Category Archives: Construction

Heavy equipment operator keeping from getting dehydrated

The looming concern of dehydration for a heavy equipment operator

We often preach others that in case of diseases preventive measures are way better than the cure itself. However prevention does not pan out to be realistic option for some quarters of people in our society due their professional obligations. Yet after applying plentiful of resources and expenditure for risk management, many outside workers like heavy equipment operators succumb to death or serious physical disabilities rendering them permanently unfit to join the service again. The case is not very different for some physical workers for instance dry cleaners, mechanics, boiler room workers, bakery staff, steamfitters, plumbers and so on who  perform within the enclosure of walls. Taking all the possible defects into account, it can be asserted firmly that dehydration poses the biggest threat for all sorts of hard labor workers. According to NIOSH, every individual has a threshold upper value to withstanding the rising heat content of surrounding environment and that capability to maintain body temperature is influenced by a host of factor like age, blood sugar status, alcoholism profile, physical built and lifestyle etc. yet above all the determiners, it is the type and strenuousness of the job that take the toll most on body.

On-paper standards & the ground realities:

Since date, there have been innumerable health tribunals and commissions set up by the government and sometimes by the management to recommend the best health practices to be adapted by the professionals working in hot weather conditions. The most considered indices by notable health organizations like CDC, WHO in making out the heat hazards for workers are- wind velocity, humidity, radiant heat and most necessarily atmospheric temperature. Then come, the individual-specific factors like sex, age, heat tolerance, acclimatization to changing working conditions and hydration level. For such complexity in measurement, it was finally advised to the industries to develop their own set of methods to determine the optimum level of heat tolerance though the industries are hard to be heard since there botheration is only own profits.

Adversities of dehydration and palliation:

Medical data shows that dehydration level, as low as 2% of an individual’s body weight, can impede motor nerve senses; doom the vision momentarily; impair the short-term memory and attention and arithmetic efficiency. If the situation deteriorates further to 4% of body weight, a considerable 23% reduction in reaction time happens, entailing significant increase of work-related accidental risks. The biggest threat of dehydration comes from the greatest companion of the workers- the encapsulated protective clothing. Such clothing causes unceasing perspiration in hands and feet incrementing the chance of slippage of operating devices. Appointers often get out of their comfort level to teach workers about the behavioral & medical risks and the symptoms of heat-related illness as well. Although they utter the misconception that fluids intake is enough to prevent heat related stress while instilling the necessity of safe working by providing adequate breaks, proper scheduling, taking plenty of cool water, gradual acclimatization to adverse work conditions, preparing an emergency plan etc. are the most successful steps in preventing untoward situation.

 

It’s Summer Time – You Can’t Work without an Air-condition in Your Heavy Equipment

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We all know and understand the importance of heavy equipments in the construction industry. It is indeed the backbone of the industry without which it is almost impossible for the sector to move ahead. We might not see huge buildings kissing the sky any longer without the use of heavy equipments. One who is into the construction business for long may know how important these machines are for him. He probably might consider them as a part of his family which as a matter of fact many do. Though they do not get too personal with their stuffs, yet they care a lot for it.

One of the most intrinsic features in today’s heavy equipments is that they are manufactured by keeping every minute detail into account. Right from safety parameters to operators comfort, everything is given due consideration while the heavy equipments are designed and then manufactured. To be precise, comfort of the operator and safety both go hand in hand. As long as the operator does not find himself comfortable inside the cabin, he is bound to make mistakes and at times the mistakes may take a fatal approach which may cost a life of a person or may even injure someone. Therefore, it is quite imperative to see if the operator who is the brain of the construction equipment is at ease inside the cabin. Once he is cosy inside, he would take care of things outside.

Other than having easy accessibility to switches in the cabin, what more can one think of from the comfort point of view? Well, if you are thinking of fresh air and keeping the room temperature inside the cabin cool, you have hit the bull’s eye. The space inside the cabin may become suffocating if there is no proper ventilating system attached to the machine. To get away with this problem, the engineers have taken special care to ensure that they set up mechanisms inside the machine which will condition the air by removing the hot air from inside and blow fresh cool breeze. They have set up the air conditioning bolts at various points which will throw fresh air on the operators head and they have also installed mechanisms by which the operator can adjust the flow of air as per his need. In other words, this will allow the operator to make adjustments to the temperature by either increasing the flow of air or by reducing it.

