California #26, 2009 - CEG by Construction Equipment Guide

Crescent City

395 139

101 299 89

Burney Eureka 299 Rio Dell

CALIFORNIA STATE SUPPLEMENT

395

299 44

44 36

101

Leggett

395

Chico

Oroville

Fort Bragg Point Arena 20 1

80 Tahoe City Auburn 50 South Lake Sacramento Tahoe

101

70 5

Santa Rosa

505 80

395 49

680

San Francisco

Sonora

Berkley 580 Oakland 280

120 120

120

Modesto

880

San Jose

140

101 1

395 152

Madera

Santa Cruz Montery

Fresno

180

190

198

December 19 2009

Death Valley Junction

King City Lucia

198

101 127 46

178 15

San Luis 33 Obispo Santa Maria

Bakersfield

Baker

395

Barstow

101

Vol. IV • No. 26

Santa Barbara

Ventura

Glendale San Bernadino Los Angeles Riverside Santa Monica Santa Ana 10 Palm Springs Long Beach 1

“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.”

101

Oceanside

Your California Connection – Frank Strazzulla – 1-877-7CEGLTD – fstrazzulla@cegltd.com

San Diego 8

Caltrans Completes Curve Realignment for State Route 299 By Erik Pisor CEG CORRESPONDENT

A tight, winding roadway where the accident rate is noticeably higher than the California average, State Route 299, specifically the stretch west of Redding, has for years worried the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). However, the completion of six curve realignment projects and several roadway pavement projects, dubbed the “Safer Roads: One Curve at a Time” projects, have eased those concerns by improving driver safety along SR 299. Of the six SR 299 realignment projects, three projects occurred along an 8-mi. (12.8 km) stretch of roadway in Shasta County. “Having three simultaneous earthwork projects within an eight-mile stretch of narrow-winding, two-lane road became a challenge for traffic handling,” said Chris Harvey, project manager of Caltrans District 2. “With three different contractors, the work along this corridor had the potential to severely affect traffic.” see CURVE page 6

Tullis Inc. served as the general contractor for the $2.4 million, Yankee Gulch project, which spanned .7 mi. (1.1 km) and replaced an existing 30 mph roadway curve with a new roadway alignment.

Eagle Peak Rock & Paving Crushes Rocks Left Over From ’30s

Gary McConn (L), Powerscreen of California, and Tony Cruse, president, Eagle Peak Rock & Paving.

During the famous 1849 Gold Rush, miners panned for gold in California streams. Many years later some enterprising companies took it to a new level by “panning” a number of river valleys in northern California with floating dredges. One such dredging operation started circa 1936 and continued into the early days of World War II. A 100-yd.-long barge-mounted dredge was used to “pan” the Scott River Valley just south of the Oregon border near Yreka, Calif., in Siskiyou County. On the front end of the dredge was a 76unit rotating bucket line that dug up dirt and rock. Gold was removed inside the hull, using a trommel screen apparatus with .25 and .5 in. (.6 and 1.3 cm) holes. A 120 ft. (36.5 m) long stacker at the back of

the barge deposited the dug-up rocks in giant windrows. For Eagle Peak Rock & Paving, Alturas, Calif., the “gold” is in those windrows of large, smooth, very hard rocks still remaining from the dredging operation. “Our mining consists of crushing the rocks for use in our two asphalt plants,” said Eagle Peak President Tony Cruse. “Our equipment includes three Terex Pegson crushing plants and two Powerscreen dry screen plants, all in closed circuit. We produce what we call asphalt rock. This includes 3/8 inch clean, 1/2 inch clean and Number 4 — 0 inch crusher dust. We blend all three in the see EAGLE page 8

Page 2 • December 19, 2009 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • California State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

We can do it, and we will. In challenging times, many equipment dealers as well as contractors are forced to close their doors. That’s not the case with Johnson Machinery, and we hope it’s not the case with you. We have been serving the Inland Empire since 1940, offering businesses like yours solutions to the challenges you face every day. Partnering with Johnson Machinery is the key to protecting your value. We offer the industry’s most knowledgeable service technicians, immediate parts availability, and maintenance programs that enable you to extend the life and increase the profitability of your machines. Not a Cat? Not a problem. We will work on any type of construction equipment. We want to help you through these tough times. Contact us today to find out what we can do to help you - we have special offers tailored to fit your business needs and are prepared to make you an offer you can’t refuse. Just ask us.

