Construction Equipment articles from January 2008

Construction Equipment archives from January 2008

Curb Your Enthusiasm?
January 1, 2008... By Mike Anderson, Senior Editor Absolutely not, given the attention manufacturers are giving their curb-and-gutter machines In what could be termed a maturation of the product type, the curb-and-gutter paving machine is being offered...

Buying File Gallery.
January 1, 2008... By Staff GOMACO Mike Anderson Three-Track Machine Controlled Remotely Introduced at World of Concrete 2007, GOMACO's GT-3400 is the first curb-and-gutter machine to be controlled by remote control. Capable of either right- or...

Mood Swing.
January 1, 2008... By Rod Sutton, Editor in Chief The year was percolating along, adjusting to increasing concern about the housing market, when the sub-prime mortgage-lending mess broke. Although slight at first, concern within the housing market grew as...

New Residential Plummets, Plateaus.
January 1, 2008... By Jim Haughey, Director of Economics, Reed Business Information Residential construction put the brakes on 2007, forcing a 1.8-percent drop in total construction spending that was forecast to grow 5.2 percent. The decline in housing starts...

Let's Try Again.
January 1, 2008... By Rod Sutton, Editor in Chief Contractors anticipated the slowing residential market last year, but nobody expected the scope of 2007's decline. Perhaps because of the history contractors have for being conservative in their forecasts,...

Vocational Outlooks Vary.
January 1, 2008... By Staff Materials producers continued to flounder in 2007, mining and energy fleets missed forecast, and utility fleets stayed strong. All three vocations tracked by Construction Equipment expect 2008 to be slower than 2007, but those...

Fleet Budgets Struggle.
January 1, 2008... By Staff State fleets rebounded sharply in 2007 after a slight increase in 2006 funding. Local fleets, on the other hand, barely stayed at current funding levels. Overall, 27 percent of government fleets reported increased funding levels...

Just a Stumble?
January 1, 2008... By Staff Although business ratings have declined over the past couple of years, the peak rental dealers had attained was the highest rating available. Rental dealers remain optimistic. Our survey was done with the assistance of the...

Back to the Middle.
January 1, 2008... By Staff After strongly rebounding from the post-9/11 valley, distributors are starting to cycle down. Although forecasting a drop in 2007 business when asked late in 2006, actual business ratings for last year were worse than expected....

Your Exclusive Preview of Conexpo-Con/Agg 2008 Innovations.
January 1, 2008... By Larry Stewart, Executive Editor Enjoy the first look at some of the inventions, redesigns, upgradesand fresh competitors that will fill nearly 50 acres at the Las VegasConvention Center on March 11-15, 2008 Terraquip HX Crawler...

New Scraper-Pulling Brutes from Deere.
January 1, 2008... By Walt Moore, Senior Editor Three new tractors provide horsepower ratings to 530 and operating weights to 50,000 pounds John Deere's new 9030 Series scraper-pulling tractors (models 9430, 9530, and 9630) provide horsepower ratings of...

A New Concept in Ride-on Trenchers.
January 1, 2008... By Rod Sutton, Editor in Chief New line of articulated trenchers splits the working end from the power end, and 4WD versions provide additional versatility and productivity Zahn series of ride-on, articulated, rubber-tired trenchers...

Komatsu Puts Operators at Ease.
January 1, 2008... By Mike Anderson, Senior Editor In-cab enhancements highlight the Dash-8 version of PC400LC excavator With emissions requirements and other machine operation upgrades taken care of with the early 2006 introduction of the Dash-7 model,...

Reign of Uncertainty.
January 1, 2008... Rod Sutton, Editor in Chief After we published our first installment of Running Green last year, the correspondence began. Readers recognize their world is aboutto change, and they are facing anxiety and uncertainty. In fairness, the...

A Question of Profitability.
January 1, 2008... By Mike Vorster, Contributing Editor Equipment departments do not make profits. They are set up to recover costs - nothing more and nothing less Equipment managers wrestle with whether or not their departments should be profit centers,...

Kenworth-Eaton Hybrid Makes Clean Deliveries.
January 1, 2008... By Tom Berg, Truck Editor "Diesel-electric" truck saves about 35 percent in fuel for its owner, a building supply chain located in hilly Seattle, Washington With diesel fuel costing around $3.50 per gallon and probably going higher,...

The Vulcan "Little Giant" Shovel.
January 1, 2008... By Keith Haddock, Contributing Editor Railroad construction in the 19th Century spawned the first steam-powered digging machines to operate on land. The Vulcan Iron Works was one of the first to build steam shovels on a commercial basis....