During winters, one may not need the air conditions. However, as soon as the winter ends and the climate start getting hotter, you may find the need of an air condition. It becomes unbearable for a person to sit inside a box where the temperature outside is more than 37 degree Celsius. There are companies which are in the process of making air conditioners that can be controlled via remote control. It is probably in the testing phase and will be soon out once everything seems to be just ok.

Caterpillar Excavator 330 – Why It’s Still the Favourite of Many

When it comes to heavy equipments, there are lot of options available for the users. However, there is one such name which has its dominance over all the other brands and has its impression on the minds of the consumers. It’s none other than Caterpillar which has gone the extra mile to ensure that its consumers get what they want. Many are of the view that nothing can be better than heavy equipments produced by Caterpillar. Though there are other companies which have made their presence felt but one can’t deny the fact that Caterpillar has succeeded to win all hearts with its state of the art technology that it uses to manufacture construction equipments.

The construction equipments produced by Cat needs no introduction. They are renowned for their quality and excellence. We would be discussing in brief about the features of Cat excavator 330 and how it’s benefits the consumers.

Specifications:-  Starting with the specification of the boom stick of the machine, the shipping length of the unit is around 36feet, 8 inches, and shipping height of the unit is 11’9”. The maximum loading height is around 24’, 8”

The width of the machine outside the tracks would be around 11’ 1” and the height from the bottom to the top of the cab would be around 10’ 3”. If we talk about the engine, CAT is known to use the best engine compatible for the machine. For the model 330DL, they use C9 ACERT   engine which has a net power of 270hp. The engine oil capacity is around 10.6 gallon and the hydraulic system fluid   capacity is 108.3 gallon. Its operating voltage is 24Vand alternator supplied amperage is 35amps. The fuel capacity of the machine is 163.8 gallon which means that it can work for days without getting refuelled. However, it also depends upon for how long one would be using the excavator in a day.

The fluid capacity of the cooling system is 10.6 gallon. This ensures the applications needed to cool the cabin does not run out of fuel and allows the operator to work without any trouble. It’s advisable that the purchaser should go through the user manual before taking the call to buy the item. The user manual speaks everything about the machine. You can get every minute detail about the excavator in the manual and by that you can analysis if this is what you require for your project.

From where can you buy the machine?  You have multiple options to buy a Cat excavator. However, the best possible option is to order it directly from the company. Doing that will enable you with some additional benefits and unlike dealing with a dealer where they rush things to you, here you’ve the privilege to take your own time to decide if you should be going ahead with the purchase. They can also initiate a bank loan where you’d be required to pay monthly installments to the bank.  Shipping the excavator to your place is their responsibility. All you have to do is insure the item. At times, the insurance part is also dealt by the company.

Earning Profits Isn’t difficult for Someone in the Construction Business

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We all have this notion that having a business of our own can make us real rich. We land up in any business and after having learnt the tricks of the trade, we can make good money out of it. Well, doing a business from can definitely earn good profits for you but it depends how soon you learn the game and if you have the skill to carry on the business successfully. Not many are gifted with the knack of doing business successfully and therefore many people after having spent considerable amount of time and money trying their luck simple gives up their hopes and desires. However, the one who stick to their idea and their beliefs are the one who make it big in their respective business.

Not all business can guarantee quick profits. However, there is a business which may not guarantee but can certainly ensure that you make good money after being in the business for a proportionate period of time. If you are the one who is looking for such a type of business, welcome to the world of construction. It may give you all that you’re looking for. Be it money, fame or recognition, you may have them all. However, for that you may have to invest good amount of your time and a lot of money in setting up the business.

We’ll talk about the pre-requisites that are essential before you step in this business.

Learn the tricks of the trade:-  What makes one a successful businessman? Undoubtedly, his efforts and hard work plays a mighty role in it. However, it’s also clubbed with how well does he knows his work and how effectively he can manage the work assigned to him. Learning the business is very important. You can’t do that in a month or so. You need to devote a lot of time for that and need to learn every small thing, right from the scratch. Also, you need to recognize if you’ve the skill to manage things well. Not everybody is gifted with this skill and hence, you should first identify if you possess it or have to learn it.

Getting contracts:-  In order to successfully run the construction business, you need projects in hand and projects are given to people who are renowned in their business. So there you see your first hurdle. If you’re not known, no one will have the faith in you and getting business from them might become quite tough. Therefore, it’s important that you set up good contacts with people and before you start up something of your own, let people know that you’ve this in your mind so that you can expect some work to come. Big or small doesn’t matter much at that point in time. Getting the work is what more important for you.