Construction Equipment Guide • California State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • December 19, 2009 • Page 3

Think. Big. Serious productivity demands serious thinking. Many of the numerous improvements in the K-Series came from the brightest minds in the industry - loader owners and users such as yourself. Armed with fresh insights from this Customer Advocate Group, we enlarged the cab, redesigned the cooling, enhanced the hydraulics, refined the ergonomics, and offered even more options. All with the goal of increasing productivity and uptime, while lowering daily operating costs. Owners, operators, and maintenance personnel will all benefit from big ideas found in the 844K loader.

Stop in today to your local California John Deere Dealer to see why this isn't just another loader.

N o t h i n g r u n s l i k e a D e e r e .™

COASTLINE EQUIPMENT www.coastlineequipment.com 6188 Paramount Blvd. Long Beach, CA 90805 562-272-7400 • Fax: 562-272-7444 12435 Foothill Blvd. Sylmar, CA 91342 818-890-3353 • Fax: 818-890-5013 1930 E. Lockwood St. Oxnard, CA 93036 805-485-2106 • Fax: 805-485-7963

888 East Ave. L-4 Lancaster, CA 93535 661-948-9993 • Fax: 661-723-5613 3216 Westminster Santa Ana, CA 92703 714-265-5500 • Fax: 714-265-5505

RDO EQUIPMENT www.rdoequipment.com 83-300 Avenue 45 Indio, CA 92201 760-342-8900 13625 Danielson Street Poway, CA 92064 800-905-1150

1950 Roemer Place Santa Maria, CA 93454 805-922-8329 • Fax: 805-922-4582

3275 Hwy 86 Imperial, CA 92251 800-464-4331

4252 Saco Road Bakersfield, CA 93308 661-399-3600 • Fax: 661-399-8782

20 Iowa Ave Riverside, CA 92502 800-494-4863

PAPE MACHINERY www.papemachinery.com Newark 800-231-2060 • 510-790-3600 Fax: 510-790-9120 Sacramento 800-227-3399 • 916-922-7181 Fax: 916-922-4532 French Camp 800-619-6319 • 209-983-8122 Fax: 209-983-1105

Fowler 559-834-4774 Fax: 559-834-4754 Rohnert Park 800-325-9401 • 707-584-9161 Fax: 707-584-4786 Gilroy 800-848-4150 • 408-848-4150 Fax: 408-848-5163 Redding 530-241-4555 Fax: 530-241-0619

Page 4 • December 19, 2009 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • California State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Sukut Construction Makes List to Acquire Martella Assets of Top Places to Work in O.C. A new survey shows Sukut Construction Inc. has maintained a position as one of the top places to work in Orange County for the past decade. The latest results recently released by the Orange County Business Journal (OCBJ) corroborates the findings of similar surveys in 2000 and 2008, which recognized Sukut as a leader in employee satisfaction, or, as the OCBJ’s headline suggests, a “Workers’ Paradise.” Sukut took the No. 8 spot in the large company category of the OCBJ survey, which took nearly a year to complete and was conducted by an independent workplace research firm, Best Companies Group of Harrisburg, Pa., using a proprietary scoring system. According to the OCBJ, three-fourths of a company’s score was based on employee questionnaires and onefourth on company-provided information about benefits, policies and practices. “It’s reassuring to get such a vote of satisfaction from Sukut employees,” said Sukut CEO/President Michael Crawford. “We strive to make sure Sukut maintains a safe, developmentally nurturing, challenging and enjoyable environment. The competition was open to all companies with at least 15 employees and a one-year track record. Of the 100 companies that participated, only about 40 scored high enough to make the list. The OCBJ reported that the listed companies generally provided generous benefits and perks, employee development opportunities and worker flexibility and independence. Stock ownerRitchie Bros. Auctioneers Incorporated announced an agreement to acquire the auction business and certain assets of Martella Auction Company Inc., a Tipton, Calif.-based auctioneer of agricultural and industrial equipment. Ritchie Bros. also intends to enter into an agreement to lease the roughly 65 acre Martella auction site. The acquisition is intended to expand and strengthen Ritchie Bros.’ presence in the used agricultural and industrial equipment markets in California, and establishes an additional auction site in a proven auction market. Jeremy Martella, principal owner and operator, will join the Ritchie Bros. team as the area manager of this new auction site effective upon closing. “We are very excited to have Jeremy Martella and his staff join our team,” said Peter Blake, Ritchie Bros. CEO. “Martella Auction Company is a second generation company that has been in business for more than 35 years, with roots that date back four generations and over 80 years. They conduct their auc-

