Equipment World August 2019 by Tony Brock

equipmentworld.com | August 2019

BACKHOES EVOLVE: MORE FEATURES, MORE POWER

UPDATE:

SEE WHAT’S HOT, WHAT’S NOT IN USED EQUIPMENT MARKET

P.17

B O B C A T. C O M / T O U G H C O N S T R U C T I O N

Everything we put into Bobcat ® equipment is designed to make more of whatever you bring to the job. Whether it’s strength, versatility, speed or agility, it’s built around you. 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. ©2019 Bobcat Company. All rights reserved. | 1357

Vol. 31 Number 8 |

Cover Story

table of contents | August 2019

BACKHOE BOUNCE-BACK? Manufacturers declare rebound underway with improved features, value, versatility

Equipment 13

Marketplace

Husqvarna’s new remote-control trench compactor, Deere’s 850L dozer, new excavators from Doosan, Kobelco, Komatsu and UTVs from Bobcat

Used Equipment Report

A stellar market softens … a bit.

65 Snow Clearing Attachments Check out these equipment add-ons for tackling winter jobs

EquipmentWorld.com | August 2019

table of contents | continued

Features 40 Side by Side

Skid steers vs. compact track loaders

46 Road Works

3D paving: When should you make the switch?

of the Year Finalist 53 Contractor Jason, Jami, Tyler & Mike Jackson, Deming Excavating, Deming, New Mexico

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 Art Director: Tony Brock Advertising Production Manager: Leah Boyd production@equipmentworld.com

3200 Rice Mine Rd NE, Tuscaloosa, AL 35406 800-633-5953 randallreilly.com

Departments Record 7 On Friends of your company 9 Reporter

Yanmar to buy ASV for $70.7 million to bolster skid steer, CTL offerings; Equipment World names Big Iron Dealer of the Year finalists

56 Technology

The latest products from Topcon and Trimble

Report 59 Product ASV debuts VT-70 High Output, a CTL with extra power for big attachments Watch 61 Safety Between a bucket and a hard place

63 Pro Pickup

2020 Silverado 1500 RST model achieves class-leading towing power

74 Final Word

Blue-collar clothing demystified

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.

August 2019 | EquipmentWorld.com

Chairman Emeritus: Mike Reilly President and CEO: Brent Reilly Chief Operations Officer: Shane Elmore Chief Financial Officer: Kim Fieldbinder Senior Vice President, Sales: Scott Miller Senior Vice President, Audience: Linda Longton Senior Vice President, Audience Data: Prescott Shibles Vice President, Digital Services: Nick Reid Vice President, Marketing: Julie Arsenault Vice President, Business Analyst: Joe Donald Director of Media Sales: Seth Becker Vice President, Strategic Accounts: Michael Newman For change of address and other subscription inquiries, please contact: equipmentworld@halldata.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, 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

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on record | by Marcia Doyle MarciaDoyle@randallreilly.com

Friends of your company

hrough time and experience your older team members have proven their abilities. In fact, you can’t imagine your company functioning without them. But what are the chances that five years from now they will still be part of your company? This despite the fact that workers in construction tend to hang on. According to 2018 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, 558,000 employees are still working in construction at age 65 and older. Construction is the No. 7 employer of workers in this age group in all occupations tracked by the bureau. Back to how important these people are to your organization. I’m a big fan of companies learning from each other. And so I was intrigued when I heard of the Friends of Vermeer program. This began as a response to retirees who told the equipment manufacturer that, while they no longer desired fulltime work, they weren’t quite ready to walk away from the career that had been part of their identity for most of their lives. In many cases, it was where their friends were, and they enjoyed the shared experience, even in tough times, such as when an EF3 tornado destroyed two plants at the company’s manufacturing facility in Pella, Iowa, in July last year. (See page 10.)

Under the Friends of Vermeer program, retirees may work part time or as-needed in their previous job, or they may be assigned to special projects. They also receive regular business updates, invitations to company events, and access to Vermeer University classes and retirement investment counseling. Each quarter, the group gets together to listen to a Vermeer leader or family member speak about the business. “Many of these folks spent most of their working lives at Vermeer and are still heavily invested in the company,” says Mark Core, Vermeer executive vice president forage and lifecycle and chief marketing officer. “To just walk away at retirement is not ideal for them.” And, he adds, “they are our greatest brand champions.” Admittedly, it would be hard for a small construction firm to blueprint many of the elements of Friends of Vermeer, since they don’t have all the resources available to a larger company. What contractors can take away, however, is the spirit of engagement with those who are entering retirement, and the attitude that says, “You’re still important to us.” Providing avenues that allow one generation to pass on its knowledge to another gives value to everyone. And as Vermeer has found out, they can be your greatest champions.

EquipmentWorld.com | August 2019 7

Choosing a mini excavator can be tough. Similar capabilities. Similar features. Similar prices. Until now! The new JCB 18Z and 19C mini excavators have made your choice a whole lot easier. Tough as nails with all-steel body work. Easy to maintain with 500-hour greasing intervals. And simple to haul from one job to another. To find out how a JCB mini excavator can add value to your business, visit www.jcb.com or contact your local JCB dealer.

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reporter

| staff report

Yanmar to buy ASV for $70.7 million to bolster skid steer, CTL offerings

anmar Holdings is acquiring skid steer and compact track loader manufacturer ASV Holdings for $70.7 million in a deal it says will be accomplished with “virtually no overlap in distribution networks.” “We believe that the Yanmar Group’s acquisition of ASV will significantly bolster Yanmar’s compact equipment offerings in the loader segment, a product range vital for success in the all-important North American market,” says Giuliano Parodi, Yanmar executive officer. “With its highly skilled workforce and quality CTL/SSL lineup, ASV is a great fit for both Yanmar’s focus on quality, and our growth and expansion plans in the North American and global markets.” ASV’s employee base, its manufacturing and distribution facility, international distribution and supply chain will create a strong platform for North American expansion and be a key part of Yanmar’s long-term international growth plans, say the two companies. ASV brings its CTL undercarriage technology to Yanmar, which should help it gain sales in the agricultural and landscape markets, as well as in construction. “The ASV product is complementary to the Yanmar portfolio of compact equipment, creating a comprehensive equipment solution for current and future customers.” says ASV Chairman and CEO Andrew Rooke. The acquisition, he says, will also give Yanmar its only manufacturing facility in North America – ASV’s factory in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Yanmar expects the acquisition to close in the third quarter of 2019,

subject to approval by ASV stockholders. The company will acquire 100 percent of ASV’s outstanding shares of common stock for $70.7 million, or $7.05 per share. That’s quite a bargain considering that Terex acquired ASV for $488 million in 2008, and Manitex bought 51 percent of the company from Terex for $125 million in 2014. ASV completed an initial public offering in May 2017. As of March 2019, the company ownership was 55 percent public, 34 percent Terex and 11 percent Manitex. According to a May 2019 inves-

tor presentation, ASV saw $127.6 million in net sales in fiscal year 2018 – 82 percent of which was in North America. It has 293 dealer/ rental locations. The MSRP for new ASV models ranges from $43,000 to $125,000, depending on features and capacity. The company also provides Caterpillar and others with undercarriages. Yanmar manufactures compact excavators, skid steers, CTLs, wheel loaders, tracked carriers, utility vehicles and utility tractors, as well as industrial and marine engines. –Tom Jackson and Marcia Doyle EquipmentWorld.com | August 2019

reporter |

staff report

A year after tornado,Vermeer builds new plant, expands 5 finalists chosen for Big Iron Dealer of Year Award

A rendering of Vermeer’s future Plant 7.

year after a tornado took out two plants at Vermeer’s campus in Pella, Iowa, the company is building a new plant, shop and Eco-Center that will add about 50 percent more space than existed before the tornado struck July 19, 2018. Vermeer is building a new Plant 7 that will connect to the original Plant 7 that was damaged and later repaired. It will replace plants 5 and 6, which spanned 360,000 square feet combined. The new plant will be 500,000 square feet and is expected to be completed in October 2020. The company also plans to complete its new 100,000-square-foot Shop 48 this September. The shop was named in honor of the year the company started and for the shop where Gary Vermeer worked on some of his early inventions that led to the company’s formation in 1948. The building will house engineering and research and development. The company has also broken ground on a new Eco-Center to be completed in January to process and manage waste at the company campus. And this fall, a “VermeerStrong” monument to the company’s resilience after the tornado will be erected. “The tornado was the greatest challenge Vermeer has ever faced,” said CEO Jason Andringa. “I am incredibly proud to say our team has turned it into an opportunity. Not only are we rebuilding what we had, but we’re becoming stronger than ever before.” –Don McLoud 10 August 2019 | EquipmentWorld.com

The following five dealers have been named finalists in Equipment World’s 2019 Big Iron Dealer of the Year Award: • Bejac Corporation, Placentia, California. Lines offered include Liebherr, Link-Belt Excavators, Komtech recycling, Diamond Z grinders, TimberPro forestry equipment and Genesis and Epiroc attachments. • Carolina Cat, Charlotte, North Carolina. In addition to Caterpillar, lines carried include Weiler paving and forestry, Peterson grinders, NorAm graders, Bagela asphalt recyclers, Genie and Skyjack aerial lifts, GOMACO pavers, Hydrema, Toro, and Marooka crawler carriers. • JESCO, South Plainfield, New Jersey. Authorized John Deere/Hitachi dealer, also carries Wirtgen Group, Ditch Witch, Sokkia, LeeBoy, Rosco, Indeco, Genesis, Doppstadt and Hydrema. • General Equipment & Supplies, Fargo, North Dakota. In addition to Komatsu, lines carried include ESCO, JCB, Kobelco, KPI-JCI, Link-Belt Cranes, Lippmann, Major Wire, NPK, Superior, Terex Cedar Rapids, Topcon, Trail King, Trimble and VEI. • Orange Power Group, doing business as Ditch Witch of Oklahoma, Arkansas and the Rockies, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The first Ditch Witch dealer in the Charles Machine Works organization, the company also carries Hammerhead moles, Subsite electronics, Yanmar excavators, and Interstate and Felling trailers. This award recognizes dealers for excellence in meeting customer needs, employing technology, and addressing the parts and service requirements of today’s contractors. Equipment World editors will visit each finalist, and the 2019 winner will be –Marcia Doyle announced in early fall.

