At first glance it looks like a normal construction site. Earthmoving equipment proceeding orderly toward a pesky hill slated for removal, and workers in fluorescent vests waving operators past the caution tape and barriers toward the jobsite. The only incongruity is a bright, lime-green 1959 Euclid TC-12 bulldozer rolling past an orange 1928 Wilford Model B shovel. And for every familiar CAT logo there is a Bucyrus Erie or a Cletrac, with the odd Oliver thrown in the mix. In fact, this one hill has at least two-dozen machines working on it at once, with a growing ring of spectators
While the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration plans to revamp its outdated silica-dust standard, a voluntary partnership of asphalt-paving groups is closing in on recommended methods to cut down the amount of airborne silica dust generated by road-milling machines. Photo: Courtesy of Association of Equipment Manufacturers Members of an asphalt partnership last month evaluated different methods of reducing road crews’ exposure to airborne silica dust kicked up by milling machines on a highway resurfacing project near Shawano, Wis. A similar effort in the 1990s brought changes that cut fumes emitted by paving machines. “The goal is to determine exactly
The California Air Resources Board admitted recently that today’s off-road diesel equipment will easily meet the state’s emission goals for many years to come. However, the board is not giving up on pushing forward its regulatory agenda of monitoring and controlling the emissions of the industry’s construction fleets. Photo: Tudor Van Hampton For ENR What may console the construction industry, however, is an expected series of delays to CARB’s nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter reductions, which were scheduled to kick in this year for large fleets (over 5,000 hp), in 2013 for medium fleets (2,501 to 5,000 hp) and
Over the past year, ENR has tested and reviewed the all-new 2010 Ram Heavy Duty, the 2011 Ford Super Duty and the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD/GMC Sierra HD, but our friends at PickupTrucks.com have taken evaluating these workhorses to another level. Photo: Courtesy of Pickuptrucks.com The Ram 3500 and Ford F-350 heavy-duty pickups tackle a 16% grade with 12,000 lb in tow at General Motors’ Milford proving grounds, near Detroit, during the 2010 Heavy-Duty Shoot-Out. Photo: Ford Motor Co. While GM outperformed Ford in the diesel class, Ford’s Super Duty was evaluated as being the best overall heavy-duty pickup for
Heavy-machinery producer Deere & Co., Moline, Ill., has inked a deal to sell John Deere Renewables LLC, its wind-energy business, to Chicago-based utility giant Exelon Corp. for up to $900 million. Expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year, Deere initially gets $860 million plus up to $40 million more when planned construction projects start up. Deere formally entered the wind business in 2005 to help landowners develop wind farms. To date, Deere has installed 735 MW of wind capacity and has gathered leads on another 1,468 MW. Deere had sourced turbine gear from India’s Suzlon Energy Ltd.,
Caterpillar Inc. is ramping up for several new capital construction projects following a record-setting second quarter of earnings. Photo: Courtesy Caterpillar Inc. Caterpillar’s Model 336 excavator is one of the machines that will be produced at a new plant in Victoria, Texas. Fueled by industrial market strength in mining, energy and infrastructure, the Peoria, Ill.-based company, the world’s largest construction and mining equipment maker, saw second-quarter profits increase 91% to $707 million, up from $371 million a year ago. Cat previously trimmed staff last year, cutting 20,000 jobs, or about 18% of its workforce. “We have streamlined our organization from
A new thermal-imaging device is helping contractors build better roads, and transportation owners are offering incentives to use it. div id="articleExtrasA" div id="articleExtrasB" div id="articleExtras" Available since last fall and officially rolled out at the World of Asphalt in Cincinnati in February, the new system, called Pave-IR, continuously monitors and records the location and temperature of asphalt as it is laid. Pave-IR helps contractors identify segregation, or weak spots, in the pavement as it happens. Manufactured by MOBA Corp., Limburg, Germany, the unit uses sensors and a display screen with colors that represent different temperatures. If the display shows a
Caterpillar Inc., the world's largest construction and mining equipment maker, is shifting its economic engine into overdrive with several new capital projects following a record-setting second quarter. Photo: Caterpillar Inc. Cat's Model 336 excavator is one of the machines to be produced at a new plant in Victoria, Texas. Fueled by industrial market strength in mining, energy and infrastructure, the Peoria, Ill.-based company saw second-quarter profits increase 91% to $707 million, up from $371 million a year ago. Caterpillar has since upped its annual outlook based on higher expected machinery sales and revenue, which could top $40.5 billion. Other construction
Construction machinery juggernaut United Rentals Inc. and industrial contractor Fluor Corp.’s AMECO unit are teaming up to offer equipment, tool and logistics services for oil-and-gas owners along the Gulf Coast. However, both say the venture may expand beyond the region. Photo: Tudor Van Hampton for ENR An AMECO trailer supplies gear to a new Luminant power plant in Texas. Related Links: As Builders Farm Out the Fleet, AMECO Plants New Seeds “We are just getting started,” says Michael Kneeland, CEO of Greenwich, Conn.-based United. As most construction markets remain in a slump, companies sitting on capital equipment are looking to
Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp, Brookfield, Wis., used a one-day symposium in late July to unveil more than a dozen new tools—ranging from a battery-powered palm nailer and tubing-connection tools to a battery-heated jacket and even non-powered hand tools—that will be coming out this fall. The event also showed off dozens more new products the company has brought to market this year, including a battery-powered grease gun, a cordless no-hub coupling driver and a wide range of non-powered hand tools. All were introduced since April. ENR got an up-close look at the new lineup. Palm Nailer Many of the new products