Category Archives: Used Heavy Equipment

Equipment used in construction

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A construction jobsite will give us the picture of laborers working tirelessly with their supervisors directing them to work and several types of heavy equipment digging deep inside the ground and rest busy carrying something or the other. Overall we will find nobody being idle. Everybody and everything is doing some or the other activity. Having said this, the construction industry is heavily dependent on the kind of heavy equipment being used on the site. The owner of a construction company invests good chunk of money in procuring heavy equipment and post buying takes immense care to ensure that the machines work fine. He spends good deal of money to keep them well maintained and so that it performs when it is needed the most. In a big project, you will see numerous heavy equipment. However, the most common types of machines that are seen on the sites will be discussed as follows.

Excavator:-

Excavators are machines that are required to excavate earth using its boom or stick. It has the potential to dig deep inside the ground and extract the soil. It is one of the most common types of heavy equipment that can be seen in almost every construction site. This is because every construction site requires some amount of digging to be done and they can’t have a better choice than using an excavator. Some companies also make use of alternatives which are undoubtedly good options but may not be able to deliver the result that an excavator can do. It can also carry the soil and dump it on a dump truck. So there is no need of heavy equipment like wheel loader to do this work.

Bulldozers:-

This is yet another common heavy equipment that can be seen in most of the construction sites. As the word goes bulldozers are used to demolish anything that comes on its way. Well, not literally anything but it is ideally used to break any existing structure and build something new in its place. Lot many construction companies depend on dozers during the initial phase of their project. Most of them prefer buying machines manufactured by Caterpillar and John Deere. However there are other players who have made their presence felt and are giving healthy competition to the pioneers thus giving rise to more innovative dozers.

Wheel Loaders:-

Wheel Loaders are primarily used to ferry huge pile of soil from one point to another. It has huge space to dump the soil which is not available in any other form of heavy equipment. It can also cover a lot of distance in less time as compared to other construction machineries that are capable of carrying debris. Therefore, a wheel loader is often used in big construction projects where the chances of accumulation of dirt is more and which can be ferried easily to the dump truck.

Dump truck:-

Last but not the least; a dump truck is also widely seen equipment on a construction site. It is basically used to carry the dirt and debris from the jobsite to the dump yard. Almost every construction company need a dump truck to do away with the huge proportion of dirt it yields on a daily basis.

Selling heavy equipment – Must to have a mentor

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We all want to excel in our career and lead a prosperous life and for that we try and do everything under the sun to make that happen. One such profession where you need not be ultra-qualified is being a salesman. However, that does not imply that anybody can become a good salesman. It requires lot of hard work and determination without which it will be futile to dream of a prosperous life. Now when we are talking about sales, we are dealing with a difficult chapter. When you are into selling something, you are winning someone’s trust first and then selling him the product. This also means that if in any case the product goes faulty, the person will lose his trust from you for eternity.

Therefore it is important that you sell the right stuff to the right person. But when you are a beginner you do not know how to deal with situations and how to crack a deal. This is where the need of a mentor surfaces. Ideally, you be a part of any industry, the need of a mentor is always required there but it is probably more needed in the profession of sale because you are not only dealing with the reputation of the company but also with the trust of people and you just can’t allow that to go for a toss.

For people who are selling heavy equipment, the need of a mentor increases in their case. One can just imagine the situation of a newbie who after graduating gets into selling heavy equipment about which he knows nothing. He must be having nightmares to come to office every day and may even think of moving to some other job or some other industry. Well for people like these, there must a guy who will guide them with the things he is supposed to do and the things he should stay out of. Since he will be completely new to this environment, he should first meet his mentor before his starts working for the day. No wonder his mentor will fill him up with positivity and will try to clear any hurdles that he must have experienced during the sale.

Selling heavy equipment may not be as simple as selling some financial product but it is also not a very difficult job. It just depends on how well you take it and the kind of support you get from your mentor. You should be sharing possibly everything pertaining to the job with him. Right from meeting the client to the kind of questions that were asked to you by the client and also the answers you gave should be said to the mentor. By that he will judge the areas where you are lacking and will give necessary advices to work on. You should take them positively and hone your skills further. It takes time to become a good heavy equipment salesman but with the help of your mentor, you can do it without much effort.

Applying solid techniques can make selling of heavy equipment an easier job

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Many people have found selling to be the most difficult work and they usually give it up in just few days from taking a job that involves them to sell the products. They somehow do not find it convenient and remain unhappy with their job. It is only during the time when they are able to make a sale that they get a bit charged up but most of the time they are haunted with the thought of quitting the job and taking something else in its place. Truly, selling is not everybody’s cup of tea. Though it is a requirement that all should be comfortable doing with but the fact is that only a handful of men and women are good in sales and the rest takes up some other job.

