Tag Archives: Construction Equipment

Servicing of heavy equipment can become quite a profitable business

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After having bought heavy equipment, we experience the real problem when we see the need to service the machine. Though the user manual also speaks about how you should maintain your machine to lengthen its life but getting the equipment regularly serviced by a mechanic is also very crucial. It has been lately found that people possessing heavy equipment see dire need of guys who can also service their machines. Heavy equipment manufacturing companies also have their servicing department but many of the times they are full with work and one has to wait for days and even months to get their equipment serviced. Getting good mechanics has become a big problem.

Construction companies big or small are in dire need of servicing stations that are reachable and can send their mechanics to service the machine without much delay. It is understood that mechanics will always be engaged with enough work to keep them occupied for days but they expect the servicing company to have surplus men who can be sent across to service the machine. Therefore people who are intending to open up such a kind of business can be assured that they will end up making good profits in this business. It can get you a lot of clients who are ready to pay you good money for your service.

Few important things are needed before you start the business of servicing heavy equipment.

Installing right infrastructure for the business:-

When you are thinking of starting up a service center, you got to be sure that you have the infrastructure in place. Servicing of heavy equipment is a task of huge responsibility and it also requires machines that do the work for you. It is pretty obvious that you can’t use your hand to clean the dirt that has been set in the interiors of the machine. For that you may need a water spray that will flush out the dirt from the system. In the same manner, you need other equipment for different kinds of work. So you need to ensure that you have the set of equipment ready before you start advertising about your business to others.

Having the right set of men to do the job:-

Having men who know their job is a very crucial point in this business. Before you start up the business, you need to have people who are good with servicing heavy equipment. You need guys who have worked as mechanics and have repaired different types of heavy equipment. Alternatively, they should also be aware of the places from where you can get heavy equipment parts because you may get machines whose parts needs to be replaced. So you buy the parts from that place in bulk and charge the customer as per the market price. So people who are experienced in servicing machines are the type you need for your business.

You also need to make sure that you pay your men real well so that they stick with you and do not move away to some other company just because they are offered more there.

 

Need advice on the best heavy equipment for the job of clearing land of 30 acres

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Today the work of land clearing (of forests) is done efficiently and in minimal time using heavy machines instead of the earlier used hand tools. This has enabled to convert forest regions into productive agricultural practice on smooth land based nearby to the populated places.

Each land clearing or improvement project has its own characteristics. It cannot be achieved by using just a single object but encompasses a variety of tools and heavy machines. Hence, first and foremost the Land Survey is required to gauge the amount of land improvement required. The following major factors should be considered; the characteristics of the land and its size, the intended use of the land, the type of the material to be removed and the cost involved. Appropriate planning and attention to detail will help to protect water and soil resources while keeping the costs to minimum.

The work of clearing can be divided into three phases as light, intermediate and heavy clearing and each of this will require different type of equipment. Light clearing involves surface cutting, undercutting, heavy disking, chemical sprays (herbicides), and controlled burning. Surface cutting is achieved by using heavy duty sickle mowers, large rotary brush cutters and stalk cutters. While undercutting is accomplished by using different type of straight and V-shaped blades mounted on tractors and can travel 10-18 inches below the soil surface which loosens and removes the roots. Heavy disks or root rakes are used to cut and remove the material to prepare land for cultivation. Finally the land is sprayed with herbicides and subjected to burning.

 

Heavy clearing is done using different types of expensive heavy equipment each of which require different amount of horse-powers to operate. Skidders, Bulldozers, Excavators, Tractors and Backhoe are used for land clearing. Skidders are very stable and are considered to be a great tool. However, a skidder cannot dig or grade and a person has to get out of the machine to grab onto the debris. Bulldozers are powerful machines and can effectively remove the stumps and boulders. However, bulldozers generate vibrations and run into maintenance problems. The replacement parts of a bulldozer are also expensive and they results in loss of top soil. Although, Excavators are the most powerful and are very stable during working conditions, however they are slow to operate. Tractors equipped with heavy-duty rakes are used for felling, raking, and withdrawing extremely heavy material having stem diameters up to 72 inches. Backhoe are considered to be extremely versatile, they work fast, dig deep, lift high, and capable to loading very heavy things. In addition, one may have to also use pair of forks and front end loader rack onto a backhoe. However, the disadvantages are that it can get stuck, get flat tires, one has to raise and lower the flaps and move the machine a lot.

