Tag Archives: Construction Equipment

Pitch heavy equipment that go by customer’s needs

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People who are into selling often complain of targets that they find to be unachievable. Many find it hard to even go close to the target assigned to them and there are hardly few who are able to make it for the month. In the race to achieve given targets, salesman often commits the mistake of miss-selling items to the buyer. They just not bothered about the needs of the client. What they are more interested is to achieve the targets and get good commission out of it. In this process they are losing one big thing and it is the old customers and probably the chance of getting new ones too. Customers are smart enough to understand that you have not sold them the right product. They may not realize it at the point when you are selling it to them but will definitely get to know after some days. This is when you lose him.

In the construction industry, customer’s needs are very specific. You can’t try to fiddle with them because if you try to do so, you can get caught the next moment. Remember the guys to whom you have approached are there in the industry for the last many years and they have been dealing with different kinds of heavy equipment which you must have never heard about. So there is absolutely no point in talking something that does not make any sense to them or giving them with fake assurances. You got to be quite clear with your approach. If you have the item you say yes or else pitch some kind of an alternative that will go well with the equipment they require. But do not try to pitch a product that does not have any relevance to the requirement of the client. This will just not go well with him.

Do some research on the client’s business:-

Your client will appreciate your effort if you take some time out and try to understand his business. Every construction business is different from the other and so are their requirements. You got to first realize what they are dealing with and for that what kind of heavy equipment shall they need. Now this take some time and you do not get any money to do this research but remember that this very research will get you rich dividends as you may get all the orders of heavy equipment. The client will know you for the time you have given to understand the business and also have the confidence that you will not try to miss sell any heavy equipment.

Pitch the product that the client is looking for:-

Many a times, construction companies are not sure what heavy equipment should be used for a specific kind of work. They may have a number of options in their mind but could not figure out the correct one. This is where your expertise comes into play. After knowing his business needs, pitch a product that is very close to what he needs. That will generate the trust in the mind of the person and you can then expect to get many more orders from him.

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Things to Consider while Buying Heavy Equipment

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Heavy equipment is one of the most important or most essential elements in the current era of construction. If you too run a small to medium construction business, it is a must that you either own or rent the heavy construction equipment. The large scale construction business owners mostly own their own equipment. This helps them in cutting down the budget.

But, in case you are a small to medium scale construction business owner, it is a must that you consider these things before buying the heavy construction equipment.

  • Equipment that you need:

 

Depending on the type of construction work that you offer or are prepared to offer, you need to purchase the heavy equipment. The equipment needs to suit the type of business that you do. Many construction businesses only offer construction service for buildings. Many, on the other hand, offer services for dam construction, road construction as well as deforesting services. Your equipment should be compatible with your work or service.

  • Your budget:

 

The next thing that you need to keep in mind or take into consideration is that you should decide on a budget. Budget is the most important thing when it comes to buying the heavy construction equipment. This is because the heavy construction equipment do not come for an easy price. They are indeed expensive and you cannot afford to waste or engage money on something that you do not need. Make a list of the equipment and machines that you need and then decide your budget.

  • Used or New:

 

Since the heavy construction equipment comes for an expensive price, the small to medium scale business owners often think of renting the equipment. However, if your business is a well-settled one and you have quite a number of projects in hand, think of owning or purchasing the equipment.

While you decide on buying the equipment, you will get options like used or second hand equipment as well as the brand new ones. The prices differ drastically. There is nothing to worry about buying the used heavy equipment, provided you buy from a trusted source. Make sure it has all the documents and is sold buy a legal owner. Since the price of the heavy equipment is quite high, there are often illegal financial transactions taking place regarding the purchase and sale of the heavy equipment. Avoid any of that to make sure that you do not fall into trouble.

Also, check for the condition of the heavy equipment. The few things that are important are –

  • How old the equipment is
  • The condition of the engine
  • Whether the equipment is injured or not
  • If there is anti-theft software or tools installed.

If all these factors seem convincing to you, you can decide on buying the heavy equipment. You can check for the trusted online as well as offline sellers, who can offer you various options of these machines. The experts will certainly guide you regarding the choice of the right heavy equipment that you should spend on.

