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How to drive/operate an excavator

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Driving your car is completely different from driving heavy equipment. You do not have many things in heavy equipment that you have in a car and therefore it does not make any sense to equate both the stuffs into one. we go to driving schools to learn driving and only when we become good at it and the driving officer confirms that we are learnt it well and will not cause any disaster on roads that we are given a license. There are many who do not get a license at the first stance. They give multiple tests and of course fail many times as well. Same is the case for a heavy equipment operator. It should never be construed that driving heavy equipment is a cake walk as you do not have to deal with multiple functions at the same time. On the contrary when you actually try to learn to drive/operate heavy equipment it is then you realize the exact difference and may have a different opinion.

We definitely require driving skills when it comes to driving heavy equipment but that is pertinent to probably everything that we can drive and is not just limited to heavy equipment. Now when we talk about heavy equipment there are few machines that operators find them easy to operate and for some they just can’t handle them. As we know that not all heavy equipment are same and therefore for some heavy equipment we need operators with extra ordinary driving skills to drive/operate the machine. An excavator is one such heavy equipment. The operators do not have to attend any special driving schools to drive/operate an excavator. They all go to the same institution. It is just that some have that in-built talent which if shaped in the right way can deliver excellent results.

User manual can’t teach you to drive/operate excavators:-

Excavating earth is a difficult job and in many instances dangerous too. If not done in the right way, it can lead to severe damage. There have been numerous examples where people have lost their lives while excavating. Moreover, the terrain where the excavation is taking place plays an important role. If the terrain is difficult it indeed tests the skills of the operator. A person who does not have much experience in operating excavators should not get into it or else he will jeopardize the lives of himself and many others along with him. One can’t even check the user manual at that time to know how to get come out safely from a given situation. User manuals do not teach you how to drive. They provide some very basic instructions which one can adopt while driving but there are schools for that matter where one should take their basic training and then let the mentors decide if they are ready for heavy equipment like excavators.

Learn the various functions and have better control over them:-

The operator who can efficiently work on an excavator certainly knows all the functions in the machine and has better control over them. This is quite important because as long as you do not know everything of a machine you will not be able to operate it at 100%.

How to hire competent operators

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Hiring competent workforce can be a real challenge for any company. They often see this as a pain and the HR finds this to be the most challenging task out of the many activities they conduct on a daily basis. It is simply not possible for any human being to judge another person by having a 15 minute talk. You may not know if the person knows about the subject that the company wants him to work on or for that matter how the person will be facing once he is hired. If the job demands a person who can work under pressure, it is virtually not possible for an HR to identify the person who can indeed work under pressure and still deliver results. But when the company needs human resource, the HR team has to get into this work of hiring men/women and they have to ensure that they pick the right guys/gals from the lot that come for the interview.

The construction industry is a highly competitive business and here the impact of hiring a wrong candidate can prove to be really costly to the company. The HR of the company does understand the seriousness of the business and this is the reason why they take utter precaution while hiring for important positions. They conduct levels of interview with the same person in order to judge the kind of person he/she is. The different levels of interviews are held by different people and then their view on the interviewee is collated and a decision is finally taken if they all agree to hire him or not.

Hiring an operator becomes more challenging because here the person interviewing the candidate should have little technical knowledge about heavy equipment and how it works. So firstly, the ground level HR can interview him by checking his credentials and qualifications. If the HR finds him to be apt then he goes to the next round where he is interviewed by guys with sound technical knowledge.

Asking the right question is important:-

When you are hiring an operator, you can’t ask him questions that are relevant to a mechanic. You should be checking with him the different types of heavy equipment that he/she has worked on and the models. On the basis of his answer, you should be putting forth your next question. He may not be able to answer a question that does not fall within his domain and therefore asking the right question is important.

Check his skills on the machine:-

When you are hiring heavy equipment operator, you should make it a point to check his skills on the machine. You can provide him with construction equipment and give him a task to complete. The task should not be a complex one as you are only checking his skill and not trying to get a part of the work done. You need to see how well he can maneuver and how smooth he is on the machine. If the operator is really good on it, you can hire him.

