Monthly Archives: May 2017

How to buy heavy equipment at lower price

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Every company would want to buy raw materials required to make finished goods at a lower price. This will help them to bring down their manufacturing cost and can make more profits in return. However, the challenge here is to know the source that can provide them the raw material at a lower price. The raw material provider does not provide the stuffs at cheap rates to everyone but there is a simultaneous market that deals with the same stuff at a lower rate. The problem is not everybody is aware of this simultaneous market. Similarly, when it comes to the construction industry, they have one such market from where they can buy heavy equipment at a lower price. There are few construction companies who are in the business of buying construction machines at a relatively lesser price and then let it out to other companies or contractors. They make good money in this transaction as well as are also able to retain the machine.

Repo heavy equipment can be bought at a lower price:-

Buyers of heavy equipment who purchases the machines by borrowing loan and if they are unable to repay the money, the machine is repossessed by the lender. Now, the lender does not want to keep it under its possession for too long. The lender is interested to get its money back and therefore it auctions the machine and sells it to the highest bidder. In this particular case, not many people are aware of such auction and therefore not many people turn up. Also, the lender wants to get the money back that it has lent to the borrower and is not looking to make more money by doing this process. This means they keep the price of the heavy equipment much lower than one can think of. Due to low footfall, the price of the machine does not increase exponentially in the auction and the highest bidder can manage to buy it at a lower price.

Shutting down the business:-

The construction sector is quite a challenging and dynamic one and not many people are able to survive the odds of the industry. This is why many people decide to shut down the business and try something else. The people who are in the process of shutting down their business would want to sell off all their belongings so that they can have some money at the end of their entrepreneurial journey. They will be releasing an ad in local newspaper or simply list the item on some website that deals with buying and selling of heavy equipment. Just in case, you manage to get to know the person, you can directly walk up to him/her and check if he/she wants to sell it off to you. You can check the condition of the machine and give him/her a deal that he can’t refuse. They will be happy to get anything reasonable that you can offer him/her and will hand over the machine to you.

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Dedication is the key to become best heavy equipment salesman

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In order to achieve success in life the thumb rule is to keep your focus intact. You have to concentrate hard on your profession and on things that can get you close to success. When we were young we often believed that our school life is the toughest part of our lives as we had to focus on our studies to secure good grades but the matter of fact is while you are in school you just learn to concentrate on things. You start doing something that you have to continue doing for the rest of your life. People who see their career in the sales area got to very dedicated to their work. It is never simple to sell a product to a person in spite of the fact the person may have dire need of the product. Your dedication towards your work plays a mighty role in becoming the best salesperson.

How much you know about your product:-

Guys who are selling heavy equipment can earn a lot through commissions and other perks. But is selling heavy equipment an easy task by any means? The answer is a big NO. People who are engaged in selling heavy equipment have their piece of good bad and ugly experiences to share and in that you will find many bad and ugly experiences as compared to good ones. However, what comes handy in bad times is the fact that how dedicated you are with your work. If you are a person who is completely honest and dedicated towards his job then you will find that you should start from knowing what you are selling. Knowing about your product is the first important thing that you should master. Spend your time with guys who have good knowledge about heavy equipment and can share their experiences with you. Watch videos through which you will get some good understanding of machines and their applicability in the construction business. Once you are through with that you are ready to learn the next big part of selling heavy equipment.

Master different selling techniques:-

Since you know about heavy equipment, the next move should be to learn selling techniques. Remember there is no one single selling technique. You have to keep on innovating and apply different form of techniques. However, you begin to learn the techniques by watching veterans. Check how they speak and how cleverly they handle situations. They may not know much about heavy equipment but still they manage to sell machines. They can do this through means of applying different selling techniques. Your dedication towards your work plays a significant role in pushing you to learn new techniques. As stated, these are quite difficult and it consumes time. So a person who wants make quick buck may lose his patience in no time and may give it up. However, a person who is dedicated to his work will try to inculcate things that are required to become the best heavy equipment salesperson.