tions in the same fair and transparent manner that we do. Their staff works hard, they treat their customers right and our two organizations are a good fit. We’re looking forward to conducting auctions at this new location in Tipton, Calif. — 265 miles south of our Sacramento permanent auction site and 235 miles north of our Perris permanent auction site. We’ve held offsite auctions in this area over the years and look forward to establishing a more permanent presence here.” The first auction under the Ritchie Bros. banner at the new location in Tipton, Calif., is planned for Feb. 12, 2010, and will coincide with the World Ag Expo in Tulare, Calif., which is located approximately 5 mi. north of the auction site. This auction will mark the 25th anniversary of Martella Auction Company conducting auctions following the World Ag Expo. The acquisition is expected to close on or about Dec. 21, 2009. For more information, visit www.rbauction.com.

ship, profit sharing, matching retirement contributions and performance evaluations also are common at these companies. The largest companies generally were noted for opportunities for employees to cross-train to prepare for promotions and to take on new tasks when other business was slow. Bracketing the first decade of the 21st century, Sukut was honored in 2000 by the OC Metro as one of the five best places to work in Orange County. Again in 2008, the Orange County Register reported that Sukut was one of the top companies nationwide to work for based on employee surveys. Sukut Construction is California’s largest mass excavation and grading contractor and has moved more than a billion cubic yards of earth. It is ranked within the top 500 largest contractors in the nation. Its projects range from highway construction to residential grading to wastewater management systems. Projects include the construction of four, 60-acre wastewater treatment ponds holding more than 1 billion gallons for the Los Angeles Sanitation District and a seismic retrofit of the San Pablo Dam for the East Bay Municipal Water District. It also is charged with site development for a section of the U.S.-Mexico border fence and is widening a 1.3-mi. segment of State Route 76 in Fallbrook and straightening its alignment. Sukut, which turned 40 this year, is headquartered in Santa Ana, Calif., with offices in Oceanside, Los Angeles, and Riverside, Calif. For more information, call 888/785-8801 or visit www.sukut.com.

Groundbreaking for Highway 46 Widening Held in Kern County A ground breaking for the widening of an 8 mi. (13 km) portion of Hwy. 46 was held Nov. 10 in Kern County. This project will widen Hwy. 46 from a two-lane highway to a four lane expressway from 1.9 mi. (3 km) west of State Route 33 to Brown Material Road. This project will include a 62 ft. (19 cm) center median and the existing intersections within the project limits will be upgraded to accommodate truck traffic. In addition, the intersection of State Route 33 will be signalized and realigned. The contractor for this $25 million dollar project is the Griffith Company of Brea, Calif. This project is expected to be completed in mid2012. Construction is already well under way on the $30 million project to widen 5 mi. (8 km) of Hwy. 46 from two to four lanes from Airport

Road to Geneseo Road. This project is expected to be completed in late 2010. The second phase of this widening would take place from Geneseo to Whitley Gardens and the project is ahead of schedule. “I am pleased that we are now simultaneously improving Hwy. 46 from both ends of this busy corridor. The widening of Hwy. 46 from Paso Robles to the San Joaquin Valley is a top priority that will result in a much safer highway, said Caltrans District 5 Director Rich Krumholz.” Those who spoke at the groundbreaking included San Luis Obispo County Council of Governments Director Ron DeCarli and Fix 46 Committee Chair Mary Chambers. For more information, call 805/549-3318 or visit www.dot.ca.gov/dist05/maint/road/upslo.htm.