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Blog are helpful to pick the heavy equipment of your choice

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We often get advices for free but expert advice comes with a price and moreover if the advice that you need is about heavy equipment. No wonder it is a complex subject and many heads have a lot of things to say about it but rather than getting confused hearing all those voices, you should take them and make necessary analysis. The analysis that you make will eventually be useful for you to take a call on taking the right decision and to pick the right heavy equipment. Now the question is do you have to make a blog to ask a question or can do it in someone else’s. It can be either ways. You have the liberty to create your own blog and put questions there but the chance of someone answering will be seldom. It depends upon who visits your site and checks out your questions. You may get a lot of response if the question is a common one and people know how to deal with it or may even end up getting hardly any.

Now moving to the blog that has been created by an expert. These blogs are visited often by people who have keen interest on heavy equipment and subjects related to construction. They may not necessarily have a question to ask but want to gain some information by reading some out of the box questions. You get to see a lot of thoughts out there. People come out with some real good answers that have not been contemplated by the best of the minds in the industry. Blogs are in fact a wonderful place where people come and share their excellent ideas on any given topic. So a complex subject like heavy equipments may look simple when you have people explaining it to you in the simplest manner.

Many have found blogs as a problem solving tool. People do not want to call a mechanic to fix small issues as they will charge him a bomb and therefore try their level best to fix up things. Now they put their issue on the blog of an expert and wait for the responses. Accordingly he tries out things and let others know if it worked. Just in case, if it fails to work and some other issue crops up, he can post that too on the blog and can expect some workaround.

Who uses blogs to put their issues? Are they only used by guys who are amateurs or even by veterans? Blogs are used by all those who know a bit about the topic and wants to contribute by sharing their views on the given topic. Well nobody is paid for giving the right answers though. You are only helping people and enhancing your knowledge by knowing if your suggestion worked. Alternatively, you also get to learn things that were never known to you. People at times can also give some business tips but that is very rare to happen. However it is still a possibility.

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How to buy heavy equipment at lower price

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Every company would want to buy raw materials required to make finished goods at a lower price. This will help them to bring down their manufacturing cost and can make more profits in return. However, the challenge here is to know the source that can provide them the raw material at a lower price. The raw material provider does not provide the stuffs at cheap rates to everyone but there is a simultaneous market that deals with the same stuff at a lower rate. The problem is not everybody is aware of this simultaneous market. Similarly, when it comes to the construction industry, they have one such market from where they can buy heavy equipment at a lower price. There are few construction companies who are in the business of buying construction machines at a relatively lesser price and then let it out to other companies or contractors. They make good money in this transaction as well as are also able to retain the machine.

Repo heavy equipment can be bought at a lower price:-

Buyers of heavy equipment who purchases the machines by borrowing loan and if they are unable to repay the money, the machine is repossessed by the lender. Now, the lender does not want to keep it under its possession for too long. The lender is interested to get its money back and therefore it auctions the machine and sells it to the highest bidder. In this particular case, not many people are aware of such auction and therefore not many people turn up. Also, the lender wants to get the money back that it has lent to the borrower and is not looking to make more money by doing this process. This means they keep the price of the heavy equipment much lower than one can think of. Due to low footfall, the price of the machine does not increase exponentially in the auction and the highest bidder can manage to buy it at a lower price.

Shutting down the business:-

The construction sector is quite a challenging and dynamic one and not many people are able to survive the odds of the industry. This is why many people decide to shut down the business and try something else. The people who are in the process of shutting down their business would want to sell off all their belongings so that they can have some money at the end of their entrepreneurial journey. They will be releasing an ad in local newspaper or simply list the item on some website that deals with buying and selling of heavy equipment. Just in case, you manage to get to know the person, you can directly walk up to him/her and check if he/she wants to sell it off to you. You can check the condition of the machine and give him/her a deal that he can’t refuse. They will be happy to get anything reasonable that you can offer him/her and will hand over the machine to you.