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Influx of foreign heavy equipment makers have made competition tougher

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It is said that competition gives birth to quality products and rightly said this has not only given birth to quality products but also have brought many innovative heavy equipment into existence. Heavy equipment industry at one point in time was manufacturing products lacking innovation but after the influx of foreign companies in the US market, things have drastically changed and many US heavy equipment companies have started taking things seriously. They got to know that if they want to survive then they have to manufacture machines that meets the overall wants and needs of the end user. This has also given rise to employing competent engineers and designers who take the lead work to manufacture machines that are different from their competitors. All this has resulted in giving a new shape to the heavy equipment industry that no one has ever witnessed before.

However the real challenge that the US heavy equipment manufacturing companies are experiencing is continue what they have now made a legacy. Giving the best to the end user is part of a very difficult job and companies often find themselves in a tough spot when it comes to deliver the best. On top of that, when you have similar companies who have come from foreign land and delivering better than you, it gets tougher to keep up to the mark or raise your level. Rise in competition may be good for the end user but it becomes problematic for the homemade companies. Other than that, there are few small companies who may not stand in front of those giant players and may be eaten up by the big fishes. So if there is someone who wants to establish his company, he will have a hard time setting his foot firmly on the ground. He may be simply washed away even if he produces better equipment than the big players.

Companies like CAT, John Deere etc. may be able to sustain the competition as they have been in this business since a long time and have also seen many ups and downs. So they have the experience to counter any threats or challenges but when it comes to companies who are newly formed, they may lack the expertise and the experience to tackle a tough competitor. They may always find themselves getting inside the mouth of a bigger fish. So the competition which had brought several changes in the heavy equipment industry is also creating a negative stir in it.

As a matter of fact, everything has its pros and cons and perhaps the cons of the influx of foreign heavy equipment makers is that the small companies who aspire to become big may get completely washed away. They either have to join any of the big companies forgetting their dream of establishing a company of their own or just leave this industry and try something else in life. This is a ruthless fact of competition that many have to gulp in even if they do not want to.

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How to protect heavy construction equipment from theft?

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Heavy construction equipment and machines are one of the most important and essential parts of the construction projects. The jobs at a construction site are done way easily with the heavy construction equipment. It completes the construction task faster and more efficiently and that too for an affordable investment. Relying on manual labour only increases time consumption as well as expenses.

It is because of this that the heavy construction equipment is always in demand. However, the prices of these machines, tools and equipment are not very affordable. Hence, stealing the heavy construction equipment is a common practice all across the globe. Whenever there is a possibility or ignorance, the thieves steal the equipment. That is why, preventing the stealth as well as protecting the heavy construction equipment from any such damage is a must.

Here are a few steps that need to be followed.

  • National Equipment Register:

 

When the heavy construction equipment gets stolen, the police find it very difficult to track down as many of the vehicles are not properly registered. Also, there is a parallel business industry that deals in the stolen heavy construction equipment and hence, finding your heavy construction equipment might be difficult. That is why, in order to track down your stolen heavy construction equipment, registering it to the National Equipment Register is a must.

  • Do a verification of the workers:

 

More often than not, the workers are found guilty of either stealing or accomplishing in the theft of the heavy construction equipment. Hence, before you employ anyone, it is a must that you do a thorough background check of the workers. Sometimes, the thieves or the gangs send their members to be employed as your worker in order to find out how secure your heavy construction equipment is and what measures you take protect it. Finding the loopholes is way easier from within the team.

  • Keep the garage or construction site well-lit:

 

If you park you heavy construction equipment within the construction job site or somewhere else in the parking lots, it is a must that you have the place well-lit. This is a very useful step that will help you to monitor the site at all times through close circuit cameras. It is also a great idea that you keep the heavy construction equipment blocked on all sides by other vehicles, so that there is no easy escape.

  • Using Security Systems:

 

Chaining or locking the heavy construction equipment is not always a solution as the thieves can spend hours or even bribe the security personnel and cut down the chains, if there is enough time. In case there is no other security system such as the CCTV camera or enough lights or even an advanced alarming system that will notify you in case of any intrusion, chains and locks would not be able to do the job for you.

  • Insurance:

 

Insurance is a safety protection that will help you to overcome the losses in case of any theft of the heavy construction equipment. Hence, always have it insured, so that you do not have to bear the damage at all.

