H & E Equipment Services has relocated its Little Rock branch, renovating a 6,450-square foot facility in Mabelvale, Arkansas. The facility includes a fully fenced yard, offices, parts warehouse and a repair shop with six service bays. 

“To best serve customer demand, we recently sold our Komatsu dealership rights in Arkansas along with our former Little Rock property to focus specifically on rentals, the largest growth area of our business,” says Trent Taylor, branch manager. “Our plan is to aggressively grow our rental fleet and expand our product offering of quality equipment with competitive rates throughout the central Arkansas area.”

The Little Rock branch specializes in the rental of aerial lifts, telescopic forklifts, earthmoving machinery, compaction equipment, generators, compressors and more.

Hyundai adds Delta Power Equipment

Left to Right: Cameron Currie, general sales manager and Brad Blain, construction sales manager, Delta Power Equipment.Hyundai Construction Equipment Americas

Hyundai Construction Equipment Americas has added Delta Power Equipment to its North American dealer network. Delta serves agricultural, construction and power sports markets in multiple locations across Ontario. Hyundai equipment will be available at the company’s Essex, Forest, Mitchell, Sparta, Waterford and Winchester locations.

ProSource Machinery named Hydrema dealer

ProSource Machinery will now offer Hydrema articulated dump trucks. The company will represent Hydrema throughout Colorado from its Platteville location. 

Chadwick-BaRoss buys J. F. McDermott

Chadwick-BaRoss has completed acquisition of waste-and waste-water-industries supplier J. F. McDermott. Chadwick-BaRoss now has nine locations in New England.

MANUFACTURERS, SUPPLIERS

Yanmar announces new president, executives

JohnsonYanmarYanmar Compact Equipment and ASV Holdings brands have named Tate Johnson president, Lee Thole director of aftermarket and David Gannon as director of channel development. 

Johnson joined the company as commercial director last year, overseeing sales, national accounts, channel development and marketing. As president, he will further develop growth initiatives for the company as the two brands progress in a joint vision of Yanmar Compact Equipment North America. 

“As we continue to grow, we will seek to provide even more resources and support to our dealers and in turn, the end user customers,” says Johnson. “The addition of Lee and David is the logical next step.”

Thole’s responsibilities as aftermarket director will include strengthening post-sales support functions and aftermarket strategy. Gannon will work closely with the company’s dealer network, working to recruit new dealers and assist current dealers. 

Ritchie reaches $500 million mark with Marketplace-E

Ritchie Bros. says its Marketplace-E price-controlled option has seen sales of more than $500 million in the past 12 months.

The option includes “Buy Now” and “Make Offer” features. Ritchie says it’s driving buyers to the site through real-time demand data. As a result, items “are selling approximately 40% faster on Marketplace-E,” says Kari Taylor, chief revenue officer. Ritchie says more than 2,500 customers used the service to sell items, including Sunbelt Rentals.

“We now have access to an expanded footprint and tools to help us better manage how, when, where, and what price to sell our assets—because we have the flexibility of choosing the proper Richie Bros channels, using a Ritchie Bros. location, or remarketing directly by Sunbelt we are improving the efficiency of our disposition process as well as recovery on equipment sold,” says James Dennis, vice president of fleet management at Sunbelt.

Sheppard joins Machinery Advisors

Luke Sheppard of Sheppard & Company Consulting has joined the Machinery Advisors Consortium. George Russell, MAC co-founder, says Sheppard “will complement the other MAC Advisors with his experience in construction and forestry equipment, his leadership insights revealed in his first book, and his demonstrated results driving success in the key parts and service departments of a large CE dealership.”

Equipment confidence index drops in September

The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation’s monthly confidence index dropped from 66.6 in August to 60.5 in September. The index is a qualitative assessment of prevailing business conditions and future expectations as reported by key executives in the equipment finance sector. 

When asked to assess their business conditions over the next four months, 17.9% of executives responding said they believe business conditions will improve over the next four months, down from 35.7% in August. Another 71.4% believe business conditions will remain the same over the next four months, up from 64.3% the previous month; 10.7% believe business conditions will worsen, up from none in August.

