equipmentworld.com | February 2020
®
THE AGGRESSIVE, NIMBLE
CTL P. 22
OUR TAKE ON CAT’S DOZER NOMENCLATURE CHANGE
P. 39
CONEXPO PREVIEW: SEE THESE MACHINES IN VEGAS
P. 60
Vol. 32 Number 2 |
Cover Story
table of contents | February 2020
Machine Matters:
COMPACT TRACK LOADERS
Doing more and doing it better.
P.
22
Equipment 17
Marketplace
New equipment from BOMAG, Ditch Witch, JLG, Manitou, Vanair, Kaeser
73
Product Report
Travel easy with Cat’s 306 CR XTC Stick Steer
77
Earthmoving Attachments
Grade, trench, dig with these tools for excavators, skids, CTLs
EquipmentWorld.com | February 2020
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table of contents | continued
Features 39 Product Report
Cat dozers renamed in simplified new system (Our handy chart helps you figure it out)
48 Road Works
Contractors earn bonuses, explore new methods, achieve award-winning concrete roads
67 Contractor of the Year Finalist
Jim Davis, Jim Davis Sr., Terry Davis; Whirl Construction; Port Monmouth, New Jersey
®
equipmentworld.com facebook.com/EquipmentWorld twitter.com/Equipment_World Editorial Director: Marcia Gruver Doyle Executive Editor: Tom Jackson Online Editor: Wayne Grayson Senior Editor: Don McLoud Contributing Writer: Richard Ries editorial@equipmentworld.com Media Sales Geoffrey Love: gdlove@randallreilly.com Pete Austin: paustin@randallreilly.com Drew Ingram: drewingram@randallreilly.com Patsy Adams: padams@randallreilly.com Jordan Arsenault: jordanarsenault@randallreilly.com Michael Newman: mnewman@randallreilly.com Art Director: Tony Brock Advertising Production Manager: Leah Boyd production@equipmentworld.com
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Common ground
11 Reporter
Meet Equipment World’s 2020 Contractor of the Year finalists
42 Technology
Doosan gives a glimpse of the autonomous future with Concept-X
60 ConExpo 2020
ConExpo preview: What you’ll see. (Also check out our Show Planner, polybagged with this issue.)
70 Technology
Robotic ‘dog’ being developed to scan jobsites, keep workers safe
75 Safety Watch Shocking truth
82 Final Word
The robots are coming, Part 1
For subscription information/inquiries, please email equipmentworld@omeda.com. Equipment World (ISSN 1057-7262) is published monthly by Randall-Reilly, LLC, 3200 Rice Mine Road N.E., Tuscaloosa, AL 35406. Periodicals Postage-Paid at Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: SEND ALL UAA TO CFS (SEE DMM 507.1.5.2). Non-postal and military facilities: send address corrections to Equipment World, P.O. Box 2029, Tuscaloosa, AL 35403 or email at equipmentworld@ omeda.com. Customer service: 1-800-517-4979. Rates for non-qualified subscriptions (pre-paid US currency only): US & possessions, $48 1–year, $84 2–year; Canada/ Mexico, $78 1–year, $147 2–year; Foreign, $86 1–year, $154 2–year. Single copies are available for $6 US, $9 Canada/Mexico and $12 foreign. The advertiser and/or advertising agency will defend, indemnify and hold Randall-Reilly, LLC harmless from and against any loss, expenses or other liability resulting from any claims or suits for libel violations of right of privacy or publicity, plagiarisms, copyright or trademark infringement and any other claims or suits that arise out of publication of such advertisement. Copyright ©2018 Randall-Reilly, LLC, all rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Equipment World is a trademark of Randall-Reilly, LLC. Randall-Reilly, LLC neither endorses nor makes any representation or guarantee regarding the quality of goods and services advertised herein.
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February 2020 | EquipmentWorld.com
Editorial Awards: Azbee Award of Excellence, Special Section National Gold Award, 2019 American Society of Business Publication Editors Jesse H. Neal Award, Best Single Issue of a Tabloid/Newspaper/Magazine, 2019, American Business Media Jesse H. Neal Award finalist, Best Subject-Related Package, 2019, American Business Media Best Editorial Series, 2018, 2019 Construction Media Alliance Eddie award for B-to-B Series of Articles, 2016 Highways 2.0, Folio: magazine Editorial Excellence, Original Research, Silver Award, 2016 American Society of Business Publication Editors Jesse H. Neal Award, Better Roads, 2011 American Business Media Robert F. Boger Award for Special Reports, 2006, 2007, 2008 Construction Writers Association Jesse H. Neal Award, Best Subject-Related Series of Articles, 2006 American Business Media Editorial Excellence Special Section Gold Award, 2006 Midwest-South Region, American Society of Business Publication Editors
on record | by Marcia Doyle MarciaDoyle@randallreilly.com
Common ground A
s I sat in on a contractor panel at a recent dealer meeting I was struck by the universality of what makes a contractor tick. Each of the panelists had annual revenues of $200 million and above, yet some of what they were saying could easily be stated by contractors with operations a fraction of their size. That doesn’t mean there weren’t significant differences even amongst the panelists in how they approached their fleets – primarily because their project mix varied from buildings to utilities to roadbuilding. Scale is also major factor. Taking that into consideration, however, there are still common equipment themes between a $200 million-plus and a $10 million contractor: The buy vs. rent vs. lease equation is always under assessment, even when the corporate culture leans towards acquisition. “The rental market became much more feasible for us, so we shifted our strategy,” said one contractor. “Now we rent our cranes and large excavators because we can get exactly the right size for a job.” “We look at how a purchase impacts our cash position,” said another panelist, “which affects our ability to get additional work, which in turn affects our need for additional equipment. All of it has to work together.” Technicians are a dwindling resource. “We have our own shop and our own mechanics but that number has been dwindling as it’s been harder to get someone who can handle the universe of what we do,” one panelist said. “I can’t hire technicians,” another bluntly told the gathered dealers. “They’d rather work
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February 2020 | EquipmentWorld.com
in your shops.” Technology must be practical. “We’re just about ready to implement forward-facing cameras in our trucks,” said one contractor. “We had four instances last year where we would have been much better off if we had had a camera.” Another panelist urged an open mind: “You can’t let equipment technology make you afraid because you’ll miss some great opportunities.” There’s still a learning curve on telematics. “We’re just now starting to use telematics on some off-road equipment,” said one contractor, “especially on some of the equipment that’s getting higher than normal usage. We want to catch problems before they occur.” But his fellow panelist admitted: “I can’t say we’re a real power user of off-road telematics.” Equipment providers who bring value are always welcome. “The ability to service equipment is the litmus test,” said one contractor. “We need every available resource to keep our projects moving. We live in an internetpaced society where everyone wants it right now.” Adds another: “We wouldn’t be enticed by your latest skid steer deal, but we don’t know what we don’t know and if there’s a machine that would really help a project, one that would help make us more competitive, that’s what we’re interested in.” One panelist summed it up this way: “Tell me something I don’t know. Bring me something that’s going to help our business and will make us look good to our board.”
POWERED BY INNOVATION. DRIVEN BY YOU. Your schedule is tight, and your days are long. Come see how revolutionary machines can help out. North Hall. Booth N10001.
Find us at Central Hall - C5577
Find us at North Hall - N10001
learn more at doosanequipment.com Doosan® and the Doosan logo are registered trademarks of Doosan Corp. in the United States and various other countries around the world. © 2019 Doosan Infracore North America, LLC. All rights reserved.
SHORTER-THAN-EXPECTED DPF SERVICE LIFE?
Ash from your engine oil is likely to blame
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OF INCOMBUSTIBLES IN THE DPF COME FROM LUBRICANTS
Incombustible ash particles from today’s heavy-duty engine oils clog the diesel particulate filter (DPF) in Tier 4 Final aftertreatment systems, increasing maintenance costs and sidelining major equipment. Now there’s a breakthrough solution.
Attending the 2020 ConExpo? Stop by the Chevron Booth #S83853 in South Hall 4.
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It’s time to kick some ash.
Get the facts at DeloEmissionsControlCenter.com
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NEW Delo 600 ADF: Less ash. More service life.
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Celebrating 50 years of innovation in the United States At Liebherr we’re passionate about developing solutions to help our customers succeed. Built on innovation with our own Liebherr technologies and key components our products prove to be reliable in the toughest conditions around the world every day.
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Conexpo Con/Agg 2020 March 10–14, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Outdoor Booth: Festival Grounds, F5258 Components Booth: South Hall 4, S84231 www.liebherr.com/conexpo
reporter
| staff report
12 finalists selected for Equipment World 2020 Contractor of the Year
Equipment World has named its 2020 Contractor of the Year finalists, celebrating the 20th year of the program. Each year, the editors of Equipment World review Contractor of the Year applications from across the country, examining each contractor’s references, business acumen, equipment management practices, attention to safety and community involvement. The program, which recognizes contractors who have annual revenues of between $3 million and $15 million, has been sponsored by Caterpillar since its inception in 2000. Each finalist will be honored during the Contractor of the Year event, to be held March 12-15 in Las Vegas during ConExpo, and one finalist will be named our 2020 winner. Here are our 2020 finalists: • Bret Barnhart Jr., Bret Barnhart Excavating, Mounds, Oklahoma
• Clint and Amber Stephenson, CLS Excavation, Liberty Hill, Texas • Charles Mitchell, C.M. Mitchell Construction, Sneads Ferry, North Carolina • Scott and Dianne Johnson, Dirtworks, Palmer, Alaska • Toby Drake, Drake Construction, Kotzebue, Alaska • Tom and Joseph Giordano, Giordano Construction, New Castle, Pennsylvania • Richard Goodmanson, Goodmanson Construction, Roseville, Minnesota • Scott and Tyler Roberts, JLR Contractors, Provo, Utah • Rick Davis, Mountain Valley Contracting, Grand Junction, Colorado • John, T. J. and Michelle Muggli, Muggli Contracting, Miles City, Montana • Ray Lippis, Ray Lippis Excavating, Canon City, Colorado • Wendell Howard, T & K Utilities, Asheville, North Carolina –Marcia Doyle
Briefs Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers has named Ann Fandozzi as its CEO. Fandozzi comes to Ritchie from ABRA Auto Body & Glass, a national damaged-vehicle repair company. Fandozzi sucAnn Fandozzi ceeds Ravi Saligram, who stepped down in October after five years with the company. Alta Equipment Holdings of Livonia, Michigan, has merged with B. Riley Principal Merger (BRPM) to create a publicly traded equipment dealership platform valued at approximately $550 million. Alta carries Volvo Construction Equipment and JCB lines, among others. BRPM says it will change its name to Alta Equipment Group and apply to list its stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “ALTG.” Takeuchi-US has broken ground on a new 37,500-square-foot training center that will open in Spring 2020 in Pendergrass, Georgia. The facility will offer dealer product and service training and replace the company’s current training space in Pendergrass.
