Komatsu Ltd. is testing the North American equipment market with its new PC200LC-8 Hybrid Excavator, a lean, green digging machine that has sold more than 700 times in Asia since production began 19 months ago. Photo: Greg Aragon / ENR Hybrid excavator, now on a road show and shown at the Port of Los Angeles, is the first machine of its kind to go to work in the U.S. It offers up to 40% efficiency over a conventional, non-hybrid model. Related Links: Komatsu Digs into U.S. Market The 22-ton excavator, the first hybrid of its kind in the U.S., was
Welding machines are becoming another low-hanging fruit for jobsite crime. In January and again in March, thieves grabbed a 2006 Miller Big Blue 300 welder off a jobsite along Interstate 495 in Tysons Corner, Va. The machines are each valued at about $10,000, according to the National Equipment Register. Thieves snatched so many engine-driven welders and/or generators during the winter months that this category now ranks in NER’s top-10 list of most frequently stolen construction machines. Experts with the Jersey City, N.J.-based crime database recommend locking up welders, disabling trailers by removing the wheels and displaying company logos and phone
A New Orleans contractor tried and failed four times to drive sheet piles through a dense soil layer with progressively larger vibratory hammers and an impact hammer. The fifth attempt is succeeding, thanks to the right tool: a hydraulic press that slides the steel in with great force, rather than banging it down. + Image Photo: Giken Seisakusho Co., Ltd, Tokyo Workers use hydraulic-reaction press to drive steel sheet piles into difficult ground. Related Links: Sheet Driver Tackles Tough Project In late 2005, as part of emergency repairs after Hurricane Katrina, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers let a contract
Until contractors are back on jobsites in full force, commercial vehicle makers are in a holding pattern—waiting for contractors to buy new gear instead of repairing their old kit. Photo: Nissan, GM, International Nissan’s new NV-series commercial vans ride more like pickup trucks. Photo: Nissan, GM, International GM’s diesel Denali now leads the heavy-pickup pack. Photo: Nissan, GM, International International’s TerraStar tackles the medium-duty space, which GM exited last summer. Manufacturers at this year’s Work Truck Show didn’t need to be reminded that 2009 was a bad year. Total truck sales plummeted 24% in 2009, reports IHS Global Insight. “It
A new commercial vehicle stole the limelight at this year�s Work Truck Show, but it wasn�t a truck. Photo: Nissan The NV can be had in two styles, standard roof and high roof. Photo: Nissan Van has a pickup-like interior. Looking to step up the fossilized van market with something that drives more like a modern pickup truck, Nissan unveiled its all-new "NV" work van at the annual truck fair, held March 9-12 in St. Louis. In production now in Canton, Miss., and expected to hit the North American market in late 2010, Nissan’s first commercial vehicle for North America
Defending a coveted spot from fierce competition is almost harder than reaching that position in the first place. It’s a scenario that engineers of the 2011 Ford Super Duty pickup truck know well. Slide Show Photo: Thom Blackett / ENR An optional, electronic-locking rear differential helps the 2011 Ford Super Duty get out of tight spots. As it turns out, that kind of pressure is a good thing, especially for heavy-duty pickup-truck buyers who want to tow more than 20,000 lb, strap in 3 tons of payload and spend less money at the pump. As ENR also discovered during a
When it arrives from Europe in July, the first high-reach work platform to join Abilene High Lift Aerial’s fleet will be the tallest of its kind in North America. The Abilene, Texas-based company plans to rent the giant lifting device to utility operators, wind-turbine technicians, tall-building contractors, moviemakers and anyone else who needs to go as high as 328 ft above ground with up to 1,100 lb of equipment and workers. Photo: Abilene High Lift Aerial Texas rental company is importing what will soon become the tallest aerial lift in North America, reaching up to 328 ft. The “staggering capability”
Why go to the Chicago Auto Show? Because it could be renamed the Chicago Truck Show. You can find the latest concept cars and practical rides, but usually there is no shortage of construction trucks and other workhorses. Photo: Tudor Van Hampton / ENR Ford’s all-electric work van in Chicago. It promises a top speed of 75 mph and 80-mi range in part due to its li-ion battery pack (below). Related Links: Battle of the Vans Rages On As Truck Makers Redefine the Urban Contractor�s Rolling Office Photo: Tudor Van Hampton / ENR Oshkosh’s M-ATV at the U.S. Army’s recruiting
Prices for Caterpillar construction equipment will rise by about 12% over the next four years as the company rolls out new and revised models that meet the next level of worldwide clean-air standards. Photo: Caterpillar Inc. The engine compartment of Cat’s Tier 4 excavator is about 12 in. taller than previous models to accommodate new tailpipe controls. About a third of the overall price increase will start next year, said Cat officials at the company’s Peoria, Ill., headquarters on Feb. 11. In 2011, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Tier 4 Interim and European Union Stage IIIB standards take effect. The