Construction Equipment articles from December 2008

Construction Equipment archives from December 2008

Top 100 New Products of 2008.
December 1, 2008... Staff Construction Equipment editors select the 100 most exciting product introductions of the year Our Top 100 Products Award Program was conceived to call specialattention to the most significant products introduced each year. We...

PR 764 Litronic Comes to America.
December 1, 2008... By Rod Sutton, Editor in Chief Liebherr's crawler dozer is the only hydrostatic drive train in this size range, and its introduction comes in response to higher demand Liebherr is bringing its largest hydrostatically driven crawler...

The Quick and the Read.
December 1, 2008... Rod Sutton, Editor in Chief Supporters of Barack Obama who were on the candidate's e-mail list received invitations to his election-night celebration held in downtown Chicago's Grant Park. Those quick on the response received tickets to...

A Fair Approach to Project Utilization.
December 1, 2008... By Mike Vorster, Contributing Editor Monitor equipment usage on the jobsite in such a way that accurate,yet reasonable, accounting occurs within the equipment division Few fleet-management procedures are as controversial as those...

Bucyrus-Erie Hydraulic Excavators.
December 1, 2008... By Keith Haddock, Contributing Editor In the 1960s, Bucyrus-Erie joined the trend toward hydraulic excavators, adding new designs to its traditional cable-operated machines for the construction market With increasing competition from...

Go Blue . . . with JLG.
December 1, 2008... Staff The blue color remains, but the name will change for Gradall telehandlers. By the end of 2008, Gradall-branded telehandlers will become part of an expanded JLG-branded family of machines, parent company JLG announced Oct. 27. ...

AED Study Matches Highway Spending to Machine Buying.
December 1, 2008... Staff A study by the Associated Equipment Distributors quantifies for the first time the impact of government highway spending on construction-equipment buying and measures the economic impact of the equipment industry. The study, authored...

CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT SHIPMENTS.
December 1, 2008... Staff Construction-equipment shipments through September remained at the same steady level recorded over the last year with orders and manufacturers backlogs improving during the summer. This reflects the more optimistic market outlook...

Komatsu Slant-Nose Wins Design Award.
December 1, 2008... Staff Komatsu America's D51 EX/PX-22 crawler dozer won a silver award in the International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA). According to the award citation, the super-slant-nose is a "unique feature (that) allows the operator to see...

List & Clark Sells $3.9 Million Fleet Via IronPlanet.
December 1, 2008... Larry Stewart Family owners of List & Clark Construction of Lenexa, Kan., chose to sell their entire fleet of equipment through an online auction when closing their business. IronPlanet liquidated the fleet for $3.9 million July 11,...

NCCCO Launches Signalperson Certification.
December 1, 2008... Staff The National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators seeks to close the loop in safe crane operations with a certification program for signal-persons. The new program meets or exceeds all current and proposed standards...

Genie to Build aMachines in China.
December 1, 2008... Staff Lifting equipment manufacturer Genie Industries will produce machines locally for the Asian market by mid-2009. Genie, part of Terex Corp.'s Aerial Work Platforms segment, broke ground in September at a new manufacturing facility...

CARB to Extend Retrofit Double Credit?
December 1, 2008... Staff California's Air Resources Board wrote the in-use off-road diesel regulation with an incentive to clean up engines early -- order retrofit devices by Nov.1, 2008, or install them by March 1, 2009, and the retro-fit earns double...

Topcon's Valve Switch Unit Simplifies Cat M Series Automation.
December 1, 2008... Staff Automating Caterpillar M series motor graders is now easier thanks to Topcon's new Valve Switch Unit. The VSU eliminates the need to install a hydraulic valve, simplifying the installation process. "The VSU acts as an interface...

CLARIFICATION.(Correction notice)
December 1, 2008... Staff In October's Class 8 truck feature, Navistar's trucks were not clearly branded as International. We apologize for the confusion. In addition, please note that the International PayStar 5000 series is also available with a 15-liter...

