Category Archives: heavy equipment

Can’t think of landscaping business without a grader

Landscapes have become quite an important part of the construction business. It is seen as a different genre altogether and also a thriving one. This means that guys who are connected to this part of the business has more to gain if they know to do their work well. One of the most important heavy equipment that is needed to form a landscape is a grader. A grader is heavy equipment which has big long blades in the front and two other blades beneath the cabin and the third is beneath the engine of the machine and it is run on uneven land surface so that the soil can be eroded with the help of the blades which eventually gets accumulated inside the blade and then it is deposited in a dump truck. It is not mandatory for all grader to have all the 3 blades. For landscape work, only a couple of blades are sufficient. However, it depends on what kind of land the operator has to work and it is absolutely on the knowledge and experience of the operator that he suggests the utility of the blades.

Estimate the right price for the work:-

For a contractor it is important to know if he needs to bring his grader for the landscape work or will he be provided with one. Construction companies at times offer their construction equipment for the job but that needs to be known before a price is quoted for the job. Once that is known, the contractor also needs to check with the operator the kind of land they have to work on, how big it is and how many days it will take for them to complete the work. Now this is a difficult task. You are dealing with deadlines when you do not know how the soil will react. This is one risk which every contractor has to take. This is where the contractor also needs to keep his grader handy. While working on tough land there is a wider chance for the machine to exhaust sooner and may also break down. This is when he needs to chip in his machine to complete the work.

Maintain good health of the grader:-

Contractors firmly believe that the health of all heavy equipment that they possess should be cared of and well maintained. Therefore when you are part of the landscape business you have to ensure that your grader gets the right treatment every time. Your overall work depends on that one machine and you will not want that to go wrong in any way. It is for this reason that it is a mandate for every contractor or for that matter everyone who possesses a grader to check if the machine is throwing any signals that indicate towards an internal problem within it. An operator should be in a position to comprehend those signals and act swiftly. It should never be delayed for another day. Try to get it resolved if the problem is not a big one.

 

Tips For Starting an Excavators rental business

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The construction activities have increased due to increase in population. Many big and start up construction companies cannot afford to a buy and maintain all new equipment for their work, especially in case of short term projects. Hence, they prefer to buy equipment and machines on rental basis at an affordable price and return it after use. Thus, rental business is profitable and is booming. It is observed that many equipment rentals only rent specific equipments and do not keep all types of equipment. It is because they have studied market and functional aspects of the equipment. Since most of the heavy equipments are multifunctional, being in rental business of specific equipment can be a good idea as it saves the cost of buying and maintaining different equipments.

Excavators are called the giants of the construction industry. They are powerful machines which can dig through concrete, install electrical service, transfer loads of bricks, lift objects high, and break down huge rocks and entire structures. Due to their wide applications, they are very much required in any construction project, however they are expensive. Excavators are in demand, hence starting the business of renting these machines can be profitable. Being a costly investment, it is expected that person should do some research before starting this business.

The following guidelines will be helpful for the person who wants to start the business of renting an excavator:

  1. Excavators are cost 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 for selling excavators.
  2. If RSP provides excavators at high rental price then many buyers will find it expensive and difficult to purchase. Hence they will negotiate with the price. RSP should provide excavators at appropriate price.
  3. RSP should make his excavator rental service popular by advertisements in newspapers and websites.
  4. Buying entire fleet of brand new excavators is indeed very costly. To avoid, RSP should study the demands of the market to know which the most preferred model by the construction industry is. Keeping excavator 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, using such equipment has increased the speed at work place and increased productivity. The new compact excavators are more in demand and are preferred to old versions. RSP should provide such technologically advanced excavators 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’ excavators, since purchasing such equipment is cost affordable. However, they should be careful while choosing such equipment that they are not damaged. Only when these used machines have less wear and tear and their parts are available that they should be purchased from the seller.
  7. 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. They should make sure that the buyer has the capability to pay the rental amount and would take care of the equipment and will return the equipment in good condition. After all the terms and conditions are acceptable to both parties, a rental agreement has to made between RSP and prospective buyer