Well, life becomes more difficult when one is linked to selling heavy equipment. Selling heavy equipment not only requires good skill but one should adopt some solid techniques to ensure that he converts the possibility of a sale into a definite one. So just mastering the skill to sell might not be enough when it comes to selling heavy equipment but one has to move an extra mile and also learn the “solid techniques”.

Let’s talk in brief about the techniques one can use while selling heavy equipment.

Keep your presentations simple and use more pictures and diagrams:-

If you feel that you have a great job by preparing a presentation that includes jargons which is understood by people from the construction industry then you will be surprised to know that your work has higher chances of backfiring. Please understand everybody likes to understand things in a simpler way. If you make it look complex you have simply lost it. Try and show your work with the help of diagrams and pictures which will relate easily with what you want to explain. Speak only to the point. You need not explain every detail as they may not be interested to know every small thing. So focus on what the users want and it will be transformed into a closed deal.

Make use of social media to reach out to a good chunk of people:-

This is an important technique and a must use when you are into selling of heavy equipment. People should know about you. You can’t knock the door of every construction company checking if they are in need of any heavy equipment. What best you can do is create a business profile in a popular social networking website and add people who are connected to this industry. This will work big time for you and you will see people talking you whenever they see a need to buy a machine.

Keep posting pictures of any new arrivals on your company’s website:-

People are usually attracted to know if there are any new arrivals in the market. You can update pictures of machines that have been just launched by the company and also state on your website the offers/discounts that you can offer. This will let others come to you to buy the machines.

 

 

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Used equipment can be economically viable for your company

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Buying used construction equipment or a brand new one has been the topic of debate for years. Many experts feel that one should go for brand new equipment as they are installed with latest technology and one may find it far convenient to work on a new machine than a used one. However, others share a different opinion altogether. They feel that for new construction companies, it would be rather difficult to buy new machines as that can push them towards financial debts if they are unable to pay their monthly installments. Even if they manage to buy the machine outright, there are still high chances that they may drain away all their resources and end up borrowing to meet other business requirements.

It is difficult to judge what one should be doing as decisions should be taken based on the circumstances in which a person is. Let us assume that the construction business owner has surplus reserves and will have no problem if he pays the entire money in cash. Well, in this situation, he needs to analyze if he may need to pull out anything from the surplus to meet any of his business requirement for the next 9-12 months. In case if he feels that there may be a need for him to take some cash out and by investing the money in buying equipment can lead to financial difficulties later on, he should abort his plan to buy the equipment outright. But if he sees no encumbrances then he can make his way ahead to buy the machine.

Small construction companies should primarily focus on buying used equipment as that will not cost much to them. Used construction equipment can be bought at a reasonable price which they can easily afford. Nevertheless, the drawback a used construction equipment will have is that it will not have the advanced technologies installed in it that a brand new equipment will have. This will be a bit of pain to the operator and slightly more pain if he is accustomed with operating on new machines. He may not find it convenient to operate the machine like he used to with the newer ones. But if the operator can work on both old as well as new equipment, he will only need some days to get accustomed to the older version.

The other hurdle that a small construction company experiences quite often is with managing its finances. If they are not so financially stable, then it is never recommended for them to buy a new machine. That will only increase their business debts and it takes a long time to clear them all. They also have to do a bit of research work trying to know the lender who can offer them loan at the most affordable rate of interest. Now most of the small construction company does not have the time to do any of these research works. Therefore, it is prudent that they stick to the used machines and once they feel that they are getting financially stable that they should think of going for a new one.

Selling heavy equipment is driven by passion

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In order to do any kind of work, it has to be driven by passion. If there is no passion in a work, the end result will not be a fabulous one. You will not put that effort in your work if you do not have the passion for it and therefore you should do things that interests you and not out of coercion. Working as a salesman requires a lot of that component in you. If you do not have passion to sell things, you will perhaps have to find something else that suits you and when you are selling heavy equipment you need to be more passionate towards the stuff you are doing. You can achieve good results only if you like the job. For many the subject of heavy equipment does not comes with any interest. They find this topic to be very boring and when you start talking about earth moving machines, there is a tendency that it may drive away the interest of people. Such men are just not suitable for selling heavy equipment even if they can sell anything in this planet.

As a matter of fact, the subject of heavy equipment is indeed a boring one but guys who find it to be interesting, they can see their place in selling heavy equipment. Though it offers good money to the salesmen who are able to crack the deal, but this does not mean that the guy who feels bored by hearing about earth moving machines can find his place there. He can’t be a part of this profession just because it offers good money on a successful deal. He simply will not be able to survive in it for long. He will face a lot of hardships down his way which will make him realize that this industry is just not for him. However, for people who love to talk about heavy equipment and have the urge to learn more about it, they can see themselves as a part of this industry.

