Tag: construction: Page 78

How to do Everything Better

How to calculate construction owning and operating costs

Owning costs = purchase price of machine + financing + taxes – disposal price (what you get for that machine when you resell it). Operating costs = labor + fuel + maintenance + replacement costs of tires, tracks and other components + overhead. Add the owning to the operating costs and you have your O&O […]

July 29, 2019

How to do Everything Better

Make sure your load is secure

Moving heavy equipment safely is no small task. If not done properly, the results can be disastrous. During loading, keep the following in mind: Do not operate or load equipment that you do not know how to safely operate. When possible, place the equipment against a vehicle structure to help prevent forward movement – unless […]

July 29, 2019

How to do Everything Better

Know your limits: Towing more than 5,000 pounds with a half-ton pickup is against the law

That commercial showing a pickup taking on a heavy load sure does look good. But you first need to read the small print in the manufacturer’s owner manual. Half-ton pickups have a 5,000-pound towing capacity, period. This can be problematic when you just want to haul your compact machine to the next jobsite. The weight […]

July 29, 2019

How to do Everything Better

7 tips for jumpstarting heavy-duty equipment

When the mercury drops, equipment can sometimes get cantankerous when starting. Clore Automotive says these tips will get your engine humming again: Make sure you use a jumpstarter that can be used on heavy equipment. Keep your jumpstarter charged, especially during extreme temperatures, which are hard on a battery. If possible, store it above 50 […]

July 29, 2019

How to do Everything Better

A quick primer on using GPS in construction

The GPS you get in your car is accurate down to about 10 meters. How then can you get a dozer, excavator, rover or survey instrument to record GPS points down to within a few centimeters? The secret is in the base station for the site. This is set up on a surveyed and known […]

July 29, 2019

How to do Everything Better

How to stop operators from idling too much

This tip came from a 2014 Equipment World Contractor of the Year finalist Landon Floyd of Precision Pipeline in Cedar City, Utah: Have all your guys park their personal vehicles in the yard one day and drive them out to the site in a van or have them carpool. Make them leave their keys at […]

July 29, 2019

Roadbuilding

Crews excavate and build underpass beneath active railroad tracks in Ill.

The video below shows time-lapse construction of the Rev. Jon A. Sibley, Sr. Underpass in Galesburg, Illinois. The $27 million Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) project included excavating beneath three BNSF railroad tracks to run a five-lane roadway under them. During construction, two of the three railroad tracks had to be operational at all times. […]

July 26, 2019

Construction Equipment

Astec reports weakened demand, gets boost from plant sale in Q2 report

Astec Industries’ second-quarter financial report was bolstered by a $20 million sale of its wood pellet plant in Hazlehurst, Georgia. Without the sale, however, the results were disappointing for the company, which reported weakened demand across all of its product segments, including its Roadtec and Carlson Paving brands and its aggregates, crushing and screening products, […]

July 26, 2019

Dealers

Bobcat adds two Lyle Machinery locations to dealer network

Two Lyle Machinery locations in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and Beaumont, Texas, are now part of the Bobcat dealer network. The new dealerships serve clients in a variety of markets, including residential, commercial, industrial, farming, ranching and landscaping. Lyle Machinery now has seven Bobcat locations operating throughout Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. “Our customers will […]

July 26, 2019

Roadbuilding

Report ranks five states as having worst infrastructure in U.S.

The 2017 American Society of Civil Engineers report card states that the United States needs to spend approximately $4.5 trillion over the next five years to fix the country’s roads, bridges, dams, and other infrastructure, CNBC reports. However, some states are in much worse shape than others. The following five states are considered to be the […]

July 26, 2019

Construction Equipment

Ford previews electric F-150 by towing 1 million lbs.

Eager to remind everyone that it is serious about electrification, Ford recently orchestrated quite the PR stunt with a prototype F-150 the company says is 100 percent battery-powered. Though the truck in the video below looks like a current-generation F-150, the truck sits atop a fully-electrified platform that is still in the prototype stage. For […]

July 25, 2019

Construction Equipment

Barry Ruffalo picked as new CEO for Astec Industries

Barry Ruffalo has been appointed the new president and CEO of Astec Industries, parent company of Roadtec and Carlson Paving. Richard Dorris, who will serve as interim CEO until Ruffalo starts his new job August 12, will return to serving as chief operating officer. Dorris has been interim CEO since January 21 when Benjamin G. […]

July 25, 2019