This week we look at a skid-steer loader from Wacker Neuson, new to the North American market, and a pipe-splitting tool from Condux International. Click to begin the slide show.
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
Photo courtesy of Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers A 1031 like-kind exchange can save money by deferring taxable gains from depreciation bonuses. Photo courtesy of Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Fleet owners face uncertainty in 2014 as bonus depreciation incentives expire and stringent diesel regulations take effect. Related Links: Rental Fleet Purchases May Contribute to Modest Gains Equipment Manufacturers Raise Their Annual Sales Forecast Expiring tax perks and strict new emission rules could soon make equipment purchases pricier, spurring more rental activity and dampening new machine sales. Internal Revenue Code (IRC) 179 gives deductions for equipment purchases, including trucks and trailers, dozers and loaders,
Photo Courtesy of Schuff International, Inc. Concrete is the primary building material in all of Latin America, including Panama, but builders are starting to take advantage of steel on some projects, such as Torre V, a high-rise office building. Related Links: The Top 600 Specialty Contractors Arrival of Gates Marks Milestone in Panama Canal Expansion When the largest steel fabrication and erection company in the U.S. began looking for opportunities for growth, it expanded its horizons beyond the border."We could sense a slowdown in the U.S., so we started looking overseas," says Jay Allen, executive vice president of sales and
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 by Tudor Van Hampton for ENR An ICUEE visitor test-drives a machine made by Vermeer, which recently launched a new telematics portal. Related Links: Telematics Help Trim Contractor Fleet Costs Ford Atlas Concept Marries Brains and Brawn Telematics—the ability to pull data from a machine in the field—is a growing source of headaches for equipment fleet managers, surpassing even diesel engine emissions as the industry's major migraine, some say. A massive effort to set standards is under way, though, and stakeholders hope a deal may be only months away.Managers at Hertz Equipment Rental Co., which operates a fleet of
Photo by Tudor Van Hampton for ENR This year's ICUEE show drew 17,500 visitors, the second-highest-ever turnout for the biennial trade show. Related Links: Product Snapshot: ICUEE Show Rolls Out New Gear Why Contractors Are Buying Pickup Trucks Like it is 1985 How Are You Going To Restore the Capacity of Your Fleet? Even though new construction starts for electric utilities have fallen sharply this year, contractors with heavy workloads in the transmission business are replacing worn-out machines."The industry is doing really well," said Scott Kidder, safety manager at Bison Electric, Tulsa, Okla., at the International Construction and Utility Equipment
Photo by Tudor Van Hampton for ENR Westport's concept Ford F-550 bi-fuel truck was fitted with a hardened V-10 gasoline engine, LNG injector rails and a cryogenic tank behind the cab. Related Links: Test Drive: Life On the Road With Natural Gas DOE Approves Fourth LNG Export Facility Fleet owners contributing to the natural gas extraction boom are increasingly looking to power their equipment on it. However, the alternative fuel's up-front cost and lack of infrastructure remain steep barriers to mainstream adoption.Potelco, a utility firm in the Pacific Northwest and unit of Quanta Services, is experimenting with running medium-duty construction
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