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Rent your used heavy equipment

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It is pointless to acquire an asset and make no use of it. As long as the asset is of some use to you or generates some sort of income it can be called as an asset but the moment you keep the stuff without gaining any monetary benefits in return or do not use it at all it no longer remains an asset and has every chance to turn into a liability. Heavy equipment is a much needed requirement in the entire construction sector. However, you do not need one machine to do all types of work. This means that once your need is done with the heavy equipment it will remain idle for months. The best way to generate income of the idle machine is rent it out to people who will make good use of it and will also pay you money for using the machine. You will come across lot many people who will be ready to pay you handsomely for using the heavy equipment. It is because no one wants to spend a fortune in buying a machine and then keep it idle once they see the use of it is over.

The market to rent used heavy equipment is big. You have multiple avenues through which you rent your heavy equipment. You can catch hold of a broker or a company that deals with renting heavy equipment, list it online on heavy equipment portal or simply check out on your own and see if you get hold of someone who is interested to use heavy equipment on rental basis.

Heavy equipment broking companies:-

These companies deal with buying dilapidated heavy equipment and then refurnish it by changing its vital parts and once that is done they either sell it off to new customers or let-it out. They buy those old heavy equipment at a comparatively lower price and give it a new life by changing the entire look of the machine and adding few additional features thus also increase the price of a completely junk item. Once that is done they do not see hassle in letting it out to small construction companies. These guys can be approached if you want to let out your heavy equipment. The machine need not be with them but you can hand over the pictures of the stuff to them and they in turn will find the guy who wants it on rental basis.

List the heavy equipment online:-

There are plenty of online portals available that deal with letting out heavy construction machineries. They charge a nominal fee to provide the online service. All you have to do is list the machine after putting some pictures of it on the portal. Provide your contact details so that interested prospects can reach you and come to inspect the machine at a time convenient to you. If they like to go with it, you should prepare an agreement that would state all the necessary clauses and should be signed by all the parties.

Hose service repair for your construction equipment

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It is evident that one can’t work without heavy equipment in the construction industry. Heavy equipment is not only restricted to equipment that we see on the construction sites breaking structures or digging the earth or drilling deep inside the ground. When we talk about construction equipment it also takes into account equipment that are perhaps not a part of heavy equipment but are still crucial for the functioning of the business and if they fail to work as they should then the laborers are not able to work on that day. Therefore it is equally crucial to ensure that all your construction equipment is in order.

No matter how trivial they may seem to be they still hold an important ground as far as the construction equipment and its functions is concerned. Construction equipment used pumps, valve spools etc. to do their work. Now these stuffs are interconnected with steel resistant rubber hoses. Since the machines are required to work on a daily basis there is high probability of hydraulic oil leaking from the hoses. This is when you are required to either repair the hose or replace it completely with a new one.

Repairing a hose is a tough and some also believe a dirty job but certainly worth the time you spend and the money that you can save. However, if you do not know much about the hose then it is recommended that you do not try to work on it or else you may end up damaging the entire stuff. It is better that you call a guy who can get that repaired for you. They should be qualified to do that work for you and should have enough experience in repairing hoses. Normally, the hose service repair for your construction equipment is not a complex process but for a person who does not know anything about it should not venture into it. It makes sense to first learn the way the hose can be changed by watching the hose service repair guy while he is doing his work and then you can try the next time if it develops any problem.

There are many small companies who engage in services like repairing hose or replacing it. They can be approached if you see a major burst in the hose and the oil is flowing in high volume. It is also important to locate the source of the problem. When you call the repair guy, he will ask you few important questions which he should know before he can turn up to the jobsite with his tools. So you should be in a position to identify the source of the leak and inform to the service guy. Please note that you should not use your hands or any body part to detect the leak. You can use detection additives that can help you to find the source of the leak. These preliminary information should be passed on to the service guy and if he requires any further information, he can guide you over the phone and you can avail the stuff for him.