Topcon 3D-MC2 Dozer Grade Control.
December 1, 2008... Staff Topcon supercharged its dozer GPS grade-control system with an advanced inertial sensor and advanced firmware algorithms to operate automatic three-dimensional control at speeds, according to Topcon, twice as fast (or faster) than...

Loup Loadlog 800PSi and 8000PSi Loader Scale.
December 1, 2008... Staff Advanced Weighing Modein Loup Electronics' Loadlog 800PSi and 8000PSi is designed to reduce the impact that external influences such as vehicle bounce, changes in direction and engine/lift speed have on weighing accuracy. Displays...

Poclain Hydraulics Addi-Drive Front Assist System.
December 1, 2008... Staff Addi-Drive Front Assist is a hydraulic on-demand, all-wheel drive system designed for use on Class 6 through 8 vehicles. Hydraulic motors integrated into the wheel-ends do not require modification of the truck chassis and do not...

Tuthill Drive Systems EZ Trac.
December 1, 2008... Staff EZ Trac is the first commercially available hydraulic front-wheel drive system for on-road trucks. Installation does not require a change in truck ride height, so the vehicle's center of gravity remains low, and Tuthill says factory...

Trimble Connected Community.
December 1, 2008... Staff The Trimble Connected Community (TCC) integrates a contractor's information from head office, site office and field crews into a collaborative communication portal. Web technologies present, to all of a site's stakeholders, data...

Topcon X62 andX42 Grade Controls.
December 1, 2008... Staff Topcon added the X62 and X42 excavating control solutions to make basic laser grade control of excavators more affordable. The X62 includes core sensor infrastructure to precisely track bucket-tooth position, so it can easily be...

Leica RedLine Sensors.
December 1, 2008... Staff Unique modular construction of the Leica Redline product family allows the same sensors to be used across the entire construction site. The Leica Site Foreman application software provides a single, construction-oriented application...

Leica PowerBlade.
December 1, 2008... Staff Leica says its PowerBlade combines the functions of three different control panels while adding the capability to control a proportional valve (with both current and voltage) to get the most out of any machine. It provides a complete...

International MaxxForce Diesel Engines.
December 1, 2008... Staff MaxxForce 11 and MaxxForce 13 big boreengines are engineered specifically for International Class 8 trucks using compacted-graphite iron (CG Iron) technology for a lightweight block. International developed proven base engineering...

Hirschmann iVISOR Mentor QVGA Load Moment Indicator.
December 1, 2008... Staff Hirschmann Automation's iVISOR mentor QVGA load moment indicator (LMI) shows the operator a graphic display of geometric lift information including the actual and allowable load, boom length, boom angle, and load radius. A bar graph...

Bobcat Roller Suspension.
December 1, 2008... Staff The Roller Suspension available as an option on Bobcat T250, T300 and T320 compact track loaders suspends its rollers on high-strength steel leaf springs to reduce vibration and improve operator comfort. The new Roller Suspension is...

Bobcat Radio Remote Control.
December 1, 2008... Staff Bobcat allows loader owners to take the operator out of the cab with its Radio Remote Control Kit. All Bobcat loaders with Selectable Joystick Controls are radio-remote ready, and the receiver and emergency-stop box can be attached...

Dana SmartWave Tire-Pressure Monitor.
December 1, 2008... Staff The SmartWave system accurately measures tire pressure and temperature, communicating the information wirelessly. Robust sensors are mounted on the wheel rim inside the tire to protect them from damage or theft. The system...

Arsenault Dossier Tire Management System.
December 1, 2008... Staff Dossier Tire Management System automates tire-data collection and reporting using a new digital handheld tread-depth and air-pressure device called Dossier Tire Probe. Bar codes or RFID tags fixed to on- and off-road tires allow...

Qualcomm GlobalTRACS Lite Machine Monitor.
December 1, 2008... Staff GlobalTRACS Lite is an economical telematics solution that provides information on operating hours and remote machine locations to fleet managers wirelessly. The compact, easier-to-install GlobalTRACS Lite can be integrated into a...