For more on each of these stories go to equipmentworld.com. EquipmentWorld.com | February 2020 11
reporter |
continued
New ANSI standards for aerial lifts set for March 1 Supporters of new U.S. standards for aerial work platforms are still hopeful that the standards will take effect March 1. The American National Standards Institute AS92 standards were published in December 2018 and were set to take effect this past December, but appeals delayed their effective date. Renewed appeals are still working their way through the appeals process. The standards affect all who operate, sell, rent, repair, manufacture or ride on telescopic and articulated boom aerial platforms and scissor lifts. The standards also change the name of the devices to mobile elevated work platforms, or MEWPs. For contractors, the new standards require getting MEWP operators trained, as well as developing safe-use programs, among other changes. (Check out Equipment World’s recent series on the new standards for a more indepth look at what the changes mean for contractors, at bit.ly/ANSIdelay.) –Don McLoud
ELFF: Moderate construction equipment investment ahead Construction and agricultural machinery investment growth should see moderate increases next year, according to the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation’s 2020 U.S. economic outlook. The foundation also said that mining and oilfield machinery could improve modestly “but is likely to remain weak overall.” Third-quarter construction machinery investment pulled back 6.7 percent (annualized) but rose 4 percent from a year ago, says the foundation. It also indicates the Construction Machinery Momentum Index decreased from 92.3 (revised) in November to 90.8 in December. The foundation says the index points to modest growth over the next two quarters. Overall, says the foundation, equipment and software investment is “on track to post its weakest year of growth since 2016, weighted down by an annualized contraction in Q3 – the first negative reading in over three years.” It expects total equipment and software investment to expand 1.1 percent in 2020, down from an estimated 3.6 percent in 2019. –Marcia Doyle
Join us at North America’s largest construction trade show to find out how.
Booth #S60829
®
12 February 2020 | EquipmentWorld.com
FESTIVAL GROUNDS F3432
Bigger machines and even bigger innovations — come see how we’re Building Tomorrow. Check out our largest machines ever, the new EC950E crawler excavator and our R100E rigid hauler. While you’re here, test drive the future in the fully electric L25 loader and ECR25 excavator. It’s all happening at the Festival Grounds, booth F3432. volvoce.com/conexpo
HEROES OF THE JOBSITE.
The precision engineered, ruggedly designed Kubota machines. Built upon a single-minded truth understood by operators on jobsites all over the world. Reliability comes in just one color. Locate your dealer at KubotaUSA.com.
ConExpo booth #N-12501 Š Kubota Tractor Corporation, 2020.
GAME CHANGER
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Works with any combination of compact track loader and guidance system For about half the price of a new pickup, the new Level Best Precision Grader Blade is compatible with every major make of compact track loader and every guidance system on the market. For precision 3-D grading or making short work of the job in manual mode, the nothing else like the new Level Best Precision Grader Blade. Accurate to 0.1.” Handles like a dream.
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marketplace
| staff report
EDI PI TOR’S CK
LIFT UP TO 12,000 POUNDS ON TIGHT JOBSITES Manitou’s new MTA 12055 Series III telehandler boasts a lift capacity of 12,000 pounds, yet with its 12-foot turning radius, it can fit on tight jobsites, the company says. The telehandler is designed for such projects as infrastructure, bridges and power generation. It has a lift height of 55 feet 5 inches and forward reach of 40 feet 9 inches. It can handle 5,500 pounds at full extension. Operators use a single joystick to control travel direction, boom extension and retraction, attachment tilt and auxiliary hydraulics. The telehandler is designed for better visibility over the top of the engine and easier maintenance access with its side-mounted engine and high boom mount.
5 functions in 1 unit Vanair has introduced a diesel all-in-one power system with five functions in one unit: air compressor, generator, battery booster, battery charger and welder. The new Air N Arc 150D has an enclosed design and includes a 20cubic-feet-per-minute reciprocating air compressor, a 5-kilowatt generator, a 150-amp high-frequency 100 percent duty-cycle DC welder, a 190-amp battery booster and a battery charger. The unit is designed to reduce truck bed space, and it uses a two-generator system for safe multifunction use of welder and electric tools, Vanair says.
Designed for small to mid-sized excavation
Ditch Witch designed its new HX30G vacuum excavator as a lower-cost alternative for contractors on small to mid-sized excavation jobs and for daily use. It has an 8-foot-wide frame for operating in urban or congested areas. It can also be used in height-restricted areas, with a height of up to 85 inches. It runs on a 31-horsepower Vanguard gas engine. The machine delivers up to 542 cubic feet per minute of air flow, water pressure of 3,000 pounds per square inch and water flow of 4.2 gallons per minute. EquipmentWorld.com | February 2020 17
marketplace
| continued
Runs 10 hours on one tank of fuel Kaeser’s M55PE Mobilair compressor is designed for use on construction, demolition and other heavy-duty tasks and can run 10 hours without refueling. The compressor produces up to 185 cubic feet per minute at 100 psig, and it can be adjusted to 125 psig. It runs on a Tier 4 Final Kubota diesel engine, which has a 21-gallon tank. Kaeser put the Sigma Control Smart electronic controller at eye level with an intuitive user display, system monitoring and diagnostics. The compressor also has a cold-start battery and an anti-frost valve to prevent tool freezing.
Preventing obstacle strikes at height JLG has expanded the use of its SkySense obstacle-detection system to most of its boom and scissor lifts, the company says. The system establishes warning zones and sets stop distances as the aerial platform moves, and it sounds an alarm and emits a visual warning when the platform nears an object. The system’s sensors automatically slow the machine and then stop it. Operators can override the system and inch closer to the structure to perform their work. The system can be purchased aftermarket or with new orders for JLG aerial platforms.
Pave behind planer cut
BOMAG’s new BF 200 paver is narrow enough to fit in the cut of a 4-foot cold planer on mill-and-fill tasks on road rehabilitation projects. It can also pave cart paths. Paving widths range from 3.6 to 6.6 feet. With manual screed extensions, the width can be extended to 11.2 feet, and reduction skids can bring width down to 1.3 feet. With a transport width of 51 inches and weighing 13,228 pounds, it can be hauled by trailer. The paver includes BOMAG’s Magmalife, which heats the screed to paving temperatures within 20 minutes. 18 February 2020 | EquipmentWorld.com
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machine matters | by Richard Ries
COMPACT TRACK LOADERS
Doing more and doing it better
As the vanguard of the new R Series from Bobcat, the T76 features a five-link torsion suspension instead of the roller suspension found on previous models. Other features include keyless start, a heated air-ride seat and a 5-inch display. The optional new 7-inch Bobcat Touch display can be navigated by touch or jog dial. 22 February 2020 | EquipmentWorld.com
M
anufacturers are aggressively pursuing the compact track loader market with new models and improvements to existing ones. Contractors can now choose from more machines doing more things better than ever.
Case’s new CTLs hitting the market Case Construction Equipment is launching five models for its new B Series CTL line right before ConExpo, according to product manager George MacIntyre. The models include both mechanical and electrohydraulic controls. Rated operating capacities range from 2,700 pounds for the TV270B to 4,500 pounds for the TV450B (at 50 percent of tipping load). An all-new 8-inch LCD display serves as command center for many of the machines’ functions. The display can be set up as a split screen with
The 90-horsepower TV450B is the newest Case CTL. ROC is 4,500 pounds at 50 percent of tipping load. Features common to all B Series CTLs include a large rear window and low sloping rear hood that combine with the standard rearview camera to provide improved rear visibility, an economy timer to trigger auto-shutdown after an operator-specified period of idling, and a low entry threshold that also provides visibility to the bucket or attachment.
EquipmentWorld.com | February 2020 23
machine matters | continued The largest of the four models in the D Series from Volvo, the MCT135D has an operating weight of 8,047 pounds. Gross power is 73.8 horsepower, and net torque is 295 pound-feet. Maximum travel speed is 5.7 mph with the single-speed drive and 7.8 mph with the optional two-speed drive. Volvo offers a range of attachments, including vibratory rollers, trenchers and brush cutters.
additional information or to show the scene from the rearview camera, which is operational in both forward and reverse modes. All controls on the A and B pillars have been overhauled and updated. Joysticks on both electrohydraulic and mechanical models have been made more ergonomic for easier operation. Electrohydraulic models include a creep mode to allow slow travel speeds with high attachment speed, as with cold planers and brooms. Tailoring the operation of electrohydraulic models has been made easier. Overall responsiveness can be 24 February 2020 | EquipmentWorld.com
set to low, moderate or aggressive with the tap of a button. Operation can be fine-tuned with an almost unlimited number of settings, each easily configured and stored for later use. Setting and retrieving these custom settings is more intuitive and can be done more quickly. “A CTL can offer endless settings and modes, but those methods of dialing in machine performance are only beneficial if they are easy to use,” says MacIntyre. “If accessing and managing settings and modes takes more than a few seconds, operators won’t do it.”
Power for the John Deere 317 G comes from a Yanmar engine rated at 61 net horsepower at 2,600 rpm. Hydraulic flow of 17 gallons per minute and system pressure of 3,450 psi yield 33.1 hydraulic horsepower. Hinge pin height is 10 feet 1 inch, and ground clearance is 8.3 inches.
The new RT-50 from ASV has a 5,350-pound operating weight. ROC is 1,400 pounds at 35 percent of tipping weight. Although based on the RT-40, the RT-50 has a new undercarriage. A universal quick-attach is standard. Ground clearance is 15 inches. Lift height is 109 inches. EquipmentWorld.com | February 2020 25
ON MARCH 10, EVERYONE CAN GET A LITTLE SMARTER.
03.10.20 CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2020 || LAS VEGAS CONVENTION CENTER || EXHIBIT N12525
JohnDeere.com/Vegas2020
machine matters | continued
The new JCB 2TS-7T is the little brother of the 3TS-8T, which was introduced in 2017. The 2TS-7T has 7 feet of forward reach, a 12-foot hinge pin height, and it can dig 2 feet below grade. ROC is 2,096 pounds retracted and 1,146 pounds extended (at 35 percent). Its 9,914-pound operating weight with cab makes it easier to transport.
2019 launches Several manufacturers introduced new CTL models in 2019, including Bobcat, ASV, JCB and Wacker Neuson. Bobcat has focused its efforts on its new R Series. “The R Series is a clean-sheet design,” says Michael Fitzgerald, loader product specialist. “The central theme is what we call ‘QRD: Quality, Reliability, Durability.’” Lift arms have castings replacing welded tubular assemblies in some locations for greater strength with no additional weight. The hydraulic control valve has been brought from down low on the machine up to a location behind the cab for easier service access and to make pre-assembly at the factory simpler and more consistent. A onepiece cab replaces the previous clamshell design, so the footwell now tilts up with the rest of the cab. The design creates a cleaner, quieter operator environment. The cooling system is 50 percent larger in the R Series to better manage the heat loads associated with high-demand accessories. The system includes a larger, variable-speed 28 February 2020 | EquipmentWorld.com
The purpose-built Cat 299D3 XE Land Management model combines a 110-gross-horsepower Cat C3.8 engine with a high-flow, high-pressure hydraulic system to create 94 hydraulic horsepower. A 58.1-gallon fuel tank enables long run times even with high-demand attachments. Additional seals and specific design features limit dust and debris incursion and make cleanout easier.
Booth S85619
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The camera unit containing the camera, EyeQ® chip, and speaker, mounted on the inside of the windshield behind the rearview mirror.
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The EyeWatch™ display for visual alerts, mounted in the bottom corner of the windshield.
