. Compact wheel loaders are much smaller in size compared to the full size machines. The small size makes them versatile and able. These smaller units are able to navigate areas of smaller jobsites that the larger units cannot, all while performing the same functions.

A wheel loader is also able to excavate the ground as well to certain degree, then scoop the dirt up and relocate it using one machine. When it comes to moving earth or material during landscaping, one can only imagine the amount of material that is needed to be moved during the course of a job. No other machine would be able to complete the task with as much ease as a wheel loader. The versatility makes this the ideal machine for the landscape application.

A compact wheel loader may not be extensively used for final grading or digging to deep depths, however it is instrumental in material handling on jobsites. With the various demands of the landscape application, no other piece of equipment is able to meet the demands with as much efficiency as a compact wheel loader.

 

 

 

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Give equal impetus to online training videos to learn about heavy equipment

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In order to learn heavy equipment and how to operate, it we go to premier institutions that teach us about different types of heavy equipment and what kinds of various activities they can perform. It is very important to learn about heavy equipment if you are going to deal in the construction sector. You need to know which machine does what and accordingly you got to select the machine that will meet your business requirement. Various companies are producing numerous heavy equipment and they all have similar functions (other than a bulldozer can’t be used as an excavator).

It becomes very troublesome to understand which machine should you be using to perform a particular kind of job and therefore you become dependent on others. Alternatively, if you are looking to buy construction machines and you do not know much about it, you are left at the mercy of someone who knows and the guy who knows about the stuff will definitely not do it for free. He may charge you a descent amount of money which you could have saved if you had learned a bit about this subject.

The question is how you can learn about heavy equipment when you do can’t opt for getting admitted in an institution that teaches about construction machineries. You may have a business to take care but at the same time you also need to sharpen your knowledge on heavy machinery. Well, there is no end of the road for you and you have 2 options that you can choose. The first is you can buy some books that will help you gather some information about machines and the next is you can collect some training videos on internet and watch them during your free time.

If you feel that you are more of a reader who loves to read books then you may go for the first option. However at times, you may find that to be difficult. If you have work in hand, you may not find sufficient time to read everything and as long as you do not reach everything you may not understand much about what’s written in there. Though it is not a novel that you have to read it till the end but you can’t just start it off from the middle and search for the stuff you want to know.

You have to take time to go through it to understand it. One other disadvantage that you may experience is that you may not be able to follow it as there are no pictures and if there are any pictures, it may not suffice for you to understand it clearly. Knowing the complexity of the subject, the next best available option would be to go through the training videos on the internet. You will get many videos of your interest absolutely free and that will help you to understand things much better as you will get to see the orator working on the machine and explaining things to you.

Stripping of the gears of crawler dozers made it more resourceful than it was few years ago

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It was never simple to work on a crawler dozer and only the best operator was in a position to get the work done without causing any damage to the machine or to things on the site. Operators working on a crawler dozer were paid more than other operators as they were operating a machine that is not at all easy to work on. However, this is not the case now. With the dawn of new technology, things have started becoming simpler for the operators and also for people who own the latest model of crawler dozers. The installation of hydrostatic transmissions in the under 130 horsepower machines and the introduction of advanced GPS machine control system has completely changed the dynamics of the machine. What was once known for moving at snail’s pace and leaving work undone for most of the time has been transformed into a fast paced next generation machine that has the capability to crumble the mountains or move the minutest of dirt from the site. The hydrostatic transmission that is installed in the newer version of machines is dominating this class of dozers. If we compare the hydrostatic transmission, we see that in the year 1999, there were only 25 hydrostatic transmissions which have now increased to 38. There are only 9 power shifts transmissions which were 33 in 1999. Well, this change in technology wasn’t brought overnight. It came slowly and gradually and with sheer determination of the engineers.

One company to be specific should get maximum applaud for the success of this technologically rich dozer. It is John Deere that has been in the forefront of this rapid change in technology. What they did is they removed the concept of gears from the machine making it gearless equipment. By having done this, they have got a very good control over the speed of the equipment. It becomes very useful on a flat ground where you do not have to shift gears to slow down the machine. The equipment automatically slows down when the machine takes the load and the speed increases when it discard the load. In this process, the machine just does not loses its momentum which otherwise would have been a problem with machines having gears in it.

