Do you still hear the sound of gears grinding on the jobsite? It soon may be a thing of the past. A trucker’s old friends—the shifter and clutch pedal—are headed toward extinction as drivers discover the benefits of automatic transmissions. Photo: Tudor Van Hampton for ENR Mack sales department expected to sell 50 automatic transmissions this year but sold 500. Related Links: Shifting Gears: Heavy Truckers Say Goodbye to the Stick Although more than 80% of domestic heavy-duty trucks are still sold with a manual transmission, experts like David Stahl, sales manager for Pittsburgh-based dealer TransEdge Truck Centers, think it
Photo: Terex Corp. Terex Corp. says it plans to appeal a recent jury verdict in a federal patent case against Finland-based Metso Corp. in the eastern district of New York. The jury in early December decided that Westport, Conn.-based Terex, since 2000, has violated a Metso patent in using a laterally folding conveyor on certain Chieftain rock-screening plants manufactured under the Powerscreen brand name and costing between $150,000 and $300,000. The design allows the machine to fold up for convenient transportation from site to site. The court awarded Metso about $16 million in damages. If Terex appeals as planned, the
The American Concrete Institute is seeking comments by Jan. 17 on the 2011 update of its standard ACI 318, Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete and Commentary. Among other additions, the draft includes new design requirements for adhesive anchors and enhanced reinforcement detailing requirements for seismic applications. The document also contains new test methods for sulfate resistance and new requirements for detailing circular column ties. The draft ACI 318-11 can be downloaded at www.concrete.org/pubs/standaction.asp.
The Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, concerned about an ominous pattern of spandrel-ledge-punching sheer failures in lab tests of double-tee spandrel-beam assemblies commonly found in parking garages, plans to spend approximately $200,000 to further investigate the situation. During tests on torsion design of loadbearing spandrel beams, punching sheer failures in spandrel ledges occurred at loads substantially less than those predicted by PCI Handbook design equations, according to the institute. No failures have been reported from the field, says PCI. The group, which plans to foot two-thirds of the bill for research costs, is seeking funding from other sources.
Railroad maintenance crews in the U.K. have been using sprayed polymer to strengthen track ballast for about a decade. One contractor now aims to go one step further and use strengthened ballast as a non-intrusive reinforcement for some of the country’s 25,000 aging brick-and-stone arch bridges. Balfour Beatty Rail Ltd., Redhill, is offering a method to treat a bridge and its polymer-coated ballast as a composite structure. The resulting enhanced strength of the arch can eliminate the need for concrete or steel reinforcement, says Andy Curzon, BBR’s head of technical services. The technique, called XiSPAN, would preserve the appearance of
Products 12/01/2010 Rough-Terrain Crane: Handles Many Types of Lifts The Terex RT 555 Rough Terrain Crane has a rated capacity of 50 tons and is able to perform on both short- and long-radius lifting operations in thick mud and rough jobsites. It is capable of switching between front-wheel, concentric four-wheel and four-wheel crab steering for added maneuverability. Standard cab features include air-conditioning, armrest-mounted joysticks, graphical load-limiter interface and a tinted-glass skylight for better visibility. Multiple job options are available to increase overall lifting capacity. Terex Cranes; 319-352-3920; www.terex.com Snapped Bolts: Kit Preserves Hole The Broken Bolt Extraction Kit allows for
Fleet managers and professional contractors have a variety of choices when its time to replace their aging vehicles. Until recently, the Ford Transit Connect Electric utility van was not among them. Photo: Thom Blackett For ENR The Transit Connect Electric will cost some greenbacks for firms wanting to go green. Its base price is $57,400—before adding in a charging station and taking out tax incentives. Photo: Courtesy of Ford Motor Co. Developed by Ford and Azure Dynamics, the plug-in electric van promises zero emissions and lower operating costs, points being evaluated by early adopters including AT&T, the New York Power
Photo: Courtesy Bauma China 2010 China has become the new power market for heavy iron, digging into the traditional construction markets of Japan, Europe and the U.S. Likewise, last month’s Bauma China expo put Shanghai on the map as a major destination for construction equipment buyers. The biennial expo, held Nov. 23-26, attracted 150,000 people from 165 countries—more than North America’s last CONEXPO-CON/AGG show held in Las Vegas in 2008—and packed in nearly 2,000 vendors covering 2.5 million sq ft. Machine production recently has been moving this way. From 2006 to 2009, China took in 42% of the world’s crawler-tractors,
Products 11/24/2010 Automated Tool Cabinet: Keeping Track With Digital Images The Level 5 ATC Tool Control System features both keyless entry and a digital imaging system for tracking tools. A user scans his or her proximity ID card to open a tool drawer, and digital cameras mounted on top of the tool cabinet automatically captures a scan of the drawer’s contents. These images are sent to an administrator’s PC, which can review the images if a tool is misplaced. Each user’s card contains a unique ID code, and the storage unit keeps a detailed log of every access. Snap-On Industrial;
Products 11/17/2010 Tunnel-Digging Rig: Direct-Control System The Boomer XL3 D is a tunnel-digging rig that features direct control by the operator. Intended for large tunnels in civil projects, it can be fitted with a wide range of powerful rock drills for different rock conditions. The rig features a Tier 3 engine and a redesigned operator cabin that blocks lower overall noise levels. Atlas Copco; 413-746-0020; www.atlascopco.com Drill Driver: Subcompact Size The M12 Hammer Drill Driver is 75/8 in. long, weighs only 2.8 lb and is able to deliver 22.9-ft-lb of torque. The tool is powered by a 12V lithium-ion battery
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