Construction Equipment articles from June 2006

Construction Equipment archives from June 2006

Could Telehandlers Be the New Skid-Steer Loader?
June 1, 2006... By Larry Stewart, Executive Editor Double-digit sales growth fueled by versatility that is attracting new owners has drawn a rush of marketers and compact machines A flurry of European and Euro-inspired compact telehandlers introduced...

Buying File Gallery.
June 1, 2006... By Staff Caterpillar Larry Stewart Cat-Built Machines Briefly Available Caterpillar's B-Series telehandler product line introduced in 2003 continues to be available for the time being, but an alliance struck last fall...

Gutsy Graders Go with Joysticks.
June 1, 2006... By Katie Weiler, Managing Editor Caterpillar says good-bye to motor-grader levers and hello to operator comfort, ease of operation and better blade visibility Ask any contractor what the most complicated piece of earthmoving equipment...

New Dozer 30 Percent More Productive?
June 1, 2006... By Larry Stewart, Executive Editor Komatsu makes big claims for the D155AX-6's Sigmadozer blade design, engine-optimizing transmission, and longer track At Komatsu Field Days, where the manufacturer hosts customers who come to see its...

A Precious Commodity.
June 1, 2006... Rod Sutton, Editor in Chief The roar of Harley Davidsons signals spring in Chicago. This year, Vespas and other motorized scooters hit the street as consumers try to combat rising gasoline prices. Vespas don't move earth, though, so...

Component Replacement Cost.
June 1, 2006... By Mike Vorster, Contributing Editor Machine management must consider component-replacement strategies as maintenance moves away from field repair Design developments aimed at improving reliability and reducing field repair labor have...

Congratulations To Top Fleets.
June 1, 2006... By Larry Stewart, Executive Editor Fleet Masters awards honor the expertise needed to excel with mixed equipment fleets There's no formula for running a mixed fleet of on- and off-road equipment cost effectively. Strategies used by the...

People and Practice Make a Winning Fleet.
June 1, 2006... By Larry Stewart, Executive Editor Traylor Bros. invests in the expertise necessary to not only manage maintenance and repair, but also to ensure uptime The Traylor Bros. Equipment Division has several clear goals. The first is to...

Shop Production Is Key: To Fleet Performance.
June 1, 2006... By Larry Stewart, Executive Editor Scheduling maintenance and paying incentives to technicians turns a city fleet into a service vendor The primary goals and objectives of the City of Jacksonville's Fleet Management Division are to...

In-House Training Boosts Uptime.
June 1, 2006... By G.C. Skipper, Contributing Editor Two in-house trainers keep shop staff up to speed, and first-year results show 99-percent uptime and reduced employee turnover Red Mountain Machinery has watched the pool of qualified technicians...

Mini-Excavator Gains "Real-Machine" Status.
June 1, 2006... By Walt Moore, Senior Editor Caterpillar's new 304C CR received good reviews from an excellent operator who admits he's "from the old school" Our friend Gene Held has been moving dirt for 30-plus years -- many years with contractors,...

Unimog Goes Anywhere, Almost Automatically.
June 1, 2006... By Tom Berg, Truck Editor An automated mechanical transmission is Mercedes-Benz's clever answer to the Allison question, and it might well be sufficient Maybe you saw it on the History Channel's Modern Marvels program. It's the...

Ruth Dredger Served a Niche Market.
June 1, 2006... By Keith Haddock, Contributing Editor A mechanical trencher was adaptable to all kinds of trench work until outmoded by modern hydraulic excavators The Ruth Dredger was a unique trench-digging machine that served a niche market for...

No Junkyard Dogs Allowed!
June 1, 2006... By Walt Moore, Senior Editor New products shown at the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Show reflect innovation and durable designs A 954 C Becomes Bigger Brute Walt Moore Liebherr's new A 954 C wheeled excavator, which...

Stone.
June 1, 2006... By Katie Weiler, Managing Editor Rhino 66X roller expands Stone's line of single-drum vibratory compactors beyond its 54- and 43-inch models. The 10-ton 66X has dual amplitude with a choice of high or low compaction forces up to 22,500...

