Archive for March, 2009
Thursday, March 19th, 2009
Both Caterpillar and Bobcat have carved a niche for themselves in manufacturing heavy duty machinery especially targeted towards the landscaping and heavy mining industries. Their machinery is used for a vast range of applications and uses and both brands are known for their longevity, durability and efficiency.
Caterpillar range of products :
Caterpillar manufactures a whole range of products ranging from heavy duty hydraulic excavators to even loaders. These products are designed to ensure superior performance and long shelf life. Some of the predominant industries that use such heavy duty Caterpillar equipment include the quarry sector, construction that requires heavy duty activity as well as the mining industry.
Service and parts from Caterpillar :
Caterpillar has many distributors who provide ready service of all equipment purchased from them. Irrespective of the place where the original equipment may have been purchased from, these distributors repair and service all parts of such equipment. In addition, these distributors also stock a steady inventory of parts belonging to Caterpillar brand. Several departments, each with specialized parts assigned to them can readily help in replacing damaged parts of existing machinery.
Bobcat brand’s products :
Bobcat is another pioneer in creating cutting-edge and highly sophisticated skid steer loading equipment. While the original parts of Bobcat skid steers are always in demand by the landscaping and construction industries, the used parts are also in demand for their cost-effectiveness. There are many premier distributors who stock such used parts from Bobcat. Right from regular farm work to loading trucks these skid steers can perform the job with ease. Besides, for people who cannot afford original Bobcat equipment, these used parts are a good bargain. The distributors of such used parts ensure to regularly check for electrical, mechanical as well as hydraulic inefficiencies so that all used parts are well worth their value.
How to select a distributor of used parts :
If you wish to purchase used skid steer loaders from Bobcat then you need to approach the right distributor for this. Always select a distributor that has a well-stocked inventory. Compare prices to see that you are getting a good deal. In addition, the sales staff and personnel should be courteous and know about used parts and Bobcat brand. In addition, the distributor should also be ready to help you with parts in case they are not in stock. They should also have tie-ups with other brands so that you have more options to choose from.
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Thursday, March 5th, 2009
There are different types of construction that can be performed depending on what needs to be fixed or built in society. For instance one major type of construction is heavy construction. Heavy construction is the type of work that occurs when infrastructure is added to an already built up environment, such as building a highway. Those who own heavy construction projects are typically national or local level government agencies that deal with large contracts that last quite a length of time. some of the great manufacturer are Titan equipment, Samsung equipment, Caterpillar Equipment, Komatsu Equipment, Wagner equipment, Tiger Equipment, Hitachi Equipment.
Heavy construction projects are usually done in the best interest of the public to service them better. Of course, it is hard to agree with this when you’re stuck in traffic while the roads or the sewers beneath them are being replaced, but indeed the end result has us in mind. That being said, not every heavy construction project is undertaken by the government. Some large, private corporations, such as power companies, harbors, railroads, mines and golf courses, are also involved. These private companies, among others, undertake heavy construction in order to create dams, railways, massive earthwork projects, etc.
Some developments that are considered heavy construction projects include:
buildings
parks
playgrounds
apartments
stadiums
factories
malls
The most important part of heavy construction that makes it successful is the equipment that is used. Heavy construction equipment is essential to the project, because without it, even the basic construction work could never be completed. They are typically quite large, and are created specifically for one or two different uses. The primary equipment used for heavy construction includes but is not limited to: bulldozers, cranes, well drilling machinery, earthmoving equipment, loaders, draglines, cable plows, scrapers, generators, rollers, light towers, etc.
Each piece of heavy construction equipment plays an important role in the project. For instance, as far as groundwork is concerned, heavy rollers are used. Heavy rollers set up the project and find the base. They are then used to raise and drag tons of stones and iron from one place to the next.
The biggest problem that often occurs with heavy construction is the cost of building. Heavy equipment is quite expensive, and the people needed to work these machines and tools need to have the skill and experience in order to handle them. That being the case, many companies make the decision to rent or lease heavy equipment, sometimes even with or without the operators.
Unfortunately, because operators need to have both the skill and knowledge to work the equipment, they have become practically as indispensable as the heavy equipment. This can sometimes cause problems for companies who require heavy construction projects. To beat this problem, some companies hire people and then pay for their training, as opposed to trying to find someone who already has the training and is therefore going to request a much higher salary.
