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By Jeff Winke When completed, the BrightSource Energy-designed Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System (ISEGS) in California’s Mojave Desert will look striking. Its innovations will provide much needed power during the peak hours of the day to more than 140,000 homes in California. ISEGS is a 392-MW gross solar complex using more than 300,000 garage-door-size mirrors to focus the power of the sun on solar receivers atop power towers. The solar receivers are like traditional boilers, turned inside out. ...... continue reading
From: Grading and Excavation Contractor Topics: Attachments, Operations, Technology
BSB Development is an Illinois land improvement and excavating contractor whose equipment operators take particular pride in the quality of their work. From its base of operations in Spring Grove at the far northwest suburban reaches of the Chicago area, BSB relies on its operators’ diverse skills to survive during a tough economy. “A couple of our guys finished pretty well up there in the recent Case Triple Threat Rodeo,” owner Terry Becker says of his BSB crew. “Every one of my operators is trained on...... continue reading
From: Grading and Excavation Contractor Topics: Equipment, Fuel, Operations
Written by Lori Lovely Before the dedicated motor scraper, there was a smaller version: the towed scraper, one of the first bulk earthmoving machines invented. Nineteenth-century scrapers were drawn by horses, but were later adapted for use with tractors. In 1923 Robert LeTourneau designed and built the first modern practical towed scraper. Prior to the development of efficient hydraulic systems after WWII, they were designed to operate behind crawler tractors via a cable control unit. By the mid-1...... continue reading
From: Grading and Excavation Contractor Topics: Equipment, Operations, Scrapers
Written by Ed Ritchie Today’s heavy equipment trailers are more than a match for the needs of grading and excavation contractors. In fact, with so many options and features, sometimes choosing the right equipment can seem a daunting task. But manufacturers and dealers are more than ready to play matchmaker, it’s just a matter of knowing what you need to get the job done. Rugged and quick-to-load were just a few of the features needed by Jeffrey L. Hammann, owner of JLH Bulldozing, Atwater, IL. “Obv...... continue reading
From: Grading and Excavation Contractor Topics: Equipment, Operations, Trailers
Written by Nate Heying If you are like many heavy contractors, you hate the insurance renewal process and you rely on your agent (most likely a close friend) to get you the best rates while hopefully providing loss control services to drive down claims resulting in lower insurance costs. Yet you continue to deal with yearly issues at renewal time when insurance carriers tell you that your rates are increasing not because of your claim history but because of your risk sensitive industry. As a succes...... continue reading
From: Grading and Excavation Contractor Topics: Business Management, Management, Operations
Written by Mike Crummy After a new street is paved, a new highway built or a new bridge is erected, the motorists who subsequently travel those routes may very much appreciate the upgrade, but often won’t have a real idea of what went into the actual construction. In some cases, in fact, even experienced construction professionals may not realize exactly how certain aspects of a job were accomplished. A great example took place during the kcICON project in Kansas City, a $245 million undertaking th...... continue reading
From: Grading and Excavation Contractor Topics: Concrete, Equipment, Operations
Written by Carol Brzozowski Construction management software companies are increasingly linking the field with the office as well as spreading capabilities across an assortment of platforms and electronic devices in addressing the needs of grading and excavation contractors, large and small. Recently, Bid2Win Software released Build2Win 3.2, the latest version of its integrated construction management suite, in response to end-user suggestions. The software is designed to provide new field and logi...... continue reading
From: Grading and Excavation Contractor Topics: Operations, Software, Technology
Written by Paul Hull The concrete path that comes to my front door from the sidewalk showed a crack this summer, and I was annoyed, thinking such features of a residence should never fail. Then I realized that the little path had already lasted, untended, untreated, battered by months of snow and ice each year, for almost 60 years. It makes those wonder products of today with a 90-day warranty look rather pathetic, doesn’t it? It seems there is so much good concrete around us that we take lit...... continue reading
From: Grading and Excavation Contractor Topics: Concrete, Operations, Paving
Written by Stan Orr Financially healthy fleets, whether large off-road equipment, trucking, or automotive, typically have one thing in common: a world-class preventive maintenance (PM) program. The purpose of a PM program is to ensure routine maintenance and replacements are done at the appropriate time to prevent bigger problems—and additional, unexpected costs—from cropping up later. In the most general terms, the cost of not following a preventive maintenance program can result in loss of produc...... continue reading
From: Grading and Excavation Contractor Topics: Maintenance, Operations, Preventative
Written by Ryan Johnson Bobcat compact equipment is aiding in the effort to keep hazardous wastes out of the Ada County landfill in Boise, ID, as well as preparing firebreaks around the perimeter and regularly assisting with excavating and grading projects. Landfill operations coordinator Kurt Hunt oversees the day-to-day operations at the facility, including the use of a Bobcat E45 excavator and a T650 compact track loader—both part of the M-Series line of Bobcat equipment. At the site are two lan...... continue reading
From: Grading and Excavation Contractor Topics: Compact Equipment, Equipment, Operations
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