Construction Equipment articles from July 2008

Construction Equipment archives from July 2008

Rolling to The Head of the Class.
July 1, 2008... By Mike Anderson, Senior Editor By employing some smarts, large asphalt compactors don't necessarily have to drag behind the pack in cost efficiencies In the nearly four years since Buying File last profiled double-drum vibratory...

Buying File Gallery.
July 1, 2008... By Staff Dynapac Mike Anderson Rollers Leave No Marks Behind "Soft" starting and stopping prevent Dynapac's new-generation articulated tandem roller models from bowing or cracking the asphalt layers, allowing even...

Sidegrader Can Cut Sidewalk Prep Costs in Half.
July 1, 2008... By Larry Stewart, Executive Editor Slope-sensing attachment on a mini-excavator can finish-grade 1,800 feet of sidewalk per day With a Sidegrader attachment on a mini-excavator, the contractor can rough-grade lots to within a few...

Yanmar Further Refines Good Loader Design.
July 1, 2008... By Walt Moore, Senior Editor Compared with their predecessor models, these two new compact wheel loaders are stronger, faster, more compact and run with cleaner stacks Construction Equipment's in-the-dirt introduction to Yanmar's...

Mentor for Tomorrow.
July 1, 2008... Rod Sutton, Editor in Chief Joshua son of Nun completed the final leg of the exodus recorded in the Bible. He took his people across the Jordan River, through the city-state of Jericho, and conquered 31 kings in securing the promised land....

Dig Deep for Safety.
July 1, 2008... By Mike Vorster, Contributing Editor Systemic cultural weaknesses lie at the root of construction accidents. Organizations must find them and correct them. Too many accidents plague our industry. We read about them and grieve for those...

Midrange T170: The Real Deal.
July 1, 2008... By Tom Berg, Truck Editor Kenworth's Class 5 truck shows "premium" build quality,though its stout cab could use some stretching What's a "premium" truck worth? A few thousand dollars above the going rate for a mass-produced vehicle?...

The Bobcat Compact Loader Celebrates 50 Years.
July 1, 2008... By Keith Haddock, Contributing Editor Small loader built to satisfy the needs of a turkey farmer started the compact construction machine revolution It all started in the small town of Gwinner, N.D., where E.G. Melroe founded the...

Doosan Backs a Winner.
July 1, 2008... Staff Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 20 Doosan Infracore Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, scored his third consecutive NASCAR Nationwide Series victory in April's Corona Mexico 200 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez -- the legendary...

Caterpillar-Branded On-Highway Truck on the Way.
July 1, 2008... Mike Anderson Come 2010, driving your Caterpillar down the highway won't be about what and who is powering your traditional brand of on-road truck. It will actually mark the make of truck itself. As part of a strategic alliance with...

Status & Forecast.
July 1, 2008... Staff Housing Starts Staff Housing permits, starts and sales increased in April for the first time in many months signaling that the market is stabilizing. It will be a slow recovery. No significant pickup is expected until late...

Deere Trains Operators Via PC.
July 1, 2008... Staff John Deere has integrated web learning, PC-based simulation, instructor-led training, and proven instructional strategies to create a total operator-training solution. Real-world tasks, safety focus, and portability ensure that...

Emissions Issues Not That Simple.
July 1, 2008... Darrin Drollinger, Association of Equipment Manufacturers, VP Statistics, Safety and Technical Services The issues surrounding the Tier Four compliance engine emissions requirements for OEMs and enforcement by the California Air Resources...

March Values Increase.
July 1, 2008... Staff Orderly liquidation values in March recorded their first "significant" increase since June 2007, rebounding 1.1 percent from February. For the six months ending in March, values were down 2.0 percent. Categories leading the upturn...

OEM Rubber-Track Innovations.
July 1, 2008... Larry Stewart The Spotlight on rubber tracks last month focused on traction systems availablein the aftermarket, but there has been a lot of engineering going on in OEMs' proprietary track systems, too. Bobcat's roller suspension...