For more information on how Mobileye can help save lives (and money), contact us at +1-877-867-4900 or go to www.mobileye.com/en-us/contact
machine matters | continued The newest model in the Kubota lineup, the SVL65-2, features the Advanced Multifunction Valve, which provides smooth operation when operating simultaneous functions, such as auxiliary, boom and bucket circuits. Reach is 34.9 inches, and hinge pin height is 118.5 inches. ROC is 2,100 pounds at 35 percent. A self-levelling function can be easily toggled on and off.
fan that can turn at lower speeds for reduced noise and improved fuel efficiency. A bigger air filter and other improvements extend oil-change intervals to 750 hours from 500. Standard one-way levelling is now two-way. One example of the new R Series is the T76, which replaces the T650. The T76 has 400 pounds more rated operating capacity (2,900 pounds at 35 percent) and 4 inches more lift height in a footprint only 4 inches longer. ASV debuted its RT-50 at the 2019 American Rental Association show. The RT-50 was founded on the RT-40 but with more of everything, including power, weight, rated operating capacity and hinge pin height. Most notable is the low ground pressure. Stock 15-inch tracks yield 3.1 pounds per square inch, while optional 16.5-inch tracks give 2.8 psi. “These low ground pressures reduce ground disturbance and improve performance in soft underfoot conditions,” says product line manager Buck Storlie. “The optional track also allows customers to meet the sub-3-pound pressure requirements found in some government contracts.” 30 February 2020 | EquipmentWorld.com
ASV kept the initial investment level low on the RT50. “It’s an entry-level machine for customers who need greater performance than is available on other entrylevel models,” says Storlie. JCB debuted its 3TS-8T Teleskid in 2017. It now offers a smaller version, the 2TS-7T, with the same advantages of the larger machine yet easier to transport and able to fit into tighter spaces. It also fits neatly into the 2,000- to 2,300-pound ROC (at 35 percent) category that product manager Chris Trampush describes as the sweet spot for CTLs. Wacker Neuson introduced four new Series II largeframe compact track loaders in 2019. The ST35 and ST45 feature 74-horspower Kohler engines, while the ST40 and ST50 come with 100-horsepower Kohler engines. As with all Wacker Neuson CTLs, the four 2019 models are covered by the company’s 3-4-5 warranty: three years or 3,000 hours of full machine coverage; four years or 4,000 hours on the powertrain, including the engine, hydrostatics and axles; and five years or 5,000
Wacker Neuson excavators, skid steers and compact track loaders are working their way across more and more job sites in North America. Designed to provide outstanding performance, comfort and reliability, Wacker Neuson equipment saves time and money by offering excellent service accessibility and the best warranties in the industry. So, no matter what the task, Wacker Neuson has all it takes to gain traction on your next job. Contact your local Wacker Neuson dealer or schedule a demo today at www.wackerneuson.com/request-a-demo
Visit us at Booth F2548
www.wackerneuson.com
machine matters | continued
The Takeuchi TL6R is designed for work in confined spaces. It is less than 6.5 feet tall and only 5 feet wide. The operating weight of this 65-horsepower CTL is 7,500 pounds. The high-capacity radiator and hydraulic oil cooler are mounted side-by-side on a swing-out frame for easier service access. Primary flow of auxiliary hydraulics is 17.8 gallons per minute. hours on the electrical system, including switches, electronic joysticks, instrumentation, display indicators and wiring harness. Repositioned joysticks, angled pedals and foot bed, along with no restrictive lap bar, improve operator comfort. The models also feature a new speed limiting mode. Ground speed can be limited for all users or can be user-specific, controlled with a pass code. They also feature a deceleration pedal, so the operator can leave the hand throttle at high idle and use the deceleration pedal to control machine speed when approaching the pile. Creep mode, now accessible while moving, decouples engine speed from ground speed to further enhance machine control. “The great thing about electric-hydraulic machines is that all software advances made on new models can be installed on older machines simply by having your dealer update the machine’s software,” says Nathan Ryan, product manager, skid steer and compact track loaders, Wacker Neuson.
Older models upgraded The Cat 299D3 XE Land Management CTL is a new 32 February 2020 | EquipmentWorld.com
package available on a current machine aimed at a specific application. “The 299D3 XE Land Management model is designed for the growing market of vegetation management,” says product specialist Kevin Coleman with Caterpillar. “This includes mulching, brush-cutting, vegetation control and mowing.” This level of specificity is a key concept in the D3 Series. All D3 Series compact track loaders support Cat’s new Smart Attachments. The attachments are truly plug-and-play, “meaning the machine understands when and which Smart Attachment is connected,” Coleman says. With the press of a button, the operator puts the machine in Attachment Control mode. Joystick controls are altered to provide specific function control actions, and the monitor changes to display information related to that attachment. Another press of the button returns everything to standard Machine Control mode. ASV made two noteworthy changes to its lineup. First, a two-year, 2,000-hour warranty is now standard on all ASV equipment, including compact track loaders, and even includes the tracks. Second, the company shifted its focus from premium-
SEE US AT
B O B C A T. C O M / N E W M A C H I N E S March 10-14, 2020 Las Vegas Convention Center
Booth N10001
From its outstanding quality to its incredible performance and comfort, the latest generation of Bobcat ® equipment is our best yet. Ask your dealer about new R-Series loaders and R2-Series excavators.
Bobcat is a Doosan company. Doosan is a global leader in construction equipment, power and water solutions, engines, and engineering, proudly serving customers and communities for more than a century. Bobcat®, the Bobcat logo and the colors of the Bobcat machine are registered trademarks of Bobcat Company in the United States and various other countries. ©2020 Bobcat Company. All rights reserved. | 1405
machine matters | continued
The operating weight of the Wacker Neuson ST35 is 9,827 pounds, and ROC is 2,450 pounds at 35 percent of tipping load. A Perkins 854 engine provides 74 horsepower. Hinge pin height is 125.9 inches, and overall length with the standard bucket is 144.2 inches. Options include oneway hydraulic bucket-leveling and ride control. level-only machines to offering both premium- and base-level equipment. Base CTLs are offered with HVAC but generally have fewer features. Some have standard quick couplers instead of hydraulic couplers or single-speed instead of two-speed drives. Customers can add features to base machines to configure them to meet their needs. JCB made sweeping changes to its entire lineup of CTLs last year. It cut the number of models from 16 to nine, mostly by eliminating near duplicates and including the most popular features across the board, such as reversing fans, parallel lift and smooth ride. Some specialty models, including the 325 Forestry Master, are still offered. “But the overall lineup is simplified,” says Trampush, “making it easier for customers to order machines and easier for dealers to manage their inventories.” JCB models that made the cut continue to be refined. The old windscreen had a ripcord-style release for emergency egress, which worked well for getting the glass out but not for putting it back in. The new windscreen 34 February 2020 | EquipmentWorld.com
has two red handles that swivel to release the glass in its frame for easy re-installation. Haptics have stiffer left and right joystick action, more closely mimicking pilot valve controls. Telematics had not been available on the CTLs, but now all come standard with LiveLink Lite. Further enhancements to telematics are being developed. John Deere upgraded its 317G small-frame model with an optional rearview camera. Redesigned auxiliary hydraulic lines are contained within the boom to help protect them from damage, and a four-point tie-down system was added for greater security when transporting the machine. The cab has better pressurization, optimized HVAC air flow and updated ergonomic grips. Takeuchi Fleet Management telematics system is available on all of the company’s current track loader models and comes free for two years on new purchases, including the TL6R. “Owners can see real-time information on a single machine or an entire fleet, saving time and money on maintenance intervals and service calls,” says Lee Padgett, product manager at Takeuchi-US.
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INTRODUCING THE POWERFUL HITACHI ZW370-6 WHEEL LOADER: DELIVERING DURABLE, DEPENDABLE AND EFFICIENT PERFORMANCE FOR HIGH-PRODUCTION AND QUARRY OPERATIONS
H
itachi Construction Machinery Loaders America Inc. (HCMA) continues to expand its most technologically advanced line of Dash-6 wheel loaders with the large and powerful ZW370-6 developed for high-volume production operations and quarries. The large Hitachi ZW370-6 wheel loader features an impressive 48,780 pounds of breakout force, a bucket capacity range of 7.3 to 8.1 cubic yards, and is powered by a 389 horsepower Isuzu Tier 4F (DPF-free) engine. A spacious cab with 360-degree visibility, ride control and onboard technology provides quick and efficient cycle
time even when working with tough materials. “The ZW370-6 wheel loader is the newest model in our Dash-6 wheel loader line, and it is specifically designed around the needs of North American contractors,” explains Nathan Little, North American product specialist for HCMA. “Over the past several months, we’ve been rolling out the Dash-6 line, which will include 13 new models in total. Each comes equipped with a diesel aftertreatment system that eliminates the hassle and costs associated with DPF systems and onboard technology to help contractors better manage their fleets and operating expenses.
“An incredible amount of effort has gone into engineering and developing the Hitachi Dash-6 loader line, and customers in every size category have told us how impressed they are with the results. We’re confident large-machinery fleet managers will feel the same way about the ZW370-6.” That’s the case for SC Rock, a company near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, that supplies more than a dozen products for a range of applications, including roads, parking lots, landscaping, and bedding for water and sewer lines. “Compared to the rest of the market, the ZW370-6 delivered the most uptime, low maintenance and a
competitive price, in a machine that will hold its value,” says Bill Griste Sr., president of SC Rock. “That’s what we look for around here – a machine that’s going to perform for years to come.”
Durable performance
Designed with a full box rear frame for heavy applications and dual Z-Bar linkage that puts less torque on boom arms and gives the machine better balance, the rugged ZW370-6 can handle heavy loads day after day and year after year. Its reliable performance is complemented by a fuel-efficient Tier 4 engine with a high-volume cooled exhaust gas recirculation system, a common rail-type fuel injection system and diesel oxidation catalyst instead of a diesel particulate filter. Since the ZW3706 does not have a DPF filter, there are no DPF regeneration cycles, no expensive DPF filters, no DPF maintenance or regen-related downtime, and there’s more space for better access within the engine compartment. Also, the loader has a lock-up transmission that provides 30% more tractive force than its predecessor, the Kawasaki Z7, and reduces fuel consumption.
Cab environment
The Hitachi ZW370-6 wheel loader’s cabin provides optimum comfort and control with a multifunctional monitor, roomy cab with plenty of storage and superior visibility. A smooth ride control minimizes machine pitching on the roughest of terrain, and extra engine output for going uphill can be achieved with a flick of the quick power switch. The low-noise engine and sound-insulated cab provide a quiet operating environment. A Joystick Steering System for the ZW370-6 gives operators the option of choosing their preference — steering wheel or fingertip operation.
How the Hitachi ZW370-6 wheel loader helps SC Rock compete and expand: Reliability – To survive and thrive in the mining business, production must be consistent. Broken-down equipment affects the entire operation. SC Rock President Bill Griste Sr. says he chose the Hitachi ZW370-6 wheel loader because it delivers better uptime and longevity than options from other brands. “Being a small company, we do everything here to fulfill our market, and we have to rely on extraction, production and processing,” says Bill Griste Sr., president of SC Rock. “No one wants to hear about your equipment being broken down.” Low maintenance – The ZW370-6’s lack of a diesel particulate filter means even more uptime since there’s no time-consuming DPF maintenance or regeneration cycles. “SC Rock’s downtime has been basically zero,” says Josh Brookshire, SC Rock’s sales and service representative with May Heavy Equipment. “The fact that the machine is DPF-free is great for contractors concerned with downtime. DPF tends to have some issues overall, so the system this machine has will have zero issues with diesel exhaust fluid problems.” Increased production – The ZW370-6 has upped SC Rock’s truckloading production by a third. “We’re now able to cut out one extra full bucket for each truck, and do it in two scoops as opposed to three,” says Gregory Griste, who operates the loader and is Bill’s son.