Invest on good heavy equipments:-  Once you have a project in hand, you need good heavy equipments to work round the clock. You would never want any sort of break downs as that will hamper your growth as well as your business’s growth. So, it’s imperative that you invest in good machines which last long and helps you inch closer towards setting up a successful business in construction.

CAT D8T Dozer – Know Its Features and Utilities before Buying It

If you manage to look inside a construction site, you will find the roads to be messed up with stones all over the place, mud all around the place which makes it quite uneven for a person to walk on it. It leads to problems for the workers as they find it very hard to walk on the ground especially if they are required to carry some stuff with them. Therefore, it becomes imperative to first level the land, bring the road in a position so that people can walk on it. In order to get this done, the company should possess dozers of excellent quality which can work all day and can level the ground for people to strut.

It is argued that Caterpillar was the first company who had invented a dozer but if we talk about the patent, it seems to be in the position of a British company. Nevertheless, if we try to analyse or carry a survey checking out which company has maximum hold on most of the consumers using a dozer, we will find none other than Caterpillar. Probably they are the leading dozer manufacturing company in the globe and unarguably claim to produce the finest dozers.

Talking about the CAT D8T dozer, it is a multifunctional dozer wherein the front blades can be replaced as per the requirement of the project. This means that it’s not only used to level the land but can be used for many other constructive purposes. There are some 4 combinations of blades that can be installed in this dozer.

The first type is the straight blade which is short in nature with no lateral curves and also has no wings on its sides. This type of blade is mostly used for fine grading. Then we have the angle blade which is held by a “U” shape frame. This frame has 3 holes on each of its sides which allow it to hold the blade it in right, left and center positions. The third type of blade is the universal blade. This particular blade is designed to carry more material as it is tall and very curved with large wings on its sides. The 4th combination is a shorter blade which is not much curved and also has smaller side wings. These are the basic 4 combination of blades apart from which there are few more which are used for specific kind of work.

Cat has used one of the best engines compatible for this machine. The engine has a capacity of 229KW which means the net power of the engine is around 310hp and the overall weight of the dozer is around 37250 kgs. One of the unique features of the dozer is that it can give you a good resale value unlike dozers of other companies. Alternatively, the engine consumes less fuel which increases the productivity. The fuel capacity is 170 gallon and the engine oil capacity is 10 gallon. The engineers have done their best to make this model a huge success amongst the consumers and it has gained all the accolades from various business magazines and magazines related to heavy equipments.

Things To Remember Before You Rent Your Heavy Equipment

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Heavy equipments are very expensive and if you own it, you would definitely want to use it to the tilt. However, due to progress in technology one would rather want to go for the technologically advanced equipment and would like to sell off the old equipment or to give it on rent. If at all the machine is not that old and can fetch you a good price, it makes more sense to have that sold. However, if it’s a bit old, it may not get the price you are looking for and therefore, the next best alternative would be to give it on rent. Renting it will ensure that you get a fixed monthly earning on each and every month which will continue till the contract expires. This will keep the machine in a working condition and also makes sure that you keep on getting money without any hindrance.

Nevertheless, renting heavy equipment may have its own repercussions. There is an apprehension that the person you would be renting out may not take proper care of the machine which will deteriorate its life and it may not last long as it would have if it were with you. In order to get off from such apprehensions, there are few things which you need to do before you end up giving the heavy equipment on rent.

Give it to someone you know well:-  It’s advisable to rent the equipment to people you know would take good care of your machine. There are many guys who are in need of heavy equipments and you may even find someone who will ensure that the machine remains in good order. On the other hand, you can always visit his site with the pretext to check if the machine is in order.

Hand over the user’s manual or the instruction book:-  If you rent  your machine to a newbie, please ensure that you also hand over the user’s manual or an instruction book to the new user. Also, give him some verbal instruction on how frequently he should service the equipment and how often it needs to be lubricated. Just in case, if they experience any problem, they can make use of the user manual and can fix things up or can even call a technician directly from the company to get it fixed.

Make a rental contract:-  A rental contract helps both the giver and the taker in understanding their role in the contract. Similarly, it also protects the rights of both the parties. While preparing the contract, state all the points you find critical, such as maintaining the machine, the number of hours it should be working in a day, if there happens to be any accident due to which a part of the machine becomes faulty, it becomes the responsibility of the user to replace it or get it repaired. If only the taker agrees on all the points, you should go ahead with the deal. The duration for which the taker would be using the machine should also be stated in the contract.