Looking for heavy equipment loan. First get your facts straight

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Want to buy heavy equipment for a new assignment or simply looking to upgrade your fleet, you should understand one thing quite clearly and this is buying construction machines require a lot of money. If at all you have cash in your business, you can’t make use of it entirely as you have to take care of other financial obligations related to your business. This means that whatever you earn from your business does not entirely go to acquire heavy equipment. The allocation of funds should be for the entire business and not only limited to buying construction machines. So the way out is to go out and shop for banks who lends money for heavy equipment and at a lower rate of interest. However, there are few other factors that are equally important to understand before you take the call of approaching the bank and applying for loan.

Approach a bank that understands your business:-

You need not go to the bank with whom you have constant business. They may not have much idea about how you run your business and may foresee hassles in granting you the loan. The other option is to approach those banks which specialize in facilitating loans to construction companies. They have a team who have been working with construction companies and understands their needs. If you approach such a bank, they will send their team to your site and will do the necessary study before communicating on the loan amount. It makes lot of sense to approach someone who knows what you are dealing with rather than someone who does not have the slightest of clue and therefore may end up making a big mess.

Give them precise information:-

Lenders need certain set of information about the borrower and it is the borrower’s responsibility to provide precise and accurate data to the bank. Any sort of intentional incorrect information can lead to direct cancellation of the loan. It has been observed that borrowers assume things that may or may not happen but on the basis of those assumptions they end up giving incorrect data which leads to the decline of the loan amount. There are questions asked if any banks ever declined to offer loan. Borrowers assume that by outing a Yes will go against them and therefore they mess it up there. Banks have sources to pull up information and match it up with the data you have given. If they see any incorrect information, they get the reason to suspect you and also to deny giving you loan.

Your credit rating speaks for you:-

If you have a good credit rating, there is less likeliness that the banks will not find you a convenient customer. Try never to default any loan payments and always maintain a good credit history. This will keep your score high and also your chance to get a quick loan from any bank that you approach. Also the tenure of your business plays an important role for the bank to qualify you for the loan.

 

Place a lien if you are not paid for your work

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Instances where a contractor is not paid for his work are few but they do happen and this is when the poor chap does not know what he should do to claim his money. Construction companies give contracts of their projects to various contractors. The number of contractors involved in a project is completely dependent upon the size of the project. If the project is big and it requires several men to work on it, then the construction company will involve more than one contractor or else he will simply go with just one. The construction company pays the contractor on the basis of the work that has been completed. The pay to the contractor is dependent on which phase the work is on. So as and when the contractor completes each phase, he is paid for his work and simultaneously he in turn pays to the sub-contractors.

There are some construction companies who faces severe monetary crunch and are unable to pay the contractors on time. However, the contractors do not stop the work with the hope that he will be paid after the completion of the next phase and will also receive the amount in arrears. Now suppose he completes the entire project and keeps calling the construction company to pay him but see nothing coming out of their pocket. This is when he needs to take the legal course. All that he can do is place a lien on the project which means that as long as you are not paid for your work, no banks can mortgage the property. So for instance, if you are engaged in building a condominium for residential purpose and you are not paid in full by the company, you can place a lien on the entire project which will prevent the buyers to avail mortgage from banks.

This means that the construction company has to first clear all your dues and only once the lien is removed that he will be able to sell the apartments. Such types of instances are rarely seen but they do happen and whenever it happens, the best way to tackle it is taking the legal course and places a lien on the property. The construction companies are also aware of this phenomenon and therefore they ensure that they pay their contractors their full due. They also make sure that the contractors in turn clear the dues of other sub-contractors who were engaged in the project.

In case you need to place a lien on the project, the best way to do so is by talking to an attorney who will advice you on how you can proceed with it. Remember that placing a lien should be the last option and you should not do this if you do not find the company paying you. By doing this, it can also tarnish the relationship and hence it is suggested to be taken only after you have taken every possible option to claim your money.

