Category Archives: heavy equipment

The utility of a crusher in the mining and construction industry

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In order to break a piece of rock into pieces, there is a need of a machine which can do it in minutes. This is why we have crushers that can get this part of the job done quite easily. Crushers are basically used in the mining industry where they have to deal with huge pieces of rocks and need to crush them into small pieces so that the minerals can be removed from within the rocks. Likewise, in the construction segment in order to develop roads, you need to do away with big stones and for this purpose you require crushers to do the job.

Normally, a small sized crusher can break a stone measuring 1.5 meter and bring it down to small pieces. It is not expensive equipment and normally every construction and mining company possesses one. As a matter of fact, mining companies have an array of crushers that are used to crush different kinds of stones. They just can’t function with one particular kind of crusher because once they are done with the elementary stage of rock crushing; the rocks have to go through the 2nd round of crushing that is done by a different crusher. So overall, you need more than one type of crusher to get what you want.

There are basically many types of crushers available for mining work. Right from the primary crusher whose sole work is to break down the size of a rock to a size that can be managed by the secondary set of crushers, the piece of rock has to go through several crushing and grinding processes and for getting this done, there is a need of experienced men who knows how to get the work done. When we are talking about the primary crushers, the Jaw and Gyratory crushers are considered to be the most important of all. The sole function of the jaw crusher is to reduce the size of the rock by allowing maximum compression force on the two plates of the crusher. The speed of this crusher is around 100-350 revolution per minute. So one can imagine the state of the rock will be when it is grinded with such force.

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Do not start heavy equipment workshop without adequate experience

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It is mostly advisable to not start a business that you do not know much about. You will most probably end up burning your fingers. It is quite natural for a person to not understand what is going around in his business if he understands nothing about it. So it makes no point to start something that you know nothing about or know very less. When we think about starting a business, we not only invest good sum of money into it but also our time and effort and we should make sure that we get everything back from it. So when you start a business, do it with the intention that you have to reap profits to the extent that you get back the money you have invested and also the time and efforts that you have put in. We all know how thriving the construction industry is and how profitable any business will be that is closely associated with the industry. Therefore it definitely makes sense to get into something that the construction industry requires on almost every day basis.

Owning a heavy equipment workshop means real big thing. Contractors will come to you with their heavy equipment to get them fixed and you in turn can make good money out of it. But for that, the pre-requisite is that you have sound knowledge of heavy equipment. The people who will come to you to fix their machines will want you to do the work at the earliest. They may not have time for you to take days to find the problem and then look out for a solution. They are people who probably want mechanics with excellent knowledge about machines and who can acknowledge the issue the moment they start the engine. So if you intend to open heavy equipment workshop you have to be that competent. You do not have any scope to take things for granted because if you try to do so you will start losing business. The contractors will take no time to switch workshops.

Work as a mechanic in some workshop:-

It is quite crucial for you to gain some experience as a mechanic before you end up starting a workshop of your own. Now you can gain experience by either working as a mechanic in somebody else’s workshop or try to get into heavy equipment manufacturing company as a mechanic. You also need to study on heavy equipment and pass exams to become a certified mechanic. No heavy equipment company or for that matter workshops will hire you if you do not have any such certifications. Spend some years working with them and try to learn as much as you can. Try to deal with different types of heavy equipment so that you are exposed to many machines at a time.

Become a freelancer:-

You need not have to open a workshop to fix machines. You can even work as a freelancer. So the construction companies who want a mechanic will reach out to you and you visit them at the jobsite and try to fix the equipment. In this way you do not have to shell lot of money on infrastructure that is otherwise required if you own a workshop of your own.

Adequate security for heavy equipment is of utter importance

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For any construction company irrespective of its size, it is quite crucial to take adequate steps to ensure that the heavy equipment in the construction site are safe and secure. There are enough reports that you get to hear where machines have been stolen due to inadequate security. These machines are then sold in the grey market for a lesser price and you will also find enough buyers for it. Now the security of heavy equipment is the sole responsibility of its owner and that can’t be pushed on anybody else’s shoulder.

