Tag Archives: Construction Equipment

Active marketing on social media websites

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Cut throat competition has led to invention of new and innovative marketing techniques. In order to stay in the market they all follow the various marketing channels to reach out to a large number of people. You may have a good reputation and have been running the business for a long time but it does not take a while for people to forget you if you fail to keep knocking the minds of people. People forgetting your presence can happen due to many reasons. However, the most primary one is there are multiple companies available in the market that produces the same quality stuff.
So if you miss to stay in the minds of people, there will be someone else who will take your place and soon you will be out of the league. This is quite a dangerous thing to happen and no tenured company will ever want this to happen. The same rule is applicable in the construction industry as well. In order to get new projects or work, you need to be known to others and it is possible only when you stay active on social media websites and speak in volume about your work.
Lay out a strategy in the first place:-
It is crucial that you first lay out a concrete strategy to put up the name of your construction company on social media sites. For this, you need to first have a website that talks about you and your company. The vision of your company should be clear in the website. Once you have your website in place, you need to locate the social media site that is most famous amongst masses. Now there are few websites that are known for casual purpose and some are for business purpose. You should be more active on the business one. However, that does not rule out your chance to post your work on other social media websites. What is important for you is to get known by as many people as it is possible. The more people know you and your work the more are your chances to get businesses from clients. Remember, every prospective client of yours also have an account for posting casual stuffs. They get to see your company on both types of social media sites and therefore they know about you sooner as compared to your competitors.
Be more active on professional social media website:-
You should be active on social media websites to gain attention of people but you should be more active on social media sites that are meant for professional purposes. There you will come across people who belong to your profession and the chance of getting work from them is more. Simultaneously, you will also bump across people who are skilled workmen and you may require their services for the completion of a project. There are websites that are exclusively used by Human Resources team of different companies to hire new talents. They go through the work experience of the job aspirants and if it matches their requirement they are informed about the date of interview. You can also hire skilled labor force from such websites.

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Buying heavy equipment directly from the company or from the dealer

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When you think of buying heavy equipment you need to know which equipment will meet your business needs. Not all heavy equipment is competent to do all kind of construction work and therefore you require the one that is indeed going to be helpful to take care of your business needs. Now once you know what kind of equipment you require, the next important thing for you to know is which model you should be going for and from where you can get the best deal. Every new model has some additional feature and it becomes imperative for you to understand which model to go for. Buying the latest model will be helpful but also be ready to pay the price for it which will undoubtedly be very high. It is also not necessary for you to go for the latest model as you can get your work completed by buying an older version which will be comparatively less expensive.

Once you know which model you should be going for, the next crucial analysis will be to determine if you should be buying it directly from a company or get it from a dealer. Each one of them has their own advantages and limitations. So you got to be wise enough to understand the pros and cons and then take the call to buy the machine from either of them.

Not sure which model to buy:-

Suppose you fall in the category of buyers who is not sure which model he should be going for. Then you can take the help of the company by letting them know a bit about your project and your requirements. On the basis of your needs, they will suggest the model for you. Alternatively, you also need to disclose your budget to them. The amount you can spend to buy the machine plays a big role in the selection of the model. Just in case, you are falling short of finance, they can also arrange loan on the equipment. So make sure you have a good credit report before you apply for loan as you will not want it to get rejected.

Dealer can offer you good discounts:-

If you plan to buy heavy equipment from a dealer you can check if they can offer you with some discounts or are they running any offers that can eventually reduce the loan amount. Dealers take the call on offering discounts on the number of orders he has received from you. This means if you place a big order, there are higher chances that you will end up with good discounts on your purchases. At times, they offer you more discounts than what the company can give. It is primarily done to encourage people to buy equipment from dealers as companies can’t reach small towns.

Place an order online:-

If you are sure about the equipment you want to buy, you can then place your order online on the company’s website. You won’t be asked to pay online and can pay them after meeting them in person and personally checking the equipment.

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My Grease fitting will not take grease on my heavy equipment. What should I do?