Other than this, when the machine is moving at a speed and there is a dip in the load, the operator does not have to do anything manually. All that will be taken care by the machine and will manage the load. One very important benefit of hydrostatic transmission is that it keeps the braking system quite dynamic. The operator only has to relieve the throttle and the hydraulic pressure in the machine will do the rest of the work.

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How to clean your heavy equipment

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We tend to be very particular with it comes to completing our job and sending the invoice to the client to make the payment but there is one thing that we neglect a lot and which can cost a company dearly. We for variety of reasons do not give a lot of importance to maintain our heavy equipment. It is perhaps the only most important thing in a jobsite that remains covered with filth and hardly catches the attention of anybody. The operator is perhaps the only person who is concerned about it as he has to work inside the cabin and he can’t work with all the filth covering the face of the machine. Well, it does not make any sense to keep earth moving machines in dirt just by assuming that there is no use to clean it as it is going to become dirty again the next day.

On the contrary, what makes sense is to keep the machine clean, properly oiled and always up and running. Not cleaning the heavy equipment can lead to serious implication that may even result to sudden break down of the machine or replacing vital parts that will cost a lot. What is rather needed is to clean the machine couple of times in a week and if possible more than that. This will not only keep the machine clean but will also lengthen its life.

You can make use of a power wash machine if you know how to use it or can give it to a cleaner who will charge you a petty sum to clean the machine and you get back washed earth moving equipment with no filth on its body. Firstly, if you want to clean the machine on your own, you can buy a power washer and can begin with cleaning the machine right from the word GO. However, you may want to read the manual first before you start handling it. You may have used a power washer previously but if you have a new one now, you may want to try it out steadily.

Put the power washer on high pressure so that the water is sprayed with high pressure and it reaches the interior of the equipment. The interior of the machine is known to accommodate most of the dirt and grease. In order to degrease, the water should be sprayed at high pressure and should hit right at the target. This will help to clean the most critical portion of the machine. However, it is also important to add some detergent which creates foam and helps to degrease easily.

Using cold water will take more time and water to clean the machine. Therefore, it will be advisable to use warm water for this purpose. The water should not be boiling hot though. Just mild warm and it will do its work. Please note that cleaning heavy equipment on a monthly basis will not allow the grease to harden and can be easily removed.

Reach out to more people with the help of Social Media

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Social media is an amazing platform where people get to know each other. Friends with whom we have not met since ages can be found there and then can stay in touch throughout. It has made things really simple for people who live far away from their loved ones and still manage to see them, speak to them almost daily. Similarly, this platform also plays a very important role when it comes to augmenting your business plans. It will help you reach out to a good number of population at a given time and spread your message to them. For instance, if you want to talk about your business plans to your investors and to the general public at large, you can make use of this platform as well and convey your message to them. It has also been a great site for people who are looking for different business opportunities. They can get to meet people having various ideas which they can implement in their businesses and make it a success.

People who are in the business of selling and servicing of heavy equipment have a lot to gain from such social networking websites. They can advertise their plans and products on their websites but in order for others to know what they dealing with; they need a platform using which they can reach to a sizable amount of people. Social networking sites give them exactly what they need. All they have to do here is create an account with one of the site and invite all the people you know. The request of your invitation will go out on their email address and they might also latch on to the same website. Once they are also a registered member of the social networking website they can accept your invitation and become your friends on the website.

From there, they will be able to track all your activities that you make public. In case, if you want to post something that you do not want everybody to see, you mark those people whom you want should see the stuff. In this way, you can pervade your message to anyone and everyone who are there as your friend on the website. At the same time, you can ask your friends to always share the stuff you are putting up on the site so that people who are latched on to your friend’s account can also get to see your work. In this way, you can put across your message to people whom you do not know. This actually gives them the chance to add you in your network.

It has been widely observed that people who are in the business of sales and service of heavy equipment have friends who are also into the same profession or in the profession that corresponds or is co-related to your work. Therefore if you make any additional friends, it is very likely that they will also be from the same or a profession that is co-related to your line of business. This will be benefitting you as you may sell your machines to them or make some money by servicing their equipment.

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