Following the above points will protect the rights of both the parties and will help you rent your stuff.

Wheel Loaders – Facts You Must Know Before Moving Into the Construction Segment

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There are some heavy equipment without which it is unimaginable to run the construction business smoothly and out of those machines, perhaps the most important one which no construction company would like to do away are the Wheel Loaders. Construction and mining experts believe that these industries can’t move an inch without the utility of these machines and hence they form an important part as far as both the segments are concerned. The utility part is most likely a debatable one. However, leaving this aside, we can definitely see a lot of importance of this equipment in the present scenario.
Let us first understand what exactly a wheel loader is and its importance in the construction industry. Wheel Loaders are ideally heavy equipments which have a loader or a bucket in the front and are driven by a tractor. It is used for many reasons like clear up the pavements, or to carry materials like asphalt, mud, demolition debris, snow etc. It is found to be highly significant while clearing the snow from the roads. Especially when there are huge blocks of snow mounted on the road, it is nearly impossible to get that cleared manually. You need a heavy equipment to that moved off and you don’t have a better alternative than putting wheel loader to some use.
That was about snow. If we talk about paving a way in the forest, once the trees are chopped down, you need machines like these to take off the logs and ferry it to some other place. A wheel loader has been proven to be highly successful in getting such work done in a smooth manner.
Wheel loaders are ideally driven on wheels but at times, it has also been moved on tracks, thus displaying its compatibility on wheels as well as on the tracks. It has also shown its metal in the mining industry where it is used to pick up stockpiled stuffs and dump it in the truck. You will come across a lot of stuffs in a mining site that are heavy and are simply lying idle. For instance, piles of rocks, coal, demolition debris etc lie to be ferried by the loaders. The loader fills the materials in the bucket and dumps it in the truck.
The wheel loader can be used for multiple purposes if the attachments can be replaced with something else suited for the desired job. Therefore, there are two different kinds of loaders. The first kind has the bucket permanently fixed with the tractor and the other where the loader can be replaced by some other attachment. This makes the machine user friendly and experts have this one in their recommendation list.
Almost all the major heavy equipments manufacturing companies produces wheel loaders as they get enough orders from big construction and mining houses. To name a few companies like Caterpillar, John Deere, Kawasaki, Volvo etc produce large loaders. Whereas companies like JCB are known for producing quality backhoe loaders. The wheel loaders might be a bit expensive one but it’s worth every dollar you pay.

Things One Must Know Before Stepping In The Construction Business

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We all at some point or the other have thought about setting up a business of our own. Many must have also given it a shot and out of that many few were able to carry it on to the next level. So what could be the possible reason that led many to wind up their business and look for something else. The reasons could be in abundance; right from skipping to keep a check on their finances to lack of experience in the domain they had their business. All must have blown their business apart forcing them to switch to something else.

A construction business is no less similar to other businesses and is considered to be even more risky. So what makes people to step in this business? High profitability is perhaps one reason that leads the folks in this sector. Other than that, it doesn’t take long enough for one to pick up their business provided they keep getting projects. Nevertheless, there are certain do’s and don’ts which one needs to follow before they make their way in the construction business.

Take some experience:-  It’s prudent to start a business after you have accumulated enough experience in that domain. A layman may not understand the intricacies and technicalities of a business and may be taken on a royal ride by others. In order to avoid such a disastrous situation, it’s highly recommended to learn the tricks of the trade before you start playing it all by yourself. An experience of few years will only help you to understand the way business is done and that might in turn benefit you by getting more projects.

Know more about heavy equipments:-  It’s not possible for a person to know everything about heavy equipments especially when there are new technologies coming up with each passing day. However, one should have a basic knowledge on heavy equipments with respect to which machine is required for what purpose, what needs to be done if the machine goes faulty or if it breaks down in the mid of a project. Overall, he should be capable of handling any major or minor catastrophe.

Know your finances:­-  it would be utter futile to set up a business when you have no idea of your finances. Well, to reap benefits, it’s vital that you first invest. You need to have some surpluses which could take care of your personal as well as your business expenses for the next few months. Ideally, when you set up a new business, it may not catch up speed for few months. You may also incur losses. Therefore, you should have reserves to support your expenses and keep the business alive.

Licenses:-  Getting licenses for your business is a mighty tedious process and many if possible like to do away with it. However, the laws of the land might not let you do so. You need to have proper business license. You can take some help by going to the local courthouse and talk to someone from the contractors section. There are some documents that you need to avail and submit it to them. Once that’s done along with payment of fees, you get your license.