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Influx of foreign heavy equipment makers have made competition tougher

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It is said that competition gives birth to quality products and rightly said this has not only given birth to quality products but also have brought many innovative heavy equipment into existence. Heavy equipment industry at one point in time was manufacturing products lacking innovation but after the influx of foreign companies in the US market, things have drastically changed and many US heavy equipment companies have started taking things seriously. They got to know that if they want to survive then they have to manufacture machines that meets the overall wants and needs of the end user. This has also given rise to employing competent engineers and designers who take the lead work to manufacture machines that are different from their competitors. All this has resulted in giving a new shape to the heavy equipment industry that no one has ever witnessed before.

However the real challenge that the US heavy equipment manufacturing companies are experiencing is continue what they have now made a legacy. Giving the best to the end user is part of a very difficult job and companies often find themselves in a tough spot when it comes to deliver the best. On top of that, when you have similar companies who have come from foreign land and delivering better than you, it gets tougher to keep up to the mark or raise your level. Rise in competition may be good for the end user but it becomes problematic for the homemade companies. Other than that, there are few small companies who may not stand in front of those giant players and may be eaten up by the big fishes. So if there is someone who wants to establish his company, he will have a hard time setting his foot firmly on the ground. He may be simply washed away even if he produces better equipment than the big players.

Companies like CAT, John Deere etc. may be able to sustain the competition as they have been in this business since a long time and have also seen many ups and downs. So they have the experience to counter any threats or challenges but when it comes to companies who are newly formed, they may lack the expertise and the experience to tackle a tough competitor. They may always find themselves getting inside the mouth of a bigger fish. So the competition which had brought several changes in the heavy equipment industry is also creating a negative stir in it.

As a matter of fact, everything has its pros and cons and perhaps the cons of the influx of foreign heavy equipment makers is that the small companies who aspire to become big may get completely washed away. They either have to join any of the big companies forgetting their dream of establishing a company of their own or just leave this industry and try something else in life. This is a ruthless fact of competition that many have to gulp in even if they do not want to.

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Related articles across the web

How to operate a loader

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Loaders are one of the most essential and important heavy construction equipment that the construction workers simply cannot do without, in the current construction scenario. However, operating the loader, or in fact any other heavy construction equipment, is not an easy task. You need to make sure that you know the steps properly, so that the loader doesn’t tip over or change directions all of a sudden.

Start with choosing the right size and power of the loader. There are different kinds of the loaders. You can choose a skid loader or a wheel loader or the other kinds of loaders, as per your requirement. Once you have done so, you need to follow these steps.

  • Read the user manual:

 

The first step is to read the user manual of the loader carefully. There you will be guided about the different switches, levers and other tools. Take your seat and carefully identify the switches. Before you start, you must fasten your seat belt properly, so that you do not fall from the loader.

  • Understand the controls:

 

There are two steering handles in almost all the loaders. They are located on the sides of the arm rest of both sides of the loader. There is also a diagram for the buttons that clearly state how the loader runs and before you start the machine, you need to look at the loader carefully.

  • Start the loader:

 

To start the loader, usually you are given a key that is almost similar to that of a car. Some loaders are also started by a clearly visible start button. Nowadays, the newer loaders come with a keypad, where you will have to enter the starting code and the machine will start.

  • Unlock the controls:

 

Usually the control system is locked and hence, as you start the machine or loader, you need to unlock the control system. A toggle switch does the job and when it is turned off, a red lamp is ignited and when it is switched on, it turns green.

  • Moving the bucket:

 

Usually the bucket is controlled by the left steering handle. It must be made assured that the joystick is moved only to the right or left side or to the front and back. Diagonal movement may cause the machine to act differently; rather than moving the bucket. Many loaders use pedals to run the machine and control the buckets. While moving the vehicle, you must always lift the bucket high enough to see the front clearly.

  • Controlling the right handle:

 

The right handle controls how the bucket is operated to load and unload the debris. Moving the right handle to the left will raise the bucket and moving it to the right will unload or dump the material in the bucket.

Now that you have understood how the loaders can be operated, it is a must that you stop the loader right in front of the pile of material that you want to load or unload. Once you are done, park the machine properly, so that it doesn’t obstruct the area. Always move the vehicle in slow speed.