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How to do inspection in heavy equipment auctions? Hire local heavy equipment dealers

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Heavy equipment auctions have the ability to draw in huge number of people. Right from contractors to owners of the construction company all would want to have the best from auction and this is why it is quite essential to have someone inspect the auction. The inspection is required to see that everything is carried out in a smooth manner and that nobody has any sort of complain with the auction process. The auction process is in itself a very complex and time consuming process.

 

Anything that involves a mammoth crowd who wants to have their piece of share from the items getting auctioned can become chaotic at any given point of time and therefore the necessity to have someone inspect the auction is of utter importance. Other than that it is not feasible for the organizers of an auction to maintain the crowd and they have to give that work to someone else. Similarly, it is also important to ensure that the auction is conducted fairly without the intervention of any forces that might steer the entire process to their benefit.

 

Some auctioneers are smart and they try to take people on a ride. They kind of indulge in practices that increase the price of the item which then goes for the auction. This means that the price at which the auction begins is an inflated one and anything that goes beyond that price is certainly a profit for them. An inappropriate profit for the seller but definitely not going well with the buyer as he will pay more for a construction equipment which actually does not cost the price he is paying.

 

The best way to deal with this is to hire local heavy equipment dealers who have fair degree of knowledge about heavy equipment and the price that each machine would be of. Since they are always engaged in the business of selling heavy equipment, they will be the suitable one from the lot to judge if the auction is going the right way.

 

Advice and information center:-

 

The local heavy equipment dealers can also work as an advisory to the visitors that have come for the auction. People can reach out to them and can seek suggestion on the heavy equipment that is there for auction. What ideally happens here is that the people get a fair idea of what they will be dealing with and if the item they will buy will be indeed worth their money. Other than that they will get an assurance from the expert about the exact condition of the machine. The heavy equipment dealers should be impartial body and should not display their loyalty to any party.

 

Auctioneers should place an ad to hire the dealers:-

There is no point in hiring heavy equipment dealers whom the auctioneers know and have good rapport with. They should be hiring people whom they do not know or who will be impartial to the entire process and can inspect the auction till the end without any flaw. For that, they should place an ad and then pick the dealers.

How to operate a grader

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Landscape in the construction sector has gained prominence over the years. This means the construction equipment required to do landscaping work is in much demand and also the people who know to operator it. When we talk about landscapes or leveling land, the heavy equipment that comes in our mind in the first stance is a grader. Grader plays immense role when it comes to leveling the land and making a path for the workers to move. We can imagine how crooked the paths are on a jobsite and therefore how difficult it must be for the workers to move on it. If not leveled at the right time, the soil gets hardened and then it becomes a problem to get it removed. Same is the case with creating landscapes. We have to get the work done at the right time or else the effort that we have to put to get the work done just multiplies.

To know all the functions of a grader is crucial:-

One can become an efficient operator only when he/she is aware of the various functions that are available in a grader. Jumping in inside the cabin and driving/operating the machine can be part of the basic function but if you find yourself in a difficult situation and you do not know all the functions then you are at a greater risk. The operator is expected to know all the functions in a grader and if you fail to do so then you will be jeopardizing the prospect of the project and also to a larger extent your career in the industry. If you are a trainee, it is important that you sit along with your mentor and check how he/she is operating the machine. Learn from him the functions that he uses and ask to show stuffs that are important for you to know.

Learn the signals properly:-

A grader throws lot of signals to the operator and every signal has a different meaning attached to it. If the clutches are not functioning properly then it may throw a certain type of signal or for that matter if there is some issue with the engine or parts related to the engine it will indicate through means of a signal. Now it is for you to comprehend and understand them so that you do not overlook the signal and continue your work as usual. Unable to comprehend signals can have catastrophic effect on the machine and also at times to the life of the people on the jobsite.

Do some basic checks on your own:-

Conducting certain basic checks like ensuring the brakes are in order and when applied it stops the machine from moving, the clutches, gears, levers are all in place and are working absolutely fine is very crucial. You should not have problem to stop the machine from moving when you are working on a steep land or to your amazement you find out the machine is not moving as it should as there are issues with its clutches. These should be examined well in advance.