Getting a contract:-  Having projects in hand keeps the construction business alive. Therefore, it’s noteworthy to have enough projects in hand or at least you are confident that you’ll start getting projects to keep your business afloat.

Volvo Construction Equipment like Articulated Trucks

We often give a lot of credit to heavy equipment which are used to move earth, break old establishments, paving way in dense snowfall and so on and so forth. However, it has been extremely unlikely for us having given any credit to the Volvos used to carry stuffs from one place to another. You may have seen the Volvo haulers making their way through the dense forest or just gliding its way through the hillside and makes it to its destination.
These articulated trucks are of immense importance in the construction and mining industry. Heavy equipments which are used for various purposes have certain limitations and cannot be used to ferry remnants to be dumped at their destined place. In this juncture, one has to make use of Volvo articulated trucks to get the work done. These trucks are of excellent quality and have made its mark in proving the metal they are of.
We would be speaking in length about the features and utility of the Volvo trucks.
Can run on the toughest roads for days:- The Volvo trucks had their test of the time to prove its quality and the kind of service it has to offer to the customers. While it was on the testing phase, it was made to run on a very rough terrain for some days. It seemed to have outperformed in its tests and the visitors who belonged from distinguished construction companies had already ordered few of them. The same were delivered within few months.
Alternatively, they are also in the course of adding few more features in it which will not only increase its productivity but will also reduce the consumption of fuel. What bothers much to the construction companies is its fuel consumption which is already in the testing phase. We shall see some new models in the near future which will be actively productive and will also eat less of fuel.
What it has for the operator:- The comfort of the operator has been the fore point while manufacturing Volvo trucks. It’s known that the truck operator has to go through a lot of stress and pain during rough weather and hence care has been taken to ensure that things become cosier for him. At the same time, in order to increase the visibility for the operator, the front part of the truck is reduced which allows him to see things which otherwise gets blocked. The cabin of the operator is quite spacious so that he can move his hands freely and don’t hurt himself by knocking his arm with the steering or any hard device.
Stress on safety:- A lot of stress has been given on the safety of the operator on occasions when stuffs are getting filled in it or while transporting it from one place to another. Right from the steering to the accelerator and the brakes, special care has been taken to ensure that they all work smoothly with absolutely no errors.
Volvo articulated trucks are the new-age trucks that fulfils the customer’s needs in every manner.

Renting Your Heavy Construction Equipment Sounds to Be a Viable Option

Selling your heavy construction equipment which are not in use due to factors like availability of technological advanced machines or projects in hand do not need those machines may not always sound to be the only option available with you. In addition to this, not everyone would be willing to buy used construction equipment when they themselves can buy a brand new one. These things are worth to be considered and therefore one should make use of some other options which can fetch him some money from the “not in use” machine.

There are people entering the construction business in abundance and they are all in search of used machines. Thought not everybody might not want to buy, there are plenty of them who would want to take it on rent. Thus, you have the option to rent the machine on your own terms and get some money. You can make use of the money by reinvesting it in your business or using it for your own personal expenses or spending it the way you want.

The big question here is how you would come across people who would want to have your construction equipment on rent. You can find some very useful tips below. You only have to do is continue reading.

Posting an Ad in newspaper’s classified section:-  This should help you a lot in getting interested prospects for your heavy construction equipment. You can buy some space in the paper to add things and make it look attractive. It shouldn’t be too fancy but should be catchy enough to grab their attention to your ad. Give a very short description of the equipment and make sure that you mention your contact details to them. The specifications and features of the machine can be sent across to the interested prospects on their email.

You may also want to quote the rental amount on the ad which will act as a filter and will churn out the ones not ready to pay the quoted price. However, if you’re ready to negotiate the price, do mention that in the ad as well. It is recommended that you give the equipment on rent to someone in the city. It may be a problem to ship the item outside your city and vice-versa.

Posting an Ad online:-  Using this technology will help you reach out to people living in every corner of the city. However, firstly, you need to register yourself on a website which is quite popular with people and is used by most of the population in your city. Rest becomes simple. Post the ad stating the specifications and your terms on the listing. Leave your email address as well as your contact details for people to contact you and you can soon start expecting calls and emails from people willing to go for the deal.

Spread it within your business circle:-  A word of mouth does a lot good especially when it’s about business. You can just spread it across in your business circle that you’re looking to rent construction equipment and anyone interested can expect a good deal. Hopefully, you’ll see lot of your guys turn up to you for the deal.