13 minute read
Sustainability is Easier
Sustainability is Easier with “greened” Equipment
TThe Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), Milwaukee, has announced the establishment of a Sustainability Council comprised of leaders from member companies. The council will help advance member companies’ efforts in addressing issues of sustainability and provide a framework for the adoption of best practices and innovation.
“Our members are committed to supporting a sustainable world by serving as a catalyst for conversation and innovation in the manufacturing industry,” said Curt Blades, senior vice president of Ag Services at AEM. “The Sustainability Council will work to spark ideas for establishing sustainability priorities for the equipment manufacturing industry and provide a framework that supports best practices for a more viable world.”
AEM and our member companies recognize that social and environmental challenges are complex and require transformation at all levels of an organization. Our industry is committed to supporting a sustainable world by serving as a catalyst for conversation and innovation in the equipment manufacturing industry.
For all of our 125-year history, AEM has worked to address societal and safety issues on behalf of the industry. This includes: • Health and well-being of the industry; • Economic growth and security; and • Industry innovation and infrastructure.
We recognize our industry’s connection to the natural environment and are dedicated to minimizing our operational impact. We understand that our future as an industry depends on the responsible use of natural resources and we acknowledge the real impacts of climate change and its effect on our members, their customers and their communities today. We believe it is our responsibility to address these impacts directly.
AEM has identified seven of the United Nations’s 17 Sustainability Goals, to be priorities for the Association and its member Here, the AFW 150-2 mini paver from Ammann placed a base course 80 centimeters wide and 6 centimeters thick in short order.
companies. The Sustainable Development Goals are all interconnected and considered to be the blueprint to achieve a better future by addressing global challenges.
For additional information about the council and AEM’s sustainability efforts, please visit http://www. aem.org/sustainability.
Other equipment and services designed to enhance your bottom line and/or improve your sustainability efforts are included below.
AMMANN
The AFW 150-2 mini paver from Ammann America Inc., Davie, Florida, is a compact paver measuring 2.9 meters long, 1.64 meters high and almost 88 centimeters wide. It is capable of paving a width as narrow as 25 centimeters with minor equipment adjustments, according to the manufacturer, and working at speeds up to 10 meters per minute. It handles lifts of up to 10 centimeters.
For more information, contact Massimo. Mezzofanti@ammann.com or info.aaa@ ammann.com.
ARA
The American Rental Association (ARA) has rescheduled The ARA Show™ for Oct. 18-20, 2021, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The 2021 edition of ARA’s annual trade show and convention was previously scheduled for February in New Orleans. To accommodate the shift to fall 2021, ARA has canceled its 2022 show, which was planned to take place in Anaheim, California. The next show will be ARA’s 65th.
“The safety and vitality of the rental community is our top priority,” ARA CEO Tony Conant said. “We consulted with our members, monitored all the leading sources of health information, and worked closely with convention center partners, the city of New Orleans, and many others in an effort to ensure a clean, safe and essential show in February. When it became clear that the pandemic would not allow us to safely host the type of event our rental community expects, we adapted—just as our industry has throughout a resilient 2020.”
The ARA Show exhibit hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center will be open Oct. 18-20, 2021. Education will be held Sunday, Oct. 17. Registration for the show will open in July and housing reservations through onPeak will open in February.
“We’re all disappointed that we are unable to get together in February, but we’re excited about the planned return to Las Vegas,” Conant said. “ARA is committed to providing a 2021 event with the education, products, networking, and technology our members need to position themselves for the future. The all-around value the show provides will be more important than ever.”
For more information, visit www.arashow.org.
CURRY
Curry Supply is working with Versatran, a division of Metalcraft, Mayville, to present the Retriever line of industrial carriers. First developed in 2002, the Retriever line provides an innovative method for loading and transporting various types of equipment. It boasts an air-operated curved platform, fast cycle times, idle-free system operation, a deck featuring a low center of gravity and a shallow loading angle, according to the manufacturer. Curry Supply now offers the Retriever 20T and 15T models across the country.
For more information, call (800) 345-2829.
GSSI
Geophysical Survey Systems Inc. (GSSI), Nashua, New Hampshire, announces that InstroTek Inc., Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, will serve as national and international distributor of GSSI’s PaveScan® RDM continuous asphalt density gauge. InstroTek will exclusively represent the PaveScan to paving contractors, pavement management, materials test laboratories and municipalities in the United States, while GSSI will continue to work with Federal and State agencies. Internationally, InstroTek will maintain sales and product support via their international distribution network of partners.
NEXTRAQ
NexTraq, a Michelin® Group company, Atlanta, has launched NexTraq® Vehicle Inspection, a tool that provides a customizable pre-trip vehicle inspection checklist.
