On Nov. 12, 2008, a new auction occurred. Cold, wet and windy, the day was not helped by the fall financial meltdown or the dreary mood at the site of the lead consignor: Midwest contractor McAninch Corp.’s maintenance yard in Des Moines. Prices matched the mood and were down by double digits compared to prior months. Photo: CAT Auction Services Cat’s first auction’s timing was bad, but firm says it was successful. Related Links: As the Economy Worsens, Machinery Auctions Are Swamped Fast-Moving Auctions Attract Buyers Despite the economy, the unreserved sale still generated $8.8 million on 275 pieces of
From the vantage point of a helicopter hovering 1,000 ft above an ocean of heavy equipment, the Ritchie Bros. yard in Davenport, Fla., looks like a giant sandbox flooded with construction toys. In between the neatly arranged rows of excavators, loaders, dump trucks and cranes are colorful dots—men, women and children—weaving in and out of aisles in search of a bargain. In the center of the action is a white building where buyers are sitting comfortably in jeans Slide Show Photo: Tudor Van Hampton / ENR Auction in Orlando was stuffed with thousands of pieces of yellow iron. Related Links:
A new crop of John Deere graders due to arrive at dealers this spring will offer customers the freedom to choose between two modes of steering. The new G-Series includes six models ranging from the 185-hp 670G to the 275-hp 872G. Photo: Scott Blair / ENR Deere offers operators two steering modes. In its new graders, Moline, Ill.-based Deere was faced with an important decision, as these important roadbuilding machines have been coming out with cleaner diesels whose emission controls tend to sap fuel. Caterpillar in 2006 radically replaced its graders’ steering wheels and control levers with joysticks to serve
California contractors are breathing easier but environmentalists feel smoked after a last-minute proviso to relax California’s off-road-diesel emission regulations made it into the state’s final budget, which passed the state legislature on Feb. 19 after five months of contentious negotiations. Photo: Tudor Van Hampton / ENR Under pressure from construction lobbyists, California lawmakers have relaxed diesel-engine emission cuts. The California Air Resources Board had developed the rules for existing equipment set to kick in next year. Now, it gives extra credit to fleets that started reducing emissions prior to the mandate, thanks to extreme lobbying pressure from the construction industry.
Buyers should beware of construction cranes that have not been inspected by an expert source, say original-equipment manufacturers after discovering fakes and taking legal action against manufacturing pirates. At least three separate cases of Chinese-made counterfeits have surfaced in the past six months. Photo: Terex-Demag Fake Demag was found in China. “We have two issues: One is that a company is infringing our rights, and the other is that we think it really is affecting safety,” says Klaus Meissner, director of product integrity for Terex-Demag in Zweibrucken, Germany. Though he says Terex has initiated “some legal proceedings” against a Chinese
A last-minute proviso to delay California’s diesel regulations made it into the final state budget, which the state Legislature passed late last month. The state Air Resources Board’s decision to start replacing or retrofitting off-road diesel engines beginning next year is now delayed two years thanks to some extreme lobbying by the construction industry, including the Associated General Contractors of California and Construction Industry Air Quality Coalition. The new guidelines will give contractors full credit for any vehicle retirements made between March 1, 2006, and March 1, 2010. Contractors also may carry forward credits for reduced fleet activity, and fleets
Cashman Equipment Co., Nevada’s Caterpillar dealer, recently inaugurated its new multimillion-dollar headquarters in Henderson, 15 miles southwest of Las Vegas. The timing could not be worse. Peoria, Ill.-based Caterpillar’s fourth-quarter profit dropped 32% from a year ago, prompting over 20,000 job cuts amid reduced demand. Cashman, a privately held dealer with seven locations statewide, similarly trimmed its workforce by 63 people, or 8%, in December. Photo: SH Architecture The shop’s 20 service bays feature illuminating glass and skylights, while fabric ducts provide ventilation. Photo: SH Architecture Four-hundred geothermal wells exchange heat underground, using 45% less energy, while "Remann and His
Using one of the largest marine cranes on the East Coast, contractor teams on Jan. 18 carefully but quickly orchestrated the lift of a US Airways airplane from New York City’s icy Hudson River. The damaged Airbus A320, whose pilot miraculously and safely brought the plane down on the waterway three days before, weighed 100 tons and had filled with another 350 tons of water. Its 155 passengers and crew survived the landing. Slide Show Photo: Stephen Mallon Plane was picked up intact from river (top) using large revolving marine cranes. The retrieval operation was masterminded by Weeks Marine Inc.,
For many of us, the New Year in today’s economy means eating out less often, putting off big purchases and perhaps laying off a few employees. Everyone is on the lookout for efficiency wherever it can be found, including the latest in work-truck vehicles. But a new hybrid pickup, while intriguing from a fuel-sipping and technology standpoint, still falls short of delivering the goods. Slide Show Photo: General Motors The hybrid system consists of a 6.0L V8, a two-mode transmission and a 300-Volt nickel-metal-hydride battery pack. Energy prices ran contractors through the ringer last year, and among the rides that
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