How to hire competent heavy equipment mechanic

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A manufacturing company can thrive only if it has a proper team of professionals who are competent in providing after sales service. They should be good at their job because it is perhaps the after sales service guys who are majorly responsible for the goodwill of the company. If the product goes faulty, the customer hunts for someone who can get that fixed and if he does not find anybody then he will never go for that brand in his life and will also suggest others to not buy product of that brand. This can prove really costly to the manufacturing company. The after sales team therefore plays such an important role in the growth of the company. The company therefore has to play a more crucial part by hiring competent workforce who knows about the subject well and will take less time to resolve the problem with the product.

Heavy equipment companies manufacture really expensive items and it is quite likely that a product may stop functioning after few months of its purchase. This is why you need to have men who can go to the clients’ jobsite at the word go and can check the problem. The construction business owner are usually loaded with too much of work and are also heavily dependent on heavy equipment and if any of the machine stops working, it costs them dearly. This is why they need a mechanic right away when they experience issues with their machines. It becomes the responsibility of the heavy equipment companies to hire the best mechanic. The crux of the matter is that they should be able to identify who are competent mechanics and who are not.

Check their qualification:-

The heavy equipment companies should check the qualification of the candidates at the time of the interview. They need to check the academic scores and ask questions by giving them different scenarios. This will let the interviewer know the exact standing of the candidate. If the candidate has studied hard to secure good marks, it will reflect in his academics score sheet. However that should be taken as the sole criteria to judge the competency of a candidate. The interviewer should keep this as one of the parameter.

Experience plays a mighty role:-

The experience of a heavy equipment mechanic increases his price in the market. Heavy equipment companies are ready to pay him a higher package if he has good number of experience up in his sleeves. Your experience should be also followed by a good track record wherein you are always punctual and do not take unnecessary leaves. Your overall conduct has been good in the past companies that you have worked and should not have stability issues.

The machines he has worked on:-

It is important for the heavy equipment companies to check with the mechanic on the kind of heavy equipment he has worked on. A mechanic who has only worked on graders and has no working knowledge of loaders or excavators is not a viable one for you.

How to effectively market your construction business

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For a business to grow, it is important that people know about it and only when they know about the brand they will buy the product or use the services of the brand. In a nutshell any company who wants to grow its business needs to first create a brand for itself so that people are aware of its product and services and then sell it to them. Reaching to the end user and keeping them in loop of your existence is also knows as marketing and every company has to form a strategy to market their brand. Now some company takes an aggressive approach and some go soft while marketing their product. It is believed that companies that market their products aggressively are the one who have hunger in their belly. They want to grow quickly and the ones who are slow on marketing their products are perhaps happy with how things are moving. They might take an aggressive approach later as they may feel the opportunity is not right for that time and will wait till they see things moving their way.

A business where day in and day out there are new competitors joining in and each of them are struggling hard to make their name in the market it makes the overall environment to be more challenging. The construction industry in one such industry where you will come across many companies who have just started their business and are marketing their company quite aggressively. People with experience in this form of a business know how the industry works and what they got to do to make their business a success.

Be in the news:-

For people to know about you and your company, you got to be in the news for the right reason. You have to come up with excellent ideas and should also be able to present that to whosoever is interested to know about it. People in the construction business circle should know about you. For this, you need a website where you can put up your business plans and talk more often on how you can accomplish your targets. Your website should reflect the personality you possess. People going through your website should know that you dream big and also have the courage to fulfill it. This is one way to market your company. You may show your aggressiveness here which will go to a lot of people. You can also release circulars every week where you’ll talk about the industry as a whole and how your business is reacting to the current situation.

Be active on social media:-

We have a craze of social media these days. For every small things that we do, we try to put that out on social media. We do this to get some attention and as far as the construction business is concerned, it makes sense to be ultra active on social media. It is perhaps one of the many platforms that will take your identity to a lot of people by paying a nominal fee.