Ten Tips for Tire Maintenance.
July 1, 2008... Staff Regularly checking earthmoving tires can eliminate preventable major repairs, says Steve White, segment manager for Michelin North America's Earthmover division. He lists 10 steps to successful tire maintenance: Conduct a visual...

Corrections.(Correction notice)
July 1, 2008... Staff In our gallery of asphalt pavers (Buying File, May 2008), Vogele's new models were mislabeled. They are the Vision 5100-2 and 5103-2. Also, the 8-foot models do not have self-tensioning conveyors; they have conventional manually...

How to Keep the Right Parts on Hand.
July 1, 2008... By G. C. Skipper, Contributing Editor Managers must determine adequate inventory without sacrificing cash efficiency Parts management is a matter of balance: balancing parts inventory with shop needs, and balancing the need to reduce...

Highway-Class Heft in a Commercial Asphalt Paver.
July 1, 2008... By Larry Stewart, Executive Editor Carlson's CP-90 will compete in Carlson-dominated market with a unique EZ Mat electric screed Screed manufacturer, Carlson, will enter the commercial-asphalt-paver business before the end of 2008 with...

Accept Telehandler Limits Before Lifting People.
July 1, 2008... By Larry Stewart, Senior Editor Safe work with a telehandler personnel platform depends on operators compensating for the reach forklift's lack of aerial-work-platform safety features Work platforms mounted on telehandlers offer an...

Caterpillar.
July 1, 2008... By Walt Moore, Senior Editor Caterpillar backhoe loaders can be factory-equipped with one of two of the company's AccuGrade machine-control and guidance systems. The Site Reference system is a grade-and-depth-check system that allows the...

AGL.
July 1, 2008... By Walt Moore, Senior Editor According to AGL, the new EAGL 3000S laser is extremely accurate and stable in all environments, using high-performance tilt sensors to ensure precise, repeatable self-leveling of A 1/16 inch at 100 feet. (The...

CST/Berger.
July 1, 2008... By Walt Moore, Senior Editor Constructed of cast aluminum, nitrogen-purged and sealed for waterproofing, the LMPL20 Pipelaser has an operating range of 800 feet and provides a large, illuminated LCD display. An illuminated LED pivot point...

Leica.
July 1, 2008... By Walt Moore, Senior Editor The new PowerDigger depth-indicator system from Leica Geosystems features a large, see-at-a-glance color display screen that provides the operator precise information about the depth and position of the...

Agatec.
July 1, 2008... By Walt Moore, Senior Editor The A710S automatic, dual-grade laser is designed to work anywhere on the jobsite, says Agatec, including applications such as machine-control, site work, leveling, alignment and layout. The instrument also can...

Topcon.
July 1, 2008... By Walt Moore, Senior Editor Topcon Positioning Systems has introduced a new generation of slope lasers (the RL-100 Series) that features a new encoding system designed to provide "the highest grade repeatability (5 arc seconds) of any...

Laser Reference.
July 1, 2008... By Walt Moore, Senior Editor The AS2 Magnum Pro Shot slope laser is designed for grading and pipeline contractors working on large commercial or municipal sites. Compatible with most machine-control receivers, the AS2 features electronic...

Trimble.
July 1, 2008... By Walt Moore, Senior Editor Trimble recently introduced new wireless-communication capabilities for its SCS900 Site Controller Software. As part of the Trimble Connected Site portfolio, the new version of SCS900 software is aimed at...

Being Accurate No Longer Means Being Slow.
July 1, 2008... By Mike Anderson, Senior Editor New Topcon system incorporates dozer speed into machine control Speed, or rather lack thereof, has been the understood tradeoff of technology-assisted accuracy for dozers. Not anymore, says Topcon...

Western Star Offers Lower-Cost Dump Truck.
July 1, 2008... By Tom Berg, Truck Editor The three-axle 6900XD can haul the same loads as 35- to 40-ton articulated and rigid dump trucks, but it uses about 35 percent less fuel Western Star Trucks has designed a 40-ton dump truck that it says is a...