Courtesy UCR Testing equipment sits atop a hybrid dozer at Waste Management's El Sobrante Landfill in Corona, Calif. Related Links: Test Drive: Caterpillar D7E Dozer Test Drive: Komatsu Hybrid Excavator Scientists at the University of California, Riverside, have found that while hybrid construction machines reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions, they produce more smog-forming gases than their non-hybrid counterparts.The school's two-year, $2-million study, funded by the California Air Resources Board, evaluated the Caterpillar D7E dozer and the Komatsu HB215LC-1 hydraulic excavator in various field trials. In the tests, the machines demonstrated savings of up to 28% in fuel while emitting
Related Links: Electric Utility Contractors Are Fleeting Up at ICUEE Show This week we look at the latest from the International Construction and Utility Equipment Exposition, held Oct. 1-3 in Louisville, Ky. Click to begin the slide show.
Photo courtesy of GM A 2014 Chevrolet Silverado pickup is loaded onto a train car for shipping July 31 in Fort Wayne, Ind. Related Links: Test Drive: 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 New EcoDiesel Engine Boosts Fuel Economy on 2014 Ram Trucks Here's some good news for Detroit: Contractors are acquiring pickup trucks in much greater numbers than they have in the past two decades, a hint that the long-depressed construction sector is recovering."Contractors are back," says a report issued this summer by CNW Research, which adds that the sales trend "indicates that there's more construction work to be had, and
Related Links: Get Ready for Work Force Shortages Industry Struggles To Find Qualified Crane Workers Construction firms, once starved for work during the downturn, now say they cannot find enough qualified talent to take on new projects. The problem is likely to get worse, firms say."Everyone is afraid that we are going to get to a point where we were in 2006-7, where we had a shortage of skilled workers," explains Brian Turmail, spokesman for the Associated General Contractors of America. The trade group on Sept. 4 released the results of a survey it performed this summer on worker shortages.
Nissan North America The next-generation Nissan Titan will include an optional 5.0-liter Cummins V-8 diesel engine. Nissan North America Cummins will build the new 5.0-liter V-8 in Columbus, Ind. Related Links: New EcoDiesel Engine Boosts Fuel Economy on 2014 Ram Trucks Ford Offers Natural Gas Power in a Half-Ton Pickup In what Nissan claims will be the first full-size pickup to sport a turbodiesel V-8 engine, the next-generation, half-ton Nissan Titan will be available with an optional Cummins under the hood. Nissan also joins Chrysler's Ram unit in using a small diesel to boost fuel economy and towing performance in
Courtesy SMBB Michael "Mikey" Simermeyer, 30, died when a crane boom fell on him at New York City's No. 7 line subway extension project last year. Related Links: Latest New York City Crane Fatality Puts Two Public Agencies at Odds Crane in Latest Deadly NYC Accident Had Passed Inspection "The crane was speaking, but nobody was listening."This is how David Kwass, an attorney who filed a wrongful-death lawsuit for the family of deceased construction worker Michael "Mikey" Simermeyer, describes the events leading up to a fatal crane accident in April 2012 at an extension of Manhattan's No. 7 subway line."If
Courtesy Mammoet Mammoet's MTC-15 helps remote jobsites start up quickly. Valued at $6.4 million, the first unit will be ready to ship in September. Related Links: Heavy Lifters: How Much Can You Bench? Tools of the Trade for Heavy Lifting As more of the world demands electricity, the job of building powerplants in remote locations remains a huge logistical challenge that often requires expensive infrastructure and equipment to move the bulky plant components from ship to shore. Heavy-lifting and rigging firm Mammoet has developed a special-use crane designed to tackle the problem.The MTC-15, or Mammoet Terminal Crane, can lift loads
Related Links: Heavy Lifters: How Much Can You Bench? Today's heavy-lifting toolbox is diverse. Technology is constantly improving, making alternative lifting devices more feasible for large-scale modular construction. Below is a sampling of equipment riggers employ on these projects.PLATFORM TRAILERS: Calling this heavy-haul device a trailer "is selling it very short—it really is a rigging tool," says Jeff Latture, senior vice president at Barnhart Crane & Rigging. Whatever you call them, these modular machines come at a steep cost. Many are imported from Germany, with prices starting at $45,000 per axle for a trailer that requires a prime mover and