Construction Equipment Guide • California State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • December 19, 2009 • Page 5

From humble beginnings in 1945, JCB has grown to become one of the largest equipment manufacturers in the world and still remains family owned. Not only do we produce the world’s best selling backhoe loaders and telescopic handlers, we also offer complete equipment solutions from skid steer loaders to mass excavators and everything in between. Discover how JCB and your local JCB dealer are committed to Helping You Get the Job Done!® CONTACT YOUR LOCAL JCB DEALER TODAY TO FIND OUT ABOUT CURRENT OFFERS.

Kern Machinery 310 High St. Delano, CA 93215 661-725-3841 Fax: 661-725-0377

520 S. Mt. Vernon Ave. Bakersfield, CA 93307 661-833-9900

24526 Lerdo Highway Buttonwillow, CA 93206 661-746-6363 www.kernmachinery.com

Muniquip 3000 W. Capitol Ave. West Sacramento, CA 95691 866-417-4302 Fax: 916-375-2048 www.muniquip.com

For more information about the full range of JCB Construction Equipment and to find the dealer nearest you, please visit www.jcb.com

Page 6 • December 19, 2009 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • California State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

Caltrans Taps Tullis Inc. for $2.4M Yankee Gulch Project CURVE from page 1

However the contractors recognized the potential for delays and worked together when restricting traffic and conducting traffic control, said Tullis Inc.’s project manager Chris Brimhall. Tullis Inc. served as the general contractor for the $2.4 million, Yankee Gulch project, which spanned .7 mi. (1.1 km) and replaced an existing 30 mph roadway curve with a new roadway alignment. According to Brimhall, before any serious dirt was moved subcontractor Koala Ty Construction used 300 cu. yds. (229 cu m) of concrete to extend a box culvert and Tullis de-watered a nearby creek. Following initial construction, all traffic was narrowed down to a single lane enabling Tullis to grind up a portion of the existing road using equipment such as a 330 excavator with a hydraulic hammer attachment. The contractor used an onsite, mobile crushing and screening plant to recycle the grindings into base for the new portion of roadway. In total around 8,000 tons (7,260 t) of base rock was used on the project, Brimhall said. To construct the new roadway alignment, Tullis first placed a large amount of dirt and rock to create an embankment. Grading and paving of the new roadway section followed, which included the use of 5,000 tons (4,536 t) of hot mix asphalt. The section of old roadway was then reclaimed and embankment was placed on it. Nearly 100,000 cu. yds. (76,460 cu m) of dirt and rock was used for all embankment work. Completed in early October, the project also increased the Yankee Gulch clear recovery zone, an area adjacent to the road where errant vehicles can regain control if they’ve veered off the roadway. Located further along SR 299 on a 5.5 percent grade stretch of two-lane highway, the Top of Buckhorn project posed challenges for Sierra Equipment Rental Inc. and Caltrans due to soil types, which caused an unexpected landslide. “This area is comprised of decomposed granite that is subject to erosion,” Harvey said. “There are unpredictable hidden slip planes that are randomly oriented throughout the excavation.” Because of the landslide, additional earthwork and the construction of a reinforced soil slope were required. This added work turned a single-season contract into a twoseason contract. Completed in October, the $3.8 million project had increased the design speed of a .6-mi. (.9 km) stretch of SR 299 to 50 mph by realigning the roadway’s curves. Shoulder widening work also occurred. The third project located along the 8-mi. (12.8 km) stretch of SR 299, the $1.5 million Bottom of Buckhorn project was completed

in June 2009. Spanning .4 mi. (.6 km), the project increased the radius of a large roadway curve by adding a 7-ft. (2.1 m) paved left shoulder and ditch, and adding a 4-ft. (1.2 m) paved right shoulder, according to Caltrans District 2. The improvements increased the large curve’s design speed from 23.8 mph to 35 mph. Contractor J.F. Shea Construction Inc. also realigned five smaller surrounding curves as part of the project. Aside from the Shasta County projects, three other curve improvement projects occurred along SR 299 in Trinity County. The completed Sandhouse Passing Lane project involved the construction of a westbound, 12-ft. (7.6 m) wide passing lane, which enables cars to pass slower moving vehicles following the climb up Buckhorn Summit. Started in June 2009, the $3.4 million China Slide project involved improving lane width and shoulder geometrics, changing a roadway curve, and increasing the clear recovery zone. Also beginning in the summer of 2009, the Salyer Curve project took place along a portion of roadway where the accident rate is four times the statewide average for similar types of roadways, according to Caltrans. The project included shoulder-widening work and cross slope corrections, and provided for legal Surface Transportation Assistance Act (STAA) truck wheel tracking. The entire SR 299 corridor west of Redding is of special interest to Humboldt County, which partially funded the projects. The county is planning to develop a deepwater port and wants its large STAA trucks to utilize SR 299 for distribution purposes. (This story also can be found on Construction Equipment Guide’s Web site at www.constructionequipmentguide.com.) CEG

Of the six SR 299 realignment projects, three projects occurred along an 8-mi. (12.8 km) stretch of roadway in Shasta County.