Onboard technology
In addition to featuring the latest in diesel engine and aftertreatment technology, the ZW370-6 also incorporates industry-leading telematics to give fleet managers real-time, accurate information. Hitachi Owner’s Site and ConSite, online management tools, provide ongoing maintenance and operation data and help alert technicians when service is required. Using this information, fleet managers can improve overall
operational efficiency and help maximize the performance of their equipment. The Hitachi ZW370-6 wheel loader delivers impressive performance with a low overall cost of ownership. For more information about this unit or any other wheel loaders in the new Hitachi Dash-6 series, stop by HCMA booth #N11539 at CONEXPO-CON/AGG in Las Vegas, Nevada, March 10-14, 2020, or visit hitachiwheelloaders.us/ CONEXPO2020.
Watch the Hitachi ZW370-6 in action: https://youtu.be/Y4xF8n0ReIk
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product report
| by Tom Jackson |
TJackson@randallreilly.com
CAT DOZERS RENAMED IN SIMPLIFIED NEW SYSTEM (Our handy chart helps you figure it out)
I
f you happen to notice that some of the model number/ letter designations on Caterpillar dozers are getting shorter, it’s not your eyes that need checking. The company started reformulating its dozer nomenclature back in 2017 with the goal of getting rid of the letter suffixes that follow the numbers. So what’s in a name? The strategy is to make dozer identification easier and simpler (and with the T Series, Caterpillar was running out
of letters). “It follows an automotive strategy,” says Sam Meeker, product application specialist. “We’ve had a Ford F150 for decades, but there has never been a Ford F150 dash-1 or dash-2.” We saw the first completed changeover at Caterpillar’s Cary, North Carolina headquarters in October, with the original D6N renamed a D5. And while a decision has not yet been made about which dozers will carry the new badges at ConExpo (likely the D4 and D5, but don’t quote us
on that), eventually all the dozers will be renamed. And within the next year or so, you’ll even see a new number designation – the D1, previously known as the D3K2 and D3K. (See chart on page 40.) The new numbers are based on the horsepower class of each model. And don’t worry, Cat’s not downsizing anything. The old D6N is being rebadged the D5, which weighs more and offers more horsepower than the D6N. (See our article on the new D5 here: http://bit.ly/CatnewD5). EquipmentWorld.com | February 2020 39
product report
| continued
“This is an important change for us,” says Meeker. “We want to make sure people understand it and are not confused. The feedback we’ve gotten has been positive.” But as we’ve reported before, the simplified numbering system isn’t going to be limited to dozers. Eventually, the whole Caterpillar equipment lineup will undergo a nomenclature simplification, a move that started with the 745 articulated truck in 2017.
Gradual rollout The dozer names won’t be updated all at once. Rather, Caterpillar will rename each size class after that size dozer has undergone a redesign or upgrade. The D6N, for example, was renamed the D5 this fall in concert with a host of new features, including a mast-free GPS system, blade load monitor, traction control, new powertrain capabilities and a bump in horsepower. This is not to say that Cat dozer names won’t have suffixes. A few will remain. Because of their unique powertrains, hybrid dieselelectric drive dozers D7E and D6 XE (introduced in 2018) will retain the “E” and “XE” suffixes. And the LGP (low ground pressure) tag will be kept on all models with the wider tracks. The other suffix you might eventually see on the dozers is the GC designation, which is already on some excavators (320 GC, 330 GC, 336 GC) and on one wheel loader (the 950 GC). The GC moniker was used to denote a basic, no-frills machine with a lower cost and less technology than the more fully featured machines. Meeker says you could see this on dozers a year or two down the road. Feature sets In the past, the suffixes on Cat dozer names typically designated different feature sets. There will still be annual product updates and new 40 February 2020 | EquipmentWorld.com
feature sets for dozers and other machines, but contractors will need to know the model year or the serial number to determine which machines have which updates. “The model year does a pretty good job of telling you what’s in there,” says Meeker. “But our customers are accustomed to serial number prefixes. The serial number
EQUIPMENT WORLD’S GUIDE TO THE NEW CAT DOZER NOMENCLATURE Horsepower class
Old name
75 hp +
D3K2 D3K
85 hp +
D4K2 D4K
100 hp +
D5K2 D5K
125 hp +
D6K2 D6K
160 hp +
D6N D5R2
200 hp +
D6T D6R2
240 hp +
D7R
320 hp +
D8T D8R
405 hp +
D9T D9R
600 hp +
D10T2
850 hp +
D11T
New name
>> D1 >> D2 >> D3 >> D4 >> D5 >> D6 >> D7 >> D8 >> D9 >> D10 >> D111
prefix is like your middle name. Knowing the serial number prefix and the feature set attached to it is like a badge of honor for our customers.” Caterpillar dozers typically undergo a redesign every two to five years, says Meeker. “Depending on how big of an update that is, we may just do a serial number break. That allows us to be clear with customers and dealers as to when those features come into the line. For major changes on a larger new product introduction, where we are changing significant portions of the tractor, we will do a full serial number prefix,” he says.
The D1 and D2 In addition to renaming the dozer line, Cat’s reorganization of the nomenclature will result in a completely new name, the D1, and the rebirth of the D2. The new D1 (the old D3K and D3K2) will be the first Caterpillar dozer to carry that number, says Meeker. And while there has been a D2 in the past (produced from 1938 until 1957), the new D2 will incorporate the old D4K2 and D4K size class. Three groups Overall, the new naming system will also make clear the three basic groups of dozers that Caterpillar offers. The first group – the D1, D2, D3 and D4 – will replace the K family of dozers and retain their low-drive sprocket design. These are considered light- to mediumduty dozers. From D5 and up, you’ll see Caterpillar’s elevated-sprocket/highdrive design. The D5 to D8 dozers comprise a second group of dualpurpose machines geared for both heavy dozing and finish grading. The third group – D9, D10 and D11 – will continue to be what they’ve always been, heavy push dozers.
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technology
| by Tom Jackson |
TJackson@randallreilly.com
There’s no operator in that excavator, just a drone scan communicated over a 5G network controlling the site and the machine.
Doosan gives a glimpse of the autonomous future with Concept-X
B
ack in November, the operator of a Doosan excavator put his machine in idle, got out of the cab and walked away. Moments later, the excavator’s bucket rose off the dirt. The machine turned around and proceeded to dig a trench and load an articulated truck – all without an operator in the cab. 42 February 2020 | EquipmentWorld.com
The demonstration at Doosan’s proving grounds in Boryeong City, Korea, was to showcase the company’s Concept-X autonomous control system. Currently, the vision is, as the name implies, just a concept. Full implementation is not expected until 2025. The fully realized concept will involve not just autonomous
equipment, but a 5G network, 3D drone scanning, image and obstacle recognition, cognitive control technologies, autonomous driving, workload estimation and assignment and failure-prediction technologies. “Concept-X is not just an unmanned technology, rather it integrates multiple state-of-the-art
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technology |
continued
Doosan Concept-X gallery
I
t has yet to be determined if Doosan will introduce new cab-less machines when the Concept-X is fully realized. But if it does, these models give some indication of what they might look like.
Hydrogen power gives the Doosan drones up to two hours of flight time. technologies that can respond immediately to any and all of the changes that may arise at construction sites simultaneously,” says Dongyoun Sohn, Doosan Infracore president and CEO. Current model machines were outfitted with the technology during the demonstration, but Doosan also displayed several futuristic scale model machines of what “cab-less” equipment might look like, including an excavator, a wheel loader and an articulated truck. Doosan officials were reluctant to say whether the cab-less models we saw would be commercially available. They did say that each of the technologies that make up the Concept-X system – 5G remote control, 3D drone surveys, work estimation and assignment and failure prediction – will be released individually as they become available.
Drone powered by hydrogen fuel cells While most of Doosan’s ConceptX is not yet commercially available, during the demonstration the company displayed one of its commercially available hydrogenfuel-cell-powered drones. 44 February 2020 | EquipmentWorld.com
There are two types of drones in the Doosan air force, the DS30 (six propellers, 120 minutes of flight time/11 pounds of payload) and the DT30 (four propellers, 110 minutes of flight time/6.6 pounds of payload.) According to the company, the ultra-light fuel cells in the fuel pack provide greater range than any other drone power system on the market. A backup battery on both drones provides redundancy for flight operations and an emergency landing system. The company’s Doosan Mobility Innovation division has been developing miniaturized hydrogen fuel cell powerpacks for drones, which it says is the most promising application for this technology. The company plans to distribute the products and supplies in the United States through a reseller with experience in drone sales and service. For more information on the drones and power packs, go to www.doosanmobility. com/en. For a look at Doosan’s video detailing how Concept-X will work in the future, go to http://bit.ly/ Doosandrone.
Concept-X excavator
Concept-X wheel loader
Concept-X articulated truck
sanyconexpo.com
road works
| by Don McLoud |
DonMcLoud@randallreilly.com
BRINGING THEIR A-GAME
Contractors earn bonuses, explore new methods, achieve award-winning concrete roads
Emery Sapp & Sons won the ACPA Gold Award for the State Roads category for its work on reconstructing a dangerous curve on Route 36 in DeKalb County, Missouri.
48 February 2020 | EquipmentWorld.com
W
inning a roadbuilding contract often comes down to who has the lowest bid. But achieving the kind of quality, innovation and ingenuity it takes to become an industry standout requires much more than the ability to shave costs. In speaking with some of the winners of the 2019 Excellence in Concrete Pavements Awards, we found some common qualities contractors brought to their projects that made them worthy of national recognition. The awards, sponsored each year by the American Concrete Pavement Association, are designed to encourage quality and creativity within the industry. For some of the winners, those qualities also led to bonus money on their projects and the development of innovate ways to meet tight deadlines, as well as help advance concrete paving methods for future road projects in their states and nationally. Without fail, all of the paving companies said that, ultimately, pride in their work was the driving force. “We get this work by being the low bid,” says Craig Hughes, vice president of operations for award-winner Cedar Valley Corporation, “but we’ve got to build it the best we can to garner the incentives we can because it makes us more competitive in the field. And it’s just a matter of ‘look, we’re here to do it, let’s do it right, let’s do it the best we can.’”
