Category Archives: Heavy Machinery

Dispose the heavy equipment that is not in use

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Heavy equipment being such an expensive item are out of the reach of small time contractors or newbie businessman who has just entered the profession. They are always in search of big construction houses who are willing to sell their equipment at a dirt cheap rate and if the machine is in good order, these small companies also become ready to pay a premium. Therefore if you are among the lot who has heavy equipment that is not in use and want to dispose it off, the best option would be to sell it off to these small companies.

We all like to make some money if we are at all selling a used item and it is not different when it comes to disposing heavy equipment. But the point to ponder is how you can transform your old machine into a new one so that people will have the confidence to buy it paying a good price. We would be discussing few pointers that are essential when it comes to selling your heavy equipment.

Get the machine repaired before you talk about reselling it:-

It is pretty obvious that the equipment will not be in order if it has not been put to work for the last many days and you have to shell some amount of money to get it repaired and running. You have to be cautious about advertising your product and should only start talking about reselling it when you are sure that the equipment is in order. If you start talking about it before it is repaired, then you might have people willing to see it and then you have to tell them the truth. It causes a negative impact on their minds and they may find this to be a complete waste of time. You also lose a good prospect.

Take the service of an expert to repair the machine:-

If the machine you want to sell was idle for good number of days due to severe complications then you should seek help of an expert mechanic who can check the machine and let you know how long it is going to take for him to fix it. Other than this, he may also tell you about the amount you need to shell out for getting it fixed. An expert hand on your machine will always be fruitful because that is going to increase the life of the machine which in other words allows you to increase the price of it. You can also paint the machine if it has an old look or put some jazzy stickers that will make it look attractive. You can make use of your imagination and can adopt innovative ideas to make the equipment look good and can fetch you a good price.

Spread the word in all circles:-

Once the equipment is ready to sell, all you have to do is pervade it across in newspapers or on internet. These days internet is the best option as people like to buy things online. They will check your heavy machinery online and if at all they are interested will contact you. By doing this, you are ready to sell off your equipment at a descent price.

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Ask a Heavy Equipment Mechanic a question

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When it comes to the health and well-being of your heavy equipment, you can’t trust anybody but the best. Heavy equipment is a complex subject in itself and it takes ages for mechanics to learn it completely. As a matter of fact, many expert mechanics agree that they can work fantastically on some types of heavy equipment but if they are asked to work on something that they have never worked previously then they have to start with it from square one. This means that they will spend time to first learn the machine well and then only will start working on it.

This indicates us the fact that if an expert mechanic can experience problem dealing with a new machine, what will a newbie do who perhaps do not have any experience whatsoever. He may ruin the stuff if he does not get proper guidance. Therefore, it becomes very important for people who have little or absolutely no knowledge about the working of a machine to ask question to a mechanic. Alternatively, if they experience any problem in fixing a machine, it is better that they put their question in forth of a mechanic and see what he suggests him to do. It will not be wise to act without the guidance of a mechanic or else the consequence could be drastic and appalling.

We would be discussing what one can do to reach a mechanic and ask him a question or two.

Join a forum run by a mechanic:-

This is one of the interesting ways to interact with the mechanic. You will find most of the mechanics who deals with heavy equipment to be tech savvy and they also write articles pertaining to heavy equipment on their websites. You only have to get in touch with one such mechanic and if you have any question you can shoot it out there in that forum. There are chances that they might reply you with the solution. Just in case you do not see any reply, the next option would be to try and contact the person over the phone.

The contact details will be available on the website. You can fetch those details from there and probably email him first and if he wants you to call him, you can do that as well. Ideally, they will help you with some trouble shooting solutions and may even provide you a link that talks more about the subject issue. You check the link and see how it helps you.

