Related Links: Chinese Construction Industry Association Explains Silk Road Program Mr. Xi's Grand Silk Road Plan Leaves the Starting Gate As China is busy seeking converts for its Silk Road and Maritime Silk Road program to build a network of linked infrastructure across Asia and Europe, equipment majors Caterpillar Inc. and Terex Corp. say they are enthusiastic about the One Belt, One Road program, as China calls it."Caterpillar is confident the One Belt, One Road initiative will strengthen connectivity in the region and globally," Qihua Chen, Caterpillar vice president and its China chief, told ENR in an email. "Caterpillar is
Related Links: Product Snapshot: Rough-Terrain Forklift and Pneumatic Nailers Looking to capitalize on its "Built in the USA with Global Materials" program, DeWalt, a unit of Stanley Black & Decker, has expanded production at its Charlotte, N.C., facility with a broader range of cordless tools.The facility first came online in September 2013, but production has accelerated in the past year, according to Steve Palmer, DeWalt's value-stream leader for motor production at the plant. "It's a 1.2-million-sq-ft building, and we keep adding production," he told reporters gathered for a media tour of the plant on June 3. "Right now we're putting
Photo by Tudor Van Hampton / ENR The 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 was surprisingly powerful in the desert. Ford's aluminum body feels robust and is designed to be repaired easily. Photo by Tudor Van Hampton / ENR Related Links: Ford F-150 Ups Economy Bar for Full-Size Pickups Ford Reinvents Tough By Switching to Aluminum Pulling up to a stoplight in Tucson, I had my first taste of Ford's new fuel diet. After the 2015 F-150 came to a stop, the engine shut down, and the air-conditioning fan receded from a flurry to a whisper. That's when it hit me: The lightweight
Courtesy Maverick Transportation Starting in 2017, all new heavy trucks will be equipped with ESC. Related Links: Bendix Collision-Mitigation Technology Stops Vehicles in Their Tracks Looking to Cars, Trucks Step Up Safety The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a final rule requiring electronic stability control on new heavy truck tractors, effective August 2017.Portions of the new rule resulted from a safety study commissioned under the MAP-21 surface transportation bill of 2012. Shortly after President Obama signed the bill into law, NHTSA started requiring ESC for light cars.“ESC is a remarkable safety success story,” says U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony
Photo By Tudor Van Hampton/ENR The 2015 Ram ProMaster City has more cargo space than most others in the compact-van class. Enlarge ENR Ram has more room but is also costlier than competitors. Related Links: 2015 Ram ProMaster City Compact Work Van Year in Review: Pickup Truck Wars One can be fooled by the diminutive appearance of the new compact cargo vans arriving stateside. Built for European cities yet adapted for American jobsites, these small vans are economical and capable enough for in-the-field workers who need to pack light gear and supplies, especially where space is tight and traffic is
Image Courtesy of Volvo CE Even pass Volvo's intelligent compaction approach relies on machine learning for proper density. Compacting asphalt pavement sufficiently is crucial to extending the life of roadways. Intelligent compaction technologies offer methods of evaluating the state of pavement compaction in real time, helping operators to avoid under- or overcompacting the pavement. Most intelligent compaction methods rely on measuring the relative stiffness of the pavement and displaying a real-time, GPS-enabled map of how many passes have been made over the pavement mat.The Federal Highway Administration has made intelligent compaction a priority investment for the future, and state transportation
Photo by Tudor Van Hampton/ENR New models of hydraulic excavators, the Caterpillar 313F L GC (left) and 336F XE aim to boost fuel efficiency and cut operating costs. Related Links: Telematics: Moving Data and Dirt Fleet Owners Stand To Gain From V-6 Pickups Equipment Makers De-Feature for Rising Rental Market Now that heavy-equipment manufacturers are closing the hood on a decade-long overhaul to meet stringent diesel-emission limits, known as Tier 4, research-and-development budgets are shifting to make those cleaner-burning—and more expensive—engines more efficient.“We have customers coming in and trading in older machines because of what they can save with fuel
Photo by Tudor Van Hampton/ENR The CT680 comes in two trim packages; this tractor has the L trim with chrome brightwork. Photo by Tudor Van Hampton/ENR The cab is quiet and comfortable, and the switches are easy to operate. Related Links: Caterpillar's First Work Truck Takes Ergonomics to Task Caterpillar Brings Telematics Solutions to CONEXPO Caterpillar’s new CT680 rounds out the manufacturer’s construction-truck offering since it first moved into the category, in 2011.“We’re now expanding into Puerto Rico and Mexico,” said Ron Schultz, sales and product support manager, on May 14 at Cat’s demonstration and training center near Tucson, Ariz.The
Images Courtesy Getable Mobile apps from start-up firms allow contractors to rent idle construction equipment on demand from owners or other contractors. Related Links: Yard Club Getable EquipmentShare Idle construction equipment costs money. Not just in maintenance but also in the lost revenue from not putting it to work. Small contractors with a few pieces of iron or big firms with massive fleets often eat the cost of idle equipment or set up handshake deals to lend it out for a fee. But a few ambitious tech startups are taking this informal economy online with free mobile-based equipment-rental apps."It's about
Photo Courtesy Deere and Co. Deere's new 1050K is the largest crawler tractor the company has designed and built. Related Links: Test Drive: Deere 644K Hybrid Wheel Loader Telematics Report: Moving Data and Dirt With the introduction of the 1050K crawler dozer earlier this year, Moline, Ill.-based Deere & Co. moves further upmarket into production-size machinery and brings an end to a decades-long relationship with Liebherr."Being able to offer production-class equipment, trucks, dozers and excavators now, it kind of completes the package," says Todd Perrine, vice president of Deere dealer Leslie Equipment, Cowen, W.Va. "It's the last piece of the
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