Old Bulldog/New Tricks.
January 1, 2008... Staff Mike Justice's B-61 Mack has been hauling logs since his father bought it in 1963. He and his son, Justin, still use the truck in their company, Justice Enterprise of West Green, Ga. Despite faithful care and maintenance, 44...

ICUEE 2007 Breaks All Records.
January 1, 2008... Staff The 2007 International Construction and Utility Equipment Exposition (ICUEE) achieved all-time records for attendance, exhibitors and exhibit space, and education programming during its run Oct. 16-18, 2007, at the Kentucky...

Values Stay on a Downswing.
January 1, 2008... Staff September saw values for used equipment continue to slide, dropping 1.6 percent from August and 1.3 percent since April. Seven of the 10 major rental categories tracked by Rouse declined in September, led by high-reach forklifts off...

Thirteen Qualities Of a Good Operator.
January 1, 2008... Staff A recent post at HeavyEquipmentForums.com discussed attributes members would like to see in equipment operators. This list is from that thread. Natural aptitude for operating machinery. He can "feel" as well as see and hear what...

Stretch Demo.
January 1, 2008... Staff A Liebherr R974 B HD-EW (heavy-duty, extra-wide) excavator took the first bites out of a Philip Morris Plant in Louisville, Ky., last August. With an operating height of 135 feet, the Liebherr demolition special can start from the...

Scholarships Now Available To Students and Professionals.
January 1, 2008... Staff Applications are now available at the ConstructMyFuture.com website for students and construction-industry professionals seeking education scholarships. A workforce development initiative promoting construction as a rewarding...

Cat Cuts 988H Fuel Use 15 Percent.(Medical condition overview)
January 1, 2008... Staff Cat says its new 988H Wheel Loader Fuel Management System in balanced mode delivers fuel savings of as much as 15 percent in truck loading (more in load-and-carry operations) - while keeping production "within a few percent of...

Caterpillar Acquiring Two Blount Forestry Facilities.
January 1, 2008... Staff Since 2003, Caterpillar and Blount have had an agreement to jointly produce and market forestry equipment products globally under the Caterpillar and Timberking brands. Three years later, Caterpillar permitted Blount to replace the...

Status and Forecast.
January 1, 2008... By Jim Haughey, Director of Economics Total Construction Spending Jim Haughey Total construction spending had, since the peak in February 2004, declined 5.6 percent through October, with further small declines expected to close...

Breathing Easier with Aftertreatment.
January 1, 2008... By Walt Moore, Senior Editor The basics about exhaust aftertreatment systems for original equipment and for retrofit Engineers have been meticulously refining the diesel engine's combustion process during the past decade or so, and the...

Chevron.
January 1, 2008... By Mike Anderson, Senior Editor Specifically formulated for use in new low-emission, ultra-low-sulfur-diesel engines, Chevron's Delo 400 LE 15W-40 oil is fully compatible with previous API oil service categories and engine models. Keeping...

Citgo.
January 1, 2008... By Mike Anderson, Senior Editor Citgard SynDurance 5W-40 synthetic oil is designed for year-round use in heavy-duty engines regularly subjected to a wide range of operating temperatures. The high- and low-temperature properties of the...

ConocoPhillips.
January 1, 2008... By Mike Anderson, Senior Editor A new tri-branded product from ConocoPhillips, Triton 75W-90 synthetic gear lube is certified for 500,000-mile drain service in Dana heavy-duty final drive axles under extended warranty. Triton 75W-90 and...

Krylon.
January 1, 2008... By Mike Anderson, Senior Editor Penetrating hard-to-reach areas to free up ball and socket joints, bearings, cables, conveyors, drive chains and gears, Krylon Products Group's Tri-Flow industrial lubricant is a formula of premium oils,...

Shell.
January 1, 2008... By Mike Anderson, Senior Editor New packaging for Shell's Rotella T with Triple Protection heavy-duty motor oil is not only easier to handle, but more environmentally friendly. The bottle and case use less plastic in the closure and less...

Kano.
January 1, 2008... By Mike Anderson, Senior Editor Described as "a scientific discovery" by Kano Laboratories that will loosen frozen metal parts, Kroil will creep into millionth-inch spaces to dissolve rust and lubricate the surface. According to Kano, the...

Amsoil.
January 1, 2008... By Mike Anderson, Senior Editor A new "severe-duty" synthetic gear lube from Amsoil fills the gap between the 75W-90 and 75W-140 viscosity lubes that customers are accustomed to using. A blend of high viscosity, shear stable synthetic base...

Cenex.
January 1, 2008... By Mike Anderson, Senior Editor Having "racked up millions of testing hours," Cenex offers a family of lubricants providing protection to engines, transmissions and hydraulic systems used in equipment ranging from skid-steers to dozers....