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Grease fitting is attached to the top of the grease gun and it delivers grease from grease gun under high pressure to inside of the sealed joints of heavy equipments. For the efficient functioning grease fittings should be free of dirt and not contain hardened grease. However, grease fittings get clogged and become ineffective in delivery of grease (malfunction).The following are some of the solutions to overcome this problem:

  1. Spraying petroleum based spray onto a grease fitting and cleaning it with a cloth will clean the grease fitting.
  2. Heat the clogged fittings with a propane torch or heat gun on a low flame. Following which the grease gun should be attached and flow of new grease will push soften old grease out and will clear the fitting.
  3. To attach commercial grease fitting cleaners such Zecker Zap, IPA, Powerfist and Performance tools to the clogged fitting. They are attached to one end of the grease fitting, injected with light viscosity oil and then stroked with a hammer. This will force the oil into fitting and will clear it of the hardened grease. Thus, these tools help to clear fitting without removing, replacing, digging or scraping. Applying this option has advantages that one does not have to pay for labour charges, reduces maintenance costs and downtime.
  4. When the above solutions do not work, then the grease fittings have to be taken apart to clean off the grease.
  5. After unscrewing the fitting, its passage is cleaned with a wire and filled with motor oil. The fitting is replaced and oil is pumped up, which will soften the grease and get it out.
  6. Sometimes there is a hydraulic lock at the zerk and which seals it. One has to loosen this component so that grease flows in.
  7. Sometimes the little ball in the tip of zerk gets friction stiffness or dirt gets collected over it and just needs to be loosened. A small sharp object can be used to dislodge the tip.
  8. Most the grease hardens on the zerk fitting. After taking the grease fitting taken apart, the zerk fitting is removed. A very small flat head screwdriver is used to remove all the grease out of the opening. The remaining can be cleaned using oil. A new zerk fitting is used and new grease is pumped till it comes out of the seals.
  9. If the above methods are not effective, then the fittings can be replaced with new ones as they are inexpensive.

Additional few things although minor, need to considered when grease does not flow into grease fittings. Sometimes there is lack of contact of the tip of the grease gun and zerk of fitting. There is also a possibility that the grease gun nozzle is worn out and leads to collection of grease around the zerk. Hence, replacing it with a new nozzle works for a long time. Also, one used use superior quality of grease. Finally, a daily scheduled servicing of the grease fitting is necessary for proper maintenance of the equipment.

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Equipment purchase advice

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An advice received from a knowledgeable person boosts our confidence towards our commitment in accomplishing a task. We as humans are meant to take advices from people in things that we do not know and also at times we go for advices for things that we know. We just want to be double sure about what we are doing and therefore we want to hear the person out and whatever he speaks go in sync with what we have thought, then we go for it.

So advice is something that is not only taken by guys who do not know about a particular thing but also by folks who knows about their stuff but just want to get a sort of assurance to their thoughts. Advices become all the more important when it is asked at critical junctures like a team of junior doctors operating a patient and want to confirm things from their senior or when you are about to purchase a new apartment and need advice from your attorney and from other people who are associated with the sale of the property.

Advice coming from an expert makes a lot of sense at critical junctures and especially when it is related to construction business. You need all sorts of advices from various sections as nothing is less important in that form of a business. Advices pertaining to purchase of heavy equipment is of immense importance for any construction house no matter how big or small his business is. It becomes more important when the scale of your business is big and any incorrect decision can take a big toll on it. For big construction companies, a lot of planning is needed before they go for buying heavy equipment. Heavy equipment are basically bought on the basis of the current requirement and how it can be used for future projects. It makes no sense to use the machines for just one big project and then sell it off at a much lesser price.

Involving men and take their inputs:-

Involvement of men who can give inputs on the purchase of heavy equipment is crucial for taking decisions. You have to ask them to go through the entire project and check what kind of heavy equipment will be required and at what stages they will be needed. You may not buy everything at one stroke. Just when you see the requirement is felt, you can go for the purchase. Now selection of heavy equipment is imperative. Get all the minds rolling on the model, brand and type of heavy equipment required for the work? Their advices will be will really helpful for you to take the final call.

Brand new or used heavy equipment:-

We often see ourselves in a dilemma when we have to decide if we should go for brand new or used heavy equipment. Probably due to lack of experience or knowledge we are unable to make our mind on this and desperately need an expert advice. This is where you talk to someone who is a part of this industry for long and take this advice.

Purchasing heavy equipment can really become a pain and only an advice from a knowledgeable person can make you feel comfortable.