Auto Crane.
June 1, 2006... By Katie Weiler, Managing Editor Titan 60-14 from Auto Crane has 14 feet of bed space and has been designed to complement today's chassis designs, the company says. The body can support up to a 60,000-ft.-lb. crane and was designed for use...

MEC.
June 1, 2006... By Katie Weiler, Managing Editor MEC introduces the TH60 and TH80, acquired from Volvo. Volvo bought UpRight's telehandlers and reworked them, but never added telehandlers to the Volvo product line. The two machines are rated at 6,000 and...

Peterson.
June 1, 2006... By Katie Weiler, Managing Editor Model 6710B track-mounted horizontal grinder has a 50x66-inch feed opening. Powered by a 1,000-hp Cat 3412E diesel, it features Adaptive Control System II that controls all components of the feed system to...

Caterpillar.
June 1, 2006... By Katie Weiler, Managing Editor The AP-1000D asphalt paver features a 224-hp, Tier-3 Cat C7 engine with ACERT technology, a high-capacity cooling system with a variable-speed fan, dual operator stations, three propel modes, and a...

Skyjack.
June 1, 2006... By Katie Weiler, Managing Editor Skyjack enters the telescopic-boom-lift market with the SJ 40T and SJ 45 T. Models come with Continuous Drive and Steer Directional Sensing, which adjust the control inputs based on operator orientation...

Stone.
June 1, 2006... By Katie Weiler, Managing Editor WolfPac 6100 asphalt roller features dual-drum drive and dual-drum vibration, with an electro-hydraulic control system. With 47-inch-wide drums, it delivers 6,518 pounds of impact and is equipped with a...

Genie.
June 1, 2006... By Katie Weiler, Managing Editor S-Series boom option is said to deliver the highest capacities in the industry and is available on the S-60 HC. The platform on the unit offers a full range of motion up to 750 pounds, for 50 percent more...

Roadtec.
June 1, 2006... By Katie Weiler, Managing Editor The SP-200 allows the contractor to spray asphalt cement or emulsion directly in front of the screed in preparation for placing a NovaChip surface or conventional asphalt mix. Equipped with a heated,...

Komatsu.
June 1, 2006... By Katie Weiler, Managing Editor The D-65 crawler dozer series is equipped with the Komtrax fleet-monitoring system, which uses wireless technology to send machine operating information to a secure website, including hour-meter reading,...

Volvo.
June 1, 2006... By Katie Weiler, Managing Editor G900 motor graders have been redesigned from the ground up, Volvo says. The series of seven graders ranges from 155 to 225 horsepower. Operating weights range from 34,300 to 46,300 pounds. Volvo-manufactured...

Caterpillar.
June 1, 2006... By Katie Weiler, Managing Editor Seven new M-Series motor graders will replace the previous 10 H-Series machines. New models include the 120M, 12M, 140M, 160M, 14M, 16M and 24M -- all of which will be operated with joysticks. The M-Series...

Liebherr.
June 1, 2006... By Katie Weiler, Managing Editor Two new wheel loaders, the L 566 2plus2 and the L 580 2plus2, which replace the L 564 and L 580 models, respectively, offer more power, greater operator comfort and added safety. They are powered by Tier-3...

John Deere.
June 1, 2006... By Katie Weiler, Managing Editor The 950J crawler dozer has a new 10.5-liter, inline six-cylinder engine with 247 horsepower and 6 percent more torque than its predecessor, which gives it 28 percent more drawbar pull. The hydrostatic drive...

Sandvik.
June 1, 2006... By Katie Weiler, Managing Editor Driltech T1000 is a truck-mounted, top-drive blasthole drill for drilling 4.5- to 6.75-inch-diameter holes to 125 feet. Mounted on a Sterling LT9500 6x4 chassis, the unit has a 900 scfm/350 psi compressor,...

Toro.
June 1, 2006... By Katie Weiler, Managing Editor Offering more than 35 attachments, the Toro Dingo 220 compact utility loader delivers increased flow from the high-flow pump, producing 10.8 gpm of flow at 3,250 psi of hydraulic pressure. It is powered by...

LBX.
June 1, 2006... By Katie Weiler, Managing Editor LBX has put a Tier 3 diesel into its 330 LX Link-Belt excavator, giving it a 10-percent increase in horsepower and a 7-percent boost in fuel economy, the company says. The Isuzu AH-6HK1XYSS diesel puts out...