Contact your local mechanic:-

Just in case, you do not get much help from the mechanic after having written to him on his blog/forum, the next best viable option would be to ask the same question to your local mechanic. If the question is related to some new technology that is available in the market and if that can be installed in your machine, you mechanic will at least take the effort to know about the new stuff and inform you if it is at all compatible for your machine.

Growth in the world of heavy equipment

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The technology of heavy equipment is growing rapidly nowadays. No one can deny the fact that this development of science extremely useful in detecting any kinds of damages in the equipment regularly. By using the technology of global positioning satellite, one can check the condition of the constructional heavy equipment even if it is placed at a great distant from the observer. Picking out the right equipment for the construction site is becoming a great challenge with so much new models coming out in the market every year. The sellers are offering lots of options and interesting features which ultimately make this troublesome task quite interesting.

Equipment used in construction sites

Among the many heavy equipment available in the market, backhoe loaders are gaining a strong hold in the constructional site as they are used in small tasks of demolitions, breaking down of the asphalt, digging or excavating the holes, to power the building equipment, little transportation of material building and paving of the roads. To smash up rocks and huge chunks of concrete, many people use breaker tools in place of backhoe bucket. To get rid of the loads efficiently and quickly, some of the loader buckets contain a retractable bottom. This retractable bottom of the loader buckets are useful in scratching and grading off the sand. The front side of the bucket has some devices which is either permanently seated or can be removed whenever needed. Most of the times, other constructional tools replace the bucket. The backhoe loader must have a tool coupler to get various types of fastening to the loader.

Bulldozers are large sized heavy equipment and they can easily go over a course terrain because of the mobility and a strong hold of the ground provided by the big trucks. Bulldozers have swamp tracks which are only extra-broadened tracks.

Compressed hydraulic excavators have three unique collections of undercarriage, workgroup and house. The arm and the boom along with breaker and buckets comprise the workgroup of the hydraulic compact excavator. All of them are attached to front portion of the structure of the house of the excavator through an oscillating frame which will allow the workgroup to be pivoted hydraulically right or left to do balance digging needed for trenching.

Today, the harvesters do all the tasks related with commercial felling in Finland and Sweden. They clear their ways by cutting down the forests and can work more easily on smooth terrain. To thinning out the debris, small harvesters are used particularly in the Nordic countries.

Pile drivers also do a lot of work with two rods of metal containing a cylinder between them. This design makes it move freely with the up and down sliding. To remove the cylinders, workers make use of a pulley system. It also involves the use of hydraulics or steam. To lift the cylinders, small explosions are also sometimes made in the chamber.

All of these heavy equipment have their own applications. So, one has to choose the equipment carefully deciding what kind of job he is going to do.

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Guide to start a business of heavy equipment

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The industry of repossession is growing continuously. It offers a lot of business contingencies to the people who want to start their own business of heavy equipment. This kind of business has lot of growth opportunities. It is because this constructional heavy equipment are used for forestry, construction, mining and transportation purposes. But, to start a business, it is very important to have a strong business plan so that you can easily take your business to the top. You only have to do a little hard work and calculations to build up your successful business strategy. You don’t have to search over the internet to make your business plan. Just follow the simple steps given below and you will definitely rock.

Business plan for heavy equipment

  • The first thing which matters is the budget. You should plan your budget in such a way that you won’t face any financial crisis afterwards. Create a list of all the equipment that you are planning to get. If you have a low budget, then go for buying used equipment. Your budget should include all the money that you have to pay to the marketers as well as to the employees.
  • Now, choose a proper name of your business. Then you have to file all the exact information of DBA with the local government. After that, try to get the license of your business as soon as possible.
  • Your driver’s license should contain the appropriate classification for hauling heavy equipment. Get the license checked by the motor vehicle’s local department of the state. If you are planning for driver hiring, then check their driver license too.
  • Purchase or rent a space for commercial office. The space should have large storage yard so that you can keep big and heavy equipment in that.
  • You can also employ contractors who work independently. By doing this, you can save a lot from your budget. But, the independent contractors should have a proper insurance.
  • Lease or purchase the equipment for your company. The equipment should bear the necessary info of your company like name, address, logo and contact details.
  • Develop strong marketing strategy. Contact with the companies who are involved in financing the constructional equipment purchases. Meet them face to face and try to give them every information of your company which will help you to explore your business.
  • Now, one of the most important steps towards marketing is developing a website with proper logo and company’s name. Your website should have an attractive design to draw more traffic to the website.
  • You should join the industrial agencies such as American Recovery Association. It will help you to apprize with local and national news of business referrals.