To construct the new roadway alignment, Tullis first placed a large amount of dirt and rock to create an embankment. Grading and paving of the new roadway section followed, which included the use of 5,000 tons (4,536 t) of hot mix asphalt.

Spanning .4 mi. (.6 km), the project increased the radius of a large roadway curve by adding a 7-ft. (2.1 m) paved left shoulder and ditch, and adding a 4-ft. (1.2 m) paved right shoulder, according to Caltrans District 2.

Completed in October, the $3.8 million project had increased the design speed of a .6-mi. (.9 km) stretch of SR 299 to 50 mph by realigning the roadway’s curves. Shoulder widening work also occurred.

Construction Equipment Guide • California State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • December 19, 2009 • Page 7

Quality Used Power... Ready to Ship. Sold Worldwide.

Power Plants • XQ 2000s • Loadbanks • Portable Power • 50hz - 60hz Engines: 3616, 3612, 3608, 3516, 3512, 3508, 3412, 3306, 3304, 399, 398 Caterpillar • Detroit Diesel • Crestchic • Cummins • Waukesha

Email us for a complete inventory list of generator sets, individual engines and marine engines.

Jim Fellis Used Equipment Project Manager Phone: 858-974-6835 • Email: jfellis@hawthornecat.com

657E Wheel Tractor-Scrapers 1997, CAB w/ AC, Push Pull, Good Condition, Ready to Work, 50% plus Tires

SN: 5YR00239 5YR00240 5YR00248 5YR00251

Four at $240,000 EACH

Quality Used Equipment...

CAT D8T Track Type Dozer

Ready to Ship. Sold Worldwide.

2006, 475 hrs., Tier 3, CAB w/ AC, SU Blade, Ripper

$430,000

S/N 0KPZ01351

Email us for a complete inventory list of used equipment.

Ingersoll Rand Hydraulic Crawler Drill 2005, 2554 Engine hrs, 669 Drifter Hrs, Dust Collector, Water Injection, Cummins 6CTAA 8.3 Liter Engine, 260 hp, 2 level drilling controls, Cab w/ AC. S/N 009278BA

CAT 160M Motorgrader 2007, 1130 Hrs, CAB-A/C, 14’ Blade, Rear Ripper, Push Block, Accum.

$235,000

S/N B9L00167

© 2009 Caterpillar All Rights Reserved. CAT, CATERPILLAR, their respective logos, “Caterpillar Yellow” and the “POWER EDGE” trade dress, as well as corporate and product identity used herein, are trademarks of Caterpillar and may not be used without permission.

$198,000

Craig Baker

Jim Gilchrist

Ass’t Used Equipment Mgr. Tel: 858-674-7131 Email: cbaker@hawthornecat.com

Used Equipment Sales Rep. Tel: 858-674-7046 Email: jgilchrist@hawthornecat.com

www.hawthornecat.com

Page 8 • December 19, 2009 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • California State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

Contractor Finds Gold Standard in Powerscreen Dealer EAGLE from page 1

asphalt production process. We reject all natural sand.” The closed circuit process consists of several steps. Material from the rock windrows is fed into a Terex Pegson XA400 26x44 jaw plant and crushed to 5 in. (12.7 cm) size. The 5 in. goes to a Powerscreen Chieftain double-deck dry screen that rejects 1 in. (2.5 cm) minus stone. The 1 in. plus goes to a Terex Pegson 1300 Maxtrak cone crusher that produces 2 in. (5 cm) minus which goes to a Powerscreen Chieftain 2100 triple-deck pro-