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How to diagnose fault codes on heavy equipment

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Knowing the nature of work heavy equipment are bound to have issues which can even result in loss of work. Therefore it is so critical to ensure that the heavy equipment are in good shape. Machines do give some hints letting the operator know that there is some issue that is getting generated in it and it should be taken care of at the earliest. These hints are known as fault codes or diagnostic codes. The purpose of the code is to inform the owner of the machine or the person who works on it about a specific problem that will crop up in the future. It then becomes the responsibility of the operator to understand the codes and what it is pertaining to. Different types of problems are relayed through different types of codes and one must know how to read them. Once you are able to read the codes and understand what it is trying to say you will save a lot on the operating cost of the machine.

One can read the codes through the OEM’s telematics platform. This is a highly useful platform that one can make use of and prevent their machines from any breakdowns happening in the future. Since the OEM’s send early notifications action needs to be taken in the right direction. For instance, if the OEM sends fault codes for over speeding the engine, one must realize that he is probably driving too fast on a steep path. The person should understand the code and bring a change in his way of driving the machine. He should be more careful while driving on steep paths as the machine has already thrown faulty codes pertaining to that subject. It also means that there are chances that the machine may develop complications if the driver does not stop driving fast on steep roads.

If you are a person who does not understand much about faulty codes then the best option would be to gather the codes and take it to the equipment dealer. The maintenance manager will go through the codes and will advise you on the future course of action. They are the guys who deal with the faulty codes every now and then and therefore it makes more sense to you to approach them with the faulty codes and ask them to set up some plan and advise you on the type of action/care you should be taking to keep the machine in order.

The owner of the heavy equipment can send the fault codes wirelessly and can alert the technician of the ground situation. If the technician sees codes that suggest him to change a particular part of the machine then he can inform the owner accordingly and likewise a decision can be taken. The owner will in no way want to reduce the productivity of the day and will therefore not take any chances. The fault codes help in a big way to increase the overall life and also augment the productivity of the machine.

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Commission for heavy equipment salesman

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Have you ever thought what the most profitable business is, in the current era and business market? Given the constantly growing population, it has to be the construction business. The growing population is constantly in need for properties to live in or own or even commercial properties to work at. In the near future, there is hardly any possibility that the construction business will face a downfall.

Hence, this is also an industry that is receiving more interest of the available workers, labours and employees. More people are being drawn towards this industry for its promising future. There was a time, when the construction industry was considered to be unsuitable for everyone, due to the heavy workload. But, nowadays, new heavy duty vehicles, machinery, tools and equipment are being introduced to the construction industry. This has made the lives of a construction worker easier.

Various job opportunities:

Just as the construction industry has gained a momentum, so has the job opportunities in this field and the associated fields as well. There are so many work options available that skilled workers and experienced experts can find.

  • Working as labours:

 

This is the most commonly available job opportunity in the construction industry. Regardless of the use of machineries and tools, there is always a requirement of skilled workers, who can conduct the task skilfully. Those, who can acquire more knowledge and develop skills that are needed for particular constructions, can always seek better job opportunities.

  • Using heavy construction equipment:

 

With the increasing growth of the construction industry, there is also an increasing demand of the construction heavy equipment. The heavy equipment or machineries are tools and vehicles that can make the tasks of excavations, filling the fields, making the field suitable for further constructions, lifting heavy construction materials and many such other works, easy. Operating these heavy equipment and tools is something that not everyone can do. This requires training and knowledge. Hence, if you have the skill of operating these equipment and tools, you will always get a good job.

  • Salesmen for heavy construction equipment:

 

Not just using the heavy construction equipment, but also selling these heavy construction vehicles and equipment is a great job opportunity. Every single construction business will require these equipment and tools or vehicles. Hence, selling them to the potential buyers is a great job for those, who have excellent sales skills.

Getting commission for sales jobs of construction equipment:

Amongst the different job opportunities associated with the construction industry, working as a salesman of these equipment is a great one. It always comes with huge commissions. The best construction equipment selling companies always offer great sales commissions. Since the price of the equipment is huge, the commissions are always great. This is an added benefit that the salesmen will get along with a monthly salary. This is a great source of added income that is not present in many other jobs. If you are looking for such a sales job in this field, it is a must that you know about the equipment and their properties well. Knowledge and skills for selling are two essentials for excelling in this career.

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How to operate a loader

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Loaders are one of the most essential and important heavy construction equipment that the construction workers simply cannot do without, in the current construction scenario. However, operating the loader, or in fact any other heavy construction equipment, is not an easy task. You need to make sure that you know the steps properly, so that the loader doesn’t tip over or change directions all of a sudden.