 

The selection of these heavy equipment involves learning the type, brand, model and price. In addition, one has to know the limitations of each equipment, their maintenance and how fast the replacement parts be obtained.

 

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Use Social Media as a platform to grow your heavy equipment business

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Starting a business is not as difficult as growing it. You may need some amount as investment money, little know-how about the business and you can start your own business. You probably do not have to worry about making profits in the first phase of your business but as and when your business grows older and you start generating profits, making new clients, which is perhaps the time when you start thinking of expanding your business. Well, in order to reach the larger section of society, you need to use a platform that is adopted by everybody in their day to day life. Something which the mass uses quite frequently. If you are able to talk about your business in that platform, it is evident that more and more people will get the chance to look at your business and will appreciate it by becoming your client.

Today we all are highly connected with social media like Facebook, LinkedIn etc. These social media sites are used to stay connected to your closed ones who are ideally distance away from you. But you can still see them in the virtual world. You can make use of such social media websites to promote your work, to let people know the kind of business you are associated with. It can prove to be a big boon for people who have their business in the construction domain or who deals with heavy equipment.

In order to promote your heavy equipment business, it is prudent to use social media sites that are mainly used by working professionals or businessmen. Well, what you can do is create your own group and can invite people whom you know so that they all remain in your group and in this way they get to know your business from a closer angle. This will only help you to promote your business and in case if someone who is interested to buy any sort of heavy equipment will get in touch with you and place their order to you. You should try to keep your profile very professional as it attracts people’s attention and they do not take you casually. Having a casual profile will not have that high impact as a professional one can put. Remember, when you are putting up your profile in any professional social media website, it is not solely for the purpose to stay connected to the people you know but also let them know about your business and nobody will want to deal with a guy who has a very casual approach towards his work.

Moreover, there will be others whom you do not know but are linked to the people who are in your friend’s list and they also get to see your profile. Having a professional outlook will definitely give a good impression about your business to them. You never know when a big deal may strike and you may get chunk of orders from a new client that you have made from a social networking site.

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Modernization of heavy equipment has changed the dynamics of the construction industry

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With the advent of new technology, we also see the face of the relevant industry changing. It is pretty obvious that with new technology coming in, the method adopted by people towards their work is bound to change, which therefore impacts the overall performance of the industry. The arrival of new technology brings in a change in the attitude of people towards their work. They probably become more energetic and their aspirations rise manifolds. Though it brings in lot of positivity but there is also a fair chance of experiencing the negative side of it.

In the last few decades, the construction industry as a whole has seen a number of changes with the arrival of new technologies in this sector. Initially, there were hardly any sky touching buildings but now everybody seems to have an office in one such tall rises. This means the demand of constructing huge buildings is rising on an increasing trend and construction companies on the other hand demand for heavy equipment that are more technologically sound and highly effective in every manner. Be it building big bridges or creating an entire city under water, all seems to be possible with the help of technological advancements.

Owners of advanced technology heavy equipment get more projects:-

When you are about to give business to somebody, you will definitely check his credentials and the tools he has to complete your work. In the same fashion, when a client hunts for a construction company to complete a project, they ideally see what kind of heavy equipment does the company procures and how technologically sound are those equipment. They will be reluctant to give work to a company that lacks heavy equipment of latest technology and will look for bidders who has the potential to complete the work on time and if possible before time.

Entire township can be built in a span of few years:-

If we look back a couple of decades ago, building a township for residential purpose was very difficult as one had to construct large number of buildings in a large plot of land. This undeniably will take lot of time for the construction company to complete the work and give possession to the people who have booked the flats. Such projects may take more than 5 years to complete and if there occurs any issue with the title of the land then there are high chances that the entire work is halted for unknown period of time. These problems are quite rare these days. Firstly, it doesn’t take this long for a big construction company to construct a township and other than this they start working on the land only when the title on the property does not have any lien attached to it.