If you are running a big unit then you have people under you who are given the responsibility to ensure that the machine or their parts are in place and no trespasser can ever manage to sneak in without taking prior approval. These measures carry a lot of weight in today’s times when there are increasing incidents of thefts happening from the construction units. At times, the burglars are able to creep in and manage to take the entire heavy equipment but most of the time they content themselves with the vital parts of the machine.

Tight security can be one of an option:-

You have to guard the construction site with enough men who will be stationed at the entrance and in the exit (if the exit is different from the entrance). At times, there are more than one entrance points and hence you must make sure that you have the guards on all the entrance and exit points so that no one can sneak in and get out easily without being checked. Their primary work will be to check each and every person and their belongings when they get inside the site and also when they move out of it. You never know if an insider is also attached to one such gang and therefore you should leave no stone unturned to ensure that your site remains theft free.

Install cameras at all important junctions:-

You need to keep a round the clock watch on the construction site and it is not possible by manning humans where there are chances that they may feel fatigued and may take a short nap. This is why it is important that you install cameras at various junctions so that it tracks every move of people that works on the site. When you are installing cameras, please make sure that they are of superior picture quality so that if there is a theft that takes place in the site, it should not give a blurry picture of the burglar. Moreover, the guards stationed in the security cabin from where they can view the pictures should be extremely active and if they see anything wrong on the site they should immediately raise an alarm.

Drones can be used:-

Flying drones can be used for this purpose as well. The only challenge is that you can’t have them flying for the entire night and therefore measures should be taken to give rest to drones at regular intervals. In a nutshell, it should be in complete control of humans.

Join an institution of repute to become competent mechanics

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The excellence of any work is highly dependent on your base knowledge. If you are strong with your basics then you will not take long to learn the tricks of the trade. It will be just matter of years for you to master everything under the sun. Hence it is very important that you should first give time to develop your basic skills before you jump to the next level. The next level will be full of complexities if you are not fine-tuned with the basics. So how do you make your base strong in the profession that you want to enter? First and foremost you have to join an institution that has the curriculum which you are looking for and want to study. All you need to ensure is the institution you are joining is a reputed one and they have a history of producing highly competent men.

The heavy equipment and the construction industry are short of people who are good mechanics. Heavy equipment is a highly complex subject and it requires years of dedication and devotion for one to learn many things about different kind of machines. It is quite understood that a student will not be able to learn everything in the institution. He learns about machines while he is at work and masters it slowly while he gets to work more and more. However, in this entire process the most important part is how well he knows the basic of machines. Because as long as you are not clear with the foundation level you will keep having some or the other problems understanding what you are doing. This is where the role of an institution becomes pivotal.

The institution has to enroll the basics of different kinds of machines in its curriculum so that students who want to become mechanics should know something about all the machines. A grader is different from an excavator in many ways and may have different types of problems. So knowing a bit about grader as well as an excavator is crucial. Once you become a mechanic, you will be a mechanic of all the heavy equipment that we know about. You can’t say that you have only learnt to repair a dozer and are completely ignorant of any other machine. No company will want someone who specializes in just one machine and does not even know a thing about other heavy equipment. They will want the mechanics hired by them to know almost everything. So you got to start learning it right from the beginning.

You do not have to do a thorough research on the best institution available in your city. Almost all institutions that teach heavy equipment are good. You only have to check their rankings and see if they have campus interviews. Institutions that arrange campus interviews should be preferred but one should not only aim to get enrolled in such institutions. Campus interviews will help you get a job easily but this does not mean that other institutions that do not arrange campus interviews are poor in terms of standard. At the end of the day any institution that molds you into a competent mechanic should be given utmost preference.

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Best heavy equipment salesman knows customer’s needs

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Salesmen are generally of two types. The first is the one who sells his/her products without even knowing if the customer really needs them. The do not bother much to know how essential the commodity is for them. They just try to create a need of product in the lives of the customers and sell the stuff. The other type of salesman believes in doing a bit of extra work and tries to know what the customer really wants. He/she spends more time with their client and asks him/her questions that are relevant for their sale. This type of salesman often try to get his act right by trying to know as much as possible about the business of the customer and the effectiveness of the product to him in his life and he then pitches the product accordingly. For him the features of the product are secondary. He/she first tries to analyze the reason why the customer would buy the product in the first place.