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Top 5 motor graders on rent

Construction industry requires different types of heavy equipment. A motor grader is commonly used in construction industry and is referred to as road grader or a maintainer. It is a machine with a long blade used to create a flat surface during the grading process. It moves earth from one location to another and levels the soil by spreading it evenly. It is easy to operate in almost any terrain or weather condition. It can produce inclined surfaces for roads. Graders are the workhorses of construction industry, hence they are always needed on the worksite. Today they are highly in demand due to increase in construction activities. It is often observed that regular users buy them on rent or on lease, which is a cost-effective approach. Similarly, the first time users of this equipment try the rental option instead of purchasing new equipment.

Caterpillar, Komatsu, John Deere, Case, and Volvo, are the world’s topmost brands which manufacture different types of heavy equipment including motor graders. These brands are very popular and are trusted in construction industry. Thus, they are highly preferred for heavy construction activities due to the quality, durability and reliability. They sell or rent or lease their equipments. They provide new and used equipment on rental basis either directly or through their authorized dealerships.

The following are the reasons why topmost brands offer their equipment on rent.

  • Due to the increase in construction activities, there is huge demand for motor graders. Heavy equipment including graders are very expensive and it’s difficult for construction companies to purchase a new grader for multiple jobs on their work site. Further, there is an economic downfall, where a customer may not afford to buy brand new grader.
  • In case of short term projects, buying a new grader leads to waste of money since the grader is used for a particular duration after which it is not used.
  • When the current grader at a construction site is damaged and it needs to be repaired.
  • Due to the increased quantity of work on site, more number of graders are required.
  • The user wants to try a new model which is advanced technologically. However before purchasing a brand new one to be used for a long time and the option of buying on rent is helpful. The user also gets an idea of how the equipment performs and if it is suitable for his work.
  • Most buyers prefer for used graders which are rugged, reliable, easy to operate and maintain by local, low skilled crew, ready availability of spare parts and have high resale value. They do not want to work with grader equipped with highly sophisticated technologies and electronics in particular, since they lack operators with the required skill sets to operate and maintain the machine. Used equipment of Caterpillar and Komatsu are in demand.

 

Buying on rental basis becomes a feasible option, where one has to pay monthly rents the cost of which is affordable. In addition it has been observed that these both used and brand new equipment are maintained very well by the Rental service provider.

What does low oil pressure mean on your heavy equipment?

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A lot of care needs to be taken when it comes to construction equipments as it is often considered to be the backbone of the industry in any jobsite. If your heavy equipments cease to work your entire project comes to a standstill and a construction company will never want that to happen. This is the reason why they must ensure that the overall health of the heavy equipment is in order. Now something that plays a crucial role in determining the good health of heavy equipment is the lubricant that is used on it. The machine will perform smoothly as long as the lubricants are doing their job but one also needs to ensure to change the oil which if not done can cause immense problem to the machine to perform. This can simply not be ignored and if done then the owner should be ready to bear exponential cost to get the machine fixed.

In most of the modern day heavy equipment that all construction companies and contractors possess have something known as “oil pressure warning light” installed in the machine which will flicker the moment the machine comprehends a problem that is causing due to low oil pressure. They can also get a low oil pressure reading on the dash gauge which also acts as a warning indicating a problem is expected to arrive at your doorstep. The owner/operator should not take this warning lightly. Action needs to be taken immediately. However, it has been observed that people tend to neglect and ignore such warnings which later become the reason of the non-functioning of the machine. Since normal wear increases the engine bearing clearances, engines are bound to lose a certain degree of oil pressure. But when you indentify low oil pressure in an engine you should take it as an indication that there is something really wrong which if not worked on can throw up severe consequences.

One also needs to understand what causes low oil pressure. It is often caused due to worn main and rod bearings. The oil pump produced flow and any sort of resistance to this flow causes low pressure. So who causes resistance? It is the orifices in the engine block that causes the resistance. The oil flows through the engine block and between the bearings and crankshaft journals. So when the bearings wear it just increases the flow of oil which ultimately results in low pressure. Other parts of the machine such as the overhead cam engines can also suffer due to low oil pressure. Increase in the bearing clearance can also lead to noisy engine and pounding which should be enough indication for the owner to act immediately on the machine or be ready to shell out good chunk of money to fix the problem.