Haulotte.
June 1, 2006... By Katie Weiler, Managing Editor The HA 80 JRT diesel articulated boom provides an 83 foot-5 inch working height with 53 feet of horizontal reach. It features continuous optimum movement management, new platform load controller, 5-degree...

Big Pull Down Under.
June 1, 2006... Staff Under a hot mid-February sky in the tiny village of Clifton, on Australia's east coast, stood officials from the Guinness Book of Records, who were intensely interested in driver John Atkinson and the Mack Titan truck he had just...

Telehandlers Are Not Wheel Loaders.
June 1, 2006... Staff Don't make the mistake of using a telehandler to dig like a wheel loader, warns Mike Popovich, training director at JLG. "You should never use the boom in opposition to the telehandler's ground drive," he says. "Any time you use...

Cat Expands Facility, Announces New Look.
June 1, 2006... Staff Caterpillar invited a group of trade editors to christen its newly expanded Edwards Demonstration and Learning Center just west of Peoria, Ill. The company added a total of 40,000 square feet of space, which includes increased...

Komatsu GPS Tracking Comes Standard.
June 1, 2006... Staff Komatsu has committed to making its wireless machine-information system, KOMTRAX, standard equipment on every one of its construction machines "at either model change or Tier 3 engine change, whichever occurs first," says Komatsu...

Benchmark Usage Lags, Say Webcast Participants.
June 1, 2006... Staff Among registrants for ConstructionEquipment.com 's recent webcast on shop overhead, 69 percent said they do not use benchmarks in their fleet management. They learned how important the practice is, however, with Mike Vorster and...

Status and Forecast.
June 1, 2006... By Jim Haughey, Director of Economics Public Construction Spending Jim Haughey Spending grew less than inflation in February and March after a brief surge in December and January. The slowdown is temporary, as projects are being...

Atlas Copco.
June 1, 2006... By Heather Burlingame, Senior Production Editor A line of hydraulic power packs powers a variety of hydraulic hand-held tools. They range in weight from the LP 9-20 P at 163 pounds to the LP 13-20 DE at 256 pounds. The largest measures...

Wacker.
June 1, 2006... By Heather Burlingame, Senior Production Editor A new line of seven portable generators features ground fault circuit interrupter system for all receptacles, including 120v and 240v twistlocks. Sensors monitor all outlets for current...

Thermal Dynamics.
June 1, 2006... By Heather Burlingame, Senior Production Editor A-Series Firepower plasma-cutting systems include the FP-20A, FP-35A and FP-70A. Respective outputs on the machines are: 20 Amps at 115VAC and 25 Amps at 230VAC; 15 to 35 Amps at 230V; and 25...

Axle Tech International.
June 1, 2006... By Heather Burlingame, Senior Production Editor PRLC 124/144 series of planetary rigid axles is available for light/medium-duty lift trucks, backhoe-loaders, compactors and small loaders. The mechanical parking brake combines service,...

Leading Edge Attachments.
June 1, 2006... By Heather Burlingame, Senior Production Editor The Attachments Hi-Cap Multi-Ripper bucket takes the company's technology to excavators and shovels used in quarry and mining operations. SHARC technology, which places the shanks on the arc,...

Donaldson.
June 1, 2006... By Heather Burlingame, Senior Production Editor The TopSpin self-cleaning air intake system precleaners come in 13 models, with outlets ranging from 2 to 7 inches and air-flow ranges from 100 cfm to 1,600. Donaldson says its precleaners...

Yanmar.
June 1, 2006... By Heather Burlingame, Senior Production Editor Portable Tier II diesel YDG-model generators have 2,700-, 3,700- or 5,500-watt ratings. The company says a single tank of diesel will keep the direct-injected, air-cooled gensets going for 6...

Stow.
June 1, 2006... By Heather Burlingame, Senior Production Editor The flex-shaft BP25H back-pack vibrator allows contractors to carry the unit around a jobsite without dragging electrical cords. Powered by a 2.5-hp Honda gas engine, the unit weighs only 24...

Vanair.
June 1, 2006... By Heather Burlingame, Senior Production Editor Vanair's Genair underdeck unit combines a 125- to 185- cfm air compressor with an integral 7.2 to 10.5 kW AC generator. The system is said to maximize the power of a truck's engine by enabling...