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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How to implement a safety program

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Forming rules is to a larger extent a simple job. What is rather difficult is to implement the rules on the ground level. It takes a lot of hardships on the part of the people who are been assigned the job to execute a program. They have to work hard to explain the folks the reason why the change has been brought and what good it is for them. You will also find few guys who will not agree with the new program and will be reluctant to participate. These challenges need to be addressed and sorted out as well. When a construction company comes up with a safety program, it means that the overall employees working in the company have to now follow some extra rules which they are not used to. Bringing something all of a sudden can be a little difficult for people to accept and therefore they might not take it sportingly even if the program is for their good.

A construction company while trying to implement a safety program needs to keep certain facts into perspective and then gradually try to bring in the change.

Make it a part of their habit:-

The reason why many construction workers do not want to wear those extra safety belts is because they have never worn one and when they are asked to attach extra load on their body they might not be comfortable with the idea. Therefore, one can primarily deal with this by bringing in the change gradually and make them used to it. You can ask them to wear a bit of extra accessories but you inform them well in advance that the company is intending to provide the workers with additional safety gadgets and people should be wearing them so that they can work safely. This will bring in a sort of excitement amongst the people and they will welcome the decision.

Provide proper training before they actually start using it:-

Training your workers on following a safety program is quite essential. You may form certain safety guidelines but as long as the workers are not informed about it in advance it will not be fair enough to ask them to follow it the day you want them to follow. They just do not know what the safety program is all about and why you want them to follow it. Proper training of the safety program should be given to the workers and all their questions need to be answered so that they take the program positively and apply it on the jobsite.

Monitoring the implementation of the safety program:-

Once you have trained the workers about the importance of the safety program and have also asked them to follow, the next important thing will be to monitor if all the workers are correctly following the safety norms. In the initial stage, it might be a bit difficult for the guys to be in sync with the norms and therefore proper monitoring is required so that whenever someone is having a hard time to follow, he should be assisted and shown the correct method.

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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How to protect heavy construction equipment from theft?

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Heavy construction equipment and machines are one of the most important and essential parts of the construction projects. The jobs at a construction site are done way easily with the heavy construction equipment. It completes the construction task faster and more efficiently and that too for an affordable investment. Relying on manual labour only increases time consumption as well as expenses.

It is because of this that the heavy construction equipment is always in demand. However, the prices of these machines, tools and equipment are not very affordable. Hence, stealing the heavy construction equipment is a common practice all across the globe. Whenever there is a possibility or ignorance, the thieves steal the equipment. That is why, preventing the stealth as well as protecting the heavy construction equipment from any such damage is a must.

Here are a few steps that need to be followed.

  • National Equipment Register:

 

When the heavy construction equipment gets stolen, the police find it very difficult to track down as many of the vehicles are not properly registered. Also, there is a parallel business industry that deals in the stolen heavy construction equipment and hence, finding your heavy construction equipment might be difficult. That is why, in order to track down your stolen heavy construction equipment, registering it to the National Equipment Register is a must.

  • Do a verification of the workers:

 

More often than not, the workers are found guilty of either stealing or accomplishing in the theft of the heavy construction equipment. Hence, before you employ anyone, it is a must that you do a thorough background check of the workers. Sometimes, the thieves or the gangs send their members to be employed as your worker in order to find out how secure your heavy construction equipment is and what measures you take protect it. Finding the loopholes is way easier from within the team.

  • Keep the garage or construction site well-lit:

 

If you park you heavy construction equipment within the construction job site or somewhere else in the parking lots, it is a must that you have the place well-lit. This is a very useful step that will help you to monitor the site at all times through close circuit cameras. It is also a great idea that you keep the heavy construction equipment blocked on all sides by other vehicles, so that there is no easy escape.

  • Using Security Systems:

 

Chaining or locking the heavy construction equipment is not always a solution as the thieves can spend hours or even bribe the security personnel and cut down the chains, if there is enough time. In case there is no other security system such as the CCTV camera or enough lights or even an advanced alarming system that will notify you in case of any intrusion, chains and locks would not be able to do the job for you.

  • Insurance:

 

Insurance is a safety protection that will help you to overcome the losses in case of any theft of the heavy construction equipment. Hence, always have it insured, so that you do not have to bear the damage at all.

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