Monthly Archives: December 2016

Renting a dozer

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When you are into the demolition business, there is no other heavy equipment better than a bulldozer. You can take care of your entire demolition business singlehandedly if you have a good dozer by your side and you know how to operate it. Operating a dozer is definitely no child’s play but at the same time it is also not some kind of rocket science that people will have a hard time understanding the basic functions and work with it on the jobsite. Learning how to operate a dozer is simple and one can also attend classes on it but what one may find difficult is to buy a dozer. Though a dozer is not overtly expensive heavy equipment as compared to other construction machines but for someone who has just started the demolition business may find it difficult to invest a chunk of money into buying it. So the best alternative for such a person is to take it on rent and continue working till he generates sufficient money to buy one.

It is believed by industry experts who advises people on construction related matters that transacting online is one of the best ways to take any heavy equipment on rent. So if you are looking for a dozer you have to simply register yourself on any site that deals with renting heavy equipment. There are few things one must make a note of while they are transacting online. Well the mode of payment is definitely one of the criteria, the most important thing that the taker needs to consider is how reputed the website/company is. You just can’t go with any website that claims renting heavy equipment. Firstly, these websites are mere platforms for the taker and the giver.

Ideally, these online websites ensure that they protect the rights of both the parties but you only need to check how stringent their policies are. Once you are able to jot down the company you want to deal with, the next step is to become a customer. Once you are a customer you can search for the dozer you want for your business. Doing a basic research on the type of dozer will help you narrow down to the one you want to go with or else there are chances that you may find yourself confused with the options available on the site.

Once you have identified the dozer, you need to contact the rental house for further communication. Talks like the rental amount and the tenure should be crystal clear. There should not be any confusion or any sort of misunderstanding when it comes to critical things like these. Remember to read the terms and conditions well and only if you agree to them that you should go any further.

Dispose the heavy equipment that is not in use

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Heavy equipment being such an expensive item are out of the reach of small time contractors or newbie businessman who has just entered the profession. They are always in search of big construction houses who are willing to sell their equipment at a dirt cheap rate and if the machine is in good order, these small companies also become ready to pay a premium. Therefore if you are among the lot who has heavy equipment that is not in use and want to dispose it off, the best option would be to sell it off to these small companies.

We all like to make some money if we are at all selling a used item and it is not different when it comes to disposing heavy equipment. But the point to ponder is how you can transform your old machine into a new one so that people will have the confidence to buy it paying a good price. We would be discussing few pointers that are essential when it comes to selling your heavy equipment.

Get the machine repaired before you talk about reselling it:-

It is pretty obvious that the equipment will not be in order if it has not been put to work for the last many days and you have to shell some amount of money to get it repaired and running. You have to be cautious about advertising your product and should only start talking about reselling it when you are sure that the equipment is in order. If you start talking about it before it is repaired, then you might have people willing to see it and then you have to tell them the truth. It causes a negative impact on their minds and they may find this to be a complete waste of time. You also lose a good prospect.

Take the service of an expert to repair the machine:-

If the machine you want to sell was idle for good number of days due to severe complications then you should seek help of an expert mechanic who can check the machine and let you know how long it is going to take for him to fix it. Other than this, he may also tell you about the amount you need to shell out for getting it fixed. An expert hand on your machine will always be fruitful because that is going to increase the life of the machine which in other words allows you to increase the price of it. You can also paint the machine if it has an old look or put some jazzy stickers that will make it look attractive. You can make use of your imagination and can adopt innovative ideas to make the equipment look good and can fetch you a good price.

Spread the word in all circles:-

Once the equipment is ready to sell, all you have to do is pervade it across in newspapers or on internet. These days internet is the best option as people like to buy things online. They will check your heavy machinery online and if at all they are interested will contact you. By doing this, you are ready to sell off your equipment at a descent price.

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Take a week’s off and head for a vacation this Christmas

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Construction industry always remains busy irrespective of which month of the year it is. So basically even if it is Christmas time, you will still have work to do, will still have projects to complete and will have to deal with all those things that you have been doing right from the beginning of the year. It just means that you got to take some time off from your busy schedule and go out for a vacation and you will not get any better time other than Christmas. What you can do is just assign the work among the people you trust the most and believe that they can take good care of the business till you return. However, try to return after having a short vacation so that you can take charge of your responsibilities and allow them to take leave in case if they have also planned for a short trip. You can possibly talk this out with them and chalk out a plan as to who will take how many days leave.

Do not take additional projects during this season:-

It is wise to not take any new or additional projects during Christmas. It is particularly the time when most of your laborers, engineers, operators etc. will go on a leave. You may be witnessing a good number of people have already applied for leaves from the start of December. By this you can easily make out if you will have enough staff available to start a new project. If you do intend for a new project, make sure that you inform the stakeholders that the work will begin after December once you have your entire workforce in place. A clear instruction should also be given to your workforce that they got to work for extra hours so that you can meet the pending work that has caused due to the vacation.

Make your vacation count:-

It matters a lot to your family when you take them to an exotic location and spend openheartedly giving them all the luxuries to make the vacation a memorable one. It is important that you make this vacation count. If needed check with your family where they want to go and accordingly plan the trip. Take them to a place which they have never seen but also witnesses the flavor of Christmas there. Take them to a place where people are celebrating Christmas but probably in a different manner. They will know about a new culture which will definitely be a good learning for them.

Give gifts to your employees before heading for the vacation:-

Christmas is all about celebration and giving gifts to your people. So before you head for your vacation, it is crucial that you give away the gifts that you have got for your employees. Do not keep them waiting till you come because by the time you return, Christmas will be over and then there is no use of giving away those gifts. It should be given before the celebration begins.

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Hurdles one faces while setting up a construction company

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Starting up any new business is a tough task. It becomes tougher for the ones who do not have much or any experience in handling the business thus making the entire process extremely painful. In addition to this, it become arduous to keep the present business running as there are chances of facing severe ups and downs in every phase and leap that you take. Like any other business, setting up of a construction company is filled with risk and hard work. You also need to be foresighted and got to assume things appropriately so that if you see a threat you can counter it in advance.

Hurdles are plenty in the construction industry. However, it also gives you a ray of hope which is more than enough to sustain in a dynamic industry like this. So the crux of the matter is how well you can adapt to the ever changing phenomena of this industry and how quickly you can recognize the internal as well as the external threats that may destroy your dream of owning a construction business.

Legal concerns:-

While setting up a company, there are a lot of legal formalities that one needs to complete without which it will not be possible to run a business in US. These legal formalities can be lengthy at times and therefore you need to know the right way to get your work done at the shortest possible time. You might want to take help of an attorney who will guide you with every step and get things done for you. Getting sanctions from the government may not be a huge hurdle but it definitely takes some time of yours to get you started.

Setting up an office and a small team:-

Once you have received the sanctions, the next step will be to set up an office and also have a small team in place. You got to hunt down for a place that you can use it as an office and also recruit few men who have worked in the construction industry. If you have little experience in this domain, you will be able to pick the right guys but if you are a newbie then things might get really complicated.

Buying heavy equipment:-

In order to get a small project, you need to have a couple of heavy equipment. Now you have the choice of either buying them or taking it on rent. If you plan to buy them you have to shell out good chunk of money but if you take it on rent you need to ensure that you have sufficient reserves every month to pay the rental amount. Other than this, buying the right machine is always a challenge especially if you are going for second hand ones.

Running the office:-

You got to pay salary to your team and also meet the office expenses that will recur month after month. This means that you got to have ample reserves in hand. It is to be noted that you do not get a project the next day you set up your office. It takes lot of time to get some small work. So maintain your business becomes a big hurdle.

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Caterpillar 323F L Excavator

For a construction company that is into excavating work, it is very important for them to possess a reliable, strong and efficient excavator. Their complete business depends upon this very machine and therefore choosing the best excavator is so crucial for them. A construction company before buying an excavator should do thorough research of the model that fits their business requirement and also check if its costing will have any negative impact on the business. Only after they are sure of the machine they should buy it.