Selling heavy equipment requires lot of passion to do this work. Guys who love machines often experience tough time to sell machines. They feel that this is just not their cup of tea. However, there are also examples of people who have excelled like anything. They feel that they can’t do anything better than selling heavy equipment. Now this is the passion that is required to sell machines.

Selling is often considered as an art but it is believed that people who have mastered this art have at times found hard to sell machines. Selling cars is certainly different from selling heavy equipment as there may be more takers for cars but it will be only some industry specific guys who want to deal with heavy equipment. You can’t sell machines to anybody but to only those who need it and it is perhaps the passion that you have for this profession that will lead you to those kinds of men.

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Learning heavy equipment doesn’t end for an experienced salesperson

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There is probably very little profession that is simple to do or as a matter of fact there is virtually no profession that one can find to be simple. It always gives you the scope to learn something new every day. You may come to a point where you will feel that you have probably known everything about the business you are involved in but the reality can be starker especially when it comes to the profession of being a salesperson and that too of heavy equipment. An experienced person may not find it difficult to sell heavy equipment but he may also experience a tough time during his visit with a client who knows about machines better than him. It will then be difficult for him to tackle the situation with just his ability to persuade one to buy machines. He then has to make use of the knowledge he has garnered over the years to bail him out or else the meeting will turn out to be a disaster.

The ground rule for every salesperson who is dealing with heavy equipment irrespective of him being a newbie or an experienced guy is to keep learning about machines. You have to keep yourself updated with the latest technology that comes up in the market. The upgrading of knowledge is also taken care of by the heavy equipment companies as they conduct training sessions for everyone whenever there has been a new product that is being launched in the market. So the sales guy does not have to do too much of hard work from their end. They only need to ensure that they keep on updating themselves with what is going on in the heavy equipment industry.

The heavy equipment company also expects more from a tenured guy for which they pay him dearly. They believe that the veteran will make the most sales for them as he has been in this line of business for the last many years. The high hopes that the company has from the veteran also displays the kind of confidence that the company has on the person. They will definitely want him to perform and be the best salesman in the company.

In order to come true to the hopes, he got to constantly work on learning more about the equipment. He probably had experience in selling one particular type of machine but now he is being asked to sell something else that he has not much heard of or read about. That comes as a big challenge to the veteran and this is where he has to sit with books pertaining to that machine and do his research. Browsing training videos will also help him big time. This is how he can prepare himself for the next challenge in life and prove his metal. Learning is a never ending process and when it is about a vast subject like heavy equipment, learning becomes an ocean for you. More you dive deeper, the more you will get to learn.

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How to Solve the Transmission Problem of Caterpillar 140h Motor Grader

Transmission is the significant part of heavy equipment’s power train. Its purpose is to take the productivity from the engine and operate it to manage the swiftness, direction and torque. Often, the Cat 140h motor grader users come with the grievances that they are facing some troubles related to its power train transmission. If you are also worrying about the same problem, read each word of the following discussion thoroughly and get to know the guidelines suggested by Caterpillar to avert this situation. Because of their multi tasking quality, Caterpillar heavy equipments employ various kinds of transmissions that embrace hydrostatic, direct drive, countershaft powershift and planetary powershift. Each of this transmission is planned to alter machine power in to exact amalgamation of torque, speed and direction needed for a definite purpose. The feature of transmission accomplishes the task with the help of hydraulic drive or hydraulic clutches. Transmission Management Guide Provided by Caterpillar for its 140h Motor Grader The transmission management guide of Caterpillar not only helps its customers to gain knowledge of transmission thoroughly but also but also recommends the operators to follow its maintenance manual in order to enhance the productivity of the heavy equipment and to augment the service life. Caterpillar, the well-renowned heavy equipment manufacturing company allocate the transmission maintenance process in various steps. Some of those strides are fluid analysis, premeditated maintenance, and systematic inspection and so on. As you continue to move down this paragraph, you get to know the importance of Scheduled-Oil-Sampling service suggested by Caterpillar for maintain the transmission quality in its equipments. The transmission oil proffered by this company helps in maximising the performance level of its 140h motor grader product. The exam result of S-O-S is facilitated to the customers within 24 hours. The test report is easy to understand where the 140h motor grader users can easily find out the problem. It saves money and time of the heavy equipment owners by detecting the problem in its early stage. The preventive maintenance plan of Caterpillar is acknowledged as the most lucrative way to keep the transmission quality of 140h motor grader in top level. This defensive sustenance plan helps the 140h machinists to avert the situation of parts failure. If the operators change the property of the oil in repeated interval, it will surely assists in enhancing the durability of the components. The systematic inspection of Cat 140h motor grader not only detect the locale troubles before they turn in to major problems and but also assists the operators to manage and design the functioning cost and downtime related to this version of Cat motor grader. Benefits of Drive Train / Transmission Oil in Solving Caterpillar 140h Transmission Problem Cat Transmission / Drive Train Oil (TMS) is a partly synthetic mix multiviscosity oil that is obtainable in three different oil types. It is chiefly utilised in hydraulic systems, wet brakes and powershift transmission. If you want to know some of its benefits, read the following cited points: • It gives the long lasting protection service. • This oil enhances the function of sheer down feature available in Cat 140h. • Helps in managing the brake chatter and proffers rim pull quality in machine. As this web page nears the bottom, it is a suggestion to all Cat 140h motor grader users to try this transmission maintenance plan for a once and witness the result with your own eyes.