Caterpillar 988HFuel Management System.
December 1, 2008... Staff Fuel Management creates three operating modes for a Cat 988H wheel loader -- Full Power, Balanced Power and Max Fuel Savings. The system always maintains a top engine speed of 1,800 to 1,900 rpm while the machine is digging. When the...

ESCO Ultralok Bucket Tooth.
December 1, 2008... Staff The ESCO Ultralok is the first construction tooth system to integrate the locking mechanism into the tooth, reducing inventory demand and simplifying replacement of worn teeth in the field. The hammerless locking mechanism is pressed...

Temp-A-Start.
December 1, 2008... Staff Temp-A-Start automatically starts and stops an engine to keep it warmed up and batteries charged. The patented system's sensors measure block temperature, battery charge and ambient temperature (cab temperature is an option). The...

bbs-tek Back-Up Alarm.
December 1, 2008... Staff The bbs-tek Back-Up Alarm uses broadband sound, which can be directed much more precisely than tonal horns, so that warning sounds are heard only in and near the hazard area around a moving vehicle. The maker says that its much lower...

Ditch Witch Zahn.
December 1, 2008... Staff Historically Ditch Witch products were designed to be dedicated trenchers or dedicated plows. With the Zahn family of compact trenchers, two power units can be configured with seven different front ends -- each functioning like a...

E-Z Drill 240B SRA Combo Drill.
December 1, 2008... Staff With the new 240B SRA "combo" drill system, E-Z Drill is touting "a new concept in concrete drills." It combines standard features of the 210B SRA model with the ability to convert to a pneumatic core drill, thus catering to both...

Vermeer T1155 Commander III Trencher.
December 1, 2008... Staff Filling a gap between the T1055 and T1255, the new T1155 provides 30 percent more power than the T1055 but has a very similar footprint. The T1155 is the first machine in Vermeer's track trencher line to offer the TEC Plus control...

Terex Reedrill R30C Hydra-Trac Rock Drill.
December 1, 2008... Staff The Reedrill R30C's "industry-leading" pattern coverage is more than twice that of its predecessor, the 345C. With the ability to drill three and four holes per set-up before having to tram and reposition, operators can reach...

Volvo L220F Hybrid Wheel Loader.
December 1, 2008... Staff Volvo says the L220F Hybrid wheel loader is the first of its kind in the world, and the machine will offer 10 percent fuel savings as well as performance and environmental gains. The heart of the parallel-hybrid system is an...

Caterpillar 993K Wheel Loader.
December 1, 2008... Staff A new size class for the Caterpillar wheel-loader line, the 993K's 25-ton loader capacity matches with Cat 777 and 785 off-highway trucks. The machine features Z-bar linkage, a 950-horsepower Cat C32 Acert engine, and innovative...

John Deere 764 High-Speed Dozer.
December 1, 2008... Staff Billed as the first new machine form in decades, the 764 High-Speed Dozer (HSD) is an articulated, rubber-tracked dozer that combines the speed of a grader with the flotation of a crawler dozer. Deere says the machine can grade and...

Liebherr L 586 2plus2Wheel Loader.
December 1, 2008... Staff The L 586 2plus2 wheel loader has a tipping load of 45,040 pounds, making it the largest hydrostatically driven wheel loader in the world, Liebherr says. Trading on its 25 years of experience building hydrostatic wheel loaders, the...

Case 1650L Crawler Dozer.
December 1, 2008... Staff The first in Case's L Series crawler dozer line is model 1650L. Billed as a completely new machine from the ground up, it features a 144-horsepower Tier III Case Family IV engine with electronic fuel injection. A new single-lever...

Case 1221E Wheel Loader.
December 1, 2008... Staff Weighing 65,600 pounds, the 1221E wheel loader expands the E Series line and offers a standard payload capacity of 7.6 cubic yards. It is powered by an electronic, six-cylinder Tier 3 Cummins engine that delivers 320 net horsepower....