Customizable inspection checklists are available for popular industry vehicles used in construction, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, landscaping, excavation and others. Paperless vehicle inspection forms can help save money on costly repairs and keep comprehensive inspection histories documenting the condition of equipment.
Checklists can be customized to meet the unique needs of a specific business to include information for trucks, vans, trailers, power equipment, fuel, generators, tractors, spare parts, pumps, dryers, blowers, mobile signage and more. Drivers/employees fill out each form associated with their vehicle from the NexTraq Connect app and can confirm they have all necessary items and equipment in working order before they hit the road. Managers receive clear and concise reports.
Available to NexTraq customers in the United States and Canada, the app is downloadable from the Apple App Store or Google Play to tablets or smartphones.
For more information, contact Mary Ann Kotlarich at (864) 458-4884.
PAVESMART
Synergy PaveSmart extends its service portfolio with the latest in survey-profile technology. According to the manufacturer, DOT and NATA certified this new inertial profiler and high-resolution mobile surveying system can simultaneously measure IRI/ NAASRA (longitudinal profile), transverse profile and 2D/3D surface scans for land surveying and machine control applications.
This device does full 3D scanning and can be simultaneously (or separately) used for IRI /NAASRA testing and full lane transverse profiles (for rutting, lane edge change and more under AASHTO PP69-10 & 70-10), according to the manufacturer. The surface survey data can be adjusted with a merge in of control points for 3D elevation content.
For more information, contact sales at the Synergy-PaveSmart website.
THUNDER CREEK
Thunder Creek Equipment and its parent company, LDJ Manufacturing, Pella, Iowa, have hired Larry Lea, the former director of sales for Mahindra USA, as the organization’s new vice president of sales. At Thunder Creek, Lea will manage the organization’s decentralized national sales team while also working with the company’s product, production and engineering teams. Lea will remain based in Houston.
TRIMBLE
Trimble recently announced the acquisition of MidStates VRS, a virtual reference station network located in North and South Dakota, increasing the footprint of Trimble’s VRS Now GNSS corrections service to cover more than one million square miles in North America.
Global Navigation Satellite System, or GNSS, technology is particularly important to asphalt contractors who rely on intelligent compaction tools for increased accuracy, speed and efficiency on the jobsite. Trimble VRS Now offers instant access to centimeter-level positioning accuracy in the field and is an important part of a connected construction site. Expanding the Trimble VRS Now network with the addition of the MidStates VRS network will help asphalt contractors in more places, specifically across the Midwest, achieve more reliable, high accuracy positioning on paving projects using compaction control systems.
The acquisition of the MidStates network adds 105,000 square miles of coverage to the Trimble VRS Now network, making it one of the largest networks in North America. When using the service, asphalt contractors with a Trimble or third-party GNSS receiver can leverage instant, high-accuracy corrections delivered via cellular network to improve productivity.
Trimble VRS Now is always on, wherever and whenever it is needed. Trimble networks are supported by a global network operations team made up of GNSS system engineers, geodesy experts and IT professionals. The team monitors the networks 24/7
from operation centers located on three continents.
“Positioning accuracy is critically important in the asphalt compaction process because even a small error can have an impact on rideability, final density and the longterm durability of the surface,” said Kevin Garcia, general manager for Trimble Civil Specialty Solutions. “Increasing the reach of the Trimble VRS Now network gives more contractors access to simple, reliable accuracy that they can feel confident about.”
Werk-Brau
Werk-Brau, Findlay, Ohio, launches the new Werk-Brau high performance loader buckets to handle material up to 2,000 pounds percubic yard in density. A 3-degree inclined bottom reduces loading forces, allowing the bucket to do more and last longer, with less wear and tear, according to the manufacturer. The loader buckets are available in various widths with capacities from 1 to 9 cubic yards, with special designs and capabilities available upon request.
High strength abrasion resistant steel is used in all critical components. All seams are welded solid. A curved side wall allows for greater capacity and higher yield. Auxiliary edge and teeth are available upon request to make digging even easier. All WerkBrau loader attachments are manufactured to OEM specifications for all makes and models of all wheel loaders.
For more information, contact Dale DeWeese at (800) 537-9561.
WIRTGEN
Pike Industries, which currently produces over three million tons of asphalt and processes over six million tons of aggregates, switched from picks with carbide tips to PCD milling tools in 2017. The result: Extremely even milled surfaces and considerable time saved during milling operations.