Giving big sales talk can often help you achieve your sales targets but that can’t go for long. At one point your sales talk will not help and eventually you will be forced to do one of the two things. You either have to give up your profession or start working like the type 2 salesmen. When it comes to selling heavy equipment to construction companies or to contractors, it is quite difficult task to do so by merely using sales talk. As long as you do not understand the business of the construction company, it will always be a problem to meet your sales target.

Every other construction company may have different requirements of heavy equipment and it quite essential to know these requirements first before you pitch the products to them. It may be possible that they do not need another machine but are looking for some kind of ancillary. In this situation no amount of sales talk will convince the customer from buying an additional machine. You have to sell them what they need and in this case they need an ancillary.

Most of the time, it has been observed that construction companies are confused with what they need. To put it in simple words, they are confused about upgrading their existing fleet of heavy equipment. Some people in the company may be of the opinion to upgrade the old machines by buying new ones while others may feel that doing such an activity will cost the company dearly. This is where the role of the salesman comes into picture. The salesman should conduct a thorough study of the customer’s business needs and check if he really needs to uplift his existing fleet. Here, the salesman has to know what kind of heavy equipment are needed by the company to carry on with its activities. He/she should guide them in the right way and not think about augmenting his sales figure just because he/she has an opportunity to do so. His/her efforts will be appreciated by the company and may be referred to others as well. This in turn will eventually turn him into the best salesman.

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Heavy equipment mechanic is a good career option

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Ideally one should get into a job that he likes to do and not do because the job can give him good earning opportunities. That should never be the intention of a person to take up a job. If he does so then he will soon see the point of saturation and will not want to work in that stream anymore. He has wasted all his years doing something that he never wanted to do in the first place. So a person needs to be wise enough to select his career and even if the occupation that he likes to do does not fetch good money, he should get into it. Competent people are never put of work for a long time and they never run out of money as well. Becoming heavy equipment mechanic is a good career option as long as you like the profession and you feel that it can give you job satisfaction. It definitely has good earning avenues as you can work for a construction company or can be a freelancer or can do both at the same time. It is all up to you and the way you want to do things.

Heavy equipment mechanics are given high respect as others understand what they are dealing with. A person who understands the construction industry also understands how complex machines can be and people who have taken the responsibility to fix those complex machines they are nothing less than simply outstanding. They know that the mechanics do an incredible job with heavy equipment when it is about fixing them up. So what takes to become an able and competent heavy equipment mechanic? Well the answer is simple but the journey is difficult.

Firstly the aspirant needs to get enrolled in a reputed institute from where he can learn the basics of heavy equipment. Basics are quite important to know for a mechanic because it is from here that he will lay the foundation of becoming a competent mechanic. For the next couple of years he need to go through books and also take practical lessons whenever the students are taken to visit a workshop. Try to learn as many things as you can. Take help of training videos. It is quite an effective tool and will bring out the best in you.

Asking questions is an important feature that a mechanic should possess during his learning days. You will have lot of confusions which means lot of questions and you need to put them forth to your professor. Once you are out of the institution, get enrolled with one such workshop and spend as much time as you can to learn things. Every other heavy equipment can come up with unique problem and you need to know how to fix them. Common issues can be dealt easily. It is the unique ones that pose challenge to you. You also got to be creative while fixing problems. Not all issues can be fixed in an orthodox manner. Most of the times you got to really think hard to get a solution. Once you have that ability to think hard and think the right way you are on the way of becoming a good mechanic.

Construction Telehandlers work seamlessly in rugged construction sites

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Telehandlers are frequently used lifting machines, typically mounted on mobile chassis and equipped with a telescopic boom that provides different lifting heights depending on the requirement. Telehandlers are generally applied where normal forklifts cannot work. The opening end of a telehandler is mostly fitted with a with a pallet fork for lifting and transferring materials from ground to a height or from one place to another on a construction site. Some customized models of telehandlers may be designed to lift buckets or other similar attachments to carry liquid or semi-liquid materials.