Ashland CS18-HD Towed Scraper.
December 1, 2008... Staff Weighing nearly 25,000 pounds, Ashland says its CS18-HD pull-type scraper is the heaviest-duty offering in the 18-cubic-yard class. It matches tractors with 325 or more horsepower and transfers load to the tractor for improved...

John Deere 9030 Series Scraper Tractors.
December 1, 2008... Staff Deere's 9030 Series scraper tractors provide horsepower ratings from 425 to 530. All three models use Tier III John Deere 13.5L engines, which feature exhaust-gas recirculation, variable-geometry turbocharger, up to 38-percent torque...

Caterpillar D7E Dozer.
December 1, 2008... Staff According to Cat, the D7E track-type tractor's innovative electric drive system will deliver 25 percent more material moved per gallon of fuel than the D7RII. The integrated power train is also said to reduce fuel consumption by up...

JCB 3CX Backhoe Loader.
December 1, 2008... Staff The JCB 3CX backhoe-loader's refinements include a redesigned canopy, revised gearing to boost travel speeds to 22 mph, new servo brakes, redesigned loader geometry, V-shaped bucket-side panels to facilitate pipe handling, and a...

Kobelco SK350LC Hydraulic Excavator.
December 1, 2008... Staff Replacing model SK330LC, the new SK350LC Acera Mark 8 excavator offers improvements such as increased fuel efficiency, higher lifting capabilities, more drawbar pull and robust design. It comes standard with heavy-duty components...

John Deere K-Series Wheel Loaders.
December 1, 2008... Staff Deere's K-Series wheel loaders ranging from 2 to 8 cubic yards come with several cab improvements, a new utility-sized loader, and Tier III engines in the largest models. They feature "industry firsts" such as the only wheel loaders...

Hyundai R800LC-7A Excavator.
December 1, 2008... Staff The 181,880-pound R800LC-7A is Hyundai's largest excavator; the next largest model weighs 107,580 pounds. The new model is powered by a Tier 3 Cummins QSX engine, generating 460 net horsepower at 1,600 rpm. Hydraulics have been...

Volvo Pipelayers.
December 1, 2008... Staff Released in the second quarter of 2008, Volvo's PL4608 and PL4611 Pipelayers outdo traditional side-boom-equipped pipelaying bulldozers by boosting tipping capacity to 80 to 110 metric tons. The largest version, the PL7015, has a...

BilJax X-Boom Self-Propelled Lifts.
December 1, 2008... Staff BilJax's X-Boom Self-Propelled lifts take advantage of hydraulic outriggers instead of a heavy counterweight. At less than 5,000 pounds, the lightweight X-Boom is easy to transport; a medium-duty pickup truck and trailer can tow the...

Case TX Series Telehandlers.
December 1, 2008... Staff Case TX Series Telehandlers boast a low-boom design that improves stability and visibility for the operator. With a 153-inch turning radius, the TX Series maneuvers well even in cramped spaces. Equipped with the Case Family IV...

JCB Loadall Telehandlers.
December 1, 2008... Staff Introduced in early 2008, JCB's new range of high boom Loadall telehandlers boast fast cycle times and high lift capacities. Those new telehandlers, the Loadall 506-36 and the 507-42, can lift 6,000 to 7,000 pounds and have a working...

JLG G5-18A Telehandler.
December 1, 2008... Staff Described by JLG as its "super compact" telehandler, the new G5-18A was rolled out in December 2007. With a maximum lifting capacity of 5,500 pounds, the G5-18A has a 1,850-pound lift capacity at the fully extended forward reach of...

Elliott Equipment 26105 Boom Truck.
December 1, 2008... Staff The 26105 Boom Truck from Elliott Equipment has a maximum boom height of 117 feet, 52,000-pound capacity, and 5-foot load radius. Able to link to Elliott's Superlink outriggers, the boom truck can work in extremely tight spaces, and...

