Related Links: Spied: Manitowoc Gears Up for CONEXPO 2014 CONEXPO-CON/AGG Show Site This weekend, our spy photographer snapped more photos of crane vendors setting up their machines for the CONEXPO-CON/AGG show coming to Las Vegas March 4-8.We can now see two crawler cranes in the Manitowoc booth, which also is erecting a temporary building for visitors. One of the cranes is quite large and appears to be decked out in Kiewit yellow.In the Terex booth, it is putting the finishing touches on a massive Superlift 3800, a 700-ton crane that will make its North American debut here.Not to be outdone,

By Tony Illia for ENR At this point, Manitowoc confirms that it will bring its MLC165, a new crawler that can lift up to 180 tons, and two other yet-unnamed crawlers. By Tony Illia for ENR A close-up of the crane's counterweights. Manitowoc is planning to expand the VPC system on a smaller crane than the 31000. Related Links: World of Concrete 2014 Sees Smaller Crowds But Cautious Optimism CONEXPO-CON/AGG Show Site The frigid-cold week in much of the U.S. has turned out to be a hot one for people in the heavy equipment business, especially those gearing up for

The Left Coast Lifter, a barge-mounted crane capable of muscling more than 1,900 tons, passed through the Panama Canal on Jan. 17 during a 5,700-nautical-mile journey from San Francisco to Tarrytown, N.Y., where it will be used to build the new Tappan Zee Bridge.

Photo Courtesy of Linden Comansa America The tower-crane standard aims to reduce risk by requiring a 60-month inspection. Related Links: New York City Floats Ban on Old Cranes Slideshow: How To Inspect a Tower Crane The latest revision to the American standard for tower cranes contains significant changes that affect how engineers should take into account wind loading on jobsites, including those prone to hurricanes. The standard also calls for more rigorous inspections than in the past, now requiring a major teardown and rebuild every five years.Tower cranes now must be engineered to withstand wind conditions detailed in ASCE 7,

Photo Courtesy of Ford Motor Co. Ford's 2015 F-150 truck will adopt an all-aluminum body and cargo box to shed pounds and improve fuel economy. Related Links: Ford Atlas Concept Marries Brains and Brawn Test Drive: Ford F-150 EcoBoost Ford Motor Co. says the "military grade" aluminum alloys it will use to build its next-generation F-150 full-size pickup will be tougher than traditional steel yet light enough to give the vehicle a significant boost in fuel economy.Introduced on Jan. 13 at the Detroit auto show, the 2015 F-150 is the first truck to adopt an all-aluminum body, which helped engineers

Related Links: Crane Sweep Ordered at Brazil World Cup Stadium Viewpoint: OSHA Crane Rules Must Change Citing safety concerns at the World Trade Center and other sites, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) has proposed a new law that would ban all mobile and tower cranes from operating in the city when they reach a certain age—in most cases, 25 years—and require all cranes, young and old, to be equipped with load-cycle counters. Opponents argue that the age of a machine is not an indicator of its safeness, citing a 2007 study in California that reached the same conclusion.The

Tudor Van Hampton for ENR Demand for rented machines, such as this boom lift, has rental fleets gradually replacing units. Related Links: Construction Market Forecast: Slow and Steady For 2014 Tier-4 Emission Controls Push Up Machine Prices for 2014 As construction continues its slow recovery, sales of new construction machines are expected to remain muted next year, with flat to slightly positive movement in 2013, analysts say. The market expects rental companies and dealers that operate rental lots to drive much of the sales, as they did this year.Rentals on the jobsite continue to grow as contractors keep a close

Photo By Tudor Van Hampton for ENR Minutes after Chicago Infrastructure Trust green-lighted its first project, a reporter interviews Steve Beitler, CEO, while Claire Tramm, energy program director, looks on. Related Links: Whatever Happened to Chicago's Plan to Privatize Building Improvements? Gettin' Chicago Movin': Mayor Rahm Emanuel's New Infrastructure Trust After more than a year of deliberating over various public-private investment schemes, the newly-minted Chicago Infrastructure Trust has unanimously passed a roughly $30-million project to retrofit 75 city buildings using a novel financial instrument that pays for the work through the job's long-term energy savings."It's pretty clever," said Claire Tramm,

Terex Corp. Market uncertainty dragged down sales of new cranes in the third quarter. Related Links: Tax Law Changes May Hurt Equipment Sales, Boost Rentals in 2014 At 2013 ICUEE Show, Utility Contractors Fleet Up A lack of confidence in non-residential construction activity slowed down equipment manufacturers' sales in the third quarter, renewing some analysts' fears the U.S. economy is suffering from a "craneless" recovery, or a scant amount of available infrastructure work requiring heavy earthmoving and lifting machines. Leading indicators, however, show that non-residential activity may soon pick up.Equipment market leader Caterpillar Inc. is experiencing what it describes as

UCR To track emissions in California, test equipment sits atop a Komatsu hybrid excavator. UCR A D7E dozer is tested in California. Related Links: Do Hybrid Construction Machines Pollute More? Volvo Dials Back Hybrid Wheel Loaders, Citing Cost Concerns For Excavators, Hydraulic Is the New Hybrid  A two-year study of hybrid construction vehicles reveals that while the machines offer significant savings in fuel consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions, they produce higher levels of smog-forming pollutants than their conventional diesel counterparts. The results have come as a surprise to scientists, who say the machines will require further engineering to integrate their diesel-electric