Types of telehandlers

In the construction industry, “Rough Terrain Forklifts” are commonly called telehandlers. In fact, telehandlers are just one type of rough terrain forklifts. There are total three types of telehandlers are found:

  • General telehandlers – These are the telehandlers that are commonly used in any construction site that can comfortably move from one place to another and have a vast utility in lifting weights to a height. A high-reach telehandler can lift a weight up to a height of 50-56 ft. They can carry 5500-12000 lb. to that height. These days, many other attributes are added with a high-reach telehandler to increase its utility, like steering wheels that can tilt, roomy cab design for increasing operator’s efficiency, single joystick for multiple functions, all-wheel steering, etc. These telehandlers are used in adverse environments where construction works are going on.
  • Rotating telehandlers –These telehandlers are as efficient as general telehandlers but with an additional benefit that these telehandlers can rotate 360 degrees with lifted weight. That means a rotating telehandler can cover a wide area from a single position. This particular feature of rotating telehandler helps to work seamlessly where space is short or where too much movement is not possible. Some rotating telehandlers contain two joysticks instead of one. The second one controls the rotation only. Most models are available with stabilizers that ensure safe movement of the rotator from one side to another when the telehandler is fully loaded.
  • Straight mast forklifts – Apparently, they look like lift trucks but they are actually a different kind of telehandler with having features of a rotating telehandler and forklift. These machineries are mostly used in construction sites for loading and unloading building materials. Their standard lifting capacity varies from 5000 lb. to 35000lb and lifting capacity just like a general telehandler. Straight mast forklifts are available in two-wheel and four-wheel carriage.

Telehandler attachments

Telehandler attachments are also important and selected as per the work specifications. The standard carriages pallet forks, rotating carriages, etc. are available with the range of 48-72 inch length. Besides, heavy duty multipurpose buckets, grapple buckets, and truss boom are also used depending on the requirements.

Telehandler tires

Tires are one of the most vital parts in telehandlers. As the machine need to work in a rugged construction environment and used to lift and shift heavyweights, rim sizes, thread depths, widths, and diameters of the tires vary according to the average weight lifting capacities of the machines. Both pneumatic tires and polyurethane tires are used in telehandlers.

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Things to keep in mind before renting heavy equipment

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Small construction companies often find it difficult to function due to non-availability of required heavy equipment. Heavy equipment being an expensive piece of metal, they often themselves to be incapable of buying it and therefore they try to use some alternative which falls within their means. For such companies, the advice that one can give is that they should start looking at heaving equipment which is available on rent. Buying heavy equipment can definitely be an expensive affair and no small construction company can afford to go with that as an option. So the next best option is to catch hold of a person who is willing to give the machine on lease. This means that you can own the heavy equipment for a temporary period and can make full use of it till the end of the project or till the time you require the machine. You certainly end up paying a small amount as rent but it is worth the stuff. You do not lose much from the deal. On the contrary you gain more than what you spend.

There are few things that one must consider before they start looking for heavy equipment on rent.

Check if the machine is in order:-

To check if the machine is in order is one of the most important criteria that the taker should consider before he signs on the dotted line. Many owners of heavy equipment lease out their age old machines thinking that they will get some takers for it. All that they do is they paint the machine and make it look new. Some are not even bothered to repair the machine as they feel that there is no much use of it as the machine will come to the same state as what it is now. If these things are not checked then the ultimate sufferer is the guy who takes the machine on rent. He has to call up a mechanic and get the machine checked and also spend money to replace vital parts which was in fact the responsibility of the owner.

Insist on an inspection:-

It is you who have to insist on an inspection of the heavy equipment. If you have been operating heavy equipment since years and you know the in and out of the machine, you can do the inspection yourself or it is recommended that you take along an expert or a mechanic who can inspect the machine for you and can advise your accordingly. This is quite important to be done as you know the actual state of the machine and if you have to make any further spending once you have taken it on rent.

Insist for a lease agreement:-

A lease agreement is a mandatory requirement for every rental contract. The contract speaks in volumes about the rights of both the owner and the taker. You should know your rights and also realize the steps that you can take in case you see yourself being cheated.