Bobcat Versa Handler V417.
December 1, 2008... Staff The fourth and most compact model in the Bobcat Versa-Handler product line, the 75-horsepower V417 was introduced in late 2007. Offering maximum load capacity of 4,400 pounds and maximum lift height of 17 feet, the V417 is the first...

JLG FS80 LiftPod.
December 1, 2008... Staff JLG's highly portable FS80 LiftPod aerial work platform contains five modules (base, mast and carriage, platform, power pack and work tray) designed to be carried by one person and assembled in about 30 seconds, JLG says. The LiftPod...

Manitou MLT 735 Telehandler.
December 1, 2008... Staff Combining features of the MLT 634 and MLT 741 models it replaces, the new MLT 735 multi-purpose telehandler additionally offers operators the patented JSM, a new joystick mounted on the armrest that serves as an ergonomic extension...

Manitowoc's Model 14000.
December 1, 2008... Staff Sporting a maximum boom of 292 feet plus luffing jib of up to 364 feet, Manitowoc's Model 14000 is a fully hydraulic crane rated at 220-ton capacity. Line pull on the main drum is 31,500 pounds. Even with maximum boom, fixed jib and...

Link-Belt RTC-80130 Series II Crane.
December 1, 2008... Staff Link-Belt says the RTC-80130 Series II 130-ton crane is the largest rough-terrain model it has ever produced. The crane uses a five-section, 162-foot formed boom that is constructed of extra-high-tensile steel and has one...

Manitex 5096S Boom Truck.
December 1, 2008... Staff The 5096S boom truck from Manitex is rated at 50-ton capacity at a 6-foot radius, which is said to be a 25 percent improvement over currently produced boom trucks. Still, the 5096S meets federal bridge law weight requirements,...

Bronto Skylift S-170 XDT Aerial Platform.
December 1, 2008... Staff With a 170-foot platform height mounted on an 8x6-foot commercial chassis and a weight of just 60,000 pounds, the S-170 XDT truck-mounted aerial device can be transported across highways without special permits. It has long...

Wacker Neuson Compact Wheel Loaders.
December 1, 2008... Staff Wacker Neuson introduced six compact wheel loaders to the U.S. market, four of which are articulated units with a compact design, high breakout forces, and lower fuel consumption. The other two units are all-wheel-steer models, which...

Wacker Neuson Compact Track Excavators.
December 1, 2008... Staff For the first time, Wacker Neuson is bringing a line of compact track excavators to the North American market. According to Wacker, the compact excavators offer extremely long lifebecause of their heavy-duty design. The units range...

Volvo Short-Swing Excavators.
December 1, 2008... Staff Volvo's short-swing excavators were designed with congested worksites in mind. The ECR145CL and ECR235CL have a track length of 12 feet 4 inches and 14 feet 8 inches, respectively; lifting capacity of 7,730 pounds and 16,770 pounds;...

John Deere 313, 315 Skid Steer Loaders.
December 1, 2008... Staff Like their bigger 300-Series siblings, John Deere's 313 and 315 skid steers are lightweight and agile, yet powerful, according to John Deere. At 5 feet wide, 60/40 weight distribution, and low center of gravity, the 315 can easily...

Caterpillar D-Series Mini Hydraulic Excavators.
December 1, 2008... Staff Replacing Caterpillar's C-Series mini hydraulic excavators, the new D-Series maintains the compact frame of its predecessor while gaining performance upgrades. The 8-ton 308D delivers 22 percent higher bucket breakout forces over the...

Bobcat Compact Tractors.
December 1, 2008... Staff Bobcat introduced three compact tractors in January 2008; since then, the company now offers nine models from the 20-horsepower CT120 to the 50-horsepower CT450. Standard features include 3-point hitch, rear PTO, power steering,...

Caterpillar C-Series Compact Track Loaders.
December 1, 2008... Staff The C-Series Compact Track Loaders from Caterpillar feature an innovative fully suspended undercarriage, which employs four independent torsion axles for a better ride and bucket load retention. Designed for use in rough...