Starting a business of heavy equipment is not so easy. You have to be very careful of every step that you are going to take. But, this thing shouldn’t demotivate you. Be brave enough to face the challenge and explore your heavy equipment business globally.

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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How do you adjust brakes on a bulldozer?

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Have you wondered what will happen when you bump off to something while your car is at a good speed and you are unable to apply brakes on it? Well, there will be a disaster. This small example can be given to make somebody realize the importance of brakes in a car. Similarly, when it comes to heavy equipment, you need to be extra careful with its brakes. Mind you, that when you are dealing with heavy equipment, you become accountable for any loss that happens if you are not able to operate the machine properly which also includes its brakes not functioning properly. At times, when you apply brakes you can get to hear a sound that appears like the brakes are not well lubricated. This is perhaps the first indication the machine is giving you to work on the maintenance of the machine. It is always advisable that you do not start opening the parts of the equipment as long as you are not an expert who know the in and out of the machine and can indeed work things out and repair the brakes. You should get help of a mechanic who can fix the problem for you.

Apparently, not many people go to the mechanic in the first place. They would like to experiment things on their own and when they realize that this is not their cup of tea that is when they turn up to a mechanic. By the time, they have caused enough harm to the machine.

For people who are used to working on a bulldozer can try the following steps to adjust brakes on it. However, it is still recommended that they get in touch with a mechanic to work things out.

Firstly, you should remove the steel floor plate. Once you have done that, you should be able to see the drive shaft area. You should then check how long it takes for the drive shaft to stop spinning after you are done with depressing the clutch firmly. If you find that the spin time is taking quite long, then you should make sure that you grip the brake band aggressively. However, a word of caution will be that you do not try to be very aggressive in tightening the brake band as there is a possibility that you may end up causing a brake drag on the disk and in this process may overheat and damage the lining of the brake.

You should ensure that the disk spins smoothly when you put off the engine and monitor the temperature of the disk after it has ran smoothly for some time. This is done to check if it is getting hot. If it is overheating then that suggests there is a problem. You can do the same process again and check if it is overheating. If it continues to overheat, then it is better that you take this up to a mechanic and let him fix the problem.

 

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John Deere business plans for the Year 2015

The year 2014 may have a wonderful year for many and not so wonderful year for some. But it was definitely not a very happening year for the heavy equipment manufacturing industry. They had to struggle a lot of factors for the entire year; out of which competition was the biggest factor. Other than this, there were factors like global economic slowdown, unrest in the Middle East nations, the overall business slowdown that has largely affected the mining, oil and gas and construction sector and many more reasons that has slow paced the overall industry. Overall, it has not been a great year for the overall industry and the forecast is also not so pleasant. Big and small equipment manufacturing companies are affected alike by the slowdown in the global economy. The sales of the equipment have gone for a toss and there are not much takers available in the market. This is perhaps the reason why many companies have suffered losses and their sales graph shows a massive decline which they have not seen for years.