Due to their current tool geometry and materials, PCD milling tools are primarily suitable for surface layer rehabilitation and are predominantly used in fine milling applications. When fine milling road surfaces, milling drums with a tool spacing of 6 mm or 8 mm (LA6 or LA8) are used. In comparison, a standard milling drum for conventional milling has a tool spacing of 15 mm (LA15). Wirtgen PCD cutting tools show a uniform milled surface on this State Route 202 project in Gorham, Maine.
Fine milling drums with LA6 produce an even finer milling pattern than with LA8. The Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) accepts both tool spacings.
“We can therefore alternate between the milling drums,” Tom Quinn explained. He’s the head of Cold Milling and Pavement Removal at Pike Industries. “The smaller tool spacing also affects the advance rate of the machine, which means that we work with a lower speed at larger milling depths.”
Fine milling removes ruts or unevenness in the road surface, improves the grip of roads that were cleared for traffic before the surface layer was paved, and ensures a better bond between the layers when paving thin layers hot.
At Pike Industries, the fine milling process plays a major role. This is because it allows the company to produce a particularly even sub-base for the ultra-thin bonded surface layers that it paves on behalf of the state of Maine. The requirements of MaineDOT stipulate fine milling and in some cases standard milling as preparation for paving thin layers hot.
“We are currently working on a project in which we are milling a cross slope with fine milling drums and even removing the pavement at a depth of 15 cm,” Quinn said. “One reason for requiring the small tool spacings is the durability of the milling pattern when the road is driven on without a surface layer for a longer period of time. The pavement is expected to better withstand the effects of traffic as a result.”
As part of another rehabilitation project, Pike Industries recently completed fine milling on State Route 202 in Gorham, approximately 20 km west of Portland, Maine. The company used a Wirtgen W 220 cold milling machine equipped with a 2.50-meter-wide fine milling drum and PCD milling tools with LA8. According to Mark Williams, the site manager responsible for the project, the surface layer was removed 2 cm deep over a length of 3 km on two lanes and the adjacent shoulders.
In this context, switching from standard picks to PCD milling tools increased Pike Industries’ productivity. Previously, the team had to completely replace the set of picks at the end of each workday—now the new milling tools can be used much longer.
“Picks with carbide tips wear out over the course of the day, which means that the milling pattern is not absolutely uniform and individual picks have to be replaced more frequently. In contrast, PCD milling tools have a diamond tip and an optimized cutting geometry, thus guaranteeing consistent results. Even if a PCD tool has to be changed
every now and then, it doesn’t have a negative effect on the pattern because the PCD tools used exhibit hardly any length wear,” Quinn explained. “A uniform milling pattern is extremely important to us, and a single set of PCD milling tools is enough to guarantee this each and every day for a long period of time.”
The type of application is the main factor that determines which pick is the most cost-effective for the job (carbide or PCD). Independent of this, Wirtgen has created a useful addition to its existing range of picks with PCD milling tools, thus tailoring its range of solutions in cutting technology to meet specific requirements.
Pike Industries is certain that the work it saves during day-to-day milling operations more than offsets the higher cost of PCD milling tools, as one set of tools can be used for an entire milling season, eliminating the need to replace picks. Last year, the company milled a total area of approx. 1.7 million square meters with two milling drums. The PCD tools on the drum with tool spacing LA6 already removed over 400,000 square meters during the previous season, while the drum with tool spacing LA8 used on State Route 202 in Maine was fitted with new PCD tools at the beginning of the 2019 season.
Despite the higher acquisition costs, the PCD milling tools have already paid for themselves after half the season.
“The PCD milling tool is a complete unit,” Quinn explained. “So not only do you eliminate the cost of the carbide picks, but also the cost of the pick holders on the milling drum. We were able to significantly cut costs through the use of PCD milling tools and the associated reduction in the amount of work involved.”
Source: Wirtgen Group
For more information, contact Matt Graves at matt.graves@wirtgen-group.com or visit www.wirtgen-group.com/america.
XL
XL Specialized Trailers, a subsidiary of Caparo Bull Moose, Manchester, Iowa, has introduced the XL 120 hydraulic detachable gooseneck (HDG) 3+2 trailer. It has a concentrated capacity rating of 120,000 pounds in 10 feet and a low 18-inch deck height. It features several different configuration options to haul equipment. The power booster can be removed to run three, four or five axles in a row.
The 13-foot, low-profile hydraulic gooseneck has a swing clearance of 107 inches.
The 26-foot-long main deck offers a loaded deck height of 18 inches with a ground clearance of 6 inches. The main deck has seven bent d-rings along with 13 chain drops per side. The rear deck is 14 feet long with a 41-inch loaded deck height.
For more information, visit XL’s website.
