Improving Productivity
Better guidance and control for earthmoving machines can make a huge difference in the success of a project.
It’s difficult to understand why somebody who has accepted automatic transmission for his personal vehicle, various enhancements for his personal television, and all those other gadgets and electronic devices for more comfortable living, should refuse to consider the advantages of systems that add guidance and control efficiency to earthmoving equipment and, in doing so, add money to the bank balance. I have spoken with several contractors who have given very little serious thought to the idea of adding a guidance system to excavator, grader, or dozer. The usual response is that such instruments are merely expensive gimmicks that somebody is trying to push on the buyer. Records show this is not true.
It’s understandable that contractors with irregular excavation or grading projects can see little advantage in owning sophisticated products, because their use cannot justify their expense. There are, however, many, many contractors who could win more bids—and make more profit—if they used machine guidance or machine-control systems.
What’s the difference? With control, the machine is actually controlled—at its blade, for instance. With guidance systems, the operator can see what he’s done, where he’s going, and what is left to do. Several years ago I saw a film of Komatsu excavators clearing up a hazardous site, and they had no operators. They were strictly controlled by remote instruments, going around the site most efficiently like remote-controlled toys. But that is not what is proposed here for everyday excavation projects. The operator is not eliminated or underestimated. Some of the reluctance to evaluate guidance systems has been driven by the unwillingness of some operators to accept that they need any help with their jobs. That is not stupid. That is an understandable human response to proposals that seem to endanger one’s livelihood. It is, however, a misconception or a faulty perception. Contractors do not wish to get rid of their good operators! Quite the opposite is true. If there is anything that can make the earthmoving machine’s operator more content with his job, more satisfied with his results, more likely to stay on the job, then the contractor wants to know what that thing is.
Not surprisingly, most of the praise for guidance and control systems comes from…operators. A grader operator in northern California told me—some years ago when these systems were just newcomers to the job site—that he could not believe how much easier it made his job and how much more he enjoyed his job. He was in his forties, with years of experience on graders, excavators and dozers. He was considered an excellent operator and an excellent employee. His employer said he had never believed how valuable his purchase of the guidance system (it was a Trimble, I believe) would be. The work was going more profitably, and his best employee loved his job.
Each manufacturer usually has at least one feature specific to its system. Leica Geosystems offers a Machine Control Receiver with a patented plumb indicator. The system is called the Depthmaster DM200, and it mounts either to an excavator or a backhoe. This manufacturer describes its system as an ideal tool for any kind of height control for excavators. It can be mounted with a bracket or magnetically, is 100% waterproof, and includes a rechargeable, self-contained battery pack. One aspect of this basic system is that its simple operation means it can be put to work successfully on its first day of use. That’s an important consideration in these times, when skilled operators are not dropping from the heavens and some of those workers hired have an innate conviction that anything “instrumental” is for geeks and similar persons. These systems (from Leica and others) have been designed to be easy to operate; they are not like some supertechnical products we see now and then that are for experts only. Your operators can become experts on their first day.
Up the line somewhat is Leica’s PowerDigger for level and dual-slope work. All the information needed by the operator to do an accurate, fast job is displayed in the cab. It can increase productivity by as much as 50%, claims the manufacturer, because the operator simply sets the operating mode and follows the display, with no stopping midjob to check levels. The accuracy of Leica’s PowerDigger, with its real-time digging depth reading and target indication, is to be found in the half-inch or centimeter range.
Let’s not forget the graders and dozers. With Leica’s PowerGrade 3D, in its automatic configuration, operators can have the system move the machine’s blade to the correct surface position. Elevation is based on the design model inside the onboard computer, and it takes much of the difficulty out of making complex design surfaces. You are not limited to heights or flats as you would be if you were using a conventional or laser system, so complex designs for your grading and dozing can be made more quickly and more effectively. You can also choose an indicate (as opposed to automatic) configuration for the PowerGrade 3D.