The Honda EB2200i Industrial Series Inverter Generator. It’s Trusted Jobsite Power. Now packed with more features and 10% more power.*

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*10% more power at max load than the EB2000i Honda generator. Please read the owner’s manual before operating your Honda Power Equipment and never use in a closed or partly enclosed area where you could be exposed to odorless, poisonous carbon monoxide. Connection of a generator to house power requires a transfer device to avoid possible injury to power company personnel. Consult a qualified electrician. © 2019 American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

marketplace | by Don McLoud

| DMcLoud@randallreilly.com

SAVE WORKERS FROM TRENCH WITH REMOTECONTROL COMPACTOR Trenches can be dangerous. Running a compactor in a trench is even more dangerous. Husqvarna’s new LP 9505 remote-control trench compactor offers a way to keep workers out of harm’s way. Weighing 3,693 pounds, it enables compaction without vibration. It runs on a 24-horsepower Kubota engine. Articulated steering enables it to turn corners without churning up soil underfoot. The extra-wide, 1-inch-high drum pads provide traction in wet or dry cohesive soils. The drums measure 33.5 inches wide and 20.6 inches in diameter, and width extensions are available. The radio-actuated remote control is worn on a belt. The machine can run down a ramp into the trench or be placed with a crane. The fuel tank holds 7.9 gallons of diesel, enough for 8.6 hours of work.

EDITOR’S PICK

More power, less fuel

John Deere has introduced the next model of its 850 sizeclass bulldozer, which is bigger than its predecessor with more power, better fuel economy, a roomier cab and improved durability. The new 850L runs on a 225-horsepower Deere engine that provides a 10 percent increase in horsepower. Torque has increased by 23 percent to 831 pound-feet. The Eco mode reduces fuel consumption by up to 20 percent over the previous model. Standard auto-idle and auto-engine-shutdown provide further fuel savings.

Eliminate overdigging

The new 30-ton PC290LCi-11 excavator from Komatsu comes with intelligent Machine Control for 2D or 3D automated digging. iMC joysticks allow easy switching between semiautomatic and manual modes. In semiautomatic mode, the hydraulics take over and cut a pass to the design grade. This prevents the operator from deviating from the 3D topo map loaded into the excavator’s computer. The 12-inch display provides touch navigation and diagnostic information. The excavator runs on a 196-horsepower Komatsu engine. EquipmentWorld.com | August 2019 13

marketplace

| continued

Dig in tight spaces

Doosan has three new compact excavator models: the 3.5-ton DX35-5, the 4-ton DX42-5 and the 5-ton DX50-5. The DX355 becomes the company’s smallest compact excavator and features zero tail swing for congested jobsites and working close to objects or buildings. The excavator features a dual

flange track roller system for higher over-the-side digging capacity and a smooth ride. The DX42-5 has a conventional tail swing. The DX50-5 has less than 1 inch of tail overhang, allowing operators to work in tight spaces with more digging performance.

Boosting towing power, payload

Shorter tail swing and more power

Bobcat’s new UV34 and UV34XL UTVs are powered by a 23.5-horsepower diesel engine and have 1,250 pounds of load capacity. Rated payload on the UV34 is 1,900 pounds, while the UV34XL has 2,075 pounds of capacity. The company has upped towing capacity by 25 percent to 2,500 pounds, for light-duty trailers. Maximum travel speed is 35 mph. A new chassis and an enhanced suspension system improve ride quality and comfort. The new chassis also increases ground clearance and off-road capability. The cab has new seats with extra padding.

Kobelco’s new mid-size SR-Series excavator models offer short rear-swing capabilities and increased power. Both machines run on a 70-horsepower, turbocharged Yanmar diesel engine that achieves Tier 4 Final requirements without diesel exhaust fluid, and boosts power by 28 percent. Lifting capacity on the SK75SR-7 is 3,320 pounds, a 27 percent increase over the SK75SR-3E. The SK85CS-7 has 3,570 pounds of capacity, an 18 percent increase over the SK85CS-3E. Bucket digging force has increased 37 percent on both models to 14,070 pounds.

These product introductions are just a few of the many featured regularly on equipmentworld.com. 14 August 2019 | EquipmentWorld.com

“BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE.” THREE GENERATIONS. “At Selge Construction, we’re a family business. My son-in-law and even grandson are involved and interested in this great occupation. I’ve built a good name in our marketplace with a reputation for quality work and integrity in the way we do business. And I choose Komatsu because they match my values. Their excavators help my crews and family carry on our goals: to provide the best job for an honest price. It’s these and many other reasons why Komatsu works for us!”

Marv Selge (with Noah & Justin) / Selge Construction, Inc. / Niles, MI

That’s why I am Komatsu komatsuamerica.com

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used equipment report

Used equipment: a stellar market softens…a bit

An aerial shot of Ritchie Bros. recordbreaking heavyequipment auction in February in Orlando, Florida.

by Marcia Doyle, Wayne Grayson, Tom Jackson and Don McLoud

lthough the used equipment market has been steady, it doesn’t mean there won’t be softer prices ahead, especially compared with 12 months ago.

“It’s still a strong market, even though it’s not as good as last year,” says Michael Cole with Cole Equipment, a used equipment dealer in Ada, Oklahoma. “The low-hour machines will still bring a premium, but there’s

a lot of three- to five-year-old tractors out there in rental fleets, especially dealer rental fleets, that weren’t supposed to be around that long,” says Dennis Howard, vice president fleet and remarketing with Deere dealer RDO EquipEquipmentWorld.com | August 2019 17

used equipment report | continued

Top financed used models YTD

Equipment World looked at the financed used equipment sales from June 1, 2018 to May 31, 2019 to determine the top used models by number of units sold for eight types of machines. These numbers come from EDA, a division of Randall-Reilly, parent company of Equipment World.

Top financed used compact track loaders 1. Cat 259D 2. Bobcat T650 3. Bobcat T590 4. Bobcat T190 5. Kubota SVL75-2

18 August 2019 | EquipmentWorld.com

Top financed used skid steers 1. Kubota SSV75 2. Bobcat S650 3. Bobcat S185 4. Cat 262D 5. Kubota SSV65

Top financed used compact excavators 1. Cat 308E2 CR SB 2. Bobcat E35 3. Kubota KX040-4 4. Deere 35G 5. Cat 305E2 CR

Top financed used excavators 1. Deere 210G LC 2. Cat 320E L 3. Cat 336E L 4. Cat 336F L 5. Deere 350G LC

ment. “We’ll see that category start showing up on the market in the next three to six months and getting softer prices.” Others have a slightly different perspective. Josh Alters, director of remarketing at Komatsu, says he’s seen the used equipment market experience a small increase this year. “It has even exceeded our expectations slightly,” he says. Thanks to a booming economy, the current demand for used equipment is high and the supply of good machines somewhat limited, Alters says. “The energy sector – oil and gas – is still very strong, and we’re seeing some strengths in segments of the housing market as well,” he says. Availability would be even more constrained and prices for used equipment higher, except that the leasing companies and equipment rental fleets have put a lot of good low-hour used equipment into the market over the last two years, he says.

Upstream The used equipment market is a downstream market, and three upstream forces are currently affecting it. They are the continuing difficulty in getting some types of new equipment, the number of

“It’s still a strong market, even though it’s not as good as last year.” –Michael Cole, Cole Equipment

Inspectors with Bidadoo online auctioneer check out used equipment before it goes up for sale.

Top financed used wheel loaders 1. Deere 544K 2. Deere 624K 3. Cat 924K 4. Deere 644K 5. Cat 930K

Top financed used dozers 1. Cat D8T 2. Deere 450J 3. Deere 850K 4. Cat D6T XL 5. Deere 650J

Top financed articulated haulers 1. Cat 740B 2. Volvo A40G 3. Cat 745C 4. Cat 725 5. Cat 730

Top financed backhoes 1. Case 580 Super N 2. Deere 310J 3. Cat 420F 4. Deere 310SK 5. Case 580 Super M

EquipmentWorld.com | August 2019 19

used equipment report | continued Non-Tier 4 holds buyer appeal

“With the rising cost of new equipment and the feeling we could be getting closer to the end of the economic cycle, some are hesitant to bite off a big acquisition right now and are looking to the used market and rentals to fill their shortterm needs.” –Kenneth Tysinger with May Equipment

machines coming off lease and the impact of the rental market. One of the biggest drivers of used equipment pricing is the availability of new equipment, says Nick Yates, used equipment sales and operations manager for Caterpillar. When new equipment availability is limited, used prices increase as customers have to fulfill needs with a machine as soon as possible, he says. “Longer lead times for new equipment certainly created increased demand for used equipment,” says Kenneth Tysinger with May Equipment, a Hyundai and Bell Equipment dealer with 13 locations in North Carolina and South Carolina. “With the rising cost of new equipment and the feeling we could be getting closer to the end of the economic cycle, some are hesitant to bite off a big acquisition right now and are looking to the used market and rentals to fill their short-term needs.” Used equipment prices may be softening, but it’s hard to pinpoint why, says Mike Lester, vice president of Groff Tractor, a Case dealer headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. “The market’s good, the economy’s good. There’s a shortage of new equipment right 20 August 2019 | EquipmentWorld.com

now, but why are prices softer?” Perhaps one reason is that shorter-term lease programs – some as short as 12 months – were popular in the past few years, and that equipment is now coming off lease. “Last year we had new equipment leases going out the door left and right,” Tysinger says, “but the banks and lenders have backed off the 12- and 24-month programs.” Longer lease cycles affect the availability of equipment in the used marketplace. “We’re seeing more of an impact from leasing than from rental,” Howard says. After the lease is over, large fleets such as pipeline customers will return machines included in large lease agreements. Finance companies, however, have not seen an increase in leased equipment returning to the market – at least, not yet. “We haven’t seen the two-year leases come back yet,” says Steven Nenn with Wells Fargo Finance. “I don’t think we’re there yet.” (For more on the financing side of the used market, go to page 28.)