They use the latest machineries to plan the project and execute them. They understand that any delay will only cost them money and therefore they make use of advanced heavy equipment to complete the project as soon as they can.

Buckle Up on the Construction Equipment

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We often give a lot of importance to the safety of heavy equipment but when it comes to safety of the operator, we perhaps do not think much about it. It is not that we do not consider the safety of the operator to be important but it is for some reason have always taken a backseat and even the operator is not much bothered about it. You can hardly find any construction company who will ask his operator to buckle up his seat belt while he is working on the construction equipment. Though it is considered to be one of the most important safety processes to follow but not many operators take it seriously.

Buckling up on the construction equipment can prevent from colliding with the window of the machine when the machine hits something hard while in motion. However, people who drive trucks are often found wearing their seat belts. It is therefore to be understood that people are of the opinion that the chances of accidents happening while working in a construction equipment is far lesser than it is while driving a truck on the road. People may have the believe that since they are driving on the highway where there are other vehicles that move at a very high speed, there is always a chance of an accident and therefore buckling up can end up saving their lives.

But when it comes to heavy equipment they see that in a different way. They then feel that there is no point in buckling up when you do not have other construction equipment working at the same time and therefore there will be no collision. However, they forget the fact that while working in a construction machine, one has to go through a lot of jerks and if they can’t handle those jerks properly then there is a chance for them to come rolling down from the cabin to the ground. Though such types of instances are quite rare in nature but one can’t dismiss its vulnerability.

Now there are some heavy equipment on which you have to buckle up while you are working inside the cabin. The seat of the machines is positioned in such a way that you will fall if you do not buckle yourself properly. These seats are known as skid-steer suspension seats. Operators who work on excavators feel it is a must to wear seat belts for them. The machine keeps on jumping and one finds it to be extremely difficult to work if he is not buckled up. Excavators work on bumpy surfaces and therefore it bounces a lot which makes the operator to lose his seat every now and then. He will not be able to operate the machine if he is not able to position himself well on the seat and therefore it becomes a must for operators of excavators to wear belts.

Some construction companies are very stringent when it comes to buckling up on construction equipment. They just do not want any sort of untoward incident to take place for a silly reason like not buckling up.

Take the right call when it comes to heavy equipment

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In many situations, life gives you a second chance but there are few instances where you do not get a second chance and you got to ensure that you do it right the first time or else you consider that to be the end. Same goes with your business. In many situations that you encounter in your business, you do get a second chance but there also comes a point where the chance you have is the only one and you are not given any more chances. So you got to be ultra-careful and analyze the situation well before you make a decision. Taking important decisions is an art. You got to be absolutely sure of what you are doing as you know that you will get plenty of time to repent later if it goes against you. So do your calculations well and work on the graphs to understand the scenario and then take the decision.

In the construction business, one of the most important decisions that need a lot of pondering is buying heavy equipment. A construction company buys heavy equipment keeping the needs of his current project into consideration but the story does not ends there. He can’t throw away the machines once the project is completed. He has to use them for future projects as well. So in case he buys a machine whose utility is limited to his existing project and does not have any relevance to future projects, it does not make any sense for him to buy the equipment. Buying machines incurs good deal of money to the construction company and therefore taking a decision to buy machines that has its relevance for just one project does not sound to be a sane idea.

It is often advised by industry experts to take the right call when it comes to procuring heavy equipment. Renting machines for a short while can be a good idea but purchasing it for a short term project may not be a wiser one. Even if you rent heavy equipment before analyzing the need of the project can turn out to be a big waste of money. So if you feel that by renting heavy equipment you will not incur heavy loss, you may have to think all over again.