Talking especially about John Deere, it has not remained unaffected by the impact of the slow paced market conditions. John Deere is known for producing agricultural and heavy equipment machines had to take the beating of the market. Deer’s outlook gave the news that for the new fiscal year the situation will be grimmer and they do not see any major improvement in the market situation. The outlook suggests that the sales of the equipment is estimated to take a dip of more than 15 percent for the current year and may further scale down to 21 percent during the first fiscal quarter. They also estimated that the net income of the company will be around $2 billion compared to $3.16 billion in the year 2014. Things were much better in the year 2013 with earnings of $3.54 billion. The fall in the number of earnings only suggest the performance of the company. It will not be superficial to express that the company needs to take some time out to think and revamp its strategies. May be they need to make some changes here and there and need to focus on few very important issues that may kick off the sales number from where it is now.

The news of poor sales has already affected the price of their shares in the stock market making it more difficult for the company. The company’s earnings were totaled at around $35 billion in the year 2013 which has now come down to $32.9 billion. This dismal performance has not brought down the morale of the employees of the company. The CEO of the company is positive that the company will bounce back and this time with a bang. Though there has been a global pullback in the agricultural sector, still the company will show profits in the year 2015. They have intended to prepare a more resilient model of growth that will help John Deere to turn the table to their favor.

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Plans of Hyundai for the year 2015

The year 2014 has been a big pain for all the heavy equipment manufacturing companies. They were all left complaining about slow growth rate and decline in the sales volume. Due to unrest in the Middle East and other parts of the globe, customers were reluctant to make further purchases. Another reason that adds to the misery is delay in starting a project. Due to many reasons, projects are unable to take off and that results in decline in the demand for heavy equipment. Therefore, it also does not make any sense to produce innovative machine as it makes no difference in a stagnant market. Like all other companies, Hyundai is also going through the same rough phase and is struggling hard to come out of it. The think tankers are working hard to find a solution to this issue and are also waiting for the market to correct. If the issues in the Middle East are put to rest, then things might start catching speed from there. However, that is just a matter of some time and needs patience. It is therefore important for companies to find an alternative and check other potential markets rather than simply sticking to countries that are of not much importance for the time being.

Having said that, it does not imply that construction equipment manufacturing companies should simply wind up their businesses from such countries. They can reduce their labor force and ensure that they do not end up spending their capital in units that may not yield much to them. If we check the last few years’ performance of Hyundai, we find that there has been a consistent fall in their sales volume. It is simply not picking up. In this way, they are only lowering their performance bar and are expecting that it will get to see some green pasture sooner.

Hyundai is in no mood to continue with its sick units or the units that are not performing. The year 2015 will be the year of corrections for them. They have to identify the units that is not performing and then also need to check the possibility of it remaining in that condition for the next few months. If they are convinced that there are no signs of revival, then it will be prudent to close such units and save the company from incurring further financial loses. The next thing that they can do is lay off few employees from units that are performing but not as per the company’s projections. It makes no sense to have a workforce that is not delivering. Other than this, they can also move their back office staff to sales department or can cross train them to perform duties at various levels.

Cross training people will keep the resources intact and will also enable them to perform various duties at different situations. By following few simple things can bring them back in business. However, for the time being the ground situation is grim and it will bounce back only if corrective actions are taken.

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How To Construct Pipelines using Heavy Equipment?

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Almost all the projects of pipeline construction occurs mainly in rural areas and this construction work can be carried out in all climatic conditions. The receiving of effective and timely supply of logistics can appear as a major challenge because of the inferior infrastructure which is a very common case while carrying out the operations of pipeline construction. Moreover, heavy equipment plays a vital role in constructing the pipelines. You should have a proper knowledge of the heavy equipment before you take on the job of pipeline project.