ducing 3/8 in., 1/2 in. (.95 and 1.3 cm) and crusher dust. The oversize goes to a Terex Pegson 1000 Maxtrak cone, which also produces 3/8 in., 1/2 in. and crusher dust in closed circuit with the Powerscreen tripledeck. “The rock feed material is very, very hard,” Cruse pointed out. “But our crushing and screening equipment handles it very well. We do gradation testing on samples every 500 tons. That’s six samples a day. And the product is very, very consistent. I couldn’t be happier with that. In addition, we move our entire crushing and screening sys-

tem fairly often, and the Terex Pegson and Powerscreen equipment sets up and tears down quickly and easily. “Also, our dealer, Powerscreen of California provides excellent service backup,” Cruse said. “They’re here anytime we need them, and sometimes they just show up on their own to check everything over onsite wherever we are. I’m so happy with the Terex Pegson and Powerscreen equipment that I’m considering getting more.” Part of the durability and dependability of the equipment and consistency of the products is due to the Paktronic control panel on the Terex Pegson cone crushers. This control sets the close setting and shows the current setting. Further, the control senses anything uncrushable entering the crushing chamber and lifts up (dumps) to allow it through and then automatically goes back to the current setting. The control also records and displays wear so the user can always tell how much life is left in the liners. The Terex Pegson 1300 and 1000 Maxtrak cone crushers include a feed hopper, product conveyor, crushing chamber and power pack on a single chassis. The plants are engineered for high specification, flexibility, mobility and low operating costs. The 1000 Maxtrak can crush up to 220 tons (200 t) per hour and the 1300 Maxtrak up to 420 tph (381 t), depending on the applica-

tion. Normally no prescreening is required. The hydraulic system can be adjusted quickly, even while crushing. The entire feederhopper assembly can be hydraulically lowered into the feed ring for transport or raised for re-metaling. The Terex Pegson XA400 26x44 jaw crusher is designed for powerful performance in high production quarrying, demolition and mining operations. An aggressive crushing action with a single-toggle, highswing jaw facilitates greater material entry to the crushing chamber. The design incorporates a hydraulic setting adjustment system that changes the jaw size at the press of a button for subsequent quick product sizing changes, thus reducing downtime. Throughput capacities range up to 400 tons (363 t) per hour, depending on material and setting. The Powerscreen Chieftain 2100 twodeck 20x5 dry screen is designed and built for large-scale operations. The unit provides constant, uniform sizing and can process up to 500 tons (453 t) per hour, depending on mesh size and material type. The force in the screen provides optimum performance in wet, sticky applications. The plant is highly mobile and sets up ready to run in 15 minutes. Typical applications include crushed stone, concrete/asphalt rubble, sand/gravel, topsoil and coal.

Eagle Peak’s crushing-screening system for a three-part asphalt rock mix includes a Terex Pegson XA400 26x44 jaw and 1300 and 1000 cones, plus one Powerscreen Chieftain 2100 two-deck dry screen and one Chieftain 2100 three-deck.

The Paktronic control panel on the Terex Pegson cone crushers sets the close side setting and shows the current setting. The control senses anything uncrushable entering the crushing chamber, lifts up (dumps) to allow it through and then automatically goes back to the original setting. It also records and shows liner wear.

Rock left over from 1930s gold dredging operations is now being crushed for use as aggregate products.

Construction Equipment Guide • California State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • December 19, 2009 • Page 9

Caltrans District 2 Selects Three Scholarship Winners The California Department of Transportation has selected three local students to receive the Caltrans District 2 Employee Scholarship. The scholarships were awarded to students attending college or an accredited trade school and pursuing a career in the transportation field. Winners included Naomi Willis, a graduate of University Preparatory School and currently attending Shasta College majoring in engineering; Merete Capener, who is attending Shasta College and majoring in

engineering; and Nicole Anderson, a graduate of Foothill High School, who is attending Sacramento State University and majoring in Transportation Law. This is the sixth year this scholarship has been available and was presented by the employees of Caltrans in District 2. Funds for the awards were raised by the employees and supplemented by the California Transportation Foundation. For more information, call 530/225-3481.