Getting your project studied by an expert in this domain makes lot of sense. The person will be liable to give you suggestions that will not be limited to procurement of heavy equipment but will also contain a gamut of other advices that will benefit you in every possible way. Their suggestions will be based on the facts that you will put across to them. Facts about your financial standing and the number of projects you have in hand and also that you are likely to acquire in the future. After doing a thorough research, they will guide you with the types of heavy equipment you should be using and if at all you should buy them or take them on rent or make use of some other modes so that you have them to complete your project. Overall, it will help you to take a sound decision.

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Lien property that your heavy equipment was on

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There is always a danger that you will not be paid for your work from the person for whom you are working. This can result in huge loss for your company as you have to pay the dues to your employees which is quite obviously not going to be a meager amount and if you are unable to collect the money from the guy for whom you have been working then that will lead to big problem for you as well as for your company. In order to avoid this loss, you can place a lien on the property that your heavy equipment was on. Placing a lien will ensure that you have the right to dispose of the property after the completion of work to any third party if you are not paid for your work. In case you dispose it off, you will be able to get your dues paid and in turn you can even pay the dues of your employees that is liable on you.

We would be discussing the reasons on which you can place a lien on the property your heavy equipment have been working.

Being paid slowly or not in time:-

This is one of the indication where you should act and act fast in placing a lien on the property. If you paid fairly slow or are paid not in time, it only indicates that the person is either not interested to pay you the entire sum and is paying you a bit so that you continue with the work and once it is done he can just shrug off the responsibility to pay the entire sum of the work. Many small construction companies have suffered huge losses as they failed to put a lien on the property and it finally resulted in non-payment of their dues. You not have much to do later once you are done with your work. You have to get off the place with your machine as you have to take care of other businesses as well.

The project giver disputing your work time and again:-

This is another usual instance that many construction companies experiences in their career span. The person for whom they are working will come out with very lame and silly reasons and will make a huge mole of a mountain. You may not know if they are doing it so that they do not have to pay you the promised sum or are they genuinely unhappy with your work. It is recommended that you take their feedback and work as per their needs but if they still complain and threats not to pay you, putting a lien on their property should be the next step you should take to protect your rights.

Small contractors not getting paid by the project owner:-

At times small contractors who do not own the project directly and work for somebody else are also at risk of not getting paid by the project owner. They can also place a lien on the property and ensure that they are paid in full for their work.

 

Common Equipment Used in Demolition

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Heavy equipment is manufactured for all different fields of work. Each machine type has a general application that it may be used in such as dirt work and excavation. Some machines can be used for applications other than what they are primarily intended for. Crawler loaders, dozers and excavators make dirt moving equipment but they are also great machines to use for demolition purposes.

Demolition using a crawler loader:

Crawler loaders are great when moving dirt and materials. They are also very handy in the demolition side of the construction industry. Crawler loaders can not only be used to push down structures but are also used for clean and moving debris. Using a tracked loader is ideal for clearing debris because of its use of tracks to propel the machine. This allows the unit to move freely amongst the construction without worry of damaging tires as you would with a wheeled unit. Also with tracks a crawler loader can track up on to piles and clear out areas a wheel unit would not be able to get into.

Demolition using a dozer:

Dozers are typically used to push dirt, grade, and cut roads. In demolition a dozer can be a very useful piece of equipment.  A dozer can be used to push down and clear smaller structures with a single piece of equipment. The dozer can push the structure down, then it can be used to clear the area or pile the material. While not being the most efficient piece of equipment for demolition it still does maintain its usefulness.

Demolition using an excavator:

An excavator is probably one of the most useful pieces of equipment used in demolition. Dependent on the size of the machine, it would be able to take down most structures big or small. Excavators are very versatile in demolition because of the different types of attachments available. An excavator can be attached with hammers, claws, buckets, thumbs, magnets, and shears. All of the attachments can be used for the various aspects of demolition. For example an excavator with a hammer can be used to break down a structure, then swap over to a claw then use the machine to clear and load the debris. Alternative to using those attachments an excavator with a bucket and thumb could do both. The thumb attachment allows the excavator to grab and hold on to debris as it is picked up.

Depending on the needs of the job any of the machines are suitable for demolition. Whichever machine is chosen would be based on the needs and demands of the work load.

Reach out to more people with the help of Social Media

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Social media is an amazing platform where people get to know each other. Friends with whom we have not met since ages can be found there and then can stay in touch throughout. It has made things really simple for people who live far away from their loved ones and still manage to see them, speak to them almost daily. Similarly, this platform also plays a very important role when it comes to augmenting your business plans. It will help you reach out to a good number of population at a given time and spread your message to them. For instance, if you want to talk about your business plans to your investors and to the general public at large, you can make use of this platform as well and convey your message to them. It has also been a great site for people who are looking for different business opportunities. They can get to meet people having various ideas which they can implement in their businesses and make it a success.

People who are in the business of selling and servicing of heavy equipment have a lot to gain from such social networking websites. They can advertise their plans and products on their websites but in order for others to know what they dealing with; they need a platform using which they can reach to a sizable amount of people. Social networking sites give them exactly what they need. All they have to do here is create an account with one of the site and invite all the people you know. The request of your invitation will go out on their email address and they might also latch on to the same website. Once they are also a registered member of the social networking website they can accept your invitation and become your friends on the website.

From there, they will be able to track all your activities that you make public. In case, if you want to post something that you do not want everybody to see, you mark those people whom you want should see the stuff. In this way, you can pervade your message to anyone and everyone who are there as your friend on the website. At the same time, you can ask your friends to always share the stuff you are putting up on the site so that people who are latched on to your friend’s account can also get to see your work. In this way, you can put across your message to people whom you do not know. This actually gives them the chance to add you in your network.

It has been widely observed that people who are in the business of sales and service of heavy equipment have friends who are also into the same profession or in the profession that corresponds or is co-related to your work. Therefore if you make any additional friends, it is very likely that they will also be from the same or a profession that is co-related to your line of business. This will be benefitting you as you may sell your machines to them or make some money by servicing their equipment.

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Welding Heavy Equipment

In a heavy equipment company, people from all departments have a specific role to play. For instance, the engineers and designers role is limited to giving a new shape to the heavy equipments and to install new features that makes things comfortable for the end user. Similarly, the role of a welder is also significant in a heavy equipment company. He is the one who gives the ultimate shape to the designs made by the designers and engineers and therefore welders are in huge demand all across the heavy equipment industry. They are not only employed with fat packages by the heavy equipment companies but also by some construction companies that have variety of machines under their fleet and which needs repairs and maintenance on regular basis. The role of a welder can’t be ignored as he is an equally important person as any other person in the overall sector.

Welding is ideally done when you need to join 2 sheets of metal into one. You weld them and stick them together without using any sort of glue. Now heavy equipment are manufactured by welding different pieces of metal and combining it into one complete machine. So if anything goes wrong, the entire product becomes a waste. The welders have to carefully join pieces so that they can give it a proper shape. Welders are also quite useful in a construction or demolition site. When it is about demolishing a solid structure, there are high chances that the heavy equipment may crack and if it does then you will not be able to use the machine any further for the same work as long as it is not repaired.

For moments like these, construction companies always keep a welder handy. They know that any break down in the jobsite can cost them good deal of money and in order to avoid such breakdowns they either learn how to weld metals or keep a guy who knows to weld things always with them. Other than heavy equipment, a welder is always needed in a construction site to weld iron beams and stuff. But you may or may not be able to use them to weld a machine as they may or may not know to weld an attachment on heavy equipment. It is quite normal for a welder to not know to weld heavy equipment if he is not trained for it. He is perhaps trained to weld things other than heavy equipment and for construction machines you need highly skilled welders. So getting the job done from any welder is not a viable option.

Normally construction companies have their repairman who ideally takes care of the entire fleet of heavy equipment. These guys are also trained welders and if there is a need to add a loader or a bucket or for that matter any other attachment, they are completely compatible for the job. They are trained in renowned institutes and can be completely relied on for these kinds of job.