Keeping material flowing Making sure it had enough material to keep its pavers
running was a major concern of Cedar Valley when it was hired as a subcontractor for the last phase of the $75 million project to complete the long-awaited U.S. Highway 20 across northern Iowa. The Iowa Department of Transportation required an accelerated time frame. With 552,000 square yards of concrete for Cedar Valley to apply and three contractors working in a small geographic area on the various phases of the project, the continuous demand for material was more than producers could keep up with. Cedar Valley also was responsible for 44 miles of alternate-bid concrete shoulders of 4 feet wide and 6 inches deep, as well as 19 crossovers and 42 turn lanes. “I think every contractor on the corridor over that period of about three years ran out of materials at some point in time,” says Hughes. Cedar Valley won the The 47-year-old company ACPA Gold Award for based in Waterloo, Iowa, had the Overlay Streets completed a paving project and Roads category of more than 1 million square for its work on U.S. yards two years before and 20 in Woodbury had also paved another large and Ida counties in section of U.S. 20. So it knew Iowa. The company what was in store if it didn’t stockpiled tons of start lining up materials well material at its onsite plant (right) to make in advance – nearly a year sure it could keep ahead of paving. its paver running “Part of the problem we had and meet a tight was even the material producdeadline.
EquipmentWorld.com | February 2020 49
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| continued
ers didn’t quite grasp the volume of material that would be needed in such a short period of time,” Hughes says. “After many meetings with these folks, we determined we need to get all we can in a pile ahead of time because they’re going to run out. And that’s pretty much what happened.” So Cedar Valley began stockpiling concrete aggregate at a central mix plant on the project site. There was only one main supplier in the area, and it was getting its material from three other sources to try to meet demand. The company managed to accumulate 30,000 tons of material at one point. “Even with all the work we did ahead of time – we never ran out of materials – but we ran into a pretty fair slowdown because of a lack of materials,” Hughes says, “and had to change up the way we were building the job because of it.” To reduce the material demand
enough so producers could catch up, the company would pause its mainline paving at the midpoint each year and go to paving the side roads, shoulders, intersections and turn lanes. That allowed the company to rebuild its stockpiles yet also keep the project on schedule. The effect of Iowa’s wet weather on the project was also mitigated because the company already had a paved section from the plant on site to the side work. Not only did Cedar Valley meet the schedule for the project, it also racked up three bonuses: for pavement smoothness, thickness and mix quality. The stockpiling played a role in those bonuses, especially for the smoothness, Hughes says. That’s because having slow delivery of materials or running out of materials hurts the mix quality and prevents a continuous paving flow, which affects smoothness.
Ready to innovate Cedar Valley prides itself on being at the forefront of pavement smoothness in Iowa. On this project, it was involved in two programs by the Federal Highway Administration that will likely play a role in future roadbuilding in the state and the country. The company had received a GOMACO Smoothness Indicator through the FHWA’s equipment loan program. The paver-mounted, sonar-based device gives real-time smoothness measurements. “It tells you how you’re doing right behind the paver, so you don’t have to wait a day for it to get hard and run behind it with the profilographs,” Hughes says. “That was a great learning experience for some of the people on our paving crews and really for all of us.” The company had also approached Iowa State University’s National Pavement Technology Center about the project.
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50 February 2020 | EquipmentWorld.com
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road works
“We approached them and said, ‘You’re never going to have more concrete paving going on this close to the university,’” Hughes says. “‘What can we do to learn more
about it, since we’re right in your backyard?’” So the FHWA set up a mobile unit on site for testing the durability of concrete materials on the project,
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such as aggregate, cement and fly ash. Some of those tests were new to the state. Hughes believes the company’s involvement in the testing also helped motivate its workers. “It showed our people that there was a high degree of interest in quality from not just us at Cedar Valley or the state of Iowa, that it was something that is recognized nationally,” he says. “And I think being able to have our people see people from FHWA out there on the project, watching how they were doing things and doing testing, it really raised the visibility to our crews of just how important that is.” Hughes says concrete smoothness and a job well done are sources of pride for Cedar Valley, especially with its involvement in the U.S. 20 project, the completion of which represents a 60-year goal to connect 302 miles across the state. “The people that build this stuff – them, their families, the people
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Emery Sapp & Sons changed both the horizontal and vertical alignments of the Osborn Curve in DeKalb County, where tractor trailers had often overturned.
| continued
BEHIND EVERYTHING GREAT IN AMERICA, THERE’S A TRUCK.
EquipmentWorld.com | February 2020 53
road works
| continued
they know – they know they built that work,” he says. “And when it’s smoother pavement, and you can tell you’re driving on one of the smoother pavements that Cedar Valley built versus some of the other ones, a certain measure of pride goes into it.”
Saving money, time fixing dangerous curve Emery Sapp & Sons had a deadline of 110 calendar days to rebuild a dangerous curve on Route 36 at its intersection with Route 33 in DeKalb County, Missouri. For drivers traveling left, the curve as it was originally built would cause vehicles to lean to the right, the opposite of what should occur. “For years tractor trailers would turn over – on average about one to two a month,” says Donnie Stevenson, project manager for Missouri-based Emery Sapp & Sons. “We went in and not only removed the pavement but regraded that entire section to change the profile of the curve,” he says. The company also added turn lanes at the interchange. Emery Sapp started the project early in March with a goal of being 54 February 2020 | EquipmentWorld.com
Cedar Valley Corporation crews on the U.S. 20 project, on which the company applied a total of 2.6 million square yards of concrete and 1.2 million tons of concrete aggregate during the various phases it worked on during the past decade.
finished before summer when a local racetrack draws heavy traffic. During the second weekend of work, a large snowstorm came through the area, causing the company to reassess its decision to start so early in the year. But the company saw an opportunity to save time and money and give the Missouri Department of Transportation a testing ground for a relatively new process for the state: using asphalt milled onsite as a base for a concrete pavement. Most roads in Missouri have only a 4-inch overlay, which doesn’t leave much to mill off, Stevenson explains. “On this one, we found that between the overlays and the original road, there were some areas where the asphalt was up to 12 inches thick. We had a huge volume of material.” “Had we not used this material, we would have had to haul all those millings offsite to waste and then bring in rock to replace it,” Stevenson says. “Instead we milled it and stockpiled it onsite and then
just put it right back down under the concrete.” Since this is not a common practice in Missouri, the MoDOT worked closely with Emery Sapp to develop a test method to ensure proper compaction. Standard nuclear density testing normally performed on base rock wouldn’t work on asphalt millings. Instead, they used a cone penetrometer. They determined a rolling pattern of three passes with a 20-ton roller achieved the proper compaction. They then wheel-rolled the surface with a loaded truck to verify the correct compaction had been achieved. For rebuilding the curve, the company used Trimble GPS 3D machine control on its equipment, from the dozers up. Stevenson says the company has been using GPS control for about 15 years. “We stay up to date with our equipment,” he says. “We run stateof-the-art machinery and all grade control. We invest heavily back into our fleet.”
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road works
| continued A Complete Contracting Solutions crew applies curbing for the reconstruction of Mt. Rushmore Road, which leads to the famous Black Hills attraction in South Dakota. The company won the ACPA Silver Award in the Municipal Streets and Intersections under 30,000 category.
It hauled in all the dirt using 40yard pans pulled by Cat 740 trucks. The company changed the .75-mile curve’s horizontal and vertical alignments. It also installed 2,500 linear feet of storm drainage, as well as new signs and pavement markings. The company managed this while directing all traffic to the major thoroughfare’s two eastbound lanes. Due to its decision to mill the existing asphalt, the company finished the project in 88 days – 22 days ahead of schedule. It also won some bragging rights for the concrete industry.
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“We’re a concrete paving company and this was actually a contract that was tied to two other contracts. Those contracts were large asphalt overlay jobs,” he says. “It was kind of nice to have our concrete paving project smack in the middle of two asphalt projects.”
Paving the way to national treasure Mt. Rushmore is a popular destination for 3 million people a year and a crucial economic engine for merchants in Rapid City, South Dakota. So anything that disrupts that flow of commerce is bound to cause an uproar. For a paving contractor, time is of the essence. Well aware of that sentiment, Complete Contracting Solutions of Rapid City took on the project of reconstructing the five-lane Mt. Rushmore Road, which had an asphalt overlay. The biggest obstacle was dealing with the local and tourist traffic,
says Dave Buck, engineer/estimator for Complete Contracting. The project involved public outreach with weekly meetings letting the public and merchants know every step of the way. The company used a variety of methods to keep traffic flowing with as few disruptions as possible. It persuaded the South Dakota Department of Transportation to allow it to combine some of the project’s five phases, rather than having to complete one phase before moving to the next one. “They liked the idea,” Buck says. “So we combined a couple of different phases and probably saved a good four to five weeks of working time.” Being a high-profile project, DOT inspectors were onsite each day. “Every day we had two to three inspectors watching over your shoulder every step of the way,” he says. “And with the amount of traffic that would go through there on a daily basis, every morning, we’d have
our 5-minute safety briefing with all the guys just to keep in their minds to be aware of their surroundings and traffic and watch where you’re walking.” The project also had some special features, including decorative, colored and stamped medians; colored and patterned retaining walls; colored and stamped sidewalks; and colored ADA ramps at each intersection. The new concrete thoroughfare now has two northbound and southbound lanes as well as dedicated turn lanes at each intersection. When it was done, Complete Contracting had finished ahead of schedule. “Overall, our guys and our team of subcontractors did an awesome job,” Buck says. “We got some incentive for getting it done early.” There were also no safety incidents. “It was a home run in my book,” he says.
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PARTNER SOLUTIONS | JALTEST DIAGNOSTICS
LOOKING FOR DIAGNOSTICS INDEPENDENCE? Jaltest all-makes diagnostics takes you there
I
not depending on the dealer, allowing you to organize yourself, to be independent and control your maintenance schedule as well as reduce your downtime. Every time there are implement modifications, there are adjustments that require software, and until now, expensive dealer visits. Jaltest Off-Highway (OHW) Diagnostics is an all makes, all models diagnostics solution for the construction machinery market, covering the whole spectrum from heavy machinery, gensets and compact machinery, to telehandlers and lifts. It is an all-in-one tool that allows you to read and clear codes, to world, the ideal scenario 9,163 Systems troubleshoot the issues that is to have a solution that 5,397 Systems with technical information may arise, to calibrate your makes you independent 6,000 Systems with wiring diagrams engine settings, and set paand allows you to identify rameters. It is a full system what is wrong with your tool, meaning that it doesn’t target the engine exclusively machine, to read what codes it has, to calibrate whatbut also looks into the transmission, hydraulic systems, ever it is you want to modify and then clear everything. If central computer and more. If it has electronics and is on in the process, you include wiring diagrams and troubleyour vehicle, Jaltest has you covered. shooting guides to make life easier, well, then that’s One of the main features of Jaltest OHW Diagnostics success. is that of the specific system calibrations. When you are All-makes diagnostics machines have only just begun talking about heavy machinery, this is a key feature as to sprout in the construction world, but they are becomthe force they apply to fulfill their tasks generates a need ing an incredibly important element in the service aspect for recalibrating them. of this field. A diagnostics tool gives you the freedom of
n the construction machinery world, the mentality of fixing things only when they are broken is a costly approach to business. The complex machinery that carries out the jobs are of great value. Every hour of downtime is a lost opportunity and a hit to your budget. When managing your fleet, a detailed maintenance schedule will make sure all is working properly. Unfortunately, for some manufacturers, it means calling the OEM dealer to make a visit and working around their schedule, making it difficult to coordinate and maintain your 104 Makes covered fleet of machines. 2,044 Models covered In today’s fast-paced
Modify your implements through Jaltest calibration settings. Set the hydraulic flow, the power and all necessary adjustments. Steven Perez, a bulldozer operator for Lopefra Corporation in Miami, Florida, says sometimes his bulldozer will begin tilting right just days into a job. This is caused by the difference in speed of the two power belts when the applied load is not uniform, what usually happens in a job site. “When this happens, it makes my job much harder because I have to be correcting all the time in order to follow a straight line,” Perez says. “Until now, I had to adjust and wait to finish the job because stopping for the dealer to come out was just not an option. Now, our techs come out with their Jaltest scanner and they adjust the angles and set up a new calibration in a few minutes. This fixes the issue and has me running like new again.” This allows Perez to operate more efficiently, which in turn benefits the company’s efficiency. Gary Johnson, an excavator operator from a construction company in
Kansas City, also takes advantage of the ability to adjust settings. On a recent big project, he was set to reach his deadline. In the last aspect of the job, Johnson was hammering with a small implement when he ran into a rock, which was bigger and harder than his hammer could manage. He was able to relay a larger, more powerful hammer from another site, but after adjusting the implement it turned out that the setting was not stored in his excavator. What seemed to be a simple issue of swapping an implement turned into an unsolvable problem that would normally require him to spend time calling the dealer and pay a huge fee for the implement setting. Fortunately, his company has a Jaltest OHW Diagnostics unit. Johnson called the technician to connect to his excavator and add the new implement. Once the big hammer was added, the hydraulic flow needed to be adjusted to fit the higher power demand, the engine speed needed to be adjusted, and the different work modes of the new implement (eco, normal and maximum) also needed adjusting. Once these adjustments were made, the excavator identified the settings and was ready to operate in optimal conditions. Gary was then able to finish his job with a minimal delay. When you are on a job and time is of the essence, being able to apply a quick and simple solution at no additional cost comes out saving you thousands of dollars and saving time on the Visit us at job. In this world where we all CON/AGG, look to strive in efficiency and booth B92108 results, this tool will take you further.