Make your career by becoming construction equipment mechanic

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When the most important part of the construction business stops working, the company is ready to pay any amount to fix that and get it back to work. Heavy equipment is one such important part and the business owners can’t ever afford to see it not working due to technical reasons. They will pay any price to fix the issue and get the machine up and running. This means that the mechanics are high in demand in the construction industry and anybody who wants to make his career in this business can certainly look upon in becoming a mechanic. So when we talk about heavy equipment it involves all types of heavy machines that are used for construction, mining, forestry and agricultural purpose. This point out to the fact that the mechanics are not only restricted to repairing equipment that are used in construction but also that are used for agriculture and mining purposes.

The scope is immense for the heavy equipment mechanics but they have to do a lot of learning before they can actually reach to the point from where they do not have to worry about their career. That is probably the point where they have already reached the zenith of their career and are working as freelancers having tie ups with big construction and mining companies. So who can become a good mechanic is the real question out for everybody. Anybody who loves heavy equipment and like to fix problems related to heavy machineries can see themselves as ace mechanics. The person should have the zeal and confidence to resolve any kind of issues pertaining to construction equipment can see their place as master mechanics and also people who can sell their skill to the needy can make a good career out of it.

Getting education from a good institute:-

The first step towards becoming an ace mechanic is to join a good institute that touches every aspect of heavy equipment. Their subjects should not only focus on one particular kind of machines but should range from different machines. More or less the intricacies of heavy equipment will be similar to each other and having hands on knowledge will help you to develop your skills and will end up making a fine technician out of you.

Speaking with veterans will further clear your doubts:-

While you are still learning in the institute, you should try and meet some tenured people from the industry who are ready to guide you and clear your doubts. These are experienced men and they will prove to be quite handy when it comes to giving accurate answers of your questions. You can do your bit of research first and only when you do not see any answers, you should approach them.

Take some experience by working with veterans:-

You get to learn a lot when you are working with an experienced guy. He will give you a lot of inputs and will sharpen your skills further. Once you begin working on machines and start fixing them, you will see a lot of confidence in you and will start finding things to be simpler.

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Selling heavy equipment – design a website that matters

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If you have a business and not a website, it means that your business is no longer in existence. From the smallest scale to the mightiest of businesses that we know exits in the US, they all have a website. The smaller businesses may not have an attractive one but they still have one which they can show to people who want to know about them. It is a no brainer that attractive websites are expensive and people with a very meager scale of business will find it hard to pay for it.

Apart from that, the website needs to be maintained and updated for which you have to again shell out good chunk of money. It may not be possible for a small businessman to afford that. Therefore what he can do is design a website that matters to his business. Every time you do not need an extravagant website to display how popular is your business. At times you can even keep low and update stuffs that really matters.

If you have newly started the business of selling heavy equipment you have to shell out some portion of your investment in designing a website. You need the help of a website designer who can get this work done for you. Approach a website designer who has worked for other construction and heavy equipment companies. They will know your requirements and what you want to feed into your website. Apparently, not many firms that deal with selling heavy equipment know what they want to put in their website.

They have a rough idea on what they need but will not be able to explicitly convey it to a website designer who has never worked on one such website. So approaching someone who has already worked for such companies will prove to be quite handy. You have to just tell them your budget and they will do the rest for you.

Check the progress of work at regular intervals:-

Designing a website is not a work that can be done in a couple of days. It at times takes months to do the job. Lots of changes are made while the website is in the process of getting designed and on many occasions changes are also made after it is ready to view. It is also not a one-time affair. You have to keep on changing stuffs in it whenever there is a major change in your business. For instance, due to some reason you have stopped selling heavy equipment of a particular brand, you have to update that on your website as well and vice-versa.

Ensure that the website provides all information about your company:-

Your website should be fully equipped to speak all that you want to convey to others. You can even upload your videos where you can give your message to your viewers. The kind of machines that you sell and at what price they are available to others must be mentioned on the website. More importantly a tab that will spell out your contact details is also important. This will help others to reach you if they seek doing business with you.