Yanmar V4-6, V3-6Compact Wheel Loaders.
December 1, 2008... Staff Yanmar V4-6, V3-6 compact wheel loaders are 40.4 and 30.3 horsepower, respectively. V4-6 weighs 7,651 pounds and has fully automatic drive mode that allows it to change gears without operator input. Top speedis 11.8 mph. Rear-axle...

Atlas Copco HB 10000 Hydraulic Breaker.
December 1, 2008... Staff Weighing in at 10 metric tons, the HB 10000 delivers 50 percent more impact energy than Atlas Copco's previously largest hydraulic breaker attachment, the HB 7000. Accepting hydraulic flow of 119 to 140 gallons per minute at...

DII Attachments Geith Pro-Link Thumb.
December 1, 2008... Staff Following the excavator bucket tip through an extended range of motion, the Geith hydraulic Pro-Link thumb offers rotation of at least 180 degrees for improved material pick-up and placement. Custom built of high-strength 400BHN...

Wacker Neuson EH 27 Low Vib Electric Breaker.
December 1, 2008... Staff Compared to the previous model, the Wacker Neuson EH 27 Low Vib electric breaker lowers hand-arm vibration by 28 percent, yet increases power by 18 percent. Due to the lower vibration, the hand-held breaker's percussion system is...

Honda Big Red Compact Utility Vehicle.
December 1, 2008... Staff Honda's first entry into the "side-by-side" compact utility vehicle market, Big Red is powered by a liquid-cooled, 675-cubic-centimeter engine with fuel injection and overhead valves, managed by three drive modes. Incorporating...

Wacker Neuson Compact Dumper Line.
December 1, 2008... Staff A new product-line offering to the U.S. market, Wacker Neuson's compact dumpers boast permanent four-wheel, hydrostatic drive for rough-terrain applications. The smallest of three units introduced, the 16.5-horsepower 1001 has a...

Glacier Magnum Computer.
December 1, 2008... Staff A sealed, Intel-based personal computer designed for in-vehicle use, the Magnum from Glacier Computer features a 10-60 VDC internal power converter that allows the portable unit to be connected to any DC power supply without the need...

Lincoln Electric Invertec V155-S.
December 1, 2008... Staff Touch Start TIG DC allows users of Lincoln Electric's Invertec V155-S welder to strike the arc without tungsten contamination or high frequency for use in areas such as power plants. The new welder product from Lincoln Electric is...

Brokk 50 Demolition Machine.
December 1, 2008... Staff An electric, remote-controlled demolition machine, the Brokk 50 is designed to match the production of a 1.5-metric-ton mini-excavator, but at a fraction of the weight and size. The Brokk 50 weighs 1,037 pounds and, at a width of...

Chicago Pneumatic Hydraulic Breaker Line.
December 1, 2008... Staff Boasting 12 model sizes, a hydraulic breaker attachment line introduced by Chicago Pneumatic Construction Tools incorporates an enclosed-box design with elastic damping elements. Three heavy-duty models, with service weights ranging...

Sidegrader Attachment.
December 1, 2008... Staff Attaching at a hinged connection point to one corner of the backfill blade on a mini-excavator, the Sidegrader attachment allows a contractor to grade sidewalks and shoulders with a close enough tolerance to the curb to allow for...

Shindaiwa Simul-Phase Portable Generator.
December 1, 2008... Staff The patented Simul-Phase alternator allows for the simultaneous use of single- and three-phase voltage with the same Shindaiwa mobile generator. The dual voltage allows users to have 120- and 240-volt power for lights, electric tools...

Baldor TSLM35T Light Tower Kit.
December 1, 2008... Staff The TSLM35T kit adds a light tower to the 30-kilowatt Baldor TS35T towed diesel generator. With all four lights burning, the unit can still provide 25 kilowatts of auxiliary power. Taking about two hours to fit the light kit to the...