What’s hot, what’s not “Anything in the system with low hours in relation to years in service has sold very well,” says Doug

ier 3 and older equipment still hold their appeal, especially for users who don’t want to – and don’t have to – deal with the complications of emissions technology. “Small contractors still like to work on their equipment, and that makes it difficult for some to purchase new,” says Michael Cole with Cole Equipment. “It’s also prompted some rebuilding.” “A lot of people today just don’t want to deal with Tier 4, so they are sticking with Tier 3 units,” says Groff Tractor’s Mike Lester. A few years ago, the suitability of used Tier 4 Final machines for export was a hot topic, since those machines and their requirement for ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel can’t be used in many less-developed countries. But so far it hasn’t been much of an issue, Komatsu’s Josh Alters says. “Because of the strong demand for Tier 4 Final machines in this country, there hasn’t been the need to export,” he says. And when those machines do get sold into less-regulated countries, most major OEMs offer de-tiering kits to allow them to operate with the higher-sulfur fuel.” Doug Olive with Ritchie Bros. says he doesn’t anticipate that sentiment toward Tier 4 machines to die as long as older machines are still an option. Ultimately, however, as engine technology continues to evolve, contractors will rely more on the dealers and manufacturers for service than their own mechanics. “It’ll be a thing for as long as you can find [Tier 3] machines in the marketplace,” Olive says. “They’re getting fewer and fewer, but there are still older machines out there with 5,000 hours but in good condition.”

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used equipment report | continued Olive, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers vice president of pricing and valuations. “On top of that, some of the pre-emissions-regulation equipment with lower hours has really held its price.” “Excavators, wheel loaders, really anything with more than 6,000 hours, we’ve seen some softening in pricing on those assets,” Olive says. “As newer equipment eases up a bit, there’s more offerings in the marketplace, and contractors don’t have to chase the high-hour stuff as hard.” For those looking to sell, Howard says, the value of low-hour used excavators will continue to hold steady, especially because of continuing new machine availability issues. “The used equipment market ebbs and flows, though,” Howard says. “One month we’ll see a high demand for articulated dump trucks, and next month, we’ll see a high demand for dozers.”

“The used equipment market ebbs and flows. One month we’ll see a high demand for articulated dump trucks, and next month, we’ll see a high demand for dozers.” –Dennis Howard, vice president fleet and remarketing with RDO Equipment

“Excavators are holding their own,” Lester says. “Backhoes are dropping in price, but I think that’s more because the industry is getting away from using backhoes in favor of mini excavators and compact track loaders.” “There is a shortage of articulated trucks,” Tysinger says. “We’ve got 75 of them in our fleet, and every one is out on rent.” Tysinger also sees customers putting 24 to 30 months longer on dozers

than normal, in part to avoid higher new machine costs. “Once they do come on the market, they’ve got more hours on them, and it’s softened up their value.” “Large dozers, mid-sized excavators and articulated-truck prices have held up over the past year simply due to supply and demand factors,” Tysinger adds. “Mid-size to smaller dozers, larger excavators over 45 tons and single-drumcompactor values are down.”

Don’t make these mistakes when buying used equipment

Used equipment experts point out some of the traps that lead to bad purchases: Not using available telematics. Examine the information available through machine telematics, says Dennis Howard with RDO Equipment. “This will tell you if it’s had a major warranty or component failure,” he says. “All the major manufacturers have that ability. A lot of times people will get excited about what looks like a deal, and if they did their homework, they could save themselves a lot of money.”

“A reputable dealer will do all the leg work for you and bring you back options. It just saves you a lot of time and afterpurchase headaches.” Tysinger also points to using members of the Independent Equipment Dealers Association, which vets all members. “Trust is the most important part of any used equipment buying,” he says.

Not realizing that no two used machines are alike. Two 2,000-hour machines of the same model could have vastly different wear when they reach the used market. “It’s all about condition and really understanding what you’re buying,” Howard says.

Not considering what else you can package with the deal. Look at adding an extended warranty, maintenance agreement and telematics service along with the price, says Groff Tractor’s Mike Lester. “Sometimes used equipment buyers become such a price-point buyer they forget about all the benefits a dealer can offer,” Lester says. “People always want their machines to run 100 percent of the time. They can get a lot of peace of mind when they buy these things, and they don’t add that much to your payment.”

Going outside the used equipment suppliers you know and trust. “As a contractor, you have a banker, lawyer and insurance agent, all experts in their field,” says May Equipment’s Kenneth Tysinger. “The worst thing you can do is look at random equipment on the internet and then call up someone you’ve never done business with,” he says.

Not having an overall fleet strategy. Strategic planning should drive selling and buying activities, says Bidadoo’s Howard Hawk. “Contractors often think about their immediate needs and don’t consider key factors that influence resale values, such as brand, specifications, age, color, etc.,” he says.

22 August 2019 | EquipmentWorld.com

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used equipment report | continued Auction perspective Ritchie Bros. is six months removed from its most successful auction ever, selling a record-breaking $297 million worth of used equipment during its Orlando, Florida, sale. The auction fueled a 17 percent increase in revenue for the company’s first quarter, to $303.4 million. And through the end of the year, there’s not going to be much of a tail-off, says Olive. “Thus far in quarter 2, we’ve seen a strong presence at our sales, both on-site and online. We expect that to continue,” Olive says. “Auction prices are for the most part on par with what we’ve seen in the past six to 12 months, adjusting for age and condition,” says Raffi Aharonian, managing director of Rouse Appraisals, a division of Rouse Services. “There’s been moderation in some heavier earthmoving equipment valuations, ranging from 2 to 5 percent, depending on the product, but we haven’t been able to tie that to anything in particular,” Aharonian continues. “Overall auction volumes have increased on a year-over-year basis, so it may be just a matter of market absorption.” Neil McIlwaine, business development manager at auction company Yoder & Frey, says a number of factors are contributing to used equipment price sensitivity. “We’re finding there is generally a surplus of larger equipment from two to five years old, often with high hours, such as 20- and 30-ton excavators,” he says. The surpluses, and the price softening, stem from a number of recently completed large-scale infrastructure projects, he says. The rebuilding of new-equipment inventory has also made used equipment buyers more selective. “It really is a buyer’s market out there,” McIlwaine says. “They’re spending more time securing an asset that is better suited for their needs for upcoming projects, 24 August 2019 | EquipmentWorld.com

“We’ve been riding some near all-time highs in terms of used equipment recoveries. This year is up against a tough comp.” – Raffi Aharonian, managing director of Rouse Appraisals

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used equipment report | continued something with fewer hours than they may have bought before, or less wear and tear, or an improved condition to what they’re used to in the past.” There is still some high-demand equipment, says McIlwaine, but it is mostly niche machines and big machines. “Material processing equipment is in high demand. The quarries and the mining companies are asking us to alert them whenever specific used crushers or screens are made available through the auction,” he says. But as buyers have become more sophisticated, sales prices have fewer wide fluctuations, says Howard Hawk, president of online auction site Bidadoo. “The retail price and the wholesale price used to be the two bookends,” he says. “You’ve seen an enormous collapse of that price stratification over time. So there’s really not that much price stratification between retail, wholesale, export and auction any longer.”

The rental factor A key driver of used equipment supply is what’s coming out of rental fleets. The Rental Penetration Index, used by the American Rental Association to show the percentage of construction equipment in the United States owned by rental companies, is currently at 53.5 percent. The index has been above 52 percent since 2016. Some of Bidadoo’s rental company

“The energy sector – oil and gas – is still very strong, and we’re seeing some strengths in segments of the housing market as well.” –Josh Alters, director of remarketing at Komatsu

clients expect to double or triple their budgets for fleet disposal in the next few years if economic forces hold steady, says Hawk. “Rental rates, demand and utilization rates are still pretty strong, but you can definitely see the growth flattening out,” he says. “Utilization rates are beginning to soften up a bit from the red-hot pace of the last couple of years, meaning the fleet companies will look toward increased used equipment sales.” Rental firms hold a unique position in the used equipment market. Since a rental firm’s value proposition includes providing new or low-hour equipment, it typically only sells used equipment. With auction companies primarily providing selling services, most other players in the used equipment market – OEM and independent dealers, brokers, wholesalers, even end users – both buy and sell. Because of the sheer number of

“Rental rates, demand and utilization rates are still pretty strong, but you can definitely see the growth flattening out.” –Howard Hawk, president of Bidadoo online auction firm

26 August 2019 | EquipmentWorld.com

machines they buy, rental fleets in turn produce major used equipment inventories. A critical component of a rental firm’s revenue structure is how much return it gets on disposing used assets, whether directly selling them to end users or using third-party sellers such as auction companies. Other avenues include trade-in packages with manufactures and using wholesalers. Last year, for example, United Rentals said it sold more than 16,000 products. The company supports these sales with a United Guard extended warranty and in-house financing and offers a servicing program that provides inspections, PM programs and repairs by United Rentals technicians. “To get an indication of what will eventually come downstream to the used equipment market, look at rental utilization rates,” says Aharonian. This is an indicator of equipment demand, equipment that typically makes its way into the used market.

Going forward If you just look on a year-over-year basis, today’s used equipment environment can seem flat to moderately down, but those numbers should be put in context. “We’ve been riding some near all-time highs in terms of used equipment recoveries,” Aharonian says. “This year is up against a tough comp.”

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Lenders continue to see good times for used equipment loans

Tips for seeking a loan

by Don McLoud

enders are seeing another “They’ve seen a slight uptick in sales busy year in financing year over year, and that tends to trickle used construction equipdown into our portfolio,” he says. ment, with loan applicaLeasing used equipment still remains tions and approvals keepuncommon; however, Fikis has seen ing pace with 2018. a slight increase in 2019. “It’s “Both years have been very still not typical, but it’s a little good, both for contractors and more frequent than in years the industry in general,” says past.” He attributes this to conSteven Nenn, regional sales tractors focusing more on total manager, Central Region of the cost of ownership and allocatConstruction Group of Wells ing their fleet to specific jobs. Fargo Equipment Finance. Komatsu is willing to write Steven Nenn “When the industry is strong leases for its K Care Certified that trickles into the used equipment used equipment, which has met strict market as well.” maintenance requirements and inspecBacklogs on new equipment, tions. which played a role in last year’s Aaron Wetzel, John Deere senior vice used equipment market, continue to president of global sales and markethelp drive demand in 2019, ing, says the company expects Nenn says. “It’s still a pretty the trend of increased used long wait. I haven’t seen it equipment sales and financing come down yet.” to continue. Those good times extend “Looking ahead, we are to borrowers making timely already seeing some industry payments on their loans. “The trends that are impacting the default rate is almost immeabroader equipment category,” Rich Fikis surable,” Nenn says. “These he says. “For example, conare very good times.” tractor backlogs are extending out Rich Fikis, president of Komatsu six months, and there is a demand Financial, reports a steady flow of used for both new and used construction equipment loans driven by the comequipment driven by trends, including pany’s equipment remarketing group. infrastructure, oil and gas.” 28 August 2019 | EquipmentWorld.com

hen it comes to seeking a loan for purchasing used equipment, lenders are interested in the same things as contractors, says Steven Nenn of Wells Fargo Equipment Finance. Such information includes clear title to the machine, past use and maintenance of the equipment, and machine hours. When examining loan offers, Nenn recommends making sure the contract states the interest rate; finding out if there are penalties for paying off the loan early; and examining the lender’s reputation, including for customer service. Mark Bainbridge, executive vice president of Cat Financial, says you should expect shorter terms, higher rates and, in some cases, larger downpayments, for used equipment financing. He also recommends adding extended protection plans or service agreements with the financing to help manage unexpected repairs and expenses that are more common with used equipment. If a contractor’s credit score has taken a hit, Nenn suggests explaining to the lender what happened to cause the credit ding, what’s been done about it, what jobs are lined up and why the equipment is needed. And if your business hits hard times, Nenn says, keep your lender informed. “If you’re afraid to call them back and let them know there’s a problem, the lender is going to assume the worst.”

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BACKHOE machine matters

| by Richard Ries

BOUNCE-BACK?

A factory-installed thumb is available on all Case N Series backhoes equipped with Extendahoe. Those with S-Type and H-Type transmissions have Direct Drive as an upgrade to Case PowerDrive. Direct Drive engages the engine and transmission directly for improved gradeability, faster roading speeds and improved fuel economy.

OEMs declare rebound underway with improved features, value, versatility

ackhoes are on a rebound, manufacturers say. They declare that the reduction in model counts and sales figures is over, and the loss of market share to compact excavators and other upstarts is history. Backhoes are not just making a comeback, they say. They’re bringing improved features, value and versatility. It would seem backhoes are emerging from a prolonged and costly battle of defending themselves against an onslaught from other equipment, most notably compact versions of excavators and wheel loaders. But Ed Brenton, Case product marketing manager, offers a different perspective. “The engineering work that goes into backhoes isn’t meant to defend the segment against other products. It’s done to keep evolving and improving a unique product platform to bring added value to core users who will always rely 30 August 2019 | EquipmentWorld.com

on backhoes.” Among these core users, says Brenton, are owneroperators, utilities, public works and infrastructure contractors.

New directions The 440 and 450 are the newest models from Caterpillar. Dustin Adams, backhoe loader specialist with Cat, says they provide previews of the direction the company will be taking with models 415 through 430 as they come up for refreshing. Overall performance has been enhanced, and numbers that define why backhoes are bought. Boom lift is up 15 percent on the 450 and 25 percent on the 440 from previous versions. Other areas of improvement include stabilizers and hydraulic cylinders. Primary weight balance has been improved to minimize porpoising while roading. John Deere’s Lift Mode – found on the 310SL HL, 410L and 710L models – provides a 10 to 15 percent boost at the rear for such tasks as lifting and craning. An-

other feature on Deere backhoes is momentary MFWD (mechanical front-wheel drive). This provides 4-wheel drive while the button is held. The machine is free of the parasitic loads and increased front tire wear of 4WD at other times. Deere’s JDLink provides a wealth of data. While many owners are happy to monitor that information themselves, others sign up with a growing number of dealers offering optional in-depth analysis. “Top-of-mind awareness for the customer is reliability,” says Brian Hennings, product marketing manager at Deere, “and machine monitoring is essential for that.”

The middle of Kubotaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s three-model backhoe lineup is the L47 with 2,848 pounds of lift capacity and a 10-foot, 1-inch dig depth. A front axle differential lock and standard 4-wheel drive ensure performance in various conditions. The slanted boom and hood design enhances visibility for improved safety and faster attachment changes.

EquipmentWorld.com | August 2019 31

machine matters

Joysticks evolve Diego Butzke, product manager at JCB, says manufacturers have used the technology necessary to meet emissions standards to provide a host of other features, including electrohydraulic joysticks. “Tier 2 and 3 machines were mostly mechanical. Yes, they had joysticks, but they were of pilot-control design.” Electronics were required to meet Tier 4 restrictions, and advances in electronics opened the door for other features. He notes that JCB has had seat-mounted EH joysticks since 2007. Adams says electrohydraulic joysticks are the enabling technology for far more features than in the past. While EH joysticks have been around for a while, they were initially used only on some circuits or for some functions. 32 August 2019 | EquipmentWorld.com

| continued

The Cat 450 is powered by a Cat C4.4 ACERT engine rated at 131 net horsepower. The load-sensing piston pump provides full lifting and digging forces at any engine speed. An all-new Cat integrated toolcarrier (IT coupler) for single tilt loader arm configurations is available from the factory or as a field-install upgrade. Today’s joysticks are more fully evolved and more fully implemented. These days, most joysticks are seat-mounted and move with the seat. As is typical, Cat mounts the loader controls on the right side and the backhoe controls on the left. Which joystick is active depends on which direction the seat faces. But Cat also provides a dual mode, allowing both joysticks to be active in any seat position.

Default is dual mode off, and it takes a deliberate effort to engage dual mode, to minimize the risk of unintentional deployment. To tailor controls to operator preference and site conditions, Cat joysticks provide fast-medium-slow response rates and coarse or fine control. A fast/coarse combination would work well for loading, for example, while medium/fine would be good for grading. Settings are made via the soft-touch buttons on the in-cab control panel. While engine output, geometry and other design features are important, “in the end, it all comes down to hydraulics,” says Joe Boufford, product marketing specialist at New Holland. “Powerful hydraulic pumps, efficient flow and an engine optimized for

hydraulic performance are the critical factors.” Pilot control provides an easy, intuitive means for controlling hydraulic power. Butzke says hydraulics and the associated controls are the keys to operation, and engine output is almost irrelevant. Even so, he says, one element of engine design is crucial to profit and production: emissions compliance methodology. “Our 2002 engine design was created with Tier 4 Final in mind,” says Butzke. “There’s no aftertreatment needed on JCB engines up to 74 horsepower, and engines above 75 horsepower require only DEF [diesel exhaust fluid]. Importantly, none of our backhoes requires a DPF [diesel particulate filter].” He says other manufacturers resort to DPF on high-output engines out of necessity. “Aftertreatment becomes a factor if it increases downtime to accomplish regen or costly filter replacement.”

Operator environment Brenton points out that “maybe more so than with any other product line, backhoes take an automotive approach to operator comfort.” Case has new cushioning on its air-ride seats and new premium-level heated, air-suspension seats with multi-colored, hand-stitched fabric. Drivetrain improvements yield an automotive feel and response, “which is especially important for owners who do a considerable amount of roading of their backhoes.” The two Super models in the JCB lineup have heated, air-suspension The Deere 310SL HL has a 15-foot, 1-inch dig depth and is powered by a John Deere 4.5-liter engine rated at 110 net peak horsepower. A Deere PowerShift transmission is standard. L Series pilot towers provide more legroom and additional space for moving between loader and backhoe operations.

seats as standard equipment. Floors are composite rather than a rubber mat over steel, making cleanout easier. A storage box in the cab is cooled with an air conditioning vent, and JCB even offers a coffee maker option. “The take rate is low, but it demonstrates our commitment to operator comfort,” says Butzke. A block heater is standard on all models with cabs, and an auto preheat feature uses a 110-volt current to warm both the engine and the cab prior to startup. On the M62 and L47, Kubota mounted the IntelliPanel instrument panel on the right-side fender where it can be viewed with a glance from either operator’s position. “There’s no need to turn 180 degrees while operating the backhoe to see such things as fuel level, engine rpm or operating temperatures,” says Jeff Jacobsmeyer, construction equipment product manager at Kubota. New Holland C Series backhoes

EquipmentWorld.com | August 2019 33

machine matters

feature intuitive loader levers and improved storage. “Performance isn’t tied to just the machine’s performance,” says Boufford. “It also depends on the operator’s ability, so minimizing fatigue and maximizing comfort are key considerations.”

Workstations The loader joystick on Case backhoes has three new switches. A declutch trigger simplifies operations for repetitive tasks, such as loading trucks. A roller/rocker switch with a detent can be locked in the forward position for use with attachments such as brooms and snowblowers. And a new F-N-R switch provides quick, easy directional changes while the operator’s hand remains on the joystick. Case added enhanced roller switches on the backhoe joystick to provide more intuitive control and better metering of the auxiliary hydraulics and the Extendahoe feature. Caterpillar offers integrated toolcarrier couplings on the loader end and either hydraulic or mechanical couplings on the rear, depending on the model. Electronic loader controls use positional sensors to effectively 36 August 2019 | EquipmentWorld.com

| continued

JCB offers a different take on its backhoe legacy with its new to the North American market 1CXT model. Less than 6 feet wide and only 7 feet 6 inches high, transport weight is under 10,000 pounds. A universal quick hitch is compatible with most skid steer attachments, and an optional handheld tool auxiliary circuit can be used to power a range of tools such as chain saws, hammers and shears. provide parallel lift from a single-tilt machine. As mentioned, Cat’s dual control feature allows both joysticks to be active regardless of seat position. Examples of how this would work would be to lower the boom for clearance while in the forward position or to raise the loader bucket from the rear operator’s station to reposition the machine while trenching. JCB uses four cylinders on the loader, for arm up and down and for bucket tilt and dump. Butzke says this yields higher breakout forces, and the lack of a center cylinder improves operator visibility. On the rear, the boom and dipper are the same length. This allows the bucket to get up to 3 feet closer to the cab than with a boom and dipper of unequal lengths, and it reduces the amount of

repositioning required during trenching, all without the cost and complexity of an extendable boom. The loader grip on John Deere machines can enable a quick-shift mode that drops one gear and quickly upshifts again. This is handy for such applications as loading and stockpiling. Pressing a button enables thumb roller control of a multipurpose bucket. There’s also a proportional auxiliary roller control at the rear. The 310SL HL, 410L and 710L models sport integrated fingertip controls that eliminate floor controls. A trimmer pilot tower, which opens up more cab space, is among the design changes for L Series models. Kubota M62 and L47 now accept certain Kubota compact excavator buckets. Both models also feature a lever-actuated backhoe crawling mode to allow creeping forward or backward while the operator remains at the backhoe control station.

One thing What one thing do OEMs think differentiates their backhoes from others? Case PowerLift made big improvements to the lift and craning capabilities of the company’s backhoes,

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machine matters

says Case. It took the same approach in developing PowerBoost, which provides a momentary increase in hydraulic power. It does this with no reduction in engine rpm, which would affect speed and cycle times. PowerBoost is controlled by a button on the left-hand joystick and helps when encountering areas of heavy roots or rock or when making initial break-through on frozen ground. Caterpillar focuses on electrohydraulics as the key to future features. The backhoe loader has been a utility machine for a long time, and Cat wants to enhance its value and versatility. Although the feature set is robust now, there is more to come. Even so, EH will not become universal. There will always be a place for machines with pilot or perhaps even mechanical controls, such as for rental and entry-level customers. While other OEMs stress hydraulics over engines, Hennings says, Deere pays a great deal of attention to engines as â&#x20AC;&#x153;the heart of every 38 August 2019 | EquipmentWorld.com

| continued

The New Holland B95C has a maximum dig depth of 14 feet 6 inches and backhoe bucket digging force of up to 12,969 pounds. Loader breakout force is up to 14,712 pounds and loader lift capacity is 11,118 pounds. The loader maintains its rated lift capacity to full height. Power comes from an FPT 3.4-liter engine rated at 97 net horsepower. backhoe.â&#x20AC;? All but the 310L EP use a 4.5-liter John Deere engine with wet-sleeve design and replaceable liners for greater durability and enhanced cooling. The 310L EP runs on a 3.3-liter Yanmar engine rated at 69 horsepower. The Tier 4 Interim engine meets Tier 4 Final guidelines through emissions credits. The 310L EP provides customers with a lowercost, simpler model that requires no aftertreatment system. JCB has brought innovation to both ends of the backhoe market with the 1CXT, 3CX Compact and 4CX-15 Super. The 1CXT is a tracked version of the 1CX, which was introduced in 1991 but is not

available in the North American market. Its small size provides excellent maneuverability, while the tracks give better flotation and traction with lower ground disturbance. The 3CX Compact also fits confined spaces. It has a top speed of 25 mph and is compatible with skid steer attachments. The 4CX-15 Super has four equal-sized wheels like a wheel loader and features three-mode, all-wheel steering. Kubota models offer the ability to remove the backhoe and install a three-point hitch. This allows such hitch-mounted accessories as box blades, angle blades and mowers. Kubota refers to its backhoe loaders as tractor loader backhoes (TLBs), and this ability to install a threepoint hitch together with a standard independent rear PTO shows its commitment to retaining the tractor-oriented characteristics of its models. The Kubota website provides a link to a list of nearly 250 Land Pride performance-matched attachments and implements, from aerators to wood chippers.

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SKID STEERS COMP side by side

| by Tom Jackson |

TJackson@randallreilly.com

uch ink has been spilled detailing the pros and cons of skid steers and compact track loaders over the years. But if arguments over the differences have you tied up in knots, Trevor Chase, product and application specialist at Caterpillar, wants you to know something: Both types of machine dig, grade, move materials, run attachments and load trucks. “Either can be used in any application, and our customers are constantly finding new applications and new ways to use them,” he says.

In other words, it’s not so much which machine has the best specs. It’s how you use it and which machine will make you the most profit. Chase says you can’t go wrong either way. It’s just a matter of making allowances for the relative strengths and weaknesses of each machine. Chase gives an example from his previous career as a landscape contractor. He started out with a less expensive skid steer, but after a year he realized he could have bought a CTL for what he was paying to repair sunken sod caused by the skid steer’s rubber tires.

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Skid steers started a revolution in the earthmoving business, and they’re still as relevant as ever, offering low costs and high productivity. 40 August 2019 | EquipmentWorld.com

PACT TRACK LOADERS It’s not the machine, it’s what you do with it The market tells tales One telling statistic in the marketplace is how the percentages of each machine sold have changed. As little as five years ago, 60 percent of sales went to skid steers and 40 percent to CTLs, says Gregg Zupancic, product marketing manager for skid steers and CTLs at Deere. Today the numbers have flipped, with CTLs at 60 percent and skid steers at 40 percent, he says. Landscapers have long sung the praises of CTLs and their turf-friendly low ground pressure. So the big jump in sales for CTLs may likely be due to their increased adoption by contractors engaged in construction applications. “Customers are clearly starting to understand some of the value they get when they spend $15,000 or $20,000 more for a CTL,” says Zupancic. “They are heavier, and they can push off better because of that weight, and they can lift more.” With two long tracks on the ground, they offer more traction, which can be used for more efficient dozing. The weight, the width of the undercarriage and the track length also help stabilize a CTL, says Chase, particularly on slopes. They deliver a smoother ride, it’s more comfortable for the operator, and you get better material retention in the bucket. That stability has brought CTLs to the attention of nontraditional users, such as paving contractors, Chase says. “You might be sweeping up millings, running a broom attachment or a cold-planning attachment. Doing that in a CTL, you’re going to get a more

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Radial lift machines have greater bucket breakout force and mid-height reach.

EquipmentWorld.com | August 2019 41

side by side

| continued

stable feeling than with a rubber tire machine.” Then there are the CTLs’ turffriendliness and all-weather capabilities. “They pretty much guarantee that you can operate in any conditions, like muddy jobsites, and skid steer loaders can’t do that,” says Zupancic. “With a CTL, you can go to the jobsite after a rain, and you still have a chance of being able to run on that day.”

Skid steer benefits While CTLs may be the first choice of landscapers and the darlings of the construction world these days, that’s not to say you should just ignore the many merits of a skid steer loader. First, they are less expensive, by as much as $15,000 to $20,000. And they cost less to maintain. A set of four new tires might set you back $1,500 to $2,000, compared to around $4,000 for a new set of tracks. This can be especially important in harsh applications like recycling, scrap yards and demolition where the lives of tracks and tires are shorter than average. With tires you also have an interesting variety of options, says Zupancic, including solid tires, foam-filled tires and run-flat’s like Michelin’s Tweel. And with a CTL, you will eventually have undercarriage maintenance to contend with, which adds to the owning and operating costs. You can also move a lot faster in a skid steer. Top travel speeds hit close to 12 mph. CTLs at best top out at around 9 mph. And skid steers counter-rotate much easier, giving you better maneuverability in tight spaces. In other words, if you’re in a hurry or on a crowded site, the skid steer is your run-andgun choice. With a ground pressure of 35 to 45 pounds per square inch, skid steers can actually give you some 42 August 2019 | EquipmentWorld.com

Takeuchi TS 80R2

Their ability to counter-rotate and their high travel speeds make skid steers an excellent choice for run-and-gun operations.

Takeuchi TL6R

A long length of track on the ground gives CTLs great stability, enabling them to pick up and move full buckets of material with ease.

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side by side

| continued

compaction if that’s needed. And all that weight is transferred to the ground on four tire contact patches that aren’t much bigger than 4-by-5 inches or so. This can be better for pushing snow, although CTLs are also capable snow machines. Skid steers have a higher ground clearance, generally, which makes them easier to get on a trailer with a steep ramp. And being lighter, they’re easier to transport. “While CTLs have become the machine of choice, skid steers are still a good option for anybody,” says Chase. It can be an owner-operator purchasing his first machine or a company purchasing its 10th machine, they still have a place.

Weight balance A typical skid steer with an empty bucket will have about 70 percent of its weight in the rear and 30 percent up front. Load the bucket and that quickly evens out to 50/50, so both sets of wheels have the same traction or downforce. The heavy rear end gives skid steers that easier counter-rotation as well, says Zupancic, since the front tires tend to skim across the surface when the bucket is unloaded. But the heavy rear end also limits how steep a slope you can tackle.

CTLs come closer to a 50/50 weight balance, which helps with stability on slopes. And with their long length of track on the ground, travel and ride aren’t as affected by a full bucket as it is with a skid steer. The CTL’s long track footprint also enables it to carry heavier loads, although with some skid steers, you can get counter-weight packages that will allow them to carry heavier loads.

Vertical vs radial lift Both machine types come in radial and vertical lift versions. Radial lift loader designs offer greater bucket breakout and lift-arm forces and have more mid-height reach, enabling them to excel at grading and dirt work, says Lee Padgett, Takeuchi-U.S. product manager. Vertical lift machines have higher rated operating capacities, more dump height reach and greater hinge pin height, making them better suited for load-andcarry operations, he says. As the bucket rises from the ground in a radial lift machine, it swings in a slight arc because of simple geometry of the boom on its pivot point, says Zupancic. So the bucket moves away from you in the middle of its lifting range and becomes slightly less

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stable. While you can’t get quite as close to a truck for loading applications, when the bucket is resting on the ground it is closer to the operator in the cab. This improves visibility and gives you more leverage when prying up rocks, stumps or concrete slabs. Vertical lift, on the other hand, has an upper and lower link on the boom that enables the bucket to rise in a straight line. Its more stable, generally reaches higher and lets you get closer to the truck and dump more in the middle of the truck bed. That being said, today, 70 to 80 percent of skid steers and CTLs are ordered with vertical lift, says Zupancic. And typically, all the big machines are ordered with vertical lift booms. “What drives that is customers want to have assurance that they can load trucks efficiently,” he says. The height difference between the two designs is not a lot, about a foot or so. If you want the height of a vertical lift machine but are constrained by budget, you can always build a small ramp for your CTL or skid steer to load from.

Hydraulic power “We see new attachments come on the market every year, and we invest a huge amount of resources devel-

oping our own OEM work tools,” says Chase. “A lot of those new attachments tend to be the high horsepower tools like cold planers, mulchers, brush cutters – doing things that equipment could never do before. The high horsepower attachments are in particularly high demand in the land management business, forestry, railroad right of way, power line access and pioneering through virgin land,” he says. Some customers are cost conscious and not sure if they want to step up to a higher flow or pressure, says Chase. “They have to do what makes financial sense at the time, but sometimes they end up coming back a year later saying, ‘Yeah, we should have done that,’” he says. “They realize they could be more profitable if they take a big leap and go to the largest machine with the matched attachment. It makes them more versatile and more profitable.” “The thought we put into auxiliary hydraulic systems is a primary driver of how we design machines,” adds Chase. “That’s probably the biggest thing customers miss, not matching the work tool to the task and the machine.” CTLs, as a general rule, offer high horsepower options, says Padgett, which allows for more powerful auxiliary hydraulics.

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EquipmentWorld.com | August 2019 45

3D PAVING: road works

| by Don McLoud |

DonMcLoud@randallreilly.com

When should you make the switch?

or most of the asphalt road paving market in the United States, two-dimensional machine control has become the standard. “If you still have a paver without 2D control, you’re pretty far behind the times,” says Kevin Garcia, paving segment manager at Trimble Navigation. Evan Monroe, Topcon Positioning machine control/ construction software specialist, estimates about 90 percent of the standard paving market is using 2D control, and about 95 percent of the pavers now come from manufacturers with some type of 2D system on them.

Leica’s iCON pave automatically leapfrogs from one total station, shown at right, to another, eliminating the need to stop the paver.

46 August 2019 | EquipmentWorld.com

The demands of the job have driven the conversion. “You basically don’t have a choice unless you’re just doing driveways and things of that nature,” he says. Specifications for road projects continue to become stricter as departments of transportation and road owners seek ways to improve accuracy, road quality and make tight budgets go further. And just as the job specs drove contractors to 2D, many are also finding the same is holding true for making the switch to 3D machine control. “A lot of contractors are moving to 3D for their paving mainly because the DOT or the owners of the project are requiring them to hit a specified or a

designed elevation,” Monroe says. Aftermarket manufacturers of machine control systems also say they’re seeing other reasons for contractors switching to 3D control.

Why 3D? “The paver technology hasn’t changed much over the past 20 to 30 years,” says Jürgen Seemann, road solution manager for Hexagon Geosystems Services, which is part of Hexagon and includes the Leica Geosystems brand. “So when customers are looking into productivity improvements, they can’t get that much from a new paver. But they can get improvement with machine control.” One big productivity improvement comes from eliminating the need to set out stringline ahead of a paving project and then take it down after it’s done. “The key is to get off stringlines and everything associated with them,” Seemann says. “That is a trigger for customers looking into machine control.” In some cases, road owners are offering bonuses for finishing projects ahead of schedule. 3D machine control allows for better project management, according to Seemann.

“It’s about the potential to reduce a project time, the potential to reduce the project costs and to pave on spec 24/7,” he says. Some road owners are also becoming interested in Building Information Modeling, or BIM, which allows them to build a database on each road’s construction and rehab details, Garcia says. “3D systems can record all of this as you pave. The owner can build an archive database and can predict what happens in the future with roadways based on their construction and use.” Garcia says 3D control also helps contractors become more efficient on all of their projects, even those without elevation specifications. “A lot of contractors tell us that one of the reasons they use 3D is that it helps them schedule their day and meet productivity.” That includes ensuring the right amount of asphalt, the mat thickness and a more predictable workflow. Monroe believes 3D machine control for paving will continue to grow, as job specs will increasingly necessitate its use to prevent cost and material overruns and penalties. The systems are costly, however, as much as $75,000 to $85,000 per paver, depending on the manufacturer. But a contractor can make that money back relatively quickly, if working on large projects requiring elevation specifications. “If you were not to use 3D machine

EquipmentWorld.com | August 2019 47

road works

| continued

control, you would have to go out and set up stringline,” Monroe says, “and between the survey costs and the savings, it would basically offset the cost of the machine.”

Getting started Aftermarket manufacturers of 3D machine control for pavers say training on the systems usually takes three days, more or less, depending on the skills of the paving crew and their advanced knowledge of machine control. Installation typically takes less than a day. The training begins with dry runs and then moves to actual jobs, with trainers on standby in case of issues. When deciding whether to make the switch to 3D control, unless it’s being required on a job, examine the types of projects on which you will use it. Most 3D adopters are larger contractors doing mainline paving, interstate, toll road and airport work, Monroe says. “It wouldn’t necessarily be used in parking lots unless there’s really detailed information or changes in the surface itself that would require the 3D application,” he says. Garcia notes that in some cases, contractors might be better served by a 2D paving system, depending on the type of work they are doing and if 3D milling

has been used first. “I’m a firm believer in fixing everything with the mill and making the asphalt paver’s life easier instead of trying to fix it with the last piece of equipment,” he says. “Fix it with 3D mill and there’s no need to 3D pave.” Garcia recommends 3D control for road resurfacing when 3D control was not used on the milling machine, especially if the road has an International Roughness Index (IRI) of over 170 inches per mile. But if 3D milling was used, he says, then 2D control will be fine. With new roads, if 3D control was used on the motor grader, 2D should be acceptable as well to achieve ride quality, if the project does not have elevation specifications, Garcia says. 3D could still be used in those applications, however, to maximize efficiency. Seemann believes 3D control ideally should be used throughout a project, from beginning to end, not just when paving. “Machine control is not just a tool to correct mistakes on the last layer,” he says. “We suggest using machine control paving from the bottom up, regardless of what type of job, either new roads or road renovations.” If you’re considering retrofitting your paver with 3D machine control, here’s a look at the aftermarket offerings of the major players in the market.

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not something that can be so easily done when working with stringline. Data from the paver can also be synced back to the office computers for monitoring. Seemann notes that sometimes the job requires matching an existing road side, while correcting the grade and slope on the other side. The iCON pave system allows operators the flexibility to switch between 2D and 3D control. The system also has quick access buttons to its menu and is compatible with all major paver brands, Seemann says.

Leica iCON pave Leica Geosystems released its latest version of Leica iCON pave last year, providing fully automatic grade and slope control for asphalt pavers. A high-end option also provides width and steering control. The system automatically leapfrogs from one total station to another, eliminating the need to stop paving to manually pair the paver controls with the next robotic station. The system also includes a docking station that remains on the paver, but the panel itself can be moved from machine to machine. “Contractors that do milling and paving as subsequent operations can move the panel from the milling machine to the asphalt paver when needed to ensure a seamless workflow,” Seemann says. The software has a similar user interface with all other Leica machine control systems, including excavators. “This helps contractors use Leica systems across their machine portfolio, and it shortens the training curve for new operators,” he says. A new cloud-based collaborative platform called Leica ConX allows contractors to download the project file as quickly as 5 minutes before paving starts to accommodate any late changes,

Absolute Paving Precision

From resurfacing Singapore’s Formula 1 Grand Prix track, to paving roads, runways and other fine tolerance projects, when you need millimetre precision look to Topcon for your next paving application. Topcon’s range of survey, milling, paving and compaction solutions will help save time, reduce material waste and deliver precision results, every time. The Intersection of Infrastructure and TechnologyTM

Learn more at topconpositioning.com/ew-construction/asphalt-paving EquipmentWorld.com | August 2019 49

road works

| continued trol for the horizontal curves. The 2D control allows the operator to control material yield and rideability, he says. “You don’t have to have that dedicated survey control that 3D paving is usually associated with,” he says. The system also eliminates the need to reset robotic stations every 300 to 400 feet, as it can operate 4 to 5 miles from the station.

Topcon SmoothRide Topcon’s SmoothRide system starts with its RD-M1 Scanner, which when attached to a vehicle can scan the road set to be resurfaced at highway travel speeds even during traffic. The scanned information is then used to create a digital terrain model for the paver control. That eliminates the need for crash trucks and lane closures to conduct survey work, according to Monroe. The scanner can be switched from vehicle to vehicle within 25 minutes, he says. “We’ve had contractors that own the product say that it’s saved them up to 20 days on an individual project,” he says. The system uses LIDAR remote sensing to gather a detailed “picture” of the road’s surface. “Because we know exactly what the surface underneath us is representing, we can know our exact depths at any location and actually smooth that profile in the software before the paver ever hits the ground,” Monroe says. For jobs that have minimum and maximum thickness requirements, the software automatically applies a longitudinal average, smooths the profile and identifies areas that exceed those limits. Any changes to the model result in a live update of the material tonnage needed. Then it is exported to the paver control. Monroe calls SmoothRide a hybrid system, in that it uses 2D control for the vertical curves and 3D con50 August 2019 | EquipmentWorld.com

Trimble PCS900 3D Trimble’s PCS900 3D paver control system uses universal total stations to automatically guide the screed to lay the right material thickness and slope. Garcia says the system excels at recognizing and adjusting for errors as the paver moves between stations. The system makes “hot swap transitions” to instantly set up the next station without stopping the paver. “The contractor doesn’t have to make final adjustments every time they transition the instruments,” he says. Along with the total station, the system consists of a control box on the paver that houses the software and operator display and where the project design is loaded. It displays the measured and target values of the cross slope and mat thickness at the same time. The 3D paving models are developed through Business Center - HCE software, which creates uncompacted surface designs for the paver. The designs will automatically guide the paver to lay more material above low areas and less material in high areas. The Trimble system is compatible with any paver built in the last 10 years, Garcia says. It requires an underlying 2D system and works with most OEM factory 2D systems, or Trimble can install its PCS400 2D system. The 3D system can be installed in half a day, he says. Garcia touts Trimble’s SITECH distribution channel with locations throughout North America and the world to help with the adoption of the technology. “If a paver has an issue, they can be there within minutes or hours, not days or weeks,” he says.

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Shrock Premier Custom Construction, our 2019 Contractor of the Year, has a great story. So do you. One way to make sure it gets told is to become one of our 2020 Contractor of the Year finalists. equipmentworld.com | May 2019

Our Contractor of the Year program honors the forward thinkers, high achievers and just plain good people in construction. These are the construction companies that get the job done right, on time and within budget. Their clients sing their praises, their vendors wish all clients were like them, and their workforce is dedicated and loyal.

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contractor of the year finalist | by Wayne Grayson

| WayneGrayson@randallreilly.com

Left to right: Tyler, Mike and Jason Jackson

Versatile, small-town contractor finds defense is the best offense

lot happened with Mike Jackson in 12 years. He filed for bankruptcy on his farm and ranch. He moved his family to California to pursue a new life. And he quickly built a successful career as an equipment manager in Los Angeles. Then he got tired. Tired of bad bosses. Tired of always traveling. Tired of not seeing his kids as often as he would have liked. “I didn’t like living in L.A.,” Jackson recalls. “I was a farm kid, and L.A. had just too many people. I was only happy to be there because I was making a lot of money. But the

kids were getting older, and I wanted more of a rural environment.” Eventually, he found himself back in his hometown of Deming, New Mexico, and in the office of the Mike, Jason, Jami & Tyler Jackson, Deming Excavating City, State: Deming, New Mexico Year Started: 1997 Number of 45 in peak season employees: Annual revenue: $4 million Markets served: Commercial, public works and residential with complete site packages

banker who gave him his first loan to buy cattle when he was 11 years old. “This town needs a good backhoe operator,” the banker told Jackson. Jackson mulled it over. He had other options and more than a few ideas of what he might want to do. “That was about the time the internet was getting started, and I realized really quick that with the internet, you could be anywhere in the United States and be a manufacturer or a supplier,” he says. Ultimately, the desire to return to a simpler life and be his own boss won out, and Jackson returned to give his hometown the type of excavation company it deserved. EquipmentWorld.com | August 2019 53

contractor of the year finalist |

continued

Deming Excavating has been successful because each member of the family has each other’s back. The Jackson quartet (from left to right): Jami, Jason, Mike and Tyler. “I don’t care if I don’t make a lot of money,” he recalls thinking at the time. “I just want to be able to go fishing when I want to.” Things, however, didn’t quite pan out the way Jackson wanted them to. Deming Excavating has grown into one of the largest private employers in its community. “The fishing lasted only a couple of years,” Jackson says with a smile. He started out with a 1992 backhoe, a 1976 dump truck and a trailer, performing small excavation jobs, installing septic tanks and crafting building pads. Though it was his first time as a construction company owner, Jackson’s experience with farming gave him a clear vision of how to run his new business. “What stuck in my mind was (with the farm), I trusted a lot of people that I shouldn’t have from the financial side of it. I trusted people that I thought would allow me to make a mistake and catch me. They didn’t,” Jackson says. “That one situation really imprinted in my mind how you run a business. I wouldn’t let myself be put in a position where anyone could take 54 August 2019 | EquipmentWorld.com

my feet out from under me.” By the 2000s, Deming Excavating was deep into subdivision work with about 80 percent of its revenue coming from that market, Jackson says.

From 150 housing pads to two Then the recession hit. In the early 2000s, the company was preparing 100 to 150 house pads a year. By 2010, it was down to just two. “We had six active subdivisions in Deming in 2008, and there is not a single one left,” Jackson says. However, the company wasn’t taken by surprise. “I saw it coming, not that I’m a genius,” Jackson says. “You can’t build that many houses in a town of 12,000 and have the growth stay. The economy got fluttery and too busy, and they were just throwing money at everything. It wasn’t about the cost of the project; it was about when it could be finished.” With the economic downturn setting in and the company facing the threat of desperate competition from outside their hometown, Jackson knew it was time to transform or watch the company be eaten alive.

Jackson and his sons – Jason, company vice president, and Tyler, superintendent – decided it would also be paramount to lock down their home turf. Doing so would require offering a complete site-prep package. “This market is not like a standard market,” says Jason Jackson. “We’re literally on an island out here. All of our asphalt comes from two and a half hours away. Our community is fixed-income retirees. Those conditions drove the diversity we needed to expand from dirt work and paving to concrete and utilities and being more competitive in the local market.” “There was little industrial-commercial back then,” Mike Jackson adds. “But as soon as the housing market went away, the commercial came in and we started pursuing it more, and we were able to replace the bulk of the residential with commercial.”

‘Everybody in charge was named Jackson’ In 2010, just as the company’s residential business was drying up, Deming Excavating landed a bid on a new veterans’ hospital and a football field for a local detention center. A waste treatment plant followed, along with a lot of work for local schools. The company has also established a good relationship with local municipalities and has found steady work performing maintenance and rehabilitation projects. “What allowed us to transition in large part is that everybody in charge was named Jackson,” Mike Jackson says. “You always knew your best interest was in mind out in the field,” Jason Jackson adds. Running as many as 45 employees, depending on the peak of the season, Deming brought in $4 million in revenue in 2018 with the majority of that coming from commercial and public works jobs.

Since the recession, Deming Excavating has pursued commercial and public works jobs.

Mike Jackson greets a group of employees at a Deming jobsite. Jason’s wife, Jami Jackson, helps handle all the paperwork hoops as office manager and secretary. “They have about 20 employees who live in this community, and they’re generational in this county,” says Herb Borden, construction management director for Deming City Schools. “They went to these schools; their kids went to these schools. They’re locked in and have

true ownership of what happens. Some of their employees’ kids and spouses work for us, and they take it a step above most contractors. They live in this community, and I have worked with hundreds of subs and GCs, and the greatest thing in the world is that they are true Deming Wildcats (the school mascots), and they take pride in that.” “Jason is a call away for face-to-

face meetings,” says Jim Massengill, public works director for the City of Deming. “I use him to determine if the project method or design is buildable and how we can circumvent issues after notice to proceed. He has been, and continues to be, easy to approach and ready to provide input for our projects in design and sometimes before we start design.” EquipmentWorld.com | August 2019 55

technology

| by Tom Jackson |

TJackson@randallreilly.com

Topcon Sitelink 2.0 shifts to payas-go, adds remote configuration

Topcon’s Sitelink 2.0 is now a pay-as-you-go system with new mapping software and a haul truck app.

opcon’s Sitelink 2.0 jobsite monitoring system is now a pay-asyou-go account-based system, replacing a yearly prepaid subscription model. It includes a remote configuration function in which Topcon personnel can directly access and configure receiver components on connected machines while retaining an active remote session of the 3D-MC machine control software. The new system also uses Cesium 3D mapping software. “That gives you a lot of capabilities to look at the current structure but also show what you’ve done on the jobsite in 3D,” says Kris Maas, director of product management machine control. “When you dig a hole, you can see the hole.” With its as-built capabilities, Sitelink 2.0 allows multiple operators on different machines to see what the other operators are doing. For example, if one roller operator has 56 August 2019 | EquipmentWorld.com

finished compacting a section of ma- is hands-free, so you can easily mark terial, the other roller operators see layout points on the ground or surthat in real time and won’t repeat the faces. It also allows you to take photos work, avoiding possible overcomand videos to document progress. Acpaction and time and fuel waste. cording to the company, it can speed Sitelink 2.0 also has a Haul Truck layout work by up to 80 percent. app that can be downloaded to AnTopcon also has a new scanning droid or iOS phones or tablets. The robotic total station solution for app provides a real-time, cloudvertical construction. The GTLbased haul truck management 1000 provides full-featured layout system, including geofenced sites, functionality with single operator truck counting, routing and reportcontrol. Operators can conduct a ing. Pressure sensors in the Sitelink full-dome, 360-degree scan in just 2.0 system can weigh the material minutes, says Ray Kerwin, director being loaded and report that back of global product planning. to the Haul Truck app to give you a record of the With Topcon’s new LN-100’s material being moved, heads-up display, you can work says Maas. your layout points hands-free with voice-activated control.

New jobsite tools In other product releases, Topcon’s LN-100 voiceactivated heads-up display gives you a wearable visual-reference screen indicating jobsite layout points. It

Trimble unveils suite of tech solutions geared to small contractors

f you think high-tech earthmoving devices are only for the big contractors running big machines, Trimble has some news – and new products – for you. For owner-operators and other small companies, Trimble recently launched a mobile app called Contractor WorkZone. The simple phone-based app automates back office functions to eliminate paperwork. “With the Contractor WorkZone, he can manage his bidding and estimating, piece together a quote, add in the hours and materials and machine time, handle change orders and manage crews,” says Scott Crozier, general manager of Trimble’s civil engineering and construction division. “Then if you win the project, you can track progress and expenses, and at the end, produce an invoice for the customer.” “For the guy who is both the CEO and the laborer, it moves him from paper to a digital system, so he doesn’t have to go home Friday or Saturday night and deal with a lot of paperwork,” adds Crozier. “He’s doing it as he goes along.” Contractor WorkZone is an SaaS program (software as a service) and runs in the cloud so you can access it anywhere you get a cell signal. It is scalable with three different subscription models – basic, pro and advanced – enabling you to add functionality as your business grows.

Tiltrotator grade control American contractors who are just waking up to the capabilities of tiltrotators will be pleased to learn that Trimble Earthworks Grade Control Platform version 1.9 will give you fully automatic guidance for these attachments. The program

For the guy who is the CEO, bookkeeper and equipment operator all in one, Trimble’s Contractor WorkZone app will place what you used to put on paper into a cloud-based, phone-accessed web platform. controls the boom and bucket of the excavator and the tilt angle of the attachment, while the operator controls the stick of the excavator and the rotation of the tiltrotator. “Tiltrotators are very useful excavator attachments, but they have a steep learning curve,” says Crozier. “Fully automating the tiltrotator attachment makes it accessible to less experienced operators and can result in time savings for more experienced operators.” In another upgrade to Earthworks Grade Control 1.9, the program now supports Trimble Universal Total Stations for motor graders to

achieve millimeter level accuracy for fine grading. Trimble’s WorksManager software is the next generation backbone of the Trimble Connected Site ecosystem for managing construction technology. This cloud-based system allows users to wirelessly transfer data, such as 3D designs, to the construction site without ever leaving the office. This enables supervisors and managers to be sure the digital machines and assets on the site are using the correct design version. Trimble’s Earthworks system has added a functionality that allows you to fly a drone over a site EquipmentWorld.com | August 2019 57

technology |

continued

and scan the terrain before you start working. You load the terrain map from the drone into the system, and it will give you the design of the current cut/ fill values so you can see where to put the material. The terrain mapping function is available for all three Earthworks machine types: dozers, graders and excavators.

Augmented reality on your phone The Trimble Sitevision augmented-reality viewer uses satellites and Trimble Catalyst GNSS for position and location, and it uses your Android phone for the viewing screen to give you 3D, 360-degree, augmented-reality views. The GPS/GNSS antenna locates your phone to within a few centimeters’ accuracy. “You use it to see what you’re going to build on-site,” says

Crozier. “If you want to see progress, you can set it up so the model that is loaded is the work you’re expecting to have done by a certain date.” With it you can better visualize complex plans, visualize underground utilities and proposed infrastructure, find design conflicts early in the process, and perform cut/fill checks. You can also tap elements on the screen to get a pop-up box with detailed information about those components. “We see it being used in the civil environment, but also across a crosssection of all kinds of construction applications,” Crozier says. Trimble says the Sitevision augmented-reality viewer is not on the market yet, but the company is discussing it with prospective customers. To view how it works, go to bit.ly/trimblesite.

CATPM72485_SSL CTL_Equip World_Print Ad_7"x4.5"(forprint).indd 1

58 August 2019 | EquipmentWorld.com

The Sitevision augmented-reality viewer lets you see your yet-to-be-built designs in the field on your phone or tablet.

7/16/19 4:47 PM

product report

ASV debuts high-torque VT-70 High Output, a CTL with extra power for big attachments ASV’s new Posi-Track loader, the VT-70 High Output, boasts 207 foot-pounds of torque for tackling demanding applications and running powerful attachments. The big torque comes from a turbocharged Deutz 2.2-liter engine that cranks out 74.3 horsepower – 10 horsepower above the company’s standard VT-70. “It makes 74.3 horsepower at 2,600 rpm, but it has an exceptionally good torque curve, which means it also makes 74.3 horsepower clear down at 2,200 rpm,” says Buck Storlie, product line manager for ASV. Direct drive pumps on the VT-70 High Output optimize the hydraulic performance over belt-driven designs, putting out 3,300 pounds per square inch of auxiliary pressure and 22.2 gallons per minute of flow. A 27.4 gpm high-flow system is also available. ASV’s three-panel engine access doors and swing-out radiator give easy ground-level reach to all the service points, filters, battery and drain plugs. For access to daily grease points, all zerk fittings are located at the ends of the pins.

Operator comfort Controls for the ASV VT-70 High Output are on the two joysticks – that is to say, no foot pedals. Ride control is available to dampen

| by Tom Jackson |

TJackson@randallreilly.com

ASV’s new VT-70 High Output compact track loader gives high torque output over a wide range of engine rpms.

movement in the boom arms, reducing spillage and keeping the operator more comfortable. An optional bucket-positioning system also reduces spillage. ASV lowered the step-in point by nearly 3 inches, making entry and exit easier and giving a better line of sight to the bucket and the attachment points. A new foot-well design with an additional 3 inches of forward clearance makes room for big-booted operators. Specs for the ASV VT-70 High Output: Tipping load:

6,650 pounds

Operating weight:

8,070 pounds

Rated operating capacity:

3,325 pounds

Loader arms:

vertical

Ground pressure:

4.6 psi

Length of track on ground:

59 inches

Max travel speed:

10.6 mph

Undercarriage like no other ASV’s Posi-Track undercarriage is unique in the industry. Rather than push the drive lugs on the inside of the track with a drive sprocket and

teeth, ASV uses a series of rollers in a cage-like arrangement. Having rollers engage the lugs, rather than gear teeth, results in much less friction and a longer life for the drive mechanism. The track is reinforced with poly-cord and stretches when obstacles or debris get between it and the undercarriage components. Storlie says this protects the track and the undercarriage components better than a steelreinforced track, which cannot stretch and may damage rollers or sprockets when encountering hard debris. It also makes it less likely the track will spool off.

Rollers, rather than a drive sprocket, push lugs in the track forward, reducing friction and improving track life. EquipmentWorld.com | August 2019 59

Ready whenever and wherever you are. Equipment World Magazine makes it easy to keep up-to-date while you are on the go. Get the latest news in the construction industry, along with insight from our award-winning editorial team, through our mobile version of equipmentworld.com.

Test it out for yourself and subscribe at EquipmentWorld.com.

| by Tom Jackson |

TJackson@randallreilly.com

Illustration by Don Lomax

safety watch

Between a bucket and a hard place

he first day on any construction job is tough, but it shouldn’t have to be this tough. The victim on this day was a 43-year-old construction laborer working for a masonry contractor. The job was to demolish and remove a concrete wheelchair ramp leading up to the side of a restaurant. The victim had been standing on the ground helping to remove small pieces of debris as a compact excavator operator scooped up larger chunks. When the bucket of the compact excavator got tangled up in the air lines of a compressor, the victim and a bystander, a woman who was a friend of the operator, stepped into the swing zone of the boom and bucket to see what the problem was. Hydraulic pressure on the boom, however, yanked the air hose free from its coupling at the compressor, and the boom Date of safety talk: Attending:

and bucket jerked to the right. The operator overcompensated by pushing the controls to the left, which unfortunately caused the bucket to slam the victim and the woman against the side of the air compressor. The victim suffered compression injuries but remained conscious. The woman suffered a laceration on her head but was not seriously harmed. After the excavator operator backed the bucket off, the coworker helped the victim to his truck and called 911. Emergency medical responders transported both to the hospital, but while in transit, the victim became unresponsive and unstable. Emergency surgery was attempted, but the doctors could not stop the internal bleeding. He died the following morning about 10 hours after the incident. According to state investigators, the general contractor did not have records showing evidence of a safety program or safety training. Leader:

How this accident could have been prevented: • Provide workers with safety training to help them recognize unsafe conditions and work practices. • Ensure that equipment operators have been trained in the safe operation of the equipment they are assigned to operate at the site. • Conduct daily jobsite hazard reviews before work starts in the morning. An analysis of this jobsite would have shown that the excavator and the compressor and its hoses should have been positioned out of each other’s way. • Take extra time to brief newcomers on the hazards of the jobsite. Experienced earthmoving crews know not to step into the swing radius of an excavator until the bucket is on the ground and the engine at idle. The victim and his coworker in this case obviously did not. For more information see: http:// bit.ly/excsw

_____________________ EquipmentWorld.com | August 2019 61

alerta de seguridad

| por Tom Jackson |

TJackson@randallreilly.com

Aplastado en la demolición

de difícil. Ese día, la víctima fue un obrero de construcción de 43 años que trabajaba para una firma contratista de albañilería. El trabajo consistía en demoler y eliminar una rampa para silla de ruedas al costado de un restaurante. La víctima había estado de pie en el terreno, ayudando a retirar pedazos más pequeños de los residuos, mientras el operador de una miniexcavadora se encargaba de los trozos más grandes. Cuando la cuchara de la miniexcavadora se enredó con las mangueras de aire de una compresora, la víctima y una amiga del operador que estaba de visita en el área de trabajo, ingresaron al radio de giro del brazo de extensión y de la cuchara de carga para ver el problema. Cuando la presión hidráulica en el brazo de extensión desenganchó las mangueras de aire de la compresora, el brazo de extensión y la cuchara tiraron hacia la derecha. El operador compensó en demasía empujando los controles hacia el lado izquierdo, lo cual desafortunadamente hizo que la cuchara arrojara a la víctima y a la mujer contra un costado de la compresora de aire. La víctima sufrió heridas pero permaneció consciente. La mujer sufrió laceraciones en la cabeza aunque no de seriedad. Después de que el operador de la excavadora retrocedió la cuchara, la víctima recibió ayuda de un colega quien lo llevó hacia su camioneta y llamó al 911. Los socorristas de emergencia médica transportaron a ambos al hospital, pero en la ruta la víctima perdió el conocimiento y quedó inestable. Se intentó una cirugía de emergencia, pero los doctores no pudieron detener la hemorragia interna. La víctima falleció la mañana siguiente, unas 10 horas después del incidente. Según los investigadores estatales, el contratista general no tenía en sus registros ninguna evidencia de Fecha de la charla de seguridad: Asistentes: 62 August 2019 | EquipmentWorld.com

Líder:

Illustration por Don Lomax

odo primer día en un trabajo de construcción es difícil, pero no debería ser así

contar con un programa de seguridad o de capacitación de seguridad.

Cómo pudo haberse prevenido este accidente: • Brinde a sus trabajadores una capacitación de seguridad que les ayude a reconocer las condiciones y prácticas de trabajo riesgosas. • Asegúrese de que los operadores de maquinaria han sido capacitados en la operación segura de los equipos que se les asigna en el sitio de trabajo. • Conduzca revisiones diarias de riesgos en el área de trabajo antes de empezar las operaciones en la mañana. Un análisis de esta área de trabajo habría sacado a relucir que la excavadora y la compresora y sus mangueras deberían haber estado colocadas lejos una de otra. • Dedíquele tiempo extra a explicarles a los recién llegados los riesgos del área de trabajo. Los miembros más experimentados de las cuadrillas de excavación saben bien que no deben adentrarse en el radio de giro de una excavadora hasta que la cuchara esté sobre el suelo y la máquina esté en ralentí. En este caso, tanto la víctima como su colega obviamente no lo sabían. Para mayor información, por favor visite: http://bit.ly/excsw

pro pickup

| by Wayne Grayson |

WayneGrayson@randallreilly.com

2020 Silverado 1500 RST model achieves class-leading towing power

hevrolet has unveiled its latest Silverado 1500 trucks, with engine options and increased power as the primary changes for the 2020 model year. More than half of all 2020 Silverado 1500 trim levels will be available with the 6.2-liter V8 engine, delivering 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque, Chevy says. That engine will be paired with a 10-speed transmission. The 6.2L V8 will also be available on the Silverado RST when equipped with four-wheel drive. With that combination, the 2020 RST trim will be capable of a class-leading 13,400 pounds of maximum towing capacity, Chevy says. A performance upgrade package will be available for the 6.2L V8, raising output to 428 horsepower and 469 pound-feet of torque. The LT, RST, LTZ and High Country models will also be available with the 3.0L Duramax diesel for the first time in 2020. That engine was originally

scheduled for release late in the 2019 model year on both the Silverado and GMC Sierra, but GM has been forced to push back the release until the 2020 models due to longer-thanexpected emissions testing. This 3.0L diesel provides 277 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque. Finally, the 5.3L V8 will be available with the 10-speed transmission on certain trims. That powertrain combo comes standard on the LT Trail Boss, a trim that includes a 2-inch factory suspension lift and the Z71 off-road package, including a locking rear diff, skid plates, Rancho

mono-tube off-road shocks, 18-inch wheels and Goodyear Duratrec offroad tires. The Trail Boss with the 6.2L V8 starts at $43,865 including destination. Carried over from the 2020 Silverado HD trucks to the 2020 1500 lineup is the option of a trailering camera system. The system delivers up to 15 unique camera views to the center console, including a transparent trailer view to provide better sight around whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in tow. The system constructs this transparent view by stitching together images captured by cameras mounted on both the tailgate and on the rear of the trailer. Another available option on the LT, LTZ and High Country models is adaptive cruise control that automatically maintains speed and a safe distance from the vehicle ahead. Chevy says the system can also bring the Silverado to a complete stop and is integrated with the stop/start capability of its engines to optimize fuel efficiency. EquipmentWorld.com | August 2019 63

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snow attachments | by Don McLoud | DonMcLoud@randallreilly.com