How to drive/operate an excavator

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Driving your car is completely different from driving heavy equipment. You do not have many things in heavy equipment that you have in a car and therefore it does not make any sense to equate both the stuffs into one. we go to driving schools to learn driving and only when we become good at it and the driving officer confirms that we are learnt it well and will not cause any disaster on roads that we are given a license. There are many who do not get a license at the first stance. They give multiple tests and of course fail many times as well. Same is the case for a heavy equipment operator. It should never be construed that driving heavy equipment is a cake walk as you do not have to deal with multiple functions at the same time. On the contrary when you actually try to learn to drive/operate heavy equipment it is then you realize the exact difference and may have a different opinion.

We definitely require driving skills when it comes to driving heavy equipment but that is pertinent to probably everything that we can drive and is not just limited to heavy equipment. Now when we talk about heavy equipment there are few machines that operators find them easy to operate and for some they just can’t handle them. As we know that not all heavy equipment are same and therefore for some heavy equipment we need operators with extra ordinary driving skills to drive/operate the machine. An excavator is one such heavy equipment. The operators do not have to attend any special driving schools to drive/operate an excavator. They all go to the same institution. It is just that some have that in-built talent which if shaped in the right way can deliver excellent results.

User manual can’t teach you to drive/operate excavators:-

Excavating earth is a difficult job and in many instances dangerous too. If not done in the right way, it can lead to severe damage. There have been numerous examples where people have lost their lives while excavating. Moreover, the terrain where the excavation is taking place plays an important role. If the terrain is difficult it indeed tests the skills of the operator. A person who does not have much experience in operating excavators should not get into it or else he will jeopardize the lives of himself and many others along with him. One can’t even check the user manual at that time to know how to get come out safely from a given situation. User manuals do not teach you how to drive. They provide some very basic instructions which one can adopt while driving but there are schools for that matter where one should take their basic training and then let the mentors decide if they are ready for heavy equipment like excavators.

Learn the various functions and have better control over them:-

The operator who can efficiently work on an excavator certainly knows all the functions in the machine and has better control over them. This is quite important because as long as you do not know everything of a machine you will not be able to operate it at 100%.

Know all about heavy construction equipment – types available and how you should choose the right one!

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Heavy construction equipment is one of the most important elements in today’s world, where there is a continuous growth of the construction industry and new constructions are taking place every day. That is the reason, why the heavy construction equipment supplying job has become such a popular one in the industry. If you too are thinking of starting such a business, it is important that you know all about this.

Types of heavy construction equipment:

Many people do not know much about the different types of heavy construction equipment that are available in the market. These are used for various purposes. Some are used to assist in the construction and some are used indirectly in carrying, loading and unloading raw materials.

Some of the common heavy construction equipment that you will often get to see at a construction site, on the roads etc. includes –

  • Cranes
  • Backhoe
  • Loaders
  • Excavators
  • Forklifts
  • Bulldozers
  • Concrete mixers.

These are just a few of the many that you will frequently get to watch. However, there are many others that are not used as widely, but are meant for job-specific tasks. These are usually used during earthquake damage, storm damage and such other damage cleaning.

How can you access one?

The heavy construction equipment is not very cheap. There is no denying the fact that you will have to spend a lump sum amount of money, if you want to own one. Hence, it is always a better idea that you hire them, instead of owning them. This way, you will be able to access the ones that you would require for a particular task and you will not even have to spend a huge amount of money to own them and take care of them.

But of course, the heavy construction equipment is something that not everyone and anyone would require. It is mostly required by the construction industry companies and services. So, if you own such a company, it is always advised that you choose one that you can own, rather than hire it. This is because, hiring it every time will only cause you to pay more.

Choosing the right heavy equipment:

Once you have decided, whether you want to buy one or hire one, you need to check out a number of factors. These would include –

  • Brand: The right brand is very important. With a branded company, you will be able to have the peace of mind regarding its function and life.
  • Condition: In case you are buying used heavy equipment, make sure it is in a good condition.
  • Papers: The papers of the used heavy equipment must be proper, otherwise you will not get a permit and insurance, if you wish to have one.

If you take these factors into consideration, it will be easier for you to make a choice. In case you are still confused, always consult a skilled professional, who has years of experience in this field or a dealer of heavy equipment. They will be able to guide you properly.