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Resale of Cat heavy equipment

Most of the assets that are in good condition have a resale value. Buyers while buying any new asset should have the notion in their mind that there will be a time when they have to resell it someone and therefore they should buy it from such a brand that can give a good resale price in the market. Focusing on heavy equipment, there are number of machines of different brands available. But it makes more sense to buy the heavy equipment of the brand which can give you a good resale value. You may want to sell it after few years and you want to sell it at a good price. So as long as you do not buy the stuff of a renowned brand, the chances of getting a good resale value are miniscule. It is therefore advisable to invest your money into buying heavy equipment of a brand that is long lasting, reliable, power efficient and also gives you a good price when you go out to sell it in the market.

Caterpillar is one such brand that meets all the above requirement that a buyer generally wants to have in a heavy equipment. According to a study, it has been observed that CAT dozers are the ones that got sold real fast and also gave a good price to the seller. Well, it is not just the dozer, you can take any CAT heavy equipment for that matter and you can expect to get a good resale value for it. CAT has been carrying this legacy of excellence right throughout its inception and it intends to continue with it by delivering incredible performance across all class. Whatever they get into they try to make class stuff so that the end user do not end up regretting or they receiving any complain from the customer about a fault in a particular product.

Keep the machine well maintained:-

In order to get good resale value, there are few things that a owner should consider doing throughout the time the machine is in its possession. Firstly, the heavy equipment should be well maintained at all times. Though CAT machines are exceptional in quality, if you do not take good care of them they may turn rogue. It is absolutely no fault of the machine. The users should ensure that in order to maintain the highest standard of performance the heavy equipment should be serviced at regular intervals. It should be cleaned after work so that the dirt gets wiped off its body and also lubricate the machine at regular intervals. This in turn increases the overall longevity of the machine and thus ensures a good resale value.

Give it a new look:-

We all like to buy things that look new. It may be a used one but we expect it to look a bit new. The owners of heavy equipment should get the equipment painted before they decide to sell it off. If required, change the faulty parts with new. This will give a new life to the machine.

Heavy Equipment #1 accidents

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We believe that accidents happen due to our negligence. That is certainly one of the reasons why accidents do occur but there are certainly other factors that contribute for such an incident. We can even contribute absent mindedness to be one of the reasons or for that matter lack of anticipation can even lead to accidents. So there is no one particular reason why accidents occur; which is why people find it extremely difficult to tackle the problem. There can numerous reasons why an accident can happen and therefore it is almost impossible to contain such an event. Not all accidents can be attributed to human error. Some just happen. Even after being cautious and alert one can meet an accident. So there is no fool proof formula to save a person from meeting up with an accident. However, by taking precautionary measures one can certainly avert an incident or can lessen the amount of casualty.

People can meet up with an accident while they are at work and there are some professions that are termed to be risky. This means that people who are into that profession can meet up with a possible incident at any point in time. Construction industry is one such sector where the incidences of accidents have increased over the years. In spite of taking utter care on the construction site some people accidentally injure themselves and at times it even leads to loss of life. One of the most crucial things that one needs to understand while they are at the jobsite is that they will just not indulge in anything else other than their work. This means that they can’t use their cell phones (It has been considered a prime reason for accidents on the jobsite) while they are at work. In case they need to attend some urgent calls, they can provide a Landline number located inside the jobsite but using a cell phone should be strictly restricted.

A lot of accidents happen when the operator fails to understand the signal or some incorrect signal has been given. The operator needs to be very sure of what he is doing. He just can’t take a wrong step because if he does that it can turn out to be extremely fatal. The #1 accident that happens in heavy equipment is perhaps from an excavator. Excavators have to work on soft land and if a detailed study of the land is not done then there is every chance of an accident to occur.

Moreover when the excavator is moving to and fro if someone comes in mid of the way and the operator loses sight of the person then that can even claim the life of the person. At the same time, one must stay away from the arm of the excavator while it is operating on the jobsite. You never know which way it will move and it is not possible for the operator to always make sure that no one enters the zone where the machine is working. Therefore, it becomes the onus of the people to understand that they should not be around the machine while it is active.