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No point in buying new equipment when one can get it on rent

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Construction industry falls in that category of industries that has huge requirement of finances for some reason or the other. They need money to take care of the operating and non-operating expenses, pay the workers their wages etc. They also have to check on the kind of heavy equipment available with them so that in case there is a need to get a new machine they should have the funds to go and get it. Heavy equipment are quite an expensive stuff and one got to be ready in advance and keep the funds available to ensure that the need of the business is fulfilled. Having said this, there is one point that the owner of a construction company can ponder. In case, if they can get the same machine that they are looking for on rent rather than having to buy them, it may save a lot of money of the company and simultaneously they can make use of the funds that were parked to buy the machines to take care of some other business needs.

There is however one very important point that you should keep into consideration before you rent a machine. Since you would be using somebody else’s equipment, you should ensure that the machine has all the features that you would be requiring for the project and the machine is in good shape. You should probably take an expert with you who will examine the machine before go ahead with the deal. You should not end up taking equipment for which you have to repent in the future.

Few other pointers that you should know before you sign on the dotted line.

A brief history of the machine:-

To know a few things about the machine will always be beneficial as it will help you to negotiate with the giver. For instance, if the machine has some cases of accidents then it puts you in a position from where you can demand for a deduction in the rentals. Negotiations like these are always open and the taker must be ready to take chances wherever and whenever it is applicable. Knowing the history of the machine will also give you the idea of how old the machine is and is it at par with the construction equipment that comes with the latest technology gadgets. This will help you to decide if you should be eventually going for the deal as it makes no point in renting something that is technologically backward.

Knowing the tentative duration of the project:-

You should at least be aware of how soon you can complete the project. On the basis of that, you would be renting the stuff. Always rent the machine for an additional 2 months from the tentative date of completion. You never know if things may get delayed and you have to prolong the use of the equipment. Often the giver rents the machine keeping into consideration that he may not need the machine for a specific time and if he rents it to you he may ask you to hand it over once the terms completes. So if the work is left incomplete and he asks you for the machine, you will be left in a murkier situation. To avoid this, you should rent it for 2 extra months and keep things in your control.

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Small construction companies should deploy used heavy equipment

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It is quite difficult to start up a new business and especially when someone tries to establish his business in the construction arena, it becomes all the more difficult for him. Firstly, there are many big players who have ruled the market for years and on top of that, there are many small companies who take the business that the big companies are not interested in. Now, when they see someone new coming in, they feel more uncomfortable and may try to put hurdles in your way. This is something that happens in every business but as far as the construction industry is concerned, this sort of stuff happens more often than ever. If someone is brave enough to take up this challenge, there is something harder waiting. They may have a hard time deciding if they should go for brand new heavy equipment or they should content themselves with used machines. Getting a brand new machine is no joke as it will cost thousands of dollars to buy one, may have to borrow the money.

This may really sound scary because if you lose paying up the due in time, they may impose a penalty on your loan amount which will make it a bigger sum. Just in case, you default in making payments too often, it will not only damage your credit score but you may also lose your hold over the equipment. In totality, you may have to completely shut down your business. Now, there is something simpler. Big construction companies do not tend use a machine for many years and they usually sell it off to small companies at a lower price. All you need to do is try to establish a contact with such big houses and try to buy the machine at dirt cheap price.

The above option may have some limitations. First, you have to buy anything that they are selling without even getting the time to inspect the machine. It means that you take whatever they give to you without having the power to even check if the machine is in order or not. Simultaneously, since there are many buyers like you interested to buy the item, you may know what you are buying only at the time when you are buying the equipment.  To avoid such a situation, there are platforms like online stores that sell used equipment. All you need to do is register yourself on their site and bid on the item. Try to place the highest bid and concurrently try to establish contact with the seller. Let the seller know that you want to inspect the item before you buy them. If the seller agrees to this, you can check the machine is in good order and strike the deal.

Second hand use of heavy equipment

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

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

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

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

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

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