ConExpo-Con/Agg 2020
| staff report
Editor’s note: For more products along with a show map and a full list of exhibitors be sure to check out Equipment World’s ConExpo-Con/ Agg Show Planner polybagged with this issue.
ConExpo-Con/Agg 2020 When: March 10-14, 2020 Where: Las Vegas Convention Center Conexpoconagg.com Registration: $196 through March 9; $249 at the show.
CONEXPO PREVIEW: WHAT YOU’LL SEE
Here’s a quick overview of what exhibitors are showcasing at the show. A much more comprehensive – and ever evolving – list can be found at equipmentworld.com. John Deere to display 74 products John Deere’s displays will span 38,000 square feet and feature 74 products. That includes the Construction & Forestry Division’s booth N12525 in the North Hall, the Wirtgen exhibit in the Silver Lot at booth S5419 and the John Deere Power Systems exhibit in the South Hall at booth S83817. Seven of the construction machines will be new. The exhibit will also include 11 machines with grade-control function and 10 compact machines. Deere will kick off each morning of the show with a live presentation, and it will have five simulator stations for attendees to operate and participate in competitions. 60 February 2020 | EquipmentWorld.com
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ConExpo-Con/Agg 2020
| continued
Case extends reach with CX350D excavator Case Construction Equipment will bring its CX350D LR excavator, designed for jobs when a long-distance reach is needed, to its booth N11825 in the North Hall. The long-reach excavator delivers a dig radius of 61 feet 3 inches and dig depth of 46 feet 3 inches. Bucket digging force is 24,500 foot-pounds. Case will also display its N Series backhoes, which were updated in 2019, and its concept methane-powered wheel loader known as ProjectTetra.
Formula 3 driver praises Topcon SmoothRide Topcon’s booth N12701 in North Hall will feature Formula 3 driver James Roe, whom the company sponsors. Roe will share his experience with how Topcon’s SmoothRide road surfacing technology has made the tracks he races on smoother, faster and safer, the company says. SmoothRide includes a high-speed 3D scanner that can attach to a pickup truck for crosssection road measurement. Topcon will also display its complete portfolio of machine control products and its 3D design layout tools.
The Advantage Is Experience For 20 years, Vacuworx has set the standard for vacuum lifting in the field. But we offer more than just the best vacuum lifting systems on the market, available to buy or rent and ready to ship when you need them. We also deliver unparalleled service and technical support, backed by experience no one can copy. Find out how much faster, safer and smarter your crew can be using Vacuworx lifting systems and put the Vacuworx Advantage to work for you.
vacuworx.com 62 February 2020 | EquipmentWorld.com
Visit us at booth # C22921
Next-generation excavator making US debut Celebrating its 50th year in the United States, Liebherr will have around 30 machines on display in booth F5258 at the Festival Grounds, including the U.S. debut of the company’s R926 and R928 Generation 8 excavators. Made up of seven models ranging from 22 to 45 tons, Liebherr’s Generation 8 excavators use a modified piece at the top of the boom, which the company says leads to better performance and equipment performance along with reduced operating rate. An optimized load curve helps reduce fuel consumption.
ConSite asset management, Dash-6 loaders New loaders and the debut of the Hitachi ConSite asset management suite will headline Hitachi Construction Machinery Loaders America display at booth N11539. HCMA will unveil new models to the Hitachi Dash6 wheel loader line, which use Tier 4 Final engines equipped with SCR systems employing a DEF system instead of a diesel particular filter. Each loader is also equipped with ConSite, which allows users to monitor machine operation and performance levels, deliver monthly and on-demand activity reports, and provide model-specific information. It also monitors the health of machinery and alerts a service technician when maintenance or repair is needed.
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10:492020 AM 63 EquipmentWorld.com8/5/19 | February
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2019 WINNER Nick Georgelos, the owner of Geo Contracting has been selected as the winner of the 2019 Contractor’s Dream Package. Based in Girdwood Alaska, Nick is involved in excavation services for residential, commercial and government clients in the state of Alaska. Nick is a long-time subscriber and registered for the Contractor’s Dream Package on the Equipment World website.
The awards presentation was hosted by Kendall Ford of Anchorage. Nick was very appreciative to all the sponsors of this great program.
Visit www.ContractorsDreamPackage.com for your chance to win! Michael Newman (R) presenting Nick and Lauren Georgelos with the Contractor’s Dream Package.
Sponsors for the 2019 Contractor’s Dream Package:
ConExpo-Con/Agg 2020
| continued
‘All Access Tour’ for construction equipment Wacker Neuson’s F2548 booth in the Festival Grounds will be designed with a concert tour theme, with various stages to showcase the company’s construction equipment. Each stage of the “All Access Tour” will feature new and current products, including new compact track loaders, skid steers, excavators, wheel loaders and dumpers. The exhibit will also feature the company’s battery-powered, zero-emission products.
Test your skills in the Rodeo Showdown Link-Belt will host its Rodeo Showdown, in which contests can try to beat Shane Rhodehouse, reigning world record-holder, for scooping up three basketballs on traffic cones and putting them in a bucket while operating a Link-Belt 210 X4 excavator. The event will be in booth F5342 in the Festival Grounds. The company will also have equipment displayed in the North Hall at booth N12865. LBX, Link-Belt’s parent company, will auction off a 145 X4 Spin Ace hydraulic excavator, with 100 percent of the money going to the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the CHI Saint Joseph Health’s “Yes, Mamm” program to fight breast cancer.
Engines with no EGR, reduced weight, size Cummins’ B4.5, B6.7 and L9 Performance Series engines deliver on average 10 percent more power and 20 percent more torque across the 3.8- to 9-liter range. The engines, to be displayed in South Hall in booth S84407, also have a simpler design with no exhaust gas regeneration, reduced weight and size, and a Single Module aftertreatment system. Cummins will also display its future worksite with alternative fuel sources, electric technology and connected solutions for energy diversity and digitalization.
Excavate in congested areas The new ZX345USLC-6 is the largest Hitachi reducedtail-swing excavator, ideal for roadbuilding or working in congested areas, the company says. It is one of the only reduced-tail-swing models on the market that features a full-sized cab; it will be on display in booth N12525 in the North Hall. Designed for a 35-metricton machine, the heavy-duty undercarriage provides greater stability, increased lift capacity and a lower center of gravity, Hitachi says. The company will also display other excavators in its lineup, including the ZX245USLC-6, ZX135US-6, ZX85USB-5 and ZX75US-5. EquipmentWorld.com | February 2020 65
CONGRATULATIONS
to the 2019 Contractor of the Year winner and finalists
IN
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Joseph Shrock
Todd Eichholz, Bob Olson
John Kovacs
Dean Evans, Craig Evans
Shrock Premier Custom Construction Loudonville, OH
Diamond Construction Brick, NJ
Rita Lawrence L & L Asphalt Phoenix, AZ
A&A Paving Contractors Roselle, IL
Jason, Jami, Tyler & Mike Jackson Deming Excavating Deming, NM
James K. (Ken) & Kellie Cooley
Evans Construction Greentown, OH
Don Logan
Logan Excavating Rock Spring, GA
K-Co Enterprises Piedmont, SC
Michel Noury
Noury Construction Coral Springs, FL
Robert & Joyce Oliver Total Asphalt Paving Washington, MI
Sponsored by:
Greg and Jodee Huylar Tri-Valley Construction Yakima, WA
Jim Davis, Terry Davis, Jim Davis Sr. Whirl Construction Port Monmouth, NJ
contractor of the year finalist | by Wayne Grayson
| WayneGrayson@randallreilly.com
Jim Jr., Terry and Jim Davis stop for a picture on a Whirl jobsite.
Family’s ‘diversify or die’ attitude grows playground installation business
J
im Davis Jr. awoke to his phone ringing on a Monday morning in 1993. He looked at the clock. It was 6 a.m. “Let’s go,” said his father, Jim Sr., on the other end. “I just graduated college yesterday,” his son replied. “Yeah, now it’s time to go to work.” “He didn’t even give me a ride,” Jim Jr., recalls with a smile. “I had to take the bus.” His father’s call wasn’t exactly a shock though. He’s been working in the family business, Whirl Construction in Port Monmouth, New
Jersey, since he was a kid. When Jim Jr. wasn’t playing a sport in school, Jim Sr. expected him to be Jim Davis Sr., Jim Davis Jr., Terry Davis Whirl Construction City, State: Port Monmouth, New Jersey Year Started: 1982 Number of 25 employees: Annual revenue: $5.5 million Markets served: Playground installation, shelters, gazebos, restroom and concession buildings
at work from the time the bell rang until the sun went down. By the time Jim Jr. was out of college in 1993, Jim Sr. had been at the helm of Whirl for 11 years and was eager to get his son involved in a business he loved.
“Everything has changed” A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Jim Sr. drew on his time in the military and his Catholic school upbringing in developing his business acumen. Whirl, which specializes in the installation of playground and recreation equipment, shelters, restrooms and concession buildings, EquipmentWorld.com | February 2020 67
contractor of the year finalist |
continued
A completed Whirl playground project with a view of Manhattan across the river. is actually the second business he has owned. The first was CJ’s Deli in Middletown, New Jersey. He worked six or seven days a week for 12-16 hours a day. It was a grind he was eager to escape. So when the opportunity came to join his brother-in-law Tim Mullin’s
business, K&T Concrete, he made the move. K&T also specialized in playgrounds, and when Mullin was ready to exit that market, Jim Sr. decided to fill the gap with Whirl. Why the name “Whirl?” “Some people call Merry Go
Whirl’s first machine, a Kubota tractor loader backhoe.