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Putting heavy equipment in shipping containers

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We live in a global village where almost every product is accessible to every part of the world. All you need to do is ship the item to the place of demand. This is why Wal-Mart is eyeing Asian markets as it feels that the population of people is more in countries like India and China and this means more consumers for them which in turn lead to more business. Though Wal-Mart has still to make inroads in countries in India it does see it as a hot business destination. All they have to do is ship their products to India, China and other such countries and make good business. It does not take much effort to ship products that are smaller in size and less heavy but when it comes to things that are huge and are also heavy shipping such items should be done with care. You may not want to see any defect that arises on transit. The buyer will definitely not buy an item which is expensive and has dents on it or has gone faulty because of improper shipping facility.

 

Heavy equipment manufacturing companies no longer limits itself in doing business in US only. They have spread their wings and want to fly in all directions. They want to expand to countries where they see huge scope for the construction market. This is why they have also set up offices and industries in various countries so that they do not have to always ship items from US to the destination country.

 

At times heavy equipment companies receive orders of machines that they do not manufacture in the country from where they received the order. They are then compelled to get it shipped from the place where the item is available. Now the issue is not during loading the machine but you face the problem while unloading it. At the time of loading the item you take utmost care to use all the mechanisms in place to ensure that the machine is loaded carefully but while unloading it in a different country, the people out there may not be trained or informed or experienced in unloading a heavy equipment and they goof up big time.

 

Just because they do not have the necessary resource to unload the item they end up keeping it at the dock for days. This causes lot of issues to the company who actually ordered the item and also a great deal of embarrassment to the manufacturing company. What needs to be done is make a note of all the stuffs that were used to put the heavy machine in the shipping container and transmit the message to the party of the country where the machine will be shipped. Ask them to come down with a crane or a fork lift that has the potential to lift the machine and take it home.

 

By following few simple rules it becomes absolutely simple to load heavy equipment in containers and then ship them across.

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Running a storm clean-up project using heavy equipment

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Heavy equipment is one of those inventions that have made life way easier. The different types of heavy equipment that are available in the market can take care of any kind of heavy duty work. It can construct, destruct and remove anything from anywhere, without much of a trouble.

Though storms like hurricanes, tornadoes and cyclones and even the snow storms are some of the natural forces that cannot be prevented, the damage that is caused by these can well be repaired and managed with the help of the heavy equipment.

Managing the damages:

Storms are sometimes extremely disastrous, resulting in so much of damage and financial losses that it becomes absolutely difficult to overcome the losses. What is an added trouble is that storms simply disconnect the world and this brings the livelihood to a standstill. Even after the storm has stopped, people fail to get back to the normal life to cope. This is because, the roads, the houses and everything else is affected by the storms. In such a case, heavy equipment comes in as a help to remove the debris and to construct the damaged.

  • Managing the railroad damages:

 

Railroads are one of the most important aspects of communication that is often damaged by the storms. There are some areas of the railroads, where it is absolutely difficult for the rail equipment to go in, in order to remove the debris. The nearby forest and woods often get torn apart and block the railroads. In such cases, the mulcher excavators help in removing the debris. These mulchers can mulch down the logs, stems and the huge amount of forest debris within a very short span of time.

  • Repairing roads:

 

Often roads are damaged severely after a storm. The bitumen and asphalt come out of the roads, making it absolutely impossible to drive on and also dangerous. The bulldozers, excavators and motor graders, crawlers as well as chip spreaders can manage the task within a day or two.

What needs to be mentioned here is that reaching the remote areas is a difficult task for many vehicles because of the waterlogging. However, the heavy equipment that is specially designed to manage storm damages, are capable of going through water.

  • Dumping the debris:

 

Along with removing the debris, it is also very important that you take the debris to the dumping grounds. The loaders help in this task. The loaders come in various sizes and they can carry huge amount of loads from one place to the other. You can also hire the dumping trucks for this task of carrying the debris.

Depending on the damages and the type of help that you need, you can choose the heavy equipment. The heavy equipment for storm clean-up can either be hired or purchased. You can decide whether you want to own the equipment or hire it when you need it. There are many suppliers, who offer both brand new and used heavy equipment for various purposes. Choose a good and reputed supplier.

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