Other than rod bearing if there is an excessive flow of oil through any other means is also a cause of worry. This can obviously not be checked every now and then and which is why the best option is to get the problem resolved at the first stance when you see the oil pressure warning light flickering.

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Use social media as a tool to augment your heavy equipment business

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The construction and the heavy equipment industry are largely dependent upon new technology. The construction industry is always in the hunt of heavy equipment that can get the work done quickly and with utter precision. Now this is only possible if you upgrade your heavy equipment by adding new technology in it. This will bring in a new life to the machine and it will work with more vitality under tremendously rough situations. Now that was all about how technology can help get the work done at a faster pace. However, if we want to make use of technology to advertise our products and services so that it can reach to thousands of people at a given time, there is no better option than talking about your business in social networking websites. There you can reach to a large number of population without having to pay a penny for it.

There are many companies who are involved in the process of creating their business profiles in social networking websites like LinkedIn, Periscope, and Facebook etc. There find this to be an excellent tool to reach out to a sizable amount of people at one go. They have seen their business growing in this fashion and acquiring more clients from such networking websites.

There are few do’s and don’ts that one needs to follow while they set up their business profile in a social networking website.

Keep your personal and professional profiles separate:-

It is very crucial that you keep 2 accounts in one social networking website, one for your personal use and the other for your professional. If you are into selling of heavy equipment of all the brands, you can make use of your professional account to mention that there. Talk everything about your business in that account but pay special attention that you do not talk much about your business in your personal profile. If you share a couple of your business stories to any of your friend on the personal profile, it won’t be an issue but if you only keep on bragging about your success stories all the time on your personal account, your friends might get turned off by that. They definitely do not check your profile to know about the success in your life. They just simply want to know if things are ok with you.

Maintain strict professionalism on your business account:-

You should keep your business profile very professional. Social networking websites like LinkedIn are meant for professionals and businessmen who are looking to acquire clients and get businesses from them or to reach to the skilled masses and absorb them in their business. If you are an authorized dealer, you should be very stringent when it comes to professionalism.

Post a photo of your company:-

It makes ample of sense to post a picture of your company’s logo on your business profile. It help your prospective client to understand the kind of account you are holding and they will move into your business account to know more about your business and will not stray down to your personal account.

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Veteran salesman should be supportive to the newbie

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No wonder doing a sales job is one of the most difficult jobs one can do and it becomes harder when you do not get much support from the people who have been doing this job for years. It is pretty obvious that the young guns will definitely look for some sort of support from the older guys and this will what help them to climb up the ladder in life. Selling heavy equipment is considered to be a tough man’s job and not everybody can take the agony of persuading clients to purchase a thousand dollar stuff which the sales guy himself does not know much about.

The new ones will certainly not have much idea with what they dealing with but the tenured guys know how to crack the deal and which machine is used for what purpose. They kind of try to know the requirement of their client and then pitch their product. But the newbie will not be able to do that effectively. He may possibly speak everything about the heavy equipment that he has learnt from various sources but when it comes to comparing it with the client’s requirements, there are high chances that he might get completely bowled.

Give veterans a team to mentor:-

Every newcomer to any business needs a mentor to guide them. Here the veterans can play the role of a mentor and guide the new sales guys to glory. There are lots of tricks to a successful sale that a veteran sales person learns during his years of selling heavy equipment. He can share a bit of them and check how the guys are incorporating those tricks in their sales activity. Right from cold calling to fixing an appointment to making a successful sale, he needs to check that the guys are doing well in their job. In case, if someone is having a hard time and is dealing with some issue, he can jump in there and try to fix the problem. If required he can accompany the person for few appointments with different contractors or construction companies and show him the right way to sell heavy equipment.

Talk one to one with the new guy:-

Talking one to one with the new guys is a crucial point that the veteran should take into consideration. Not all are brilliant salesperson and some needs that extra nurture to develop into an excellent sales guy. More to this, not everybody understands heavy equipment the way it is and therefore there is a need of someone who can explain them about machines in simple terms. There will be no better person than a veteran who can help the young guns with their problems. Not everybody will speak up in front of everyone and they might feel more confident to speak on a one to one basis.