68 February 2020 | EquipmentWorld.com
Rounds a whirl,” Jim Sr. says. He bought a pickup for $600, put another $1,800 in it to get it running and started installing playgrounds around New Jersey with shovels, digging bars and a two-man auger. “Caterpillar wasn’t even on my radar, then,” Jim Sr. says with a laugh. “They used to mix the concrete by hand and dig the holes all with muscle,” says Terry Davis, the company secretary, Jim Sr.’s wife and Jim Jr.’s stepmother. The company is still doing jobs all over New Jersey – with some work in New York City – though at a much larger scale. In 2018, the company brought in $5.5 million and employs 25 people with five crews running at any given time. Ninety percent of the work Whirl does is public work. “The principals and people have stayed the same,” Jim Jr. says. “Everything else around us has changed.” “We started out as a one-trick
pony,” he adds. “We’d never think of doing a concession stand even 15 years ago. We’ve branched out and diversified a lot, but back then, it was just playgrounds.”
“You don’t know what the future holds.” Among that diversification is more concrete work, which the company used to sub out. The move came soon after the last recession began impacting Whirl’s bottom line, starting in 2008. “It was gradual,” Jim Sr. says. “We started to see it when municipal and school funding started to dwindle, and some people that had jobs for us in the pipeline said they couldn’t start them until they had money in the budget again. “We thought it was going to be a few months to a year, but it ended up being a few years.” When the jobs dried up, Jim Sr. says, the company made keeping its employees on the payroll its first priority. Both Jim Sr. and Jim Jr. say their workers are the company’s differentiating factor because of their experience and ability to handle just about any task thrown at them. “It was diversify or die,” Jim Sr. says. So Whirl pursued concrete work in a big way. “Flat work, brick work, pavers. It was all stuff we used to sub out,” Jim Jr. says. But the concrete work wouldn’t have been enough to sustain Whirl in the nearly four years it took to weather the recession. If it weren’t for a well-padded savings account, the company likely would have gone under, the Davis family says, adding that if other contractors can swing it, putting money away for a rainy day – or a rainy few years – could be the difference between survival and shutting down for good. A good reputation Though most contractors today list finding and retaining skilled
Jim Jr. discusses the job with an employee. workers as one of their biggest challenges, Jim Sr. and Jim Jr. say it hasn’t been a problem at Whirl for some time. The pair say the turnover they were seeing 15 to 20 years ago was much higher than it is today. They attribute that retention of good people to good pay, steady work and good benefits. They also credit an approach to hiring they characterize as highly selective with a lengthy interview process. “If we hire you today, you should have a very good idea of what we expect of you and just how high the standards of this company are,” Jim Sr. says. “We have developed a good reputation as being a good company to work for,” adds Jim Jr.. “We have many longstanding employees, and the guys that are coming in are
seeing this is a viable company and seeing how good the guys at the top are doing. So, it’s a desirable place to be.” That reputation extends to the company’s clients as well. “I have found over these past 20 years that they go above and beyond what is necessary to deliver great service and a quality product,” says Alan Koenig of Bergen County Parks. “We work with many various contractors,” says Peter Correia of Schumacher Insurance. “We are proud to have them as clients and call them a friend.” “I just want to thank my dad for taking that chance of getting out of the deli business 37 years ago,” Jim Jr. says, “because I know I wouldn’t have lasted 37 years in a deli slicing meat and making bagels.” EquipmentWorld.com | February 2020 69
technology: Trimble-Hilti-Boston Dynamics | by Tom Jackson |
Spot the robotic dog walks himself and collects data for you while he’s at it.
P
TJackson@randallreilly.com
Robotic ‘dog’ being developed to scan jobsites, keep workers safe
eople and dogs have enjoyed mutually beneficial relationships since the dawn of time. And now there’s a new breed of dog that’s eager to help on your construction sites. His name is Spot and he’s a Boston Dynamics robot. Through a collaboration, Boston Dynamics engineered the carrier vehicle, while Trimble and Hilti 70 February 2020 | EquipmentWorld.com
provided a variety of “reality capture devices,” cameras, scanners and GPS receivers. Hilti is also collaborating with Trimble on the design for reality-capture solutions and in the future may add support for work tools. “Trimble has been involved in autonomous technologies for quite a long time,” says Aviad Almagor, senior director of mixed reality and BCI at Trimble. “In extending our
autonomous vision, we have been looking for partners to take this concept into construction sites, build environments, mining, and oil and gas facilities. Hilti shares this vision, and Boston Dynamics has the sophisticated, terrain-agnostic robotics technology to support it.” Boston Dynamics has likewise been investigating the possibility of robotics in construction. “We created Spot to be easily integrated with sensors and software customized for these types of applications,” says Michael Perry, vice president of business development, Boston Dynamics. “So we started talking to Trimble about the challenges they face in collecting data with robotics, and that’s when the conversation got started.” In addition to Trimble’s data collection and layout solutions, the combined team is looking into extending Spot with Hilti jobsite tools to complete work in conditions where safety is a major concern. In recent years, Hilti has worked more actively with start-ups and external partners like Trimble and Boston Dynamics to better leverage new technologies and innovative solutions from the outside, says Andreas Bong, head of corporate research and technology.
Dangerous situations So why does the world need a robotic dog roaming around construction jobsites? Multiple reasons. To start with, Perry says, Spot is ideally suited to construction applications that are “dull, dirty or dangerous.” A prime example are confined spaces. “We talked to a customer recently about the permitting they had to do for confined space applications and inspections, and the process is long and expensive,” says Perry. Over the course of a year, this can run into thousands, if not tens of thousands, of dollars. “When you send in a robot to do the job, it increases the number of inspections you can do and greatly reduces the cost,” he says. In addition to confined space worksites, there are gas and oil refineries, hazardous-materials situations, maintenance and monitoring of tunnels under dams, unstable ground – anywhere, as Perry says, “you don’t want to put human beings.”
for the back-end analytic tools to run effectively.” Unleash Spot in this scenario and it can run the site without the need for a crew or a UTV. “With the suite of tools Trimble is providing, you can capture that data every day with quality and consistency,” says Perry.
The size of dog in the fight Spot the robot dog is roughly 3 feet long and 2 feet high and weighs about 60 pounds, “about like a mid-sized Labrador,” says Perry. “It is designed for human-size spaces, to go through doors and up stairs and all those things we think are important.” Spot carries about 30 pounds of “payload,” which now includes sensors and reality-capture devices, but in the future, that may include work tools. It is powered by a rechargeable lithium ion battery that gives it 90 minutes of walk time. Built into the robot is a “perception system” that enables it to see the world around it, figure out how to maneuver past obstacles and remain stable, says Perry. The perception system consists of five pairs of stereo cameras around the body that monitor its physical environment. It also has an IMU (inertial measurement unit) to tell the robot when it is stable and force-control cells in the legs to figure out how much force to apply to the ground. Compared to an autonomous vehicle, which will stop Spot keeps himself upright and stable using five pairs of stereo cameras around the body, an IMU (inertial measurement unit) and force-control cells in the legs to figure out how much force to apply to the ground.
Roaming data collection But “dull, dirty and dangerous” is just the tip of the iceberg for this technology. Spot’s favorite task will likely be collecting data, scanning your worksites and uploading information to the cloud faster and better than any human could. “We’ve talked to site managers who tell us the last thing they do before the end of the week is survey the site to create an as-built, but this can take two to four hours covering hundreds of thousands of square feet,” says Perry. “Often if they’re in a rush, they don’t collect the data in a way that’s consistent, and it makes it hard EquipmentWorld.com | February 2020 71
technology: Trimble-Hilti-Boston Dynamics | continued when it encounters an obstacle thus requiring human intervention, the Boston Dynamics robot scans the terrain, figures out the problem and how to get around it without human interaction. “The robot will create a point cloud and use that as a map to get from point A to point B by itself,” Perry says. The current Trimble payload for
Spot includes the Trimble X7 scanner, which provides self-leveling and automatic registration of the points it scans along a path. “Those two capabilities are very much aligned with the goal of having an autonomous robot moving around and doing scans automatically,” says Almagor. The other tools Trimble plans to test on Spot include its total stations,
360-degree cameras and GNSS receivers. There is also a back-end system, Trimble Connect, where the information can be uploaded to the cloud, analyzed and visualized.
Future possibilities Currently, Spot is configured for data collection, but the three companies fully anticipate training this dog to do new tricks. “Down the road, we expect to see robots involved in actual construction and workflow, things like scheduled maintenance and repair, even supporting the assembly process,” says Almagor. “You take the platform, add the required tool and AI (artificial intelligence) capabilities, and you get an almost unlimited tool. We are already talking about those future cases where the robot can carry equipment or material and use arm extension to do the work.” “The next iteration is thinking about how to touch and interact with the space – for example, picking up objects and doing material staging,” says Perry. “We’re hearing a lot of customers say that doing layout would be valuable. It would be an interesting combination of the tools that Boston Dynamics, Trimble and Hilti provide.” Capable of precise location functions, Spot may pull duty as a layout tool.
72 February 2020 | EquipmentWorld.com
product report
| by Tom Jackson |
TJackson@randallreilly.com
Travel easy with Cat’s 306 CR XTC Stick Steer With a clamshell bucket, the Caterpillar 306 CR XTC can load and carry without the need for an additional machine.
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oystick steering is already a thing on some skid steers and wheel loaders, but Caterpillar’s putting it on its new 306 CR compact excavator is a game changer. Instead of pushing forward on the floor pedals and awkwardly leaning forward with your left hand on the steering levers, you
can sit back in the seat, work the travel function on the joystick and comfortably ride into the next county if need be. Backfilling a trench gets easier with the Stick Steer travel. You sit back in the seat and make minute adjustments with the joystick to get more comfortable, precise and productive. Caterpillar’s Stick
Steer also offers cruise/creep control, which makes that travel function even better, especially when you have to travel with the cab perpendicular to the tracks. In case you want to use the floor pedals and steering levers, Cat left these in the cab. The floor pedals can be removed with just four bolts, and you can EquipmentWorld.com | February 2020 73
product report
| continued
tooth-enabled color monitor. In addition to providing machine information and settings, the monitor syncs with your smartphone and enables you to take calls and run your business from the cab. Cat souped up the hydraulics on the Load and carry Quick specs 306 CR in particular The 306 CR comes Engine 59.9-horsepower, turbocharged Cat C2.4 to help out with the in three versions: ability to hold addia standard straight Weight 14,299 to 15,821 pounds tional weight on the blade, a power angle end of the stick at a blade and an XTC, Standard dig depth 146 inches distance. At a 9.8or extra toolcarLong stick dig foot radius it will lift rier. The XTC uses 162 inches depth option up to 7,839 pounds a clamshell-style using its load-sensbucket in place of Tail swing radius 58 inches with counterweight ing, variable-disthe blade. You can placement hydraulic open the clamshell pump pushing out 46 gallons per as fast as a purpose-built skid and doze as you would with a minute. The auxiliary hydraulic steer or CTL, but for the owner straight blade but also load the circuit puts out 24 gpm. All three operator or someone who gets bucket; lower the top half of the models can use front shovels stuck working solo on a job with clamshell and ride away with a with pin-on buckets or couplers. no support equipment, this mafull bucket of material. You can chine can be a one-man band. Hydraulic thumbs are also availeven dig up a load with the exable in certain regions. The 306 CR also has a Bluecavator bucket and drop it into switch between the two travel styles with just a click on the joystick. The 306 CR is the first Cat compact excavator to get stick steering, but the plan is to offer it on all Caterpillar Next-Gen excavators from 1.5 to 10 tons.
