Excavators Articles : Aggregate Equipment Guide

GM Demolishes Plant in Lansing, Mich. →

Due to the prohibitive cost of operating safely and in an environmentally friendly manner in two existing plants in Lansing, Mich., General Motors Corporation constructed two new facilities (the Grand River Assembly and Delta Township plants) to replace them. The new facilities are capable of producing vehicles more efficiently, economically and safely. Now comes the job of demolishing, recycling and removing the two old plants — the Fisher Body Plant (Plant Six) and the Oldsmobile Plant (Plant One), located approximately 1.5 mi. Click for more...

Komatsu America Launches Excavator With Tier III Engine →

From Construction Equipment Guide... Komatsu America Corp. has introduced the PC228USLC-3 short tail swing excavator with Tier III engine. The new machine has a flywheel horsepower of 148 hp (110 kW), an operating weight between 49,900 to 51,110 lbs. (22,634 to 23,183 kg) and a bucket capacity range of .66 to 1.57 cu. yds. (.5 to 1.2 cu. m). Occupying a 180 degree swing width of 13 ft. 1 in. (4 m) with a loaded bucket, as well as a large counterweight that requires no additional clearance, the PC228USLC-3 is practical for working in confined areas such as roadways, bridges, urban areas or anywhere space in limited. Click for more...

Customized Deere Machines Work to Extract Sea Salt →

From Construction Equipment Guide... Using nature’s power — the sun and wind — Cargill Salt in Redwood City, Calif., crystallizes natural sea salt from San Francisco Bay and uses it to produce products used in food, industry and agriculture. While producing Epsom salts and sodium chloride from sea salt bitterns is simple, pulling these bitterns up from several feet of standing water requires some thinking — and an odd-looking piece of John Deere construction equipment. Click for more...

M & L Builds Sizable Fleet With ’Get It Done’ Kind of Firm →

From Construction Equipment Guide... By Kate ZanoniSPECIAL TO CEGFrank Marini worked for 11 years doing curbing and sidewalk work for his uncle’s construction company before founding M & L Construction, based in Trumball, Conn., in 1983. When he went out on his own, his uncle initially helped get him started. In the company’s early years, its focus was curb and sidewalk work, primarily for municipalities. A few years later, the company expanded into doing excavating and concrete foundation work. Click for more...

R.C. Hawkins Uses Compact Fleet for Erosion Control →

From Construction Equipment Guide... Looking to take control of more business? The erosioncontrol market just might be your ticket. Under the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Phase II requirements, which protect water quality from the impact of construction activities, property owners are required to install erosion and storm-water controls such as drainage grading, check dams, silt fences and vegetative buffers. Recent efforts to step up enforcement of Phase II rules mean that the number of these money-making opportunities will only continue to grow. Click for more...

Site Clearing Completed Through ’Shear’ Effort →

From Construction Equipment Guide... W. S. Agee Grading Contractors Inc. of McDonough, Ga., faced 80 acres (32 ha) of heavily timbered land in Covington that had to be cleared for a housing development. According to Owner Danny Agee, the building site was susceptible to extensive runoff due to severe elevation changes of upward to 300 ft. (91 m); therefore, implementation of erosion control plans had to be in place before site development could begin. Click for more...

Deere’s D-Series Excavator Line Has Faster Hydraulics, Redesigned Cab →

From Construction Equipment Guide... Three new additions to the John Deere D-Series excavators line — the 160D LC, 200D LC and 225D LC — retain many of the features of their predecessors, but significant improvements — including faster hydraulics, a redesigned cab, undercarriage enhancements and a new cooling system — deliver a boost in productivity and uptime, as well as lower daily costs. “These excavators are particularly well-suited to applications that require big performance in a mid-size machine, such as basement digging, truck loading, water and sewer jobs,” said Mark Wall, product marketing manager, John Deere Construction and Forestry Company. Click for more...

LBX Announces New Link-Belt X2 Series Excavators →

From Construction Equipment Guide... LBX Company has introduced the new Link-Belt X2 Series of excavators. Power is achieved in the X2 due to the interaction between engine power and hydraulic power. The engine, hydraulics and on-board computer are matched to provide maximum power, productivity and efficiency, according to the manufacturer. Completely re-engineered EPA certified Tier III Isuzu engines provide increased horsepower and lower rpm. Click for more...

Kubota KX080-3 Ready to Dig Into Utility-Class Market →

From Construction Equipment Guide... Kubota Tractor Corporation (KTC) has introduced the Kubota KX080-3, its largest and most advanced excavator to date. Designed especially for work environments where space is limited, but additional power, capacity and efficiency are required, this 8-ton (7.2 t), tight-tail swing excavator offers more than 14,000 lbs. (6,320 kg) of breakout force. “It’s exciting to expand beyond the compact-excavator class — where Kubota models have excelled for years — with a machine that brings so many innovations,” said Keith Rohrbacker, product manager of KTC. Click for more...

Gradall Introduces New Excavator in 55,000-lb. Class →

From Construction Equipment Guide... Gradall’s XL 5100 III, weighing just more than 55,000 lbs. (24,947 kg), reflects a new Gradall design philosophy that delivers increased performance, cost containment benefits and a shorter carrier for easier highway mobility and a shorter rear swing, according to the manufacturer. Unlike the XL 5100 that used two Cummins engines, the XL 5100 III uses just one Detroit Diesel Mercedes engine. Click for more...