Start with choosing the right size and power of the loader. There are different kinds of the loaders. You can choose a skid loader or a wheel loader or the other kinds of loaders, as per your requirement. Once you have done so, you need to follow these steps.

  • Read the user manual:

 

The first step is to read the user manual of the loader carefully. There you will be guided about the different switches, levers and other tools. Take your seat and carefully identify the switches. Before you start, you must fasten your seat belt properly, so that you do not fall from the loader.

  • Understand the controls:

 

There are two steering handles in almost all the loaders. They are located on the sides of the arm rest of both sides of the loader. There is also a diagram for the buttons that clearly state how the loader runs and before you start the machine, you need to look at the loader carefully.

  • Start the loader:

 

To start the loader, usually you are given a key that is almost similar to that of a car. Some loaders are also started by a clearly visible start button. Nowadays, the newer loaders come with a keypad, where you will have to enter the starting code and the machine will start.

  • Unlock the controls:

 

Usually the control system is locked and hence, as you start the machine or loader, you need to unlock the control system. A toggle switch does the job and when it is turned off, a red lamp is ignited and when it is switched on, it turns green.

  • Moving the bucket:

 

Usually the bucket is controlled by the left steering handle. It must be made assured that the joystick is moved only to the right or left side or to the front and back. Diagonal movement may cause the machine to act differently; rather than moving the bucket. Many loaders use pedals to run the machine and control the buckets. While moving the vehicle, you must always lift the bucket high enough to see the front clearly.

  • Controlling the right handle:

 

The right handle controls how the bucket is operated to load and unload the debris. Moving the right handle to the left will raise the bucket and moving it to the right will unload or dump the material in the bucket.

Now that you have understood how the loaders can be operated, it is a must that you stop the loader right in front of the pile of material that you want to load or unload. Once you are done, park the machine properly, so that it doesn’t obstruct the area. Always move the vehicle in slow speed.

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Rent an off road articulated truck

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Imagine that your excavator is sitting on a huge pile of mud and needs to clear it off. In such a situation an off road articulated can get that cleared off in no time. The excavator can fill all the soil in the truck and the truck will then ferry the mud to a dump yard and dispose the mud. An articulated truck is of immense importance in the construction sector especially in the excavation demolition and mining business where they excavate earth and then load the stuff in the truck to ferry it to the dump yard. A big jobsite needs on an average 10-15 articulated trucks at a time to do the job. This shows the importance and also the growing demand for these trucks in both the construction and mining sectors. In such a situation if you have an off road articulated truck which you want to rent you can expect lot of takers for it. You only need to ensure that the truck is in good working condition and is not very old.

To rent an articulated truck should be a simple task for you. You have to choose one of the options from a selective few. The options are as follows:-

Listing the truck on your own:-

This is perhaps the most simple and convenient way that you can adopt to rent the truck. All you need to do is get yourself registered on an online platform that is reputed and also known to many. Once that is done, list the truck under the “Rent” option and put the latest pictures of the truck on it. Write a bit about the truck as in how old it is and if there has been any issues pertaining to its performance and stuffs that you feel is important for the taker to know. The rental price that you quote should be in tandem with the market price. So please do not quote a higher price as long as you have strong reasons to quote that. If you are in this industry for long then it will not be difficult for you to come out with the appropriate rental price or else you do some research before mentioning the price. Prospects may turn away if they find the price to be on the higher side.

Give it to a dealer to rent it for you:-

This is perhaps the next best thing that you can do to rent an off road articulated truck. You walk-in to a dealer and talk to him about renting the truck. You hand over the keys to him so that if someone drops in to check out the truck he can do so without losing any time. You then have to just sit back and wait to receive a call from the dealer. Give him a week’s time and if you do not get to hear anything from him, give him a buzz.

Renting heavy equipment has turned out to be a big business as contractors do not want to buy heavy equipment and find taking machines on rent to be more affordable.

 

Construction Paving Machines are available in different specifications

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A construction paving machine or simply a paving machine is an important heavy duty construction machinery that is used to lay asphalt concrete or bituminous asphalt in a road, bridge, canal, airport construction or damage repairing projects. Paving machines are available in different specifications depending upon the job site and job load.