Despite certain problems, and expenses, most heavy construction projects are completed. The result of a heavy construction project is usually something that many people can benefit from and enjoy.
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Sunday, March 1st, 2009
Excavators are heavy equipment used in civil engineering and surface mining. An excavator, also called a 360-degree excavator or digger, sometimes abbreviated simply to a 360, is an engineering vehicle consisting of a backhoe and cab mounted on a pivot (turntable is a more apt description) atop an undercarriage with tracks or wheels. The term excavator is sometimes used as a general term for any piece of digging equipment.
Roles of Excavators
Excavators are used in many roles:
1- Digging of trenches, holes, foundations
2- Demolition
3- General grading/landscaping
4- Heavy lift, e.g. lifting and placing of pipes
5- River dredging
6- Mining, especially, but not only open-pit mining
7- Brush cutting with hydraulic attachments
Varieties of Excavators
Excavators for sale come in a wide variety of sizes. The smaller ones are called a mini-excavator or compact excavator. One manufacturer’s largest model weighs 84,980 kg (187,360 lb) and has a maximum bucket size of 4.5 m³ (5.9 yd³). The same manufacturer’s smallest mini-excavator weighs 1470 kg (3240 lb), has a maximum bucket size of 0.036 m³ (0.048 yd³) and the width of its tracks can be adjusted to 89 cm (35 inches). Another company makes a mini excavator that will fit through a doorway with tracks that can be adjusted to only 70 cm (28 inches) wide.
Often the bucket can be replaced with other tools like a breaker, a grapple or an auger. Excavators are usually employed together with loaders and bulldozer equipment. Most smaller excavators have a small backfill (or dozer-) blade. It’s a horizontal bulldozer like blade attached to the undercarriage and is used for pushing removed material back into a hole.
Examples of Excavators
1- Compact excavator
A compact hydraulic excavator is a tracked or wheeled vehicle with an approximate operating weight of 6 metric tons (13,228 lbs). It generally includes a standard backfill blade and features independent boom swing. The compact hydraulic excavator is also referred to as a mini excavator.
The compact hydraulic excavator is somewhat unique from other used construction equipment in that all movement and functions of the machine are accomplished through the transfer of hydraulic fluid. The compact excavator’s work group and blade are activated by hydraulic fluid acting upon hydraulic cylinders. The excavator’s slew (rotation) and travel functions are also activated by hydraulic fluid powering hydraulic motors.
2- Dragline excavator
Dragline excavation systems are heavy equipment used in civil engineering and surface mining. In civil engineering the smaller types are used for road and port construction. The larger types are used in strip-mining operations to extract coal and these are amongst the largest mobile equipment (not water-borne), and weigh in the vinicity of 2000 metric tonnes, though specimens weighing up to 13,000 metric tonnes have also been constructed.
A dragline bucket system consists of a large bucket which is suspended from a boom (a large truss like structure). The bucket is maneuvered by means of a number of ropes and chains. The hoistrope, powered by large diesel or electric motors, supports the bucket and hoist-coupler assembly from the boom. The dragrope is used to draw the bucket assembly horizontally. By skillful maneuver of the hoist and the dragropes the bucket is controlled for various operations.
3- Bucket-wheel excavator
Bucket-wheel excavators are heavy equipment used in surface mining and civil engineering. The excavation component itself is a large rotating wheel mounted on an arm or boom. On the outer edge of the wheel is a series of scoops or buckets. As the wheel turns, the buckets remove soil or rock from the target area and carry it around to the backside of the wheel, where it falls onto a conveyor, which carries it up the arm toward the main body of the excavator. Additional conveyors then may carry it further; in some cases, several long conveyors are placed end-to-end, each supported by a large vehicular base.
Especially large bucket-wheel excavators, over 200 meters long and up to 100 meters in height, are used in German strip-mining operations, and are the largest earth-movers in the world. These tremendous machines can cost over $100 million, take 5 years to assemble, require 5 people to operate, weigh more than 13,000 tons, and have a theoretical capacity of more than 12,000m³/h. Specifically, the RB293 bucket wheel excavator manufactured by MAN Takraf is recognized by Guinness World Records as the largest land vehicle.
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