The beginners are full of energy and they can find ways to deal with things but what they need the most is some support from the experienced lots and once they get that, they can very well take care of their profession.

Fire Extinguishers with all heavy equipment

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Equipment that gets heated up in no time and also has fuel stored in a different chamber is more likely to catch fire. Heavy equipment work all throughout the day and become really hot even after having worked for few hours. There are high chances that the machine may catch fire and therefore there is a need to have fire extinguisher inside the heavy equipment. It also should be within the reach of the operator which means that he/she should not have to struggle to get the extinguisher the moment he/she detects the machine is on fire. The most common reason for the heavy equipment to catch fire is that the fuel tank is located just above the engine and when the engine becomes tremendously hot, the chances of it catching fire increases manifolds. Just a small spark is enough to cause a big disaster and therefore the operator should ensure that he continue working on the machine after giving some break to it.

Now as per the US department of Labor and US Fish and Wildlife Service it is sole responsibility of the employer to maintain fire extinguishers. If they are found not having one in the machine, they will be penalized as per the Labor’s Fire Protection Code 1926.150. But there is nothing mentioned in the code about the size of the fire extinguisher one should have and hence they can have any size of extinguisher provided it is rated not less than 2A and is provided to a protected area of 3000 square feet. Also the travel distance should not exceed by 100 feet.

What the employer can do before placing an extinguisher is go through the regulation carefully and understand them well so that later on he does not have to face any legal hassles from the court of the land. Simply installing a fire extinguisher does not make much sense when the person who is supposed to use it does not know how to use the stuff. This means that the operator should also be given sufficient training on how to handle a fire extinguisher. An operator will be the guy who can help himself if a crisis of this sort ever happens. He will not be able to find help from outside and if he does not know how to operate it well, it is a big danger for him.

The construction company should also put emphasis on programs related to fire fighting and should engage people to attend it. The workers in the jobsite should be trained to tackle the situation as this may save the life of their fellow workers. The Occupational Safety and health Administration (OSHA) has strictly mentioned in their regulation book that the employer has to take the onus to conduct and develop fire protection programs and should also provide for the required firefighting equipment to its employees. Construction companies are bound to follow these guidelines very stringently as it is concerns the life of his employees.

Heavy equipment companies want able engineers

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It is simple to get employees who are ready to do their bit for the company but it is very difficult to get someone who is ready to put that extra initiative and stand separate from the rest of the crowd. This is why a lot of heavy equipment companies are willing to pay good package to people who want to join them to make a difference. They are always in search of men who can evolve themselves into able technicians, engineers or workmen. The irony is that many men lack the quality to dream big and are therefore reluctant to put that extra effort that will make them competent in the field they are in. Heavy equipment companies are most of the times in dire need to hire experienced engineers but out of a lot of many they are only able to find few. Rest of the guys hold an engineering certificate but does not hold much expertise along with it.

This also draws the fact that there is a huge requirement of engineers who want to learn about machines and give this industry a new shape. So if you fall in the zone where you want to make it big and you love experimenting on machines then this is probably the industry. However, there are few things that you need to do before you make your way in one of the heavy equipment manufacturing companies.

Joining a good institution is the key:-

A good institution can help you shape your career by imparting in-depth knowledge about heavy equipment and will try to get the best out from you. You may find many institutions in your city but choosing the right one is important. Joining a facility for the sake of it will not be fruitful to you. Therefore, do some research before you end up joining an institution? Check the reviews that others have for that place. You may find it to be very helpful in deciding if that is the place for you or you should be looking for something else.

Try to become the best:-

When you a part of one of the best institution, you should also try to become one of the best in that facility. This does not imply that you should join the rat race but it simply derives that you should upgrade your knowledge by asking numerous questions and doing all possible research. Check some training videos online as it will help you to have a better understanding about the subject you are learning. If you manage to stand away from the rest of the population, you will find it a bit simple to make your way in a heavy equipment company.

Should not be afraid to fail:-

Being an engineer, you should not be afraid of experimenting with things though you need to know the circumstance and act accordingly. However, make it a point that you keep coming up with something innovative as that is exactly what a company expects from an engineer. If you possess this quality of coming out with innovative ideas and bringing it live, you can see yourself growing in the organization.