Heavy Equipment for Pipeline Construction

  • Dozers: – Dozer is used to clear the land where the pipeline is going to be installed. The land is levelled using the dozers to enable the workers to construct the pipeline there. Here, they are mainly used for cutting and grading. Dozers which are generally used in pipeline jobs differ in sizes according to the job requirement.
  • Shovels: – Though shovel is not a heavy equipment, still it plays an important part in the construction of pipeline. They are used to dig, lift and shift huge objects required for pipeline jobs. They are one type of excavator and power shovels which are big in size is used during the work.
  • Backhoe:- The employees use backhoe to excavate the trench of pipeline. The land which has been excavated while carrying out the work of ditching is temporarily piled on the inactive side of the trench that means where no work is being done. The depth of the excavated ditch depends on the diameter and width of the pipe to be installed.
  • Pipe bending machine: – Each joints of the pipe to be installed are suspended along the right side which is adjacent to the unearthed ditch, and arranged in such a manner that it become gettable to the personnel employed in the pipeline job. The pipe-bending machine bends every joints of the pipe to the prescribed angle at places where there is a notable underground curvature and where it is needed to change the path of the pipeline. The pipe-bending machine includes Motor Grader, Motor Crane, Air Compressor, Pumps, Skid Truck and many more.
  • Side Boom Tractors:- The collections of the pipes are lowered into the trenches through the use of side boom tractors. The trench then is filled again with the help of bladed equipment like shovel, tractor and others.
  • Dump Truck: – Dump Truck is heavy equipment used in pipeline installation. It is used to carry loose materials like dirt, gravel and sand which can be purposeful for the pipeline job. It comes in a lot of types and the contractor should choose the right one to complete the work perfectly within the said time limit.

 

After the backfilling ad testing work of the pipeline completed, the disrupted ground is restored once again to its initial look. Construction of pipeline is not an easy job and it calls for some maintenance too after the work has been done. The inspectors of the project have been assigned with the job of monitoring and supervising the constructional work which they have to perform with great care.

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Top 10 Models of Wheel Loader

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Wheel loader is an excellent tractor which finds its application for construction and building purposes. They have different shapes and sizes to suit the needs of the user. Here are top 10 models of wheel loader.

521F-The CASE 521F is provided with 4-tier technology engine that combines comfort, adaptability, and superior service. It is extremely beneficial to the operator for being fuel efficient and fast speed. The service costs are also low due to simple SCR design which makes it easy to maintain.

1221F-This is the perfect model which can move large quantities of materials. It combines power, control and productivity. It is a powerful heavy equipment which has tier 4 technology of engine installed in it which makes its operators to use for longer duration and consume minimum fuel. It also has power shift transmissions which permits the operator to set the shift transmission according to the needs for a particular application.

990K-This model of wheel loader has proven unique features and finds its application as one of the finest tool for loading. This version has Tier 2 EPA technology and is powered by ACERT technology which makes it very productive by consuming less fuel. The speed of the engine is lesser which helps in saving fuel.

HL760-9-It is very fuel-efficient heavy equipment. This model of wheel loader has three forms such as Power, Standard and Econo. One unique feature of this model is that it has an advanced color visual display with 5.7 inch LCD for the user to operate the machine easily by reducing the glare.

JCB 411-This 411JCB model is equipped with tier 4i technology of engines which makes it fuel-efficient. It also has operator cabs that are large in size and it also has a remote monitoring system. The JCB live link technology enables engine information to be accessed from distance.

JCB 416-It also 4i tier technology engine which helps in reducing fuel costs. It is very economical and does not require diesel oxidation, expensive diesel filter. Its speed is regulated by a viscous engine fan situated in the machine.

ZW 180–5-It is designed to give top class productivity and comfort to the users. The machine has a relaxing cab which is user friendly and can be controlled easily. The features of the machine make it easy to maintain. It is safe and sustainable and does not have harmful discharge complying with the EU rules of emission standards.

L330C-It is a good model which is extremely fuel efficient and comfortable to the operators. It is equipped with an alternator and a water pump.

L30B-This is top model of wheel loader which has innovative design, immense driving comfort and versatility. It has an electronic service which makes it to maintain easily.

L35B-It is an excellent model of wheel loader which has great power and stability owing to the computer aided design. It is long lasting and can be moved easily. It also comprises a comfortable cab and slender doorposts for all-round visibility.

 

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