A typical job for the Bocell brothers starts with a phone call. “Nothing else had worked. Figured we’d give it a shot,” says Stanley Wondolowski, manager at a Corpus Christi, Texas, condominium association, recalling the day he dialed the Bocell’s number. “Every time it rained, it was a swimming pool down there.” CGI Texas, Dallas, knew how to handle the leaky concrete parking structure. “They drilled holes in the concrete, shot this gel into it, and the leaks stopped. It was very successful,” says Wondolowski. Photos courtesy of Marshall Bocell The CGI Injection Pistol requires only a single hole to
German equipment manufacturer Liebherr is opening a new production facility in northern Mexico to manufacture wind-power components for the North American market. Photo Courtesy Liebherr Liebherr’s Mexico factory will serve North American wind power market. Scheduled to begin operation this summer, the newly built 269,000-sq-ft Liebherr Monterrey S. de R.L. de C.V. factory sits on 74 acres near Garcia in northern Mexico, about 85 miles southwest of McAllen, Texas. It will operate under two managing directors, one responsible for production and development, the other for business administration and finance. Liebherr expects to eventually have 180 employees working there. Initially, the
General Motors has launched its 2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD with aims of winning the heavy-duty power battle. ENR accepted GM’s invitation to test and compare its re-engineered trucks against the competition, namely the 2011 Ford Super Duty that we reviewed in the spring. Nuts and Bolts GM has beefed up the two available powertrains in its 2011 offerings to handle heavier loads. Starting things off is the 6.0-liter V-8, good for 360 horsepower and 380 lb-ft of torque. Impressive, but GM’s Duramax turbodiesel—a 6.6-liter V-8— delivers 397 horsepower and 765 lb-ft of torque, and packs a
As more cities and states are imposing bans on silica grit used to clean bridges, buildings and other infrastructure, suppliers offering safer alternatives are seeing tremendous growth. Photo: Tudor Van Hampton Surface-preparation alternatives are increasing as bans on sandblasting rise globally. Photo: Tudor Van Hampton BlastGreen’s new wet-abrasive system is available in the U.S. this year. Photo: Sponge-Jet Inc. Sponge-Jet’s dryblasting system includes a recycling machine that sorts debris so foam media can be reused. Related Links: VIDEO: Master Blasters: Sandblasting Goes Green “Typical sandblasting is being eliminated across the country,” says Keith Eliason, vice president of EcoQuip Inc., a
A Minnesota entrepreneur’s lightweight, aerodynamic wheel covers promise to save trucking companies millions of dollars in fuel costs every year by boosting big-truck fuel economy by 1%. Photo: Schneider National Inc., Cloth windscreen zips into a spring-loaded base inside the wheel, cutting drag. Jon Fleck’s “Deflecktor” wheel covers consist of a spring-loaded steel frame that snaps into the standard concave rear wheels of truck tractors. A circular truck-tarp-vinyl cover zips into the frame. The device cuts drag by keeping air from flowing into and out of the deep rear wheels as the truck speeds along the highway. The covers’ ability
Starting under a disruptive cloud of fine volcanic ash, Germany’s triennial construction equipment show, Bauma, ended on an optimistic note in Munich last week. Flight bans reduced the show’s visitor numbers, but global equipment sales are reviving, report exhibitors. “What a difference a year makes,” says Mike DeWalt, director of investor relations at Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, Ill. From fast-falling sales in last year’s first quarter, now “demand for our products is rising,” he says. Last week’s show, held on April 19 to 25, was the biggest-ever Bauma in terms of sheer space, say officials at organizer Messe München GmbH. Braving
A recent report from the National Research Council will help guide the federal government as it develops fuel-economy and carbon regulations for medium- and heavy-duty trucks. Congress is looking at this group of previously unregulated vehicles because they use 26% of the liquid transportation fuel consumed in the U.S., and their energy consumption is projected to continue rising for the next 25 years. The 414-page report shows that combining such technologies as advanced diesel engines, hybrid powertrains, improved aerodynamics, low-resistance tires and others could improve fuel economy in work vehicles by as much as 50% by 2035. The cost of
Nearly all the major equipment manufacturers—including Caterpillar, Case/New Holland/Kobelco, Komatsu, Deere, Volvo, Terex and engine specialist Cummins—plan to use a combination of exhaust-gas recirculation (EGR) and a diesel particulate filter (DPF), to meet Interim Tier 4. Image: CNH EGR + DPF Photo: CNH SCR Photo: JCB Related Links: Next Round of Federal Regulations Has Suppliers Retooling Clean Diesel The Future of Clean Diesel Is … Gasoline? The other major technology for Interim Tier 4 is selective-catalytic reduction (SCR), which converts nitrogen oxides to harmless nitrogen and water by dosing exhaust fumes with small amounts of diesel exhaust fluid, an aqueous
Gordon Chew, a handyman in remote Tenakee Springs, Alaska, needed a 12-volt coil to get his Case 686G telehandler up and running again. He called a dealer and was told the part was not in stock. Photo: GCIRON Once a client buys a part, Villella (above) and his team have it shipped from GCIron or the OEM. + Image Image: GCIRON Website offers free diagnostic tools to help contractors identify the source of the problem. “Case couldn’t find it,” says Chew, who notes the price quoted to him was $230. Not wanting to wait for a special order, he typed
The next phase of U.S. regulations aimed at cleaning up airborne emissions from off-road diesel engines will start taking effect in just nine months. The rule, called Tier 4, will all but eliminate the amount of diesel particulate matter (soot) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) that new construction equipment will put into the atmosphere. Photo: Caterpillar Inc. Photo: Caterpillar Inc. Cat’s Clean Emissions Module—the Tier 4 excavator at left uses one—will fit on new and existing engines. The particulate filter can regenerate, or burn soot, without idling the machine. Related Links: Three Ways Manufacturers Will Meet the Tier 4 Standards The