Various methods to market your construction business

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We can’t grow our business if we are unable to pervade what we are doing to the mass. People should know about the business you are doing so that they can also directly or indirectly become a part of it. Other than that if only people know about you and your work, they will be able to give you more work or can recommend others to give business to you. End of the day, what matters the most is how soon you can market the name of your brand to others and what method you can take to reach out to millions in no time. With the advent of modern technology it has now become simpler for a person to market his product nationally as well as internationally. He can become a huge brand within months. This does not mean that he can skip the struggle that people normally have to become a known identity. It is just that the process has become simpler than what it was a couple of decades ago.

In order to reach out to large number of people at a time and let them know about your construction business, you can follow the steps mentioned below.

Create a professional website:-

The identity of your business is your website. If someone wants to know more about you and your business they will hit the name of your business on google and from there they will pull out the details that they want to know about you. Your website should be professional but attractive. Try to put all the information that you want people to know. Your existing projects, the projects that you have completed and the ones that you have in hand should be mentioned in there. If you are a start-up then mention your aspirations and your goal to take the company in the next few years.

Marketing via blog:-

People love to read blogs and they believe that it helps them a lot to learn new things. In a blog you write stuffs that help someone to understand new things about the construction industry and then you leave the blog open for people to leave their comments. If someone has a query and they talk about it there in the blog, he can expect to get answers from others who are reading the blog and if you know the answer/solution then you can chip in and provide your view point. What is happening here is something quite fruitful to you. People get to know you through your blog and if at all you have some announcement to make, you can pretty well make use of the blog to do so. You may get suggestions and at times even new businesses through that medium.

Social media:-

One of the most powerful tools in today’s times to reach out to millions at one shot is Social Media. You post your message in a social media website and it reaches to everyone irrespective of people knows your or not. Make good use of this tool to speak about your construction business. It will always earn you rich dividend.

How to hire competent operators

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Hiring competent workforce can be a real challenge for any company. They often see this as a pain and the HR finds this to be the most challenging task out of the many activities they conduct on a daily basis. It is simply not possible for any human being to judge another person by having a 15 minute talk. You may not know if the person knows about the subject that the company wants him to work on or for that matter how the person will be facing once he is hired. If the job demands a person who can work under pressure, it is virtually not possible for an HR to identify the person who can indeed work under pressure and still deliver results. But when the company needs human resource, the HR team has to get into this work of hiring men/women and they have to ensure that they pick the right guys/gals from the lot that come for the interview.

The construction industry is a highly competitive business and here the impact of hiring a wrong candidate can prove to be really costly to the company. The HR of the company does understand the seriousness of the business and this is the reason why they take utter precaution while hiring for important positions. They conduct levels of interview with the same person in order to judge the kind of person he/she is. The different levels of interviews are held by different people and then their view on the interviewee is collated and a decision is finally taken if they all agree to hire him or not.

Hiring an operator becomes more challenging because here the person interviewing the candidate should have little technical knowledge about heavy equipment and how it works. So firstly, the ground level HR can interview him by checking his credentials and qualifications. If the HR finds him to be apt then he goes to the next round where he is interviewed by guys with sound technical knowledge.

Asking the right question is important:-

When you are hiring an operator, you can’t ask him questions that are relevant to a mechanic. You should be checking with him the different types of heavy equipment that he/she has worked on and the models. On the basis of his answer, you should be putting forth your next question. He may not be able to answer a question that does not fall within his domain and therefore asking the right question is important.

Check his skills on the machine:-

When you are hiring heavy equipment operator, you should make it a point to check his skills on the machine. You can provide him with construction equipment and give him a task to complete. The task should not be a complex one as you are only checking his skill and not trying to get a part of the work done. You need to see how well he can maneuver and how smooth he is on the machine. If the operator is really good on it, you can hire him.

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