Navy's Task Force Bulldozer Supports San Diego Firefighting Efforts

CORONADO, Calif. - Amphibious Construction Battalion 1 deployed Task Force Bulldozer Friday in support of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's firefighting efforts in San Diego County.

Task Force Bulldozer will provide support to CAL Fire by supplementing over-taxed firefighting equipment and resources. These additional resources will increase CAL Fire's capability and allow much needed preventative maintenance to be performed on equipment currently in use.

Task Force Bulldozer is being assigned to support the Harris Ranch Fire, with the potential of similar task forces available from other Navy and Marine Corps units throughout the southwestern region to combat other fires. Marine Corps assets are already being employed to fight fires on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.

Building for the future: Students look at heavy equipment jobs

MASON - More than a dozen high school students from the Capital Area Career Center got a look at what it's like to be a heavy equipment operator Monday.

The students spent an hour with apprentices from the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 324 Operators' Training Center at the Ingham County Fairgrounds watching the equipment in operation and talking with operators.

Heavy Equipment School Announces A Steady Increase In Enrollment

Orange Park, FL (PRWEB) October 27, 2007 -- The Florida based Heavy Equipment School providing operator training, National Heavy Equipment Operator School (earthmoverschool.com) announces that their enrollment numbers are steadily increasing as workers clamor for proper certification and training. The increase in training enrollment is not expected to decline anytime soon due in part to a report released by the "1000 Friends of Florida" predicting the future growth of Florida.

The outlook for Florida in the next fifty years according to the "1000 Friends of Florida," is a doubling of development and population from coast to coast. This expansion is expected to continue through to the year 2060. The population is estimated to grow to a considerable thirty-six million residents. The report also predicts explosive urban growth for central Florida and the expansion of Southwest and Southeast Florida as rural areas become more urban. The report also states that all vacant land in the Florida Keys is slated for possible development, including areas inaccessible by car.

One Tractor Ignition Key to Rule Them All

Here's a fun factoid from a botched ATM robbery in Florida, in which the would-be thieves stole a front loader and plowed into the cash machine.

This guy's got some skills - Heavy Equipment Dance Video

Disaster relief volunteers receive training on the California Southern Baptist Convention-owned Komatsu front-loader. This type of equipment is needed either for donation or loan to CSBC for disaster relief clean-up crews in Southern California due to wildfires this fall.

California Southern Baptists ask for heavy equipment to support disaster relief efforts

Navy Seabees called in to Assist in CA Wildfires

A team of Navy Seabees is using heavy equipment to build firebreaks to help prevent further spread of one of the worst of the San Diego County fires, the Harris Ranch Fire... The Navy’s heavy bulldozers make relatively quick work of a task that would be nearly impossible to do by hand.

Navy Seabees get to work on stopping California wildfires



U.S. Navy Seabee Nathan Luetjen operates a bulldozer to demolish an unsafe building in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan (Picture from US Department of Defense)

Behold Some Amazing Backhoes!


Backhoe Drifting



That's One Fast Backhoe - The Fastest Backhoe Around by JCB

TWO men have been charged after they allegedly rammed their way into a north-west Queensland business and used a backhoe to steal around $90,0000 worth of copper.

Backhoe 'used to steal $90k in copper'

A backhoe, also called a rear actor or back actor, is a piece of excavating equipment consisting of a digging bucket on the end of an articulated arm (also called a stick or dipper). Modern backhoes are powered by hydraulics. They are typically mounted on the back of a tractor or front loader.

Similar attachments for skid loaders are still called backhoes even though they are mounted on the front. This is because the name refers to the action of the shovel, not its location on the vehicle: a backhoe digs by drawing earth backwards, rather than lifting it with a forward motion like a bulldozer.

A backhoe loader is a tractor-like vehicle with an arm and bucket mounted on the back and a front loader mounted on the front. This type of vehicle is often known colloquially as a JCB.

Backhoe

The Backhoe Loader - The Swiss Army Knife of Heavy Equipment


Heavy Equipment Backhoe Video Profile - Funny bloopers are a click away

The construction industry has been hit hard in the recent years due to the decline in real estate sales. The ripple effect was forecast by Wall Street Journal Analyst Alex Frangos last year:

"The construction industry accounts for almost a tenth of economic activity, and its contraction could have a ripple effect through the economy as it is a major buyer of finished products and generator of jobs. Local governments' ability to raise revenue through development fees and taxes, especially in fast-growing parts of the country, could suffer as well."

Housing Decline Sparks A Construction Slowdown

Today, CNN Money reported that 2008 will continue to see a decline in the industry, but not as bad as it has been this year:

"McGraw-Hill Construction, part of The McGraw-Hill Companies , today released its 2008 Construction Outlook, which forecasts a drop in overall U.S. construction spending for next year, fueled by tighter lending conditions and weaker job growth. Against this backdrop, the level of construction starts is expected to decline 2%..."

Construction Market Will Continue to Weaken in 2008, According to McGraw-Hill Construction Outlook

This criminal exploits and abuses the great power of a bulldozer.

Meet the Big Bulldozer

A bulldozer is a crawler (caterpillar tracked tractor), equipped with a substantial metal plate (known as a blade), used to push large quantities of soil, sand, rubble, etc, during construction work. The term "bulldozer" is often used to mean any heavy engineering vehicle, but precisely, the term refers only to a tractor (usually tracked) fitted with a dozer blade. That is the meaning used herein.

Bulldozer


Heavy Equipment Bulldozer Video Profile - The best home videos are here

Forklift tippin'



I wonder how many times he tried before perfecting this forklift trick.

ing Please post any construction and Heavy Equipment Links.

Sites of Interest:

Construction Equipment Guide
Building and Construction Equipment Articles

The National Association of Heavy Equipment Training Schools Blog

Equipment Trader Online Blog

NAHETS Video Blog


Forums of Interest:

Heavy Equipment Forums
Construction Resource Forums
Contractor Talk Forums

Blog Directories

Blog Directory
Blog Directory

JCB Revs Up NASCAR Fans at Lowes Motor Speedway’s Bank of America 500

The 750 hp Nextel Cup stock cars were not the only machines making noise at the Bank of America 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway Oct. 12 and 13.

JCB wowed race fans by displaying a number of exhibits at the Busch Dollar General 300 and Nextel Cup Bank of America 500 races.

JCB Article from cegltd.com

What is a Forklift?

A forklift truck, a lift truck, a High/Low or a forklift and sideloader is a powered industrial truck used to lift and transport materials, normally by means of steel forks inserted under the load. Forklifts are most commonly used to move loads stored on pallets. The forklift was developed in the 1920s by various companies including the transmission manufacturing company Clark (today known as Clark Material Handling Company) and the hoist company Yale & Towne Manufacturing (today known as Yale Materials Handling Corporation). It has since become an indispensable piece of equipment in manufacturing and warehousing operations.

Forklift Truck

These stuck excavator pictures were taken from a forum posting:
Stuck Excavator Forum Postings

Excavator Links of Interest
Please post any excavator related links and I will add.

Excavator Forum

Excavation and Site Work Forum

What is an excavator?

An excavator is an engineering vehicle consisting of an articulated arm (boom, stick), bucket and cab mounted on a pivot (a rotating platform, like a Lazy Susan) atop an undercarriage with tracks or wheels. Their design is a natural progression from the steam shovel.

Excavator


Excavators are an integral part of any land or construction project. They are essential for lifting, digging, and moving earth. Many excavators are specially designed for specific settings and functions. For excavators reviews and to explore more:

Excavators