Photo courtesy of Gilbane Federal/T.J. Lyons CORRECT Dead end is clipped into Terminator-style wedge socket. Photo courtesy of Gilbane Federal/T.J. Lyons INCORRECT Clipping a wire rope's live and dead ends is not advised. Related Links: Reference Materials: ITI Memo (PDF) Trimble Buys Crane-Safety Instrumentation Company A safety manager at Gilbane Federal, the defense-contracting arm of the Rhode Island-based commercial builder, this year wrapped up a two-year rigging audit in Japan and found that local workers were securing wire-rope terminations in a manner that could cause crane loads to drop suddenly.The safety manager, T.J. Lyons, surveyed about 90 cranes in Japan
Photo by Tudor Van Hampton for ENR For an extra $9,500, GM offers bifuel versions of the Chevy Silverado (shown) and GMC Sierra. Related Links: Chrysler, Ford, GM Introduce Natural-Gas Pickup Trucks Test Drive: Life On the Road With Natural Gas As chance would have it, I was planning to drive to a baseball game in Milwaukee last month when General Motors called to send over a Chevrolet pickup that runs on gasoline and compressed natural gas (CNG). The road trip became a good opportunity to test a bifuel truck over long distances.Equipped with a 6.0-liter V-8 engine, six-speed automatic
Neff Corp. Company executives believe that Neff's focus on earthmoving equipment positions it to capitalize upon future growth. Related Links: Why Contractors Are Renting More and Buying Less Are Equipment Rentals Cyclical or Secular? Neff Corp. has filed an initial public offering with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission for a target goal of raising $100 million. The 25-year-old, Miami-based company, which rents, leases and sells construction equipment through 64 branches across 15 states, filed the IPO on Sept. 3.Company executives believe that Neff's focus on earthmoving equipment positions it to capitalize upon future growth, says the IPO prospectus, which also says an industry
Photo courtesy of Ford Motor Co. If pulled to the upper limit, Ford's max tow capacities now require a commercial driver's license. Related Links: Test Drive: Ford's Natural Gas F-150 Pickup Has Dual Personality Ford To Bring F-650/750 Production Back to U.S. For years, automotive brands competing in the heavy-duty pickup category have engaged in a game of one-upmanship over their respective trucks' tow capacities.After Ram raised the bar two years ago with the introduction of heavy-duty models able to tow up to 30,000 lb, it was only a matter of time before rival manufacturers pushed that already impressive number
Photo Courtesy of Mi-Jack Mi-Jack supplied two massive gantry cranes for the Caloosahatchee River bridge project. In early August, the cranes performed a tandem pick using machine-guidance controls. Photo by Scott Judy for ENR Related Links: How Gantry Cranes Carry Global Commerce Through Ports, Precast Yards and the Panama Canal Ports, Rail Expansions Key To Growing Transshipments Contractors widening a 1.6-mile-long section of Interstate 75 in southwest Florida elected to build outside the box by using global-positioning technology to control two of the largest rubber-tired gantry cranes ever to work on a U.S. highway project.Using GPS to guide a gantry,
Photo courtesy Samson Manitowoc partnered with Samson to design the first-ever synthetic hoist rope for mobile cranes. Photo courtesy Manitowoc The material costs about twice that of conventional wire rope but weighs 80% less, enabling cranes to do more while making rigging easier on the ground. Related Links: Wire Rope Does Double Duty at Orangutan Center New Rigging App Works as Load-Capacity Reference Because wire rope can be heavy and bulky and often spins under load, Mike Herbert, Manitowoc Inc.'s global product director for rough-terrain cranes, has long sought an alternative. Even with rotation-resistant designs, conventional wire rope produces some
The "dangling crane" that partially collapsed nearly 1,000 ft over Manhattan during Superstorm Sandy was caused by a worker who unintentionally tied down the rig and kept it from weather-vaning—or freely rotating—according to a forensic engineer who investigated the accident.
Photo by Tudor Van Hampton for ENR Sany's SCC8500 crawler crane was on display at this year's Conexpo show. Photo by Tudor Van Hampton for ENR A close-up reveals the roller mechanism used to extend the SCC8500 counterweights. Related Links: Manitowoc-Sany Lawsuit Pivots on Crane Counterweights All Erection Picks Up 10 Manitowoc MLC300 Crawler Cranes The U.S. International Trade Commission has ruled in favor of crane manufacturer Manitowoc Co. in a patent infringement lawsuit against Chinese rival Sany Heavy Industries and its U.S. subsidiary, Sany America.Earlier this month, the ITC made an initial ruling that Sany violated Section 337 of
Photo Courtesy of Ram The all-new 2015 Ram ProMaster City compact work van promises to bring best-in-class payload and cargo volume to the Class 1 commercial-van segment. Related Links: Test Drive: 2014 Ram ProMaster Work Van European Vans Invade Work Truck Show With the introduction of the Ram ProMaster City van into the U.S. market in 2015, contractors will have a broader spectrum of compact commercial vans from which to choose.Like the Ram brand's full-sized ProMaster, the smaller ProMaster City is based on a proven European model. For the van's American debut, Ram has hardened the compact Fiat Doblò's unibody
Related Links: Milwaukee Tool Acquires Empire Level Product Snapshot: Cordless Angle Grinder As more contractors add impact drivers to their toolboxes, manufacturers have responded by offering ever- expanding lines of bits and accessories that are rated for higher-torque duties.Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp. builds on its existing collection of Shockwave impact bits with the addition of thin-walled hole saws, introduced this year. The company recently sent ENR a set to try out with an 18-volt impact driver.The thin-walled hole saws range in diameter from ¾ in. to 1½ in. and are fitted with ¼-in. quick-change hex shanks. Like other impact saws,
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