Other than that, the after sales service is also crucial. You just can’t forego the importance of after sales service. So it is crucial for you to analyze the facts well in advance. It makes no sense in buying an excavator from a brand that does not have good features or have issues with efficiency and also does not have adequate after sales service points. You will be left in a pickle if things go wrong with the machine. Therefore go with the brand that makes more sense and falls apt to your needs.

A brand like Caterpillar can turn out to be real good for your business. Cat has come up with 323F L Excavator that promises the consumers of high performance and supreme quality. It is probably more reliable than any other excavators from any other brand. This particular machine is said to be 9% better in terms of fuel efficiency than its predecessors (E-series). Other than that, the 323F L Excavator is fitted with C7.1 engine that has a net power of 161 hp. With the help of its automatic engine speed control system, it can lower the rpm of the engine when the excavator is not loading any stuff and also has the engine idle shutdown system which will shut down the machine after remaining idle for a defined duration.

In terms of fuel efficiency, the machine is fitted with ECO mode which permits the operator to adapt the machine’s performance to the application and simultaneously consumes less fuel. It has the regeneration circuits for the boom and stick that helps in reducing the load on the main pumps. The maximum operating weight of the machine is 56,000 pounds with a max dig depth of 22 feet and max reaches at ground level of 32 feet and 4 inches.

The most intrinsic feature of the 323F L Excavator is the technology installed in the machine. It is integrated with technologies like Product Link which helps the operator with key information like the location, hours of constant activity, fuel consumption and idle time. The operator can make use of this report to understand the efficiency of the machine and can be used for various other operating needs.

The excavator can be purchased from any CAT authorized dealer in your city. Placing the order in advance will be a big help to the dealers to make the machine available for you to check before buying it. The dealers will also assist you to get loans from institutions at lower interest rates and they do this for f

Importance of backhoe loader in the construction business

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We all know the importance of heavy equipment in the construction sector and to what degree it can help the construction workers to ease their work but there are some heavy equipment that are by large considered as the most efficient and most preferred by all construction companies. Heavy equipment like dozers, scrapers, rollers etc. all have a specific role to play but there are some that can be used for multi-purpose activity. Heavy equipment like excavators and backhoe loaders are machines that have the capability to perform activities for which you require another set of heavy machines. So you need not buy any other set of machine and can only depend on these heavy equipment to do most of your work. All you need to do is change the attachment as per your needs and it should be able to take it from there.

A backhoe loader is one such heavy equipment that can do 2 things at one time. It can use the backhoe to dig the dirt from the ground and with the help of the loader it can gather all the dirt and load them on the truck. So this means that the construction house does not need to deploy 2 different machines to do this activity. Backhoe loaders in general are quite powerful, efficient and completely reliable. Not just for constructing big buildings but also for constructing roads, these powerful machines make a huge difference. It has the potential to work on rough terrains and does not give a nightmare to the operator when he gets to know that he has to work on a mountain slope or a muddy piece of land.

The cabin for the operator working inside the backhoe is spacious enough to accommodate him and few of his belongings easily. It also has good leg space allowing the operator to stretch his legs after working for long hours. The most important part of this machine is its engine which is super tough. However, the quality also depends from companies to companies and therefore someone who buys the loader from a reputed brand will always find his money worth the machine. It is also much preferred heavy equipment with most of the mining companies. With the help of the backhoe it can easily break down the toughest rock and the loader can then carry it all. This gives it an edge over all other heavy equipment in its class.

The operator of a backhoe loader should be pretty experienced with having worked with such machines in the past. They may then know how to maneuver the machine with ease. A newbie might find it a bit difficult and may need guidance to deal with it. It is crucial for the operator to know the gears well as it is also used during the digging process. So the person working on it should be aware of the gears and understand its significance. Overall, it is a machine that most of the small construction companies look forward to as it helps them to fulfill dual activity by just switching over the attachments.

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Caterpillar Generators RP Series

Caterpillar Generators RP Series

There has been many times when the construction laborers have to work late in the night. This means that you have to ensure that the entire jobsite is lit up so that the workers do not have issues with viewing things. It has often been a challenge with most of the construction companies to convince the workers to work after sunset. The common problem is that they have trouble seeing things and if they have that trouble then there is every chance of an accident to happen at the workplace. You simply can’t work with poor visibility. It is better that you leave the work for tomorrow and then start afresh. However, for construction companies who work on strict deadlines have very little options. They have to keep the work on late at night and also ensure that the workers are able to see things and do have visibility issues. This brings the need of a generator that can provide power to keep the lights on till the workers are on the jobsite trying to complete the work.

Caterpillar’s RP series generators have been considered one of the best in the industry. It is known for its power and high durability. The name Caterpillar is enough for consumers to keep their faith on the product and buy them without having any doubt or question in mind. However, the brand also provides with a 3 year warranty so that if anything goes wrong with the generator you will have someone at your place to fix the problem. There is a small catch in this. A buyer has to register himself after buying the generator on the CAT website in order to avail 3 years warranty. The registration has to be within 30 days from the date of buying the product. Just in case, if he fails to get himself registered then the warranty will be valid for only 2 years.

Cat is calling the generator as expanded home and outdoor power equipment. This means that this machine can be used both at home as well as in the jobsite. Now if you have a jobsite that is quite big in area and you need to light up the entire place for the workers to work during the night time then you may have to go for more than one generator of the RP series. You can talk it out with the CAT authorized dealers who will guide you accordingly on the number of generators you need to buy.

Caterpillar has come up with 4 versions of the RP series. The one in North America is in the 3.6 to 7.5-KW range whereas the 2.5 to 4.4 KW range is for Europe. The wants of the consumer has been studied throughout various countries and accordingly the product has been designed. Caterpillar is now engaged with the distribution part by involving its authorized dealers both in wholesale and retail to aggressively sell the product. CAT understands that these portable generators are something that the consumer has wanted for a long time and by engaging into aggressive distribution they will be able to reach out to many in less time.

Innovation in the construction industry

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It is said that necessity is the mother of all inventions. When we feel the need of a thing we start working out to find new solutions and alternatives. This is perhaps the reason why we are able to evolve as a human being and the urge to bring something new has given rise to a new dimension. Human wants compels us to bring creativity into picture. We always want something new and this want of us compels the provider to think out of the box and come out with something that no one else has ever thought before. It is something that has been envisaged for the first time and now the people have the final product in front of them. The practice to keep innovating and experimenting with things will take any industry further and so it is considered one of the most important factors in today’s’ times.

Construction business is a huge one and the need of innovation has been frequently felt in this industry as well. This is the reason why there are so many construction companies trying to compete with each other by coming up with a new idea and executing it on the ground. Right from raw materials to architectural designs all play a significant role in executing innovative ideas? The architect has to come up with new designs that will give a new shape and life to the construction. In order to work on the design, you may need special type of materials. The old traditional ones may not be of much use if you want to work on the new designs. Other than that we today make use to high end technology in the construction industry to check the work-in-progress. For instance, we use statistical data to study the deficiency or drawbacks in materials and then we can work on our shortcomings to put back things in place.

Similarly, we have different sort of equipment to ensure the safety of workers on the site. Right from heavy equipment operator to the construction worker all are instructed to follow the safety guidelines and use safety accessories that are prepared by keeping into consideration the innovative equipment the company has for its workers. The construction workers by wearing the safety accessories have minimized the risk to their lives to a greater extent. Special gloves, glasses and boots are given to the operators so that they can have better control on the machine and do not end up in an accident. Heavy equipment operators have to be extra careful while they are on the machine. A single mistake can have huge repercussion on the company as well as on the project.

Heavy equipment are been installed with GPS to prevent heavy equipment thefts. There are numerous incidents where heavy equipment were getting stolen overnight and no one had a clue who was doing it. This has given rise to purchase of GPS and cameras that can be installed on the site. The moment the system identifies any suspicious activity with the heavy equipment, it will start alerting. This has definitely brought down the number of heavy equipment thefts to a larger extent.

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Dealing with pressures in the construction sector

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We often find ourselves into some sort of pressure whenever we come across a new challenge in life. This happens because we do not know the correct way to face it and overcome it. We create the pressure by taking stress rather than thinking of countering the issue. This is what we do to mess up everything. On the contrary what needs to be done is we should try to remain as calm as we can and analyze the possibilities we have to get through the challenge. A person with a cool mind can do this but what about others. Companies have deadlines and they need to complete the task on time. Other than that there are other factors that builds up to the pressure. People not coming to work due to a calamity, frequent market ups and downs and many other factors are responsible for adding pressure in a person’s life. But he also got to deal with it and come out safe.

A construction owner at times finds himself/herself under tremendous pressure and he has valid reasons for that. He/she has to take care of many areas and need to ensure that everything is going well. Right from checking the stock of raw materials to the availability of heavy equipment, he/she needs to do it all. If at all he/she assigns people for the job he/she then needs to ensure that the guys are doing their part of job correctly because if they fail to do their job it will have an impact on the company and the boss will be answerable to his investors. So by that one can imagine the kind of pressure a construction owner has on him. Now talking about the solutions, they need to find out ways and means to tackle the pressure. They will not be able to reduce it but can definitely deal with it in such a way that the impact of the pressure lessens and its effect is low.

Assign important works to your trusted men:-

A better way to tackle pressure in the construction segment is to diversify it among the people you believe can do the job for you. You should not keep everything to you and learn to assign important responsibilities to others. This will not only take you off-pressure but will also give others an opportunity to learn to handle business. If someone from your family is interested to learn and run your business, welcome him to your business and teach him the different levels of work. It will be a great exposure for him and you also do not have the fear of losing him. Being a family, there is less chance that once he has learnt the tricks of the trade he will switch loyalties and join some other company.

Take failures as lessons and don’t punish yourself:-

Construction business owners find it difficult to accept failures. They should understand that failures are a part of their profession but it also gives them some lessons to learn and they should accept those lessons positively. Rather than getting depressed or punishing themselves by working for more hours, they should retrospect and focus on new opportunities without committing the old mistakes.

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Caterpillar D5K2 Dozer

Caterpillar D5K2 Cat GRADE with 3D

Grading has never been a simple job for the operator. It takes highly skilled men to do the job and still there are times when the skilled men find the job to be difficult and look for other ways and means to finish it. As a matter of fact, no construction related job is simpler. It all takes good deal of effort from the part of the doer to complete any work with precision. If you are a person who gives a lot of stress on quality then you need to have the best men working for you along with the best equipment. You can expect your men to deliver phenomenal results with poor equipment. So the type of heavy equipment you have to do the job plays quite a crucial role in the overall quality of the job. Grading is termed to be a difficult job as the land pattern is not the same at every place. Other than that the type of soil also plays a major role in grading a piece of land. Therefore it is a must to have the best grading heavy equipment to do the job.

Caterpillar D5K2 grader with 3D is just the type of heavy equipment that every construction company engaged into grading business will look for. Caterpillar has been known to provide the best in the industry. It does a thorough research on the needs and wants of the consumer and then come up with its product. Today, the pulse of the people is that they want things to be simple yet a lot efficient. They do not want to waste their time in understanding the complex technicalities involved in a machine. On the contrary, they would love to go with something that is easy to understand and also effective. They just do not want their business to suffer in any manner and continue using applications that are not at all complex in nature. Keeping this in view, the D5K2 CAT Grader was brought in the market.

The 3D control installed in the CAT grading machine is an integrated grade control system that makes life really simple for the operators. It enables them to improve their grading efficiency, productivity and get the work done with utter precision. The D5K2 grader can also be used for dozing application. So fine grading is just one part of it, if you want to use the machine for dozing work that can be done as well. The machine has a couple of antennas positioned on the roof top of the cab and thereby it completely eliminates any conventional blade mounted masts and cables. So no need to climb on the blade to remove the blade mounted masts and the cables.

New technologies are installed in this machine that can improve the productivity level by almost 50%. It has an in-built AccuGrade-Ready option which adds versatility by allowing the operator to use other CAT Grade technologies. So the operators will now be able to have an in-cab display of the grade plan, cut/fill information and other grade indicators thus highly impacting the productivity in a positive manner.