Ocala Instruments in Florida introduced its first excavator-depth-monitor in 1992. Thousands of the cabled units were sold in the US. In 2001, Ocala came out with a wireless system that required no cables to be conveyed between the sensors on the boom, stick, or bucket and the operator’s cab. This allows the system to be installed in about an hour, and it can be moved from one excavator to another in a matter of minutes.
Last October, Ocala introduced the ExcaVision system. It has a graphic touch-screen display that revolutionizes the user interface. The operator sees the bucket and bottom on the screen, making it easy to use for any operator and ensuring that the excavation is exact to within a hundred of a foot. An automatic laser receiver on the dipper stick allows the operator to dig all day without having to stop to check the grade.
Faster, More Accurate Procedures
Mikrofyn has been successful worldwide for more than 20 years now, but its presence in the US is quite recent. You may have seen the company at CONEXPO this year. Mikrofyn offers a machine-control and 3D guidance system that promises to give your operators faster and more accurate work procedures with fewer mistakes. Whatever the brand of guidance system you choose, the avoidance of mistakes is, possibly the main reason for using technologies to help your grading and excavation. Rework can be the most costly part of a construction project, and it’s unnecessary. Get the digging and grading right the first time, and your profits will benefit.
All the Mikrofyn machine-control systems are designed for adding on a 3D guidance system comprising a durable computer, 3D modeling software, and 3D positioning of the machine by either RTK GPS or a robotic total station. Their modular design enables the Mikrofyn machine control systems to be used between different machines.
Can you start simply and upgrade when you need to do so? Absolutely. MikroDigger, for example, may start with a single grade system that lets you do many everyday operations, including slopes, trenching, fixed depth, grading, and blind cuts. If you add the RS 10 sensor you upgrade your system to a dual-grade system; it’s a pitch, roll, and direction sensor that determines the attitude of the excavator. That means that, while you’re working, the roll and pitch measurement of the RS 10 compensates for those machine motions to yield an accuracy that is less than 1 inch. If you mount the cross-slope sensor on the excavator bucket, you get another benefit. The operator will have freedom of movement in any direction on a sloping surface, because the control box will calculate (and display) the correct bucket-tilt angle. You can, of course, also add GPS positioning and 3D model software. So, yes, the system is upgradeable! Among other features mentioned by Mikrofyn for its MikroDigger are its ability to hold 20 different bucket settings, its 100% waterproof nature (so you wouldn’t need special sensors or cable for underwater use), its ease of use, and its accuracy (half an inch, or 0.2% of the reach).
MikroGrader will automate the control of cross-slope and blade elevation for graders. Again, you can start simply and become more sophisticated as your projects demand. The standard system, using three sensors, controls the cross-slope of the grader blade. To control elevation, there are a number of sensors available. You can achieve unsurpassed accuracy of internal measurement (1 millimeter, or 1 one-hundred and twenty-fifth of an inch) if you use the SH 2 Sonic Tracker, and it can use any type of surface or string as a reference. The MikroGrader controls any grader, and you can choose either automatic or manual control. It is 100% waterproof. It is ready to accept 3D GPS or total station guidance if you need that level of performance. The features and benefits offered by Mikrofyn for its MikroDozer system are similar to those for graders and are worth your investigation, but space prevents more detail here.
Before You Start, After You Finish
The most successful earthmoving projects don’t start when the operator starts the engine of the dozer, or scraper, or grader, or excavator. The project starts before it starts. If your estimate was inaccurate, you might not have the project. If your bid was not based on the real facts, you might have lost. As many contractors have learned, the project includes all the preparations and the work itself. In these days of rushing to litigation, it also includes reliable records of what you have done and how you have followed the specifications without fault. You can get all that necessary information without spending hours of time and tons of paperwork. Late last year, Trimble introduced version two of Trimble Construction Manager. This program is now included in Trimble’s Connected Community group. One of its features is the ability to let users pinpoint accurately where their assets are on sites where the streets are not yet developed. This is not a specific topic for this article, but that introduction from Trimble shows us that manufacturers with instrumental successes are expanding the uses of their knowledge to include the whole project with all its peripheral concerns.