Types of paving machines

Three types of paving machines are generally found and used:

  • Track asphalt pavers – These pavers provide greater traction for more challenging jobs where the surface is too uneven and requires more hauling. These days, some track pavers are manufactured with steel tracks for utmost perfection, the longevity of the equipment and low-cost maintenance.
  • Wheel-equipped asphalt pavers – These pavers are used where a high mobility is required along with the shock-absorbing capacity of the whole body as an undercarriage is fixed with the equipment. The undercarriage is specially designed to promote smooth paving. These pavers contain high horsepower that is often used in tough situations. These paving machines can move in small apertures making them perfect for a small area
  • Screeds –Screed paving machines are equipped with electrically heated screed plates and width adjustment capacity. For this reason, these pavers are suitable for all types of construction works. Their control system is highly sophisticated and designed for minimum human intervention. The control system for tamper setup vibration can be comfortably matched with paving speed and production rate.

Purpose of a paving machine

A construction paving machine not only lays asphalt on the construction areas but also does a primary compaction before a roller starts working for a full range compaction. A typical paving machine functions through the following process:

  • A paver possesses a hopper into which asphalt is poured from a dump truck
  • The conveyor then transfers the asphalt to the auger
  • The auger then piles up the asphalt before a free-floating screed
  • The screed the spreads the asphalt over the width of the road

The screed plays a vital role in spreading the asphalt evenly all over the area. Due to the uneven surface, some part of the road may require more asphalt while some other parts less. For this reason, the free-floating screed is used with an automatic controller and an electronic sensor.

Different specifications of construction paving machines

A wide array of paving machines is available from different manufacturers. The smaller machines generally possess 3-20 HP while the larger ones possess 100-250 HP. These machines generally run with diesel fuel. The larger pavers weigh between 20000-40000 lb. and their length ranges from 19-23 ft.

Construction paving machines include asphalt millers, asphalt brooms, and asphalt recyclers. Asphalt millers are available in two different specifications: hot and cold. They are normally used for fixing surface damages, slope control, grade control, and depth repairs. In the manufacturing process, paving machines are generally assembled from in a factory bringing its components from different suppliers. Most of the components of this machine are made of steel like the auger is made of Ni-Hard steel, the screed is made-up from steel plate, tubbing, and channel.

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Resale of Cat heavy equipment

Most of the assets that are in good condition have a resale value. Buyers while buying any new asset should have the notion in their mind that there will be a time when they have to resell it someone and therefore they should buy it from such a brand that can give a good resale price in the market. Focusing on heavy equipment, there are number of machines of different brands available. But it makes more sense to buy the heavy equipment of the brand which can give you a good resale value. You may want to sell it after few years and you want to sell it at a good price. So as long as you do not buy the stuff of a renowned brand, the chances of getting a good resale value are miniscule. It is therefore advisable to invest your money into buying heavy equipment of a brand that is long lasting, reliable, power efficient and also gives you a good price when you go out to sell it in the market.

Caterpillar is one such brand that meets all the above requirement that a buyer generally wants to have in a heavy equipment. According to a study, it has been observed that CAT dozers are the ones that got sold real fast and also gave a good price to the seller. Well, it is not just the dozer, you can take any CAT heavy equipment for that matter and you can expect to get a good resale value for it. CAT has been carrying this legacy of excellence right throughout its inception and it intends to continue with it by delivering incredible performance across all class. Whatever they get into they try to make class stuff so that the end user do not end up regretting or they receiving any complain from the customer about a fault in a particular product.

Keep the machine well maintained:-

In order to get good resale value, there are few things that a owner should consider doing throughout the time the machine is in its possession. Firstly, the heavy equipment should be well maintained at all times. Though CAT machines are exceptional in quality, if you do not take good care of them they may turn rogue. It is absolutely no fault of the machine. The users should ensure that in order to maintain the highest standard of performance the heavy equipment should be serviced at regular intervals. It should be cleaned after work so that the dirt gets wiped off its body and also lubricate the machine at regular intervals. This in turn increases the overall longevity of the machine and thus ensures a good resale value.

Give it a new look:-

We all like to buy things that look new. It may be a used one but we expect it to look a bit new. The owners of heavy equipment should get the equipment painted before they decide to sell it off. If required, change the faulty parts with new. This will give a new life to the machine.