Photo courtesy of Las Vegas Paving Corp. Despite its age, giant drill Big Stan (in yellow) is booked up in the Southwest. Las Vegas is crowded with performers, but few are as huge as Big Stan. Thought to be the world's largest truck-mounted drill, Big Stan is flexing its muscles south of the Strip on a $252.5-million, 7-mile-long widening of Interstate 15.Big Stan's tall stance originally sprang from deep roots. The 250,000-lb, 93-ft-high boring behemoth was built in 1986 by Anderson Drilling, Lakeside, Calif., now a part of London-based Keller Group PLC. The mega-machine, which cost $1.5 million to construct,
Auto-Leveling Survey Laser: Multiple Power Options Available Threaded-Rod Clamp system: For HVAC Installation Splicing Rebar With a Twist: No Torque Wrench or Epoxy Required Redesigned Rubber TRacks: New Lug Patterns Reduce Wear Slide Show Auto-Leveling Survey Laser: Multiple Power Options Available The Rl-H4C Auto-Leveling Laser has a working radius of 2,600 ft and can be used as a reference for machine-mounted receivers. The self-leveling motors in the laser are accurate to within 10 arc seconds during surveying applications. The laser is available in two versions, powered either by a rechargeable NiMH battery pack with 60 hours of use on a
Some skilled equipment operators have a sixth sense that allows them to focus on the task at hand while maintaining awareness of the bustling, often unpredictable activity going on around them. Unfortunately, no operator has yet developed X-ray vision that allows a viewpoint through engine cowlings, cab framing and other obstructions. COURTESY of VOLVO CE The person operating this machine has a better view of objects off the ground due to obstructions. This loader model is one that researchers have used to map out machine visibility (see diagrams below). COURTESY of NIOSH Along with the ISO standard ground-level map (far
Bigger is definitely better, at least for Belle Chasse, La.-based Versabar Inc. Last year, the company took the design of its successful Bottom Feeder and doubled it in size. The result is a floating lifting vessel that is almost as tall as a football field is long and just as wide. The rig can raise up to 7,500 tons in a single lift. Versabar Versabars revamped Bottom Feeder, twice the size of its predecessor, can hoist 7,500 tons from the seabed in a single lift. The VB10000 has made 12 lifts already and is booked through mid-October. “There's always a
Earlier this month at Stanley Black and Decker University in Towson, Md., DeWalt unveiled its new 20V Max line of cordless power tools. Building upon the success of last year's 12V Max line, the tools represent a break from the brand's 15-year-old cordless 18-volt lineup and provide a glimpse into Stanley Black and Decker's plans for the many brands in its stable. LEARNING EXPERIENCE The Stanley Black and Decker University in Towson, Md., serves as a training facility for DeWalt sales representatives as well as a functioning workshop to test out new tools. ERGONOMIC The DeWalt 20V Max Drill-Driver has
Photo: Tudor Van Hampton for ENR Deere took the wraps off its 944K hybrid loader this past March at the Conexpo exhibition in Las Vegas. Its research shows that contractors will pay more up front for a fuel-saving machine. + Image Image: Courtesy of Deere & Co. The 944K starts with a 13.5L diesel engine bolted to a pump drive and two AC generators. An inverter box manages power, and four wheel motors provide traction. Brake resistors burn off excess energy as the machine slows down, but some energy is pushed back to the generators to run the hydraulics. Related
ENR's weekly rundown of the latest construction products includes an upgraded power cutter that can be used effectively in both asphalt and pipe and a laser distance measure that doubles as an angle measure. Click the image below for the full slide show.
Products 06/01/2011 Tower Crane: Lifting for the City The Liebherr 85 EC-B 5 FR.tronic Flat-Top Crane has a maximum load capacity of 11,023 lb and can lift 2,866 lb at the jib end. It has a working maximum radius of 164 ft and is capable of lift heights of up to 853 ft. The “city crane” has a 10-ft by 10-ft base and features a versatile climbing-tower and pin system that allows it to be erected in an elevator shaft or other narrow space. Liebherr; 757-245-5251; www.liebherr.com Underground Cable Reel: Recycled Plastic Hendrix Wire & Cable is now offering a
For a highway construction worker, focusing on the job is easier when someone is watching your back. On many roads, that person is the flagger, whose stop/slow sign helps maintain a peaceful, safe balance between traffic and work-zone activity. Photo By Intelli-Strobe Automated flagging devices are increasingly seen as one way to keep workers safe. However, a paramount concern is whether drivers will obey a machine rather than a person with a paddle. Photo By Safety Technologies Unfortunately, not enough motorists watch out for the flaggers; according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 88 flaggers were killed on the
Following a four-week trial in Sonora, Calif., a 12-member jury dismissed two business-interference claims that a California training school lodged against a crane-operator testing company. The trial followed protracted litigation between the two parties. California Crane School (CCS), Grass Valley, Calif., is a training center that prepares candidates for certification exams developed by the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO), Fairfax, Va., a non-profit that industry members also refer to as CCO. The lawsuit claimed that NCCCO and its testing-services provider, International Assessment Institute (IAI), interfered with business relationships of CCS and its owner, John Nypl, with
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