AIM Attachment’s Excavator Grapples Feature Five Tines →

From Construction Equipment Guide... The AIM excavator grapple features five solid AR 400 steel tines for increased durability. The structure of this grapple incorporates a reinforced solid box design, a four-bolt flanged hinge that maintains the linkage of the grapple for easier and more efficient installation times, and three working positions for added versatility. AIM excavator grapples are available in three sizes — 36, 42 and 48 in. Click for more...

Hitachi Compact Excavator Has Adjustable Undercarriage →

From Construction Equipment Guide... Two of the improvements to the new Zaxis 17U-2 compact excavator (upgrade of the Hitachi EX17U) are its adjustable-width tracks and its backfill blade with foldable end sections. Using both features reduces the overall width to 40 in. (101 cm). When fully extended to more than 50 in. (127 cm), the undercarriage provides stability for operations. Despite the small size of the ZX17U-2, the controls are sensitive, the operator area is comfortable and multifunction operations mean the operator can easily execute simultaneous operations such as swinging and traveling. Click for more...

Fecon Mini-Grapples Attach to Excavators →

From Construction Equipment Guide... Fecon offers mini-grapples for compact excavators up to 11,000 lbs. (4989.5 kg). Mini-grapples are available in three models with weights ranging from 170 to 430 lbs. (77 to 195 kg). Opening widths range from 40 to 60 in. (101.6 to 152.4 cm). Fecon’s mini-grapples can be used in moving debris, rock and brush piles, log loading and unloading and transporting and placing landscaping materials. For more information, call 800/528-3113 or visit www.fecon.com. Click for more...

New Holland Previews 7-Ton Hybrid Hydraulic Excavator →

From Construction Equipment Guide... New Holland has unveiled a prototype Hybrid 7-ton (6.3 t) class crawler excavator. The Hybrid excavator was designed by Kobelco Construction Machinery America Co. Ltd., in partnership with New Holland. Both Kobelco and New Holland are brands of CNH Global N.V. Featuring a diesel engine and a battery-powered motor, the Hybrid offers the operating performance capabilities of a traditional diesel-powered 7-ton class excavator. Click for more...

Deere’s D-Series Excavator Line Has Faster Hydraulics →

From Construction Equipment Guide... Three new additions to the John Deere D-Series excavators line — the 160D LC, 200D LC and 225D LC — retain many of the features of their predecessors, but significant improvements — including faster hydraulics, a redesigned cab, undercarriage enhancements and a new cooling system — deliver a boost in productivity and uptime, as well as lower daily costs. “These excavators are particularly well-suited to applications that require big performance in a mid-size machine, such as basement digging, truck loading, water and sewer jobs,” said Mark Wall, product marketing manager, John Deere Construction and Forestry Company. Click for more...

Case Construction Introduces CX B Series Excavators at World of Concrete →

From Construction Equipment Guide... At this year’s World of Concrete show, Case Construction Equipment introduced the first models in its CX B Series line of full-sized excavators. These new Case excavators feature measurable increases in fuel efficiency and productivity, noticeable improvements to operator comfort, easier maintenance, and enhancements to durability and reliability, according to the manufacturer. The lineup includes the Case CX160B, CX210B, CX240B and CX290B, as well as long-reach configurations of the CX210B and CX240B and a narrow version of the CX210B. Click for more...

Flag Extends Reach Into the Kill Van Kull →

From Construction Equipment Guide... When Barry Heffernan, sales representative of Edward Ehrbar Inc. heard opportunity knocking at his door, he opened the door and let it in. The opportunity arrived during his first visit to the Flag Container Services office and Vice President Peter Franchini. At the time of the visit, Franchini was on the Internet exploring various excavator options. Flag Container was using a crane to load barges with materials to be shipped to Virginia for recycling. Click for more...

Volvo’s C-Series Offers Increased Comfort, Ruggedness →

From Construction Equipment Guide... Volvo Construction Equipment’s C-Series excavators — the EC160C and EC210C — have arrived in North America. The C-Series offers Tier III compliant Volvo engines, which have been united with intelligent hydraulics and a more rugged undercarriage and superstructure. The operator’s environment has been upgraded, giving operators more comfort, more space, a better climate, better visibility and improved controls, according to the manufacturer. Click for more...

English Adding Flyover Ramp to Major Henrico County Interchange →

From Construction Equipment Guide... Improvements are currently being made to the I-295/I-64 interchange in western Henrico County in Virginia. The project includes the widening of Pouncey Tract Road and the construction of a new flyover ramp from eastbound I-64 to southbound I-295. The contract includes the addition of a lane on the outside of I-64 in both directions between Route 288 and Route 250, and the current one-lane ramp from northbound I-295 to westbound I-64 will be increased to two lanes. Click for more...

Crews Ensure Traffic Keeps on Rollin’ Over Blackwater →

The Blackwater River Bridge on Route 40 in Waverly, Va., is showing its age. The 50-year-old bridge needs to be replaced, and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has awarded the $3 million contract to Bryant Contracting Inc., of Toano, Va., to get the job done. Bryant started work on the project, which includes the bridge replacement and roadway approach work, in early December. The anticipated completion date is May 2008. Click for more...