Multiquip.
June 1, 2006... By Heather Burlingame, Senior Production Editor Portable Jimmy hydraulic rebar benders allow operators to shape #4 and 11 rebar on the worksite. The series has seven models and bends rebar to 180 degrees. The benders are ideal for offset...

Topcon.
June 1, 2006... By Heather Burlingame, Senior Production Editor LS-B10 laser receivers can be used for a variety of machine- and elevation-control tasks. The integrated laser receiver is battery operated and provides grade control on small machines such as...

Bosch.
June 1, 2006... By Heather Burlingame, Senior Production Editor Powered by a Bosch 10.8-volt Litheon (lithium-ion) battery, the company's new ultra-compact Pocket Driver is designed to drive 100 3-inch screws on a single charge and to drill holes up to 1/2...

Vermeer.
June 1, 2006... By Heather Burlingame, Senior Production Editor Vermeer has reintroduced the SC352 stump cutter with new features. The unit now offers a four-wheel-drive option, 35-hp Briggs and Stratton gas engine option, chip-blade option and standard...

Knaack.
June 1, 2006... By Heather Burlingame, Senior Production Editor Weather Guard low-profile aluminum truck boxes (Models #121 and 131) provide more visibility through the rear window, especially for pickup designs with high bed rails. Additional corner...

Leica.
June 1, 2006... By Heather Burlingame, Senior Production Editor The DigSmart 3D Excavator Guidance System uses a color monitor to graphically display project-design information and 3D GPS position. The system has a high level of integration with survey...

DTN/Meteorlogix.
June 1, 2006... By Heather Burlingame, Senior Production Editor MxVision WeatherSentry provides localized weather information. An upgrade to the system includes layered viewing, which shows customized combinations of weather and map data. View radar,...

Pro-Tech.
June 1, 2006... By Heather Burlingame, Senior Production Editor HATS series aluminum trench shields use hydraulically adjustable spreaders to accommodate varying trench widths. Double-wall aluminum panels are foam-filled, and the light-duty shields can be...

Godwin Power.
June 1, 2006... By Heather Burlingame, Senior Production Editor From 20 kW to 350 kW, the diesel-powered Godwin Power generators include a programmable control panel that monitors, protects, and controls engine and generator operations. The units are...

Laser Reference.
June 1, 2006... By Heather Burlingame, Senior Production Editor Pro Shot AS2 and AS2 Magnum grade lasers replace the L1-AS and L1AS Magnum models. Upgraded electronics give the units improved battery life and greater ease of service. Designed for grading...

Lincoln Electric.
June 1, 2006... By G.C. Skipper, Contributing Editor The Vantage 400 from Lincoln Electric is said to be one of the most compact 400-amp welder/generators in the construction market. The unit is housed in a corrosion-resistant, stainless-steel case. It has...

Broco.
June 1, 2006... By G.C. Skipper, Contributing Editor GOWELD MIG welder is a go-anywhere welding unit from Broco that uses two 12V batteries to weld steel or aluminum up to 1/2 inch thick. It can be used as a spool gun with MIG comparable (CV) welding power...

Hobart.
June 1, 2006... By G.C. Skipper, Contributing Editor Champion 4500 portable AC generator/welder provides industrial contractors and construction crews with a lightweight, reliable and affordable machine for power generation and occasional welding tasks,...

ESAB.
June 1, 2006... By G.C. Skipper, Contributing Editor Recently introduced 653cvcc-SE Power Source is a multiprocess, three-phase power source designed for heavy-duty industrial DC welding applications in harsh coastal environments. It is said to be ideal...

Miller Electric.
June 1, 2006... By G.C. Skipper, Contributing Editor A new Trailblazer 302 diesel-engine-driven welding generator from Miller Electric features a Kubota liquid-cooled diesel engine that produces 19 horsepower at 3,600 rpm. It is said to offer unparalleled...

Caterpillar Responds to Demand with Upgraded Trucks.
June 1, 2006... By Heather Burlingame, Senior Production Editor Improvements to major components and the operator cab haul these off-highway trucks to F-Series status The demand for Caterpillar off-highway trucks has been on the rise since 2003, says...