Trimble’s Connected Community concept, networking tools (Web-based) for contractors to connect with internal and external partners and clients, was one of the most interesting and practical systems demonstrated at this year’s CONEXPO. It allows contractors to share information and collaborate between head office management, site office teams, field crew, subcontractors, suppliers, engineers, and clients. The Connecting Grade Control System offers productivity improvement from real-time, two-way data for grade-control systems. That creates a live link between the machines onsite and the office. The link lets contractors send up-to-date design information to the cab and its operator, eliminating those trips to and from the site and reducing site errors associated with out-of-date information. Your equipment manager can monitor the activity and location of each machine and retrieve as-graded and compaction data from machines to monitor site production volumes and compaction performance.
For some contractors success has come in the last two decades by taking more responsibility at sites, by undertaking not just the excavation but other related tasks, such as land clearance, utility tie-ins, and even asphalt and concrete work. Having established themselves as efficient, reliable contractors in one area of expertise, such as excavation or grading, these companies find they are the preferred choices for as much work as possible. It’s amazing (but not really!) how many of these contractors have used such technologies as grade-control systems to establish their proficiency and reliability.
In one of my files I found the story of a contractor based in Connecticut who started 20 years ago with a backhoe loader and little else to grow a company that matches the profile of the “contractor most wanted,” thanks to his dedication and an interest in technologies that could propel his business forward. He was wise enough, when he first considered using machine guidance technologies, to include his best operator among those who helped him investigate. That operator said he wasn’t excited about learning a new way of doing something at which he had excelled for more years than most of his coworkers had been alive but, as soon as he saw the accuracy achieved, he was convinced of the advantages. Today, that experienced operator serves to instruct and inspire other operators. His advice comes from a person who really knows what can be achieved.
“I’m sold on the technology of GPS grade control,” comments Ron Randle, owner of Randle Construction, a company that won a contract for concrete footings and foundations for new housing at Scott Air Force Base, just east of St. Louis. The company had to provide 36 different foundation plans—twice that number, in truth, because each plan is flipped to give a different living accommodation. “It’s already saved us a lot of money, and it will become more and more significant for future work. For me, there are three big benefits. It offers accuracy on placement, faster speeds in which work can be completed, and significant labor savings.”
“If you add the time savings and productivity gains we’ve experienced with the rover,” adds Randle, “we’re completing stakeout on a building pad in about 30 to 35 minutes. It used to take us three or more hours to complete.” The ‘rover’ is the Trimble SPS880 Site Positioning System (Smart GPS Antenna) and the hand-held Trimble TSC2 Controller. Both are attached to a mobile rod. A combination of GPS receiver, GPS antenna, radio, radio antenna, and battery in one unit gives the contractor an all-on-the-pole solution for stakeout and grade checking. “We love the versatility and one-person operation that the Trimble rover provides,” says Randle. “We even use it to make our non-GPS machines more productive. For example, we’ll use it to paint off the dig lines for a backhoe and get it digging to save extra time.”
Upgrading as Success Grows
Another leading company in this field is Topcon. One of the company’s wise admonitions for contractors is that they can begin with a simple system and gradually upgrade to more comprehensive systems. A run through the Topcon series of indicate systems and receivers shows what we mean. The LS-B2 is described as the most easy-to-use, with four selectable on-grade bandwidths and with four levels of grade precision—from rough grade to super-fine grade—to suit your application. It works with any machine, so you only need one receiver for any job. Put it on a dozer or grader for leveling or on an excavator for digging. It has a quick-release clamp for simple setup from one machine to the next. The LS-B2 is a one-person method of achieving accurate control. The next one in the series, the LS-B4, uses a laser as its reference and provides visual information to the machine operator for continuous and accurate work. With this instrument, the operator needs fewer passes to reach final grade.
Weighing about 1 pound, Topcon’s LS-B10 is for compact machine grade control. It offers 111 LCD grade channels with five gradual triangles for out-of-grade indication. This model has been successful on skid-steer loaders, backhoes, and mini excavators. It has a magnet mount or can have an optional holder for use on a grade rod. For finish grading, Topcon offers the 3D-GPS+, which has the ability to track with both GPS and GLONASS satellites. That means you won’t have downtime when there are too few satellites available for a GPS-only system. 3D-GPS+ is accurate plus or minus one-tenth of a foot and is fully automatic without the user having to install extra components. It works from site plans and satellite positioning data. Unlike laser control, it allows you to use multiple machines, even on hills, with just a single base station, and you can move hundreds of yards from the base station and still receive grade corrections via the radio.
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Recent additions to Topcon’s comprehensive range of grade-control systems are the X62 and X42 excavator grade-control systems. The X62 is used for cutting slopes, excavating trenches, and digging before the installation of footings and basements. It’s a basic system for excavators that is easy to learn and can be upgraded easily to a full 3D GPS+ control. When upgraded, this system will work off a digital site model to increase productivity even more. If all you need is basic indicate control, the X42 should suit you. It’s available for large or small excavators and backhoes. It has four tilt sensors, the GX-40 graphical display (a new offering), and a detachable light bar for grade indication. For the operator’s confidence, it has easy-to-read keypad buttons. Both the X62 and X42 can be enhanced with Topcon’s LS-B10W laser receiver; that would provide a constant elevation benchmark for the excavator or backhoe when it moves to a new position.
Should I have placed this paragraph at the beginning? Before you have your heart set on one particular brand of machine guidance or control system, you should confirm with your dealer or manufacturer that your equipment will accept your choice. It’s like attachments. You won’t buy a new excavator just to be able to mount a particular small breaker, so get confirmation that your current excavator, dozer, grader, or backhoe will work well with the guidance system you like. Your dealer should know. Your dealer should be able to put you in touch with other contractors who have purchased certain products so that you can check with them in regard to how well those products have worked and how easy they are for operators to learn. Most machine guidance and control systems work well with most construction equipment, so be confident. If you are thinking of buying new machines and new guidance systems, you should ascertain first if the manufacturer recommends certain systems and installs them on the new machine. That could be the safest—and possibly the most economical—way of advancing into today’s world of accurate earthmoving machinery.
Author's Bio: Paul Hull writes on construction topics for several magazines.
July-August 2008
Improving Productivity
Better guidance and control for earthmoving machines can make a huge difference in the success of a project.
It’s difficult to understand why somebody who has accepted automatic transmission for his personal vehicle, various enhancements for his personal television, and all those other gadgets and electronic devices for more comfortable living, should refuse to consider the advantages of systems that add guidance and control efficiency to earthmoving equipment and, in doing so, add money to the bank balance. I have spoken with several contractors who have given very little serious thought to the idea of adding a guidance system to excavator, grader, or dozer. The usual response is that such instruments are merely expensive gimmicks that somebody is trying to push on the buyer. Records show this is not true.
It’s understandable that contractors with irregular excavation or grading projects can see little advantage in owning sophisticated products, because their use cannot justify their expense. There are, however, many, many contractors who could win more bids—and make more profit—if they used machine guidance or machine-control systems.
What’s the difference? With control, the machine is actually controlled—at its blade, for instance. With guidance systems, the operator can see what he’s done, where he’s going, and what is left to do. Several years ago I saw a film of Komatsu excavators clearing up a hazardous site, and they had no operators. They were strictly controlled by remote instruments, going around the site most efficiently like remote-controlled toys. But that is not what is proposed here for everyday excavation projects. The operator is not eliminated or underestimated. Some of the reluctance to evaluate guidance systems has been driven by the unwillingness of some operators to accept that they need any help with their jobs. That is not stupid. That is an understandable human response to proposals that seem to endanger one’s livelihood. It is, however, a misconception or a faulty perception. Contractors do not wish to get rid of their good operators! Quite the opposite is true. If there is anything that can make the earthmoving machine’s operator more content with his job, more satisfied with his results, more likely to stay on the job, then the contractor wants to know what that thing is.
Not surprisingly, most of the praise for guidance and control systems comes from…operators. A grader operator in northern California told me—some years ago when these systems were just newcomers to the job site—that he could not believe how much easier it made his job and how much more he enjoyed his job. He was in his forties, with years of experience on graders, excavators and dozers. He was considered an excellent operator and an excellent employee. His employer said he had never believed how valuable his purchase of the guidance system (it was a Trimble, I believe) would be. The work was going more profitably, and his best employee loved his job.
Each manufacturer usually has at least one feature specific to its system. Leica Geosystems offers a Machine Control Receiver with a patented plumb indicator. The system is called the Depthmaster DM200, and it mounts either to an excavator or a backhoe. This manufacturer describes its system as an ideal tool for any kind of height control for excavators. It can be mounted with a bracket or magnetically, is 100% waterproof, and includes a rechargeable, self-contained battery pack. One aspect of this basic system is that its simple operation means it can be put to work successfully on its first day of use. That’s an important consideration in these times, when skilled operators are not dropping from the heavens and some of those workers hired have an innate conviction that anything “instrumental” is for geeks and similar persons. These systems (from Leica and others) have been designed to be easy to operate; they are not like some supertechnical products we see now and then that are for experts only. Your operators can become experts on their first day.
Up the line somewhat is Leica’s PowerDigger for level and dual-slope work. All the information needed by the operator to do an accurate, fast job is displayed in the cab. It can increase productivity by as much as 50%, claims the manufacturer, because the operator simply sets the operating mode and follows the display, with no stopping midjob to check levels. The accuracy of Leica’s PowerDigger, with its real-time digging depth reading and target indication, is to be found in the half-inch or centimeter range.
Let’s not forget the graders and dozers. With Leica’s PowerGrade 3D, in its automatic configuration, operators can have the system move the machine’s blade to the correct surface position. Elevation is based on the design model inside the onboard computer, and it takes much of the difficulty out of making complex design surfaces. You are not limited to heights or flats as you would be if you were using a conventional or laser system, so complex designs for your grading and dozing can be made more quickly and more effectively. You can also choose an indicate (as opposed to automatic) configuration for the PowerGrade 3D.
Ocala Instruments in Florida introduced its first excavator-depth-monitor in 1992. Thousands of the cabled units were sold in the US. In 2001, Ocala came out with a wireless system that required no cables to be conveyed between the sensors on the boom, stick, or bucket and the operator’s cab. This allows the system to be installed in about an hour, and it can be moved from one excavator to another in a matter of minutes.
Last October, Ocala introduced the ExcaVision system. It has a graphic touch-screen display that revolutionizes the user interface. The operator sees the bucket and bottom on the screen, making it easy to use for any operator and ensuring that the excavation is exact to within a hundred of a foot. An automatic laser receiver on the dipper stick allows the operator to dig all day without having to stop to check the grade.
Faster, More Accurate Procedures
Mikrofyn has been successful worldwide for more than 20 years now, but its presence in the US is quite recent. You may have seen the company at CONEXPO this year. Mikrofyn offers a machine-control and 3D guidance system that promises to give your operators faster and more accurate work procedures with fewer mistakes. Whatever the brand of guidance system you choose, the avoidance of mistakes is, possibly the main reason for using technologies to help your grading and excavation. Rework can be the most costly part of a construction project, and it’s unnecessary. Get the digging and grading right the first time, and your profits will benefit.
All the Mikrofyn machine-control systems are designed for adding on a 3D guidance system comprising a durable computer, 3D modeling software, and 3D positioning of the machine by either RTK GPS or a robotic total station. Their modular design enables the Mikrofyn machine control systems to be used between different machines.
Can you start simply and upgrade when you need to do so? Absolutely. MikroDigger, for example, may start with a single grade system that lets you do many everyday operations, including slopes, trenching, fixed depth, grading, and blind cuts. If you add the RS 10 sensor you upgrade your system to a dual-grade system; it’s a pitch, roll, and direction sensor that determines the attitude of the excavator. That means that, while you’re working, the roll and pitch measurement of the RS 10 compensates for those machine motions to yield an accuracy that is less than 1 inch. If you mount the cross-slope sensor on the excavator bucket, you get another benefit. The operator will have freedom of movement in any direction on a sloping surface, because the control box will calculate (and display) the correct bucket-tilt angle. You can, of course, also add GPS positioning and 3D model software. So, yes, the system is upgradeable! Among other features mentioned by Mikrofyn for its MikroDigger are its ability to hold 20 different bucket settings, its 100% waterproof nature (so you wouldn’t need special sensors or cable for underwater use), its ease of use, and its accuracy (half an inch, or 0.2% of the reach).
MikroGrader will automate the control of cross-slope and blade elevation for graders. Again, you can start simply and become more sophisticated as your projects demand. The standard system, using three sensors, controls the cross-slope of the grader blade. To control elevation, there are a number of sensors available. You can achieve unsurpassed accuracy of internal measurement (1 millimeter, or 1 one-hundred and twenty-fifth of an inch) if you use the SH 2 Sonic Tracker, and it can use any type of surface or string as a reference. The MikroGrader controls any grader, and you can choose either automatic or manual control. It is 100% waterproof. It is ready to accept 3D GPS or total station guidance if you need that level of performance. The features and benefits offered by Mikrofyn for its MikroDozer system are similar to those for graders and are worth your investigation, but space prevents more detail here.
Before You Start, After You Finish
The most successful earthmoving projects don’t start when the operator starts the engine of the dozer, or scraper, or grader, or excavator. The project starts before it starts. If your estimate was inaccurate, you might not have the project. If your bid was not based on the real facts, you might have lost. As many contractors have learned, the project includes all the preparations and the work itself. In these days of rushing to litigation, it also includes reliable records of what you have done and how you have followed the specifications without fault. You can get all that necessary information without spending hours of time and tons of paperwork. Late last year, Trimble introduced version two of Trimble Construction Manager. This program is now included in Trimble’s Connected Community group. One of its features is the ability to let users pinpoint accurately where their assets are on sites where the streets are not yet developed. This is not a specific topic for this article, but that introduction from Trimble shows us that manufacturers with instrumental successes are expanding the uses of their knowledge to include the whole project with all its peripheral concerns.
Trimble’s Connected Community concept, networking tools (Web-based) for contractors to connect with internal and external partners and clients, was one of the most interesting and practical systems demonstrated at this year’s CONEXPO. It allows contractors to share information and collaborate between head office management, site office teams, field crew, subcontractors, suppliers, engineers, and clients. The Connecting Grade Control System offers productivity improvement from real-time, two-way data for grade-control systems. That creates a live link between the machines onsite and the office. The link lets contractors send up-to-date design information to the cab and its operator, eliminating those trips to and from the site and reducing site errors associated with out-of-date information. Your equipment manager can monitor the activity and location of each machine and retrieve as-graded and compaction data from machines to monitor site production volumes and compaction performance.
For some contractors success has come in the last two decades by taking more responsibility at sites, by undertaking not just the excavation but other related tasks, such as land clearance, utility tie-ins, and even asphalt and concrete work. Having established themselves as efficient, reliable contractors in one area of expertise, such as excavation or grading, these companies find they are the preferred choices for as much work as possible. It’s amazing (but not really!) how many of these contractors have used such technologies as grade-control systems to establish their proficiency and reliability.
In one of my files I found the story of a contractor based in Connecticut who started 20 years ago with a backhoe loader and little else to grow a company that matches the profile of the “contractor most wanted,” thanks to his dedication and an interest in technologies that could propel his business forward. He was wise enough, when he first considered using machine guidance technologies, to include his best operator among those who helped him investigate. That operator said he wasn’t excited about learning a new way of doing something at which he had excelled for more years than most of his coworkers had been alive but, as soon as he saw the accuracy achieved, he was convinced of the advantages. Today, that experienced operator serves to instruct and inspire other operators. His advice comes from a person who really knows what can be achieved.
“I’m sold on the technology of GPS grade control,” comments Ron Randle, owner of Randle Construction, a company that won a contract for concrete footings and foundations for new housing at Scott Air Force Base, just east of St. Louis. The company had to provide 36 different foundation plans—twice that number, in truth, because each plan is flipped to give a different living accommodation. “It’s already saved us a lot of money, and it will become more and more significant for future work. For me, there are three big benefits. It offers accuracy on placement, faster speeds in which work can be completed, and significant labor savings.”
“If you add the time savings and productivity gains we’ve experienced with the rover,” adds Randle, “we’re completing stakeout on a building pad in about 30 to 35 minutes. It used to take us three or more hours to complete.” The ‘rover’ is the Trimble SPS880 Site Positioning System (Smart GPS Antenna) and the hand-held Trimble TSC2 Controller. Both are attached to a mobile rod. A combination of GPS receiver, GPS antenna, radio, radio antenna, and battery in one unit gives the contractor an all-on-the-pole solution for stakeout and grade checking. “We love the versatility and one-person operation that the Trimble rover provides,” says Randle. “We even use it to make our non-GPS machines more productive. For example, we’ll use it to paint off the dig lines for a backhoe and get it digging to save extra time.”
Upgrading as Success Grows
Another leading company in this field is Topcon. One of the company’s wise admonitions for contractors is that they can begin with a simple system and gradually upgrade to more comprehensive systems. A run through the Topcon series of indicate systems and receivers shows what we mean. The LS-B2 is described as the most easy-to-use, with four selectable on-grade bandwidths and with four levels of grade precision—from rough grade to super-fine grade—to suit your application. It works with any machine, so you only need one receiver for any job. Put it on a dozer or grader for leveling or on an excavator for digging. It has a quick-release clamp for simple setup from one machine to the next. The LS-B2 is a one-person method of achieving accurate control. The next one in the series, the LS-B4, uses a laser as its reference and provides visual information to the machine operator for continuous and accurate work. With this instrument, the operator needs fewer passes to reach final grade.
Weighing about 1 pound, Topcon’s LS-B10 is for compact machine grade control. It offers 111 LCD grade channels with five gradual triangles for out-of-grade indication. This model has been successful on skid-steer loaders, backhoes, and mini excavators. It has a magnet mount or can have an optional holder for use on a grade rod. For finish grading, Topcon offers the 3D-GPS+, which has the ability to track with both GPS and GLONASS satellites. That means you won’t have downtime when there are too few satellites available for a GPS-only system. 3D-GPS+ is accurate plus or minus one-tenth of a foot and is fully automatic without the user having to install extra components. It works from site plans and satellite positioning data. Unlike laser control, it allows you to use multiple machines, even on hills, with just a single base station, and you can move hundreds of yards from the base station and still receive grade corrections via the radio.
Recent additions to Topcon’s comprehensive range of grade-control systems are the X62 and X42 excavator grade-control systems. The X62 is used for cutting slopes, excavating trenches, and digging before the installation of footings and basements. It’s a basic system for excavators that is easy to learn and can be upgraded easily to a full 3D GPS+ control. When upgraded, this system will work off a digital site model to increase productivity even more. If all you need is basic indicate control, the X42 should suit you. It’s available for large or small excavators and backhoes. It has four tilt sensors, the GX-40 graphical display (a new offering), and a detachable light bar for grade indication. For the operator’s confidence, it has easy-to-read keypad buttons. Both the X62 and X42 can be enhanced with Topcon’s LS-B10W laser receiver; that would provide a constant elevation benchmark for the excavator or backhoe when it moves to a new position.
Should I have placed this paragraph at the beginning? Before you have your heart set on one particular brand of machine guidance or control system, you should confirm with your dealer or manufacturer that your equipment will accept your choice. It’s like attachments. You won’t buy a new excavator just to be able to mount a particular small breaker, so get confirmation that your current excavator, dozer, grader, or backhoe will work well with the guidance system you like. Your dealer should know. Your dealer should be able to put you in touch with other contractors who have purchased certain products so that you can check with them in regard to how well those products have worked and how easy they are for operators to learn. Most machine guidance and control systems work well with most construction equipment, so be confident. If you are thinking of buying new machines and new guidance systems, you should ascertain first if the manufacturer recommends certain systems and installs them on the new machine. That could be the safest—and possibly the most economical—way of advancing into today’s world of accurate earthmoving machinery.