Ground Broken on New San Francisco General Hospital SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Construction is under way on a new, earthquake-safe San Francisco General Hospital. City officials gathered Oct. 22 to break ground on the $887 million project to replace the city’s only trauma center. The nine-story hospital will have 284 acute-care beds and be built among San Francisco General’s historic buildings on Potrero Avenue. Construction begins less than a year after

voters overwhelmingly approved the bond measure to fund the project. It’s expected to open by 2015, the year the state has set for hospitals to meet seismic upgrade requirements. Members of the Service Employees International Union who work at the hospital also were on hand for the groundbreaking, protesting recent layoffs and pay cuts.

Southern California Desert Highway Landmark Demolished DAGGETT, Calif. (AP) A California desert highway landmark is history. The central tower for the Solar One and Solar Two demonstration projects was demolished Nov. 24. It stood just east of Barstow near Daggett for nearly three decades and was a familiar site for interstate travelers headed for Las Vegas or Needles. It hasn’t produced any solar power for about 10 years. Southern California Edison’s

Paul Phelan said it’s been empty for about four years. Demolition began in June on the 51-acre site that included more than 1,800 giant mirrors. The Brea-based firm CST Environmental strapped explosives to two of the tower’s legs and brought it down Nov. 24. The projects paved the way for similar technology to be used on a larger scale and foretold the current solar power gold rush.

Get the latest news online.

V isit CEG’s We b S i t e a t w w w . c o n s t ru c t i o n e q u i p m e n t g u i d e . c o m

H U S K I E

H Y D R A U L I C

H A M M E R

y a S e W n Whe . . . ” r e v e r “Fo

r! e v e r o F n a We M e Protected By Lifetime Warranty * Profits get hammered two ways. First, when your breaker falls apart, you’re not working. Second, some parts are so expensive that it’s better to cut into your bottom line and buy a new hammer to get a fresh warranty. That’s the way it is with most hammers and their warranties. But, Huskie is really different. If you own a Huskie Hydraulic Hammer, you are covered front cap to back cap by Huskie’s industry-leading LIFETIME Limited Warranty*. • LIFETIME Coverage for Front Cap, Back Cap and Main Body • THREE YEAR Protection for All Components except • TWO YEAR Warranty for All Seals • UNLIMITED HOURS of Use Forever is a long time. But, if you own a Huskie Hammer, that’s how long you can expect to run it 24/7 and still be covered by the revolutionary Huskie Lifetime Warranty. Ask your dealer for a demo.

6188 Paramount Blvd. Long Beach, CA 90805 Phone: 562-272-7400 Fax: 562-272-7444 12435 Foothill Blvd. Sylmar, CA 91342 Phone: 818-890-3353 Fax: 818-890-5013

3216 Westminster Santa Ana, CA 92703 Phone: 714-265-5500 Fax: 714-265-5505

1930 E. Lockwood St. Oxnard, CA 93036 Phone: 805-485-2106 Fax: 805-485-7963

1950 Roemer Place Santa Maria, CA 93454 Phone: 805-922-8329 Fax: 805-922-4582

888 East Ave. L-4 Lancaster, CA 93535 Phone: 661-948-9993 Fax: 661-723-5613

4252 Saco Road Bakersfield, CA 93308 Phone: 661-399-3600 Fax: 661-399-8782

*Limited warranty. Normal wear items are not covered. See warranty statement for details and exceptions. Effective on all Huskie Hydraulic Hammers purchased after July 1, 2005. The Huskie logo and Huskie Hydraulic Hammer are registered trademarks of IPC Industries, Inc. © 2008 IPC-Huskie Hydraulic Hammer

Page 10 • December 19, 2009 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • California State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

Kenworth T800s Help Bigge Drayage Make Massive Moves When your last name is Bigge, it’s hard to imagine that you’ll do anything small. And in 1916, when Henry W. Bigge established Bigge Drayage Company, he set the stage for a company that’s lived up to the name. “For over 93 years, Bigge has played a critical role in the development of our country’s infrastructure,” said Gedge Knopf, Bigge major projects regional sales manager. “From handling the original Golden Gate Bridge girders and transporting Liberty Ship sections during World War II to handling major components up to and exceeding 1,500 tons in nuclear and refining facilities throughout the country, Bigge takes great pride in creatively and safely performing scopes of work that others consider impossible.” Such was the case when the San Leandro, Calif., company recently used two Kenworth T800s to pull and push a 220,000-lb. (99,790 kg), 103-ft. (31.4 m) long refinery vessel from Houston to Northern California. The super high and wide load required extensive logistics and a serpentine route over farm roads and through towns along a 3,000-mi. journey covering seven weeks. Proper gearing and like specifications allow the Kenworth trucks to operate in tandem. “The Kenworths T800s were spec’d with 550-horsepower engines with retarders, 18-speed transmissions, 2-speed Eaton rears [rated at 48,000 pounds], 20,000pound front axles with double frames,” said Chuck Beam, Bigge project superintendent. The Kenworth T800 pusher was utilized nearly the entire trip. “It’s a challenge, and, almost poetry in motion when having the