Executive respondents cited several factors leading to increased uncertainty, including the Delta Covid-19 variant and the inability to fulfill demand because of labor shortages and supply chain shortages.

Woods Equipment names dealer channel director

Woods Equipment has named Darwin “Dag” Parsell to its newly created director of dealer sales channel position. Parsell, previously regional sales manager, will manage sales activities within the North American Woods Ag and Turf dealer organization. 

Magni opens Houston-area office

Magni Group says it will use its new facility in Pasadena, Texas, as its main logistics hub for the distribution of spare parts and machines. The facility is in addition to the company’s current U.S. headquarters in New Jersey, which also serves as a parts and machine distribution facility. Magni has also announced plans to start work on a new headquarters in the first quarter of 2022. 

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The Biden administration is calling for stepped up enforcement and increased efforts to prevent heat-related illnesses on the job.

As part of that initiative, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration plans to increase workplace enforcement and inspections, especially on days when the heat index is above 80 degrees.

“On days when a recognized heat temperature can result in increased risks of heat-related illnesses, OSHA will increase enforcement efforts,” the agency says.

OSHA says it will also develop a National Emphasis Program, in which it will place temporary, intense focus on heat inspections. It also plans to develop a workplace heat standard.

Though construction is among the top industries affected by heat, the administration’s plan is broad-based, also including indoor workers, as well as schools and nursing homes. It cites climate change as leading to extreme heat, which “is now the leading weather-related killer in America.”

“Rising temperatures pose an imminent threat to millions of American workers exposed to the elements, to kids in schools without air conditioning, to seniors in nursing homes without cooling resources and particularly to disadvantaged communities,” President Joe Biden said in announcing the initiative.

The U.S. Department of Labor reports that 43 workers died from heat-related illness in 2019 and 2,410 suffered serious injuries and illnesses from heat. The agency notes that heat illnesses are often underreported. With climate change, DOL says, those conditions will worsen.

OSHA has ordered its area directors throughout the country to do the following:

Prioritize inspections of heat-related complaints, referrals and employer-reported illnesses and initiate an onsite investigation where possible.Instruct compliance safety and health officers, during their travels to jobsites, to conduct an intervention or open an inspection when they observe employees performing strenuous work in hot conditions. An intervention involves providing the agency’s heat poster and wallet card, discussing the importance of easy access to cool water, cooling areas and acclimatization.Expand the scope of other inspections to address heat-related hazards where worksite conditions or other evidence indicates these hazards may be present.

OSHA also calls on employers to intervene with its workers in extreme heat by requiring regular breaks for water, rest and shade; training workers on identifying heat-related symptoms and what to do when a worker suspects a heat-related illness; and taking periodic measurements to determine workers’ heat exposure.

In October, OSHA plans to start the rulemaking process to develop a federal heat standard for indoor and outdoor workplaces.

The agency says the forthcoming National Emphasis Program on heat hazard cases will target high-risk industries and focus resources and staff on heat inspections.

“The Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies will work together to help ensure that the American people have safe and healthy working conditions, provide cooling assistance to homes and neighborhoods, and coordinate with state and local officials to bolster their resilience and address the impacts of this threat,” Biden said.

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When Volvo Group changed the name of its Terex Trucks articulated truck line to Rokbak earlier this month, it represented the first time the company had created an entirely new brand, says Paul Roberts, Rokbak managing director.

North American dealer input played an integral role in the rebranding.

RobertsVolvoAfter the dust settled following Volvo’s 2014 acquisition of Terex’s articulated and rigid-frame truck lines, “we started having a dialogue with our dealers and customers asking how they felt about the brand and what it should look like,” Roberts tells Equipment World.

Volvo had changed the division name to Terex Trucks with the understanding it would be a step along the way to new identities. (The rigid frame trucks  directed primarily at the mining  and quarry segments  are now Volvo branded; both truck types are manufactured in Motherwell, Scotland.)

And with Terex now concentrating on lifting, material handling and processing, “there was quite a lot of separation from that brand,” Roberts says. “And after quite a few years of Volvo ownership, there was still some confusion in the marketplace regarding who we were. Was it still part of Terex or part of Volvo? Did Volvo buy Terex?”

About three years ago, Volvo started to delve into the Terex Truck artic product branding, asking dealers if it was time for a change. “The answers were very clear: we had to start thinking about where the brand should go,” Roberts says. “We sampled a few names with some key dealers. We wanted to convey that this is a strong, simple product that’s as solid as a rock.” 

At the forefront in this effort was the North American articulated truck market. “The North American market is hugely important,” Roberts says. “In some years, it makes up 50% of the world market for articulated haul trucks, which can be around 8,000 units. North American customers and dealers really know the product and its applications.”

Rokbak artics are distributed by around 30 North American independent multiline dealers and not through the Volvo CE dealer network, which, of course, distribute Volvo’s popular artic line. “We keep the brands separate,” Roberts says. “It’s a different platform and design.”

Volvo says the two Rokbak models, the the 30.9-ton RA30 and the 41.9-ton RA40, offer better fuel economy, lower emissions, improved safety and greater durability than the previous Terex Truck models.Volvo

Roberts points out that the articulated hauler space has relatively few competitors. He sees two types of customers: those looking for feature-laden premium products and those wanting simpler products. Rokbak products would tend to appeal to smaller to medium-sized earthmoving contractors. Top Rokbak markets are Florida, the Carolinas and Texas. The division is also looking to expand in Georgia and some areas in Canada. 

Today’s supply-chain problems, however, have created interest in Rokkbak trucks outside its usual customer base, says Roberts. It’s a two-edged sword, however, since the division also faces similar supplier issues as other OEMs. 

Volvo says the two Rokbak models, the the 30.9-ton RA30 and the 41.9-ton RA40, offer better fuel economy, lower emissions, improved safety and greater durability than the previous Terex Truck models, TA300 and TA400. For artics going to the European market, Europe’s Stage 5 engine requirements also prompted major changes in the machine control, intake and exhaust system that will not be part of the North American product.

Volvo traces the Rokbak’s lineage to 1934 when Euclid Road Machinery built what Volvo calls the world’s first off-road truck, the Model 1Z. The trucks have been made in Motherwell, Scotland, since 1950. General Motors bought Euclid in 1953 and renamed its earthmoving division “Terex,” from the Latin “terra” (earth) and “rex” (king). Terex became independent of General Motors in 1987, was bought by North West Engineering in 1992, forming Terex Corporation. Volvo Group then bought the off-road truck line from Terex in 2014.

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Construction projects, though traditionally emissions-rich, occupying a large environmental footprint, are getting greener, as sustainable construction methods emerge—from ingenious sustainable plumbing systems and sustainable HVAC systems, to eco-friendly alternatives for construction materials like green concrete, and using cutting-edge tools like BIM for sustainability.

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Six road construction projects have won awards from the Western Association of State Highway Transportation.

The awards are part of the run-up to the America’s Transportation Awards. The winning road projects are as follows:

Utah Department of Transportation — I-15; Lehi Main to S.R. 92, Technology Corridor (Quality of Life/Community Development, Large category)

Safety for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians was improved with the $13.9 million widening of the Fourth Street Bridge over Interstate 40 in Flagstaff, Arizona.Arizona Department of TransportationArizona Department of Transportation — Fourth Street Bridge over Interstate 40 (Quality of Life/Community Development, Small category)

A $104 million project converted the U.S. 175 S.M. Wright freeway into a six-lane boulevard to improve the safety, mobility and environment in a southern Dallas neighborhood.Texas Department of TransportationTexas Department of Transportation — US 175/S.M. Wright Freeway Phase 1 project (Quality of Life/Community Development, Medium category)

The $37 million Long X Bridge project in North Dakota replaced an old height-restricted truss bridge with a concrete girder bridge on U.S. 85.North Dakota Department of TransportationNorth Dakota Department of Transportation — New Long X Bridge (Operations Excellence, Medium category—TIE)

The $70 million U.S. 87 Truck Relief Route project improved traffic flow and safety on the Ports to Plains Corridor.Texas Department of TransportationTexas Department of Transportation — US 87 Truck Relief Route in Howard County project (Operations Excellence, Medium category—TIE)

Caltrans deployed an innovative solution to replace a viaduct on U.S. 50 near Lake Tahoe by building around and behind the existing foundation to construct a new bridge.CaltransCalifornia Department of Transportation — S. Highway 50 Echo Summit Sidehill Viaduct Replacement Project (Best Use of Technology & Innovation, Small category)

The New Mexico DOT installed a Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement overlay instead of a full reconstruction of NM 136, saving $20 million.New Mexico Department of TransportationNew Mexico Department of Transportation — NM 136 Pete Domenici International Highway Concrete Overlay Project (Best Use of Technology & Innovation, Medium category)

This is the fourth of four regional contests within the national America’s Transportation Awards competition. The three highest-scoring projects from each regional competition earn a place on a “Top 12” list of projects, which will compete for the Grand Prize – selected by an independent panel of industry judges – and the People’s Choice Award, chosen by the public through online voting.

The top two winners also receive $10,000 cash awards, to be donated to a charity or scholarship of the state DOT’s choosing.

The “Top 12 finalists” vying for the Grand Prize and People’s Choice awards will be announced this month, with online voting for the People’s Choice award beginning at the same time.

The winners of both Grand Prize and People’s Choice awards will be announced in October at the AASHTO Annual Meeting in San Diego.

The awards are sponsored by AASHTO, AAA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

 

 

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When it comes time to slash and grab, check out these 13 construction equipment attachments for clearing land.

Our product roundup includes a variety of brush and forestry cutters for chopping through thick vegetation and small trees with your construction equipment.

Then when it’s time to clean out the felled debris, several types of rakes and grapples for excavators, compact equipment and dozers can help you tackle the job.

Mowing and Mulching

John Deere’s RX72 and RX84 rotary cutters are designed for heavy-duty vegetation management, including property maintenance and right-of-way clearing. They are compatible with large-frame Deere skid steer and compact track loaders. Each model uses a skid steer coupler interface to mount to the carrier. They are equipped with high-flow hydraulics and a severe-duty door. The motors have a direct drive bearing for higher efficiency and extended durability. The blade carrier is designed for faster startup and recovery time.

The Bobcat BrushcatBobcatThe Brushcat rotary cutter from Bobcat can mulch branches and saplings up to 3 inches in diameter, as well as cut through thick grass and brush. It is designed to follow the contours of the ground for a clean, even cut, including on slopes. High-flow models are available for brush-cutting jobs that require extra torque, such as clearing construction sites and controlling brush and undergrowth. The cutter operates while moving forward or in reverse. Features include an offset dual motor and blade and a short deck for visibility and tight turning.

Case mulching headCase CECase’s mulching head for the company’s skid steers and compact track loaders features a two-speed motor that automatically adjusts motor displacement to maximize rotor speed and torque to the material load. The mulcher comes standard in a high-flow configuration but can be converted at dealerships to “enhanced high flow” for machines of 90 horsepower and up. It comes standard with double-carbide teeth. A Samurai knife tool for finer chip sizes is optional. A deflector is also an available option for containing and fine-cutting debris.

Eterra Typhoon Clearing MowerEterraThe Eterra Typhoon Clearing Mower for skid steers and compact track loaders is designed to be an industrial grade cutter for a lower price. It features a large, heavy drive system to achieve professional grade performance. The blade bar is a double-reverse diamond shape for easy startup and to deliver a powerful spinning action while maintaining moderate mulching ability. The blade holder is made of 1-inch-thick T1 structural steel that has been laser cut and computer numerical control machined.

JCB forestry cutting headJCBJCB’s forestry cutting head can cut down trees up to 8 inches in diameter, as well as shred and mulch them. Operators of skid steers and compact track loaders can control material discharge speed and material size from the cab with the hydraulic, adjustable deflector door. An in-line hydraulic oil cooler reduces heat in the hydraulic system. Available in a 60-inch-wide cutting width, the cutting head runs on a high-output variable-displacement piston motor with a self-aligning belt. A heavy-duty adjustable push bar helps topple trees and protects the carrier machine.

Ammbusher AC AC720 Brush CutterPremier AttachmentsPremier Attachment’s Ammbusher AC720 Brush Cutter is made for high-flow skid steers clearing medium to heavy brush and hardwoods up to 8 inches in diameter. It can handle road right-of-way, pipeline maintenance, forestry and land management operations. The 2,400-pound AC720 can cut, mulch, shred and grind brush and trees. Features include a hydraulic pressure gauge for the operator to monitor the cutting load, four ¾-inch-thick blades, and spindle interrupters to prevent wire, twine and vegetation from wrapping around the drive shaft.

Takeuchi Fixed-Tooth Forestry MulcherTakeuchiTakeuchi’s Fixed-Tooth Forestry Mulcher is available for compact track loaders with flow rates of 16 to 55 gallons per minute. It comes in widths of 69 to 83 inches. It can also be equipped with Takeuchi IQ, an intelligent speed-management system that helps maintain rotor speed and prevents stalling. It also allows operators to calibrate the mulcher to the CTL with the touch of a button; no tools are required. A protruding rotor lets the mulcher process more material without dragging it. An enclosed-door drive prevents dirt from entering the machine’s service area.

Woods Equipment TurfKeeper Pro MowerWoods EquipmentThe TurfKeeper Pro is Woods Equipment’s premium-duty rear-mount finish mower for tractors of 15 to 50 PTO horsepower. It comes ready for quick hitch and has an improved driveline holder for ease of attachment. It also features new high-lift blades, under-deck baffling and a wider discharge outlet. It is available in cutting widths of 60, 72 or 84 inches. Other new features include belt shields that attach by thumbscrew with no tools required and ductile iron sheaves for better belt grip. It has a gearbox warranty of six years.

Raking and Grabbing

Berlon Root Rake GrappleBerlonThe Berlon Root Rake Grapple is designed for mini skid steers, also known as compact utility loaders, and compact tractors. It can be used to clean up brush and debris, pull out vines and remove the upper root layer to prepare the ground for seed or sod. It is designed to be lightweight and durable. Its reinforced 3/8-inch tines are spaced 8 inches apart. The end tines are serrated for grabbing small logs. The grapple opens 50 inches wide for handling large loads. Cylinders are protected and hoses are enclosed to reduce maintenance.

Danuser Multi-Purpose GrappleDanuserDanuser’s Multi-Purpose Grapple expands the use of pallet forks for carrying such items as logs, rocks, brush and debris. It can be pinned in an upright position, allowing for normal pallet fork use without having to remove the grapple from the frame. No tools are required for this.  Other features include a heavy-duty rail-style frame that supports up to 6,000 pounds, 48-inch-long tines with 3,500- or 5,500-pound capacity and skid steer and front-end loader mounting options. It delivers up to 9,500 pounds of force at 3,000 psi.

Rockland Krypto Klaw Grapple RakeRockland ManufacturingRockland’s new Krypto Klaw Grapple Rake for excavators allows operators to grab large, bulky materials and debris. Its dual-cylinder clamp delivers more force in all positions than a bucket thumb, as well as better control, the company says. It uses 100% of the excavator’s reach. It attaches to the excavator stick with a pin or excavator coupler; no welding is required. The standard design has a cutting edge. It can also be configured with pin-on, replaceable teeth. It comes with a two-year, 4,000-hour warranty.

Werk-Brau Hydra-clampWerk-BrauThe Werk-Brau Hydra-clamp bucket for excavators is designed for handling heavy, awkward or bulky items that can be encountered when moving debris. It delivers a clamping force of up to 54,000 foot-pounds of torque at 3,000 psi. That force is delivered consistently throughout the attachment’s 120-degree range of motion. There are no exposed cylinders. Serrated side plates help secure debris when moving and are available in a variety of sizes. The bucket is constructed of wear-resistant, high-strength steel in critical areas. It is also available as a rake.

Bedrock Attachments’ ripper for Cat dozersBedrock AttachmentsBedrock Attachments2BBL Multi-Shank Ripper fits Cat D7R and D7H dozers. The parallelogram style ripper has two lift cylinders. It can accept OEM style parts, including cylinder and seal kit. The ripper ships assembled and includes mounting bolts, three ripper tines with three tips, transmission guard and cylinder hoses. It is 7.9 feet long, 7.2 feet wide, 4.4 feet tall and weighs 3.8 tons.

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