the clamshell for high-output load-and-carry functionality. This load-and-carry ability of the 306 CR XTC gives it some of the same capability as a skid steer or compact track loader. It can’t carry as much and it’s not
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74 February 2020 | EquipmentWorld.com
8/19/14 3:02 PM 5/9/13 4:18 PM
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| by Tom Jackson |
TJackson@randallreilly.com
Shocking truth
bull float can be an awkward tool to use when finishing concrete. It’s manageable as long as you keep the handle relatively flat or at a low angle, but as you raise the handle, it becomes more difficult to control – and more dangerous. In this incident, a concrete finisher was using a 29-foot-long bull float to put the final touches on a residential driveway pour. He was wearing a safety vest and safety glasses, but the rubber boots he wore over his leather workboots were not rated for electrical hazards. Still, he was no novice. He had worked full time for this company for 15 years, and the company had been in business for 40 years. The company had a written accident-prevention plan and held regular toolbox talks on safety issues. But because most of its work involved slabs and concrete flatwork in open areas, the subject of overDate of safety talk: Attending:
head powerlines had never been discussed. To the victim’s back were two power lines, a 17-foot-high neutral line and a 23-foot-high, 7,200-volt primary line that was energized. Although the power lines were approximately 24 feet behind the worker, there was also a row of vegetation just 8 feet to his rear that required him to elevate the handle of the float as he pulled and pushed the float across the wet concrete. At some point the victim raised the aluminum handle of the float high enough to contact the 7,200-volt power line. The initial shock caused the victim to slump over and the float handle to strike one of the steel stakes holding the forms in place. This further grounded the handle and sent a second jolt of electricity through the victim. The electrocution resulted in his instantaneous death.
Leader:
Illustration by Don Lomax
safety watch
How this accident could have been prevented • Conduct a jobsite survey and hazard assessment to identify all potential hazards, including those associated with overhead power lines. Communicate this hazard and your hazard-mitigation plan to all employees and subcontractors on the site. • Contact the power company to alert it regarding the work being performed near power lines. When feasible, ask the power company to de-energize power lines around the site. • Use bull float handles that are nonconductive or insulated. • When working around power lines, employees should be provided with boots rated for electrical hazards. For more information on this accident, see: http://bit.ly/bullfloat
_____________________ EquipmentWorld.com | February 2020 75
| por Tom Jackson |
TJackson@randallreilly.com
Descarga mortal
n flotador de concreto – llamado también nivelador – puede convertirse en una herramienta difícil para crear un acabado de hormigón. Es manejable mientras uno pueda mantener el mango relativamente plano o a un ángulo bajo, pero cuando uno levanta el mango se vuelve más difícil de controlar, y más peligroso. En este incidente, un trabajador de acabados de hormigón estaba usando un flotador de 29 pies de largo para darle los toques finales a un vaciado de material en una entrada de garaje residencial. Estaba utilizando chaleco y gafas de seguridad, pero las botas de goma que usaba encima de sus botas de trabajo de cuero no estaban aprobadas para riesgos eléctricos. Aun así, no era ningún novato. Tenía trabajando 15 años para esta compañía a tiempo completo y la compañía tenía 40 años en el negocio. La compañía tenía un plan de prevención de accidentes por escrito y organizaba charlas regulares de trabajo sobre asuntos de seguridad. Pero ya que la mayoría de su trabajo tenía que ver con planchas de hormigón y trabajos de aplanar concreto, el tema de los cables de electricidad aéreos nunca se había discutido. Detrás de la víctima había dos cables eléctricos, un cable neutral a 17 pies de altura y un cable primario que portaba 7,200 voltios de electricidad a 23 pies de altura. Aunque los cables estaban a unos 24 pies detrás del trabajador, había una hilera de vegetación a apenas ocho pies detrás de él que lo obligaba a levantar el mango del nivelador cuando lo jalaba y empujaba sobre el hormigón húmedo. En algún momento la víctima levantó el mango de aluminio del nivelador lo suficientemente alto como para tocar el cable de corriente de 7,200 voltios. La descarga inicial hizo que la víctima se desplomara y que el mango del nivelador golpeara una de las estacas de acero que mantenían fijas las formaletas del con-
Fecha de la charla de seguridad: Asistentes: 76 February 2020 | EquipmentWorld.com
Líder:
Illustration por Don Lomax
U
alerta de seguridad
creto. Eso puso el mango a tierra y envió una segunda descarga eléctrica a la víctima. La electrocución causó una muerte instantánea.
Cómo pudo haberse prevenido este accidente • Realice una inspección y una evaluación de peligros en el lugar de trabajo para identificar todos los riesgos potenciales, incluidos los asociados con cables eléctricos aéreos. Comunique este peligro y su plan de mitigación de riesgos a todos los empleados y subcontratistas en el área de trabajo. • Póngase en contacto con la compañía eléctrica para alertarles de los trabajos que se están haciendo cerca de los cables eléctricos. Cuando sea factible, pida a la compañía eléctrica que desactive los cables eléctricos en torno al área de trabajo. • Use mangos de nivelador no conductores de electricidad o que tengan aislamiento. • Cuando trabaje alrededor de cables eléctricos, proporcione a los empleados botas aprobadas para riesgos eléctricos. Para mayor información sobre este accidente visite: http://bit.ly/bullfloat
earthmoving attachments
| by Don McLoud |
DonMcLoud@randallreilly.com
Easier-fitting teeth
Volvo Construction Equipment has launched the Volvo Tooth System for its medium-sized and large wheel loaders and excavators. The system features a hammerless pin design for installation. The teeth are designed to dig deeper and stay sharp longer, leading to greater penetration, fuller buckets and faster cycle times. The company says the teeth also have a self-sharpening design that leads to less fuel consumption. The teeth are compatible with Volvo wheel loaders between L60 and L350 and Volvo excavators from 14 to 95 metric tons.
Grade in 2D or 3D
Level Best’s Dual Mast PD Series laser gradecontrol box blades come in either Topcon 2D or 3D grading versions. The blades are designed to minimize potential bounce from a skid steer’s short wheelbase. They can be used for such tasks as concrete subgrade, parking lots and fine grading. John Deere dealers are offering the box blades for the company’s skid steers and compact track loaders. The attachments come in three models: the PD-72, PD-84 and PD-96. The model numbers refer to the box blades’ width in inches.
Turn tractor into backhoe Kioti’s backhoe attachments can trench down 94 inches and deliver a digging force of 3,758 pounds. The entire backhoe attachment, minus the mounting frame, can be quickly detached. The hydraulic controls are operated by two levers. There are four models: the SB2410L, KB2465, KB2475L and the KB2485. Features include subframe mounting, self-contained hydraulics and hydraulic stabilizers. Buckets range from 8 to 36 inches, and all have replaceable teeth. The attachments also have transport locks and anti-drop load-checks. EquipmentWorld.com | February 2020 77
earthmoving attachments
| continued
Digging with a Dingo Toro is offering a variety of buckets for its Dingo TXL 2000 compact utility loader. The company’s standard, highvolume and grading buckets can be mounted to the CUL’s standard skid-steer mounting plate. The Standard Bucket is for general material hauling on a jobsite. The Highvolume Bucket can handle dense and bulky materials. And the Grading Bucket features a low-profile design and an extended bottom plate to provide a clear view to the attachment’s cutting edge.
One bucket, many uses Kubota’s Land Pride CB25 series combination buckets can dig, push, backfill and carry material. The operator can switch modes without leaving the seat of the skid steer or compact track loader. The buckets come in three widths, with the last two numbers of the model representing the inch measurement: CB2568, CB2574 and CB2580. They feature grapple teeth for picking up and holding material of various sizes, shapes and weights. An optional hydraulic valve is designed to prevent hydraulic bleed-off and improves cylinder control.
Resist abrasion when digging Doosan’s heavy-duty excavator buckets are designed with a reinforced diamond-folded section for added durability. Available for use with crawler and wheeled excavators, the buckets feature high-strength side wear plates and bottom wear strips for enhanced strength. A variety of excavator tooth systems can be added to match digging conditions. The buckets come standard with a lift eye for lifting tasks. The cutting edge is made of AR400 steel plates. The buckets’ abrasion-resistant material also reduces their weight.
78 February 2020 | EquipmentWorld.com
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final word | by Tom Jackson
TJackson@randallreilly.com
The robots are coming, Part 1
I
f you think autonomous equipment operation is a pipe dream, you’d be wrong. About as wrong as the contractors who first doubted GPS machine control. Back in November I attended a prototype demonstration of Doosan’s Concept-X autonomous machine technology in Korea. At the demo, we watched an excavator and wheel loader without operators maneuver around the site, dig up a few dozen buckets of dirt and dump them into an articulated truck. (See the article on page 42, video at: bit.ly/Xconcept). And while the Korea demo was more a proof of concept than a market-ready product, Doosan hopes to have elements of its Concept-X autonomous technology ready for market by 2025. Several other OEMs have long had autonomous initiatives, and the technology is in use at several mining sites. A lot of people have doubts about the feasibility of autonomous machines – mostly because autonomous cars have such a poor safety record. But excavators aren’t Teslas. Heavy equipment, as it turns out, is an ideal application for autonomy. And in 10 years, I am certain that at least a double-digit percentage of you will be using it. The advantages in safety, speed and productivity will be too great to ignore. Imagine just one guy sitting in the job trailer monitoring the autonomous work of three or four earthmovers and the attending trucks. Imagine running that equipment two or three shifts a day without all the lunch breaks, shift changes, safety briefings and other work stoppages that occur when you have a man in every machine.
82 February 2020 | EquipmentWorld.com
Imagine equipment – thanks to GPS and proximity sensors – that makes it impossible to run into another machine, bang a bucket on the body of a dump truck, or hit a worker walking into what used to be a blind spot. What about cost? None of the OEMs is willing to discuss that yet, since, except for the mining trucks, none of these technologies is in production. But look at it this way, the wages you pay your operators are often half of your owning and operating costs. So even if the cost of autonomy made those machines 30 or 40 percent more expensive, you’d still be 10 or 20 percent to the good. And that’s not factoring in the higher productivity rates. What about putting people out of a job? Everybody knows there aren’t enough operators as it is, and the situation is unlikely to improve. But when autonomy becomes generally accepted, it will be a lot easier to hire and keep a guy who works from the comfort and convenience of a climate-controlled trailer. My prediction is autonomy will attract a whole new generation of operators – young people with gaming skills and a high level of computer competence. And there are a lot more people who’d be attracted to this kind of job than people who can put up with the drudgery of digging/dumping/driving back and forth all day long. Regardless of what you or I think, autonomous construction equipment is coming. It’s not a fit for every site or every contractor, but you need to reckon with it. If you’re going to ConExpo, I’d encourage you to seek out the major OEMs and question them closely. We’re at the dawn of a new big leap forward in technology, and it’s time to start figuring it out.
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