two trucks work in concert,” said Beam. “The lead Kenworth T800 is in charge when the load is moving [the drivers use company radios for communication]. He has the responsibility of letting the snap [pusher] truck know what to do and when to change gears. Quite often, on real tight turns, the snap truck does most of the work and brings the rear around to the proper position. It’s also the go-to vehicle when we go down hills. It holds the load back first and the lead truck then assists.” Kenworth has been the Bigge’s truck of choice for heavy hauls for decades. “Since I began working at Bigge in 1975, every new truck we have brought into the fleet has been a Kenworth,” said Beam, who noted that the company has 25 Kenworths. “We put a lot of demands on our trucks and Kenworth and our dealer, NorCal Kenworth — Bay Area, has always come through. The Kenworth T800s are robust, durable and can take the strain that comes their way when hauling extreme loads. Customers depend on us to handle the big loads, and we depend on Kenworths to get us where we need to be.” According to Beam, planning the recent move took three months, and involved closely working with Departments of Transportation in four states, cities, counties, and every utility in those areas to get permits in place. “It was a long trip, one of the longest of this type that I’ve been involved with at Bigge. On our best day, we covered 220 miles, but a typical day was more like 120 miles,” he said. “Since our overall length was 185 feet, and we were 20 feet wide at the rear dollies, it

With an overall length of 185 ft. (56 m) and a width of 20 ft. (6 m), there was constant height issues.

proved difficult to navigate roads. We had constant height issues, even in remote counties — we needed 19 feet, 6 inches to clear obstacles. It seemed every town had stop lights and sets of wires that were lower and had to be carefully slid over the load. ”We had other challenges as well. The Mogollon Rim in Arizona, and Tehachapi Grade in California both offered grades of 6 and 7 percent. The Rim also has a 20-miles downhill and required our drivers to be synchronized in the use of the retarders and gearing. If you’re doing it right, you’re never using the brakes. The

retarders should get you down the mountain.” Once the Kenworth T800s and refinery vessel crested the valley and the drivers saw the lights of the Bay Area, it was as if the Kenworths turned from hares to tortoises. “The most difficult challenge was saved for last,” said Beam. “There was a mess of wires, lights and turns that only allowed us to move 10 to 15 miles a night. We had a whole army of people lifting obstructions, but it was slow going. When we finally arrived at our destination, we let out our collective breaths. It was a long haul, but a

The Kenworth T800s were spec’d with 550 hp (410 kW) engine with retarders and 18 speed transmissions.

job well done. I’m proud of our guys.” About Bigge Bigge Equipment Company handles worldwide sales of new and used cranes and heavy-lift equipment representing the top crane manufacturers. Bigge Crane and Rigging Company is one of the nation’s largest crane rental fleets servicing the general construction, wind and refinery industries. Bigge Power Constructors undertakes some of the biggest heavy lifts and oversized moves in the nuclear power, petrochemical and civil construction industries.

Construction Equipment Guide • California State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • December 19, 2009 • Page 11

S DON'T MIS THE NEXT IA CALIFORN ENT! SUPPLEM anuary 7th J : g in s lo C nuary 16th a J : g in h s li b Pu

THE CALIFORNIA STATE EDITION

ately Approxim

9,00i0 ed Qualif rs Buye

Introducing Construction Equipment Guide’s Newest Western Sales Manager, Frank Strazzulla. Call for Advertising or Editorial Information. Toll Free 877-7CEGLTD 949-459-1767 • Fax: 949-203-2859 E-Mail: fstrazzulla@cegltd.com

Page 12 • December 19, 2009 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • California State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide