Category: Construction Services

The industry’s inventory woes may have gotten even more pronounced as Deere & Company’s 10,000 UAW workers declared a strike at midnight Oct. 14th.

It is the first major strike at the company since 1986, says The Courier, based in Waterloo, Iowa, where Deere has several plants including its agricultural tractor and engine works. About 90% of UAW members rejected Deere’s latest offer on Oct. 10th. (UAW provided its members with outlined contract changes on Oct. 7th, shown here.) The 1986 strike lasted more than 5 months. 

“Our members at John Deere strike for the ability to earn a decent living, retire with dignity and establish fair work rules,” says Chuck Browning, vice president and director of the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America’s (UAW) Agricultural Implement Department. “We stay committed to bargaining until our members’ goals are achieved.”

“John Deere is committed to a favorable outcome for our employees, our communities and everyone involved,” says Brad Morris, Deere’s vice president for labor relations. “We are determined to reach an agreement with the UAW that would put every employee in a better economic position and continue to make them the highest paid employees in the agriculture and construction industries.”

Morris adds: “We will keep working day and night to understand our employees’ priorities and resolve this strike, while also keeping our operations running for the benefit of all those we serve.”

good time to strike?

Unions know they are in a good position to press for favorable changes in today’s tight labor market and in the face of increasing demand.

In its Q3 earnings report, John Stone, president of Deere’s Construction & Forestry Division said, “Demand for earthmoving and compact construction equipment will exceed our production for the year, resulting in low inventory levels as we exit the fiscal year,”

UAW President Ray Curry notes that “UAW John Deere members have worked through the pandemic after the company deemed them essential, to produce the equipment that feeds America, builds America and powers the American economy. These essential UAW workers are showing us all that through the power of a strong united union voice on the picket line they can make a difference for working families here and throughout the country.”

Picket lines have been set up outside Deere plants in Iowa, Illinois and Kansas. Deere says it has activated its “Customer Service Continuation Plan,” in which “employees and others will be entering our factories daily to keep our operations running. Our immediate concern is meeting the needs of our customers, who work in time-sensitive and critical industries such as agriculture and construction.”

The Courier says Deere’s six-year offer would have raised wages by 20% over the life of the contract and also increased some benefits. The Dubuque Telegraph-Herald, where the company’s massive Dubuque Works is located, reported that Deere’s offer would have raised a typical production employees salary from $33 an hour to nearly $40 an hour over the six-year contract.

Other OEMs likely are paying close attention to strike outcome. CNH Industrial and UAW negotiated their current six-year agreement in 2016. The current Caterpillar/UAW contract runs through 2023.

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Underground utilities were damaged in an estimated 468,000 excavation-related incidents in 2020, according to the DIRT Report released last month by the Common Ground Alliance (CGA). Despite those numbers being down 12% from 2019, the industry shouldn’t pat itself on the back quite yet.

CGA says the decline in damages coincides with a 4.2% dip in construction activity during the pandemic. The overall emphasis on safety because of the global pandemic may have led to less crowded and potentially less distracting jobsites.

No locate request and poor locating practices were tied at 32%, respectively, causing 64% of the reported damages that have known root causes. Those include failure to notify 811 and facilities not marked or marked inaccurately due to locator error or the presence of an abandoned facility.

Rounding out the “big three,” poor excavation practices was the next highest cause, at 30%. Digging before verifying marks by a test hole combined with a failure to maintain clearance were the most consistent causes of damages in the field.

The pandemic triggered a steep rise in homeowner locate requests and digging activities associated with home improvement projects, whether by homeowners or professional contractors. Despite the increase in homeowner activity, damages involving occupants did not increase.

While estimated damages in the U.S. decreased in 2020, the report shows a five-year trend in damage rates that has plateaued. The 2020 DIRT Report predicts the next few years will bring an increase in construction activity and the potential of a national infrastructure program that will require the damage-prevention industry to focus on addressing the consistent rate of damages and estimated $30 billion in societal costs incurred as a result of damages to buried infrastructure each year.

The most commonly damaged utility lines were telecommunications at 50%, natural gas at 23% and cable TV at 11%.

The report also found:

June was the month with the most total damages in 2020. Wednesday was the most common day of the week that damages occurred.Backhoes topped the list of known equipment-caused damages at 15%.

“The DIRT Report is a crucial tool for understanding the most pressing challenges in damage prevention – and to truly make progress on addressing the handful of damage root causes that are driving the vast majority of damages,” said Sarah K. Magruder Lyle, president and CEO of CGA.

“With the potential of significant infrastructure legislation becoming law coupled with an expected increase in construction activity in the coming years, we must focus on the challenges outlined in the DIRT Report and work together as an industry to improve each step of the damage-prevention process.”

CGA is a nonprofit association of the underground utility industry that seeks to prevent damage to North American underground infrastructure by promoting damage-prevention practices.

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A new report estimates that one-fourth of all critical infrastructure in the U.S. is at risk of flooding, and that percentage will increase as storms become more severe due to climate change.

The science and technology nonprofit First Street Foundation, in what it calls “the first ever nationwide community level flood resilience report,” says state and local governments are not equipped to handle the present and future flood risks to critical infrastructure.

“As we saw following the devastation of Hurricane Ida, our nation’s infrastructure is not built to a standard that protects against the level of flood risk we face today, let alone how those risks will grow over the next 30 years as the climate changes,” says Matthew Eby, founder and executive director of First Street Foundation.

The “Infrastructure on the Brink” report says that 25% of current “critical infrastructure,” such as utilities, airports, ports, and emergency services like police, fire and hospitals, is at risk of becoming inoperable due to flooding.

It estimates these other current infrastructure flood risks:

23% of all road segments in the country (nearly 2 million miles of road). 20% of all commercial properties (919,000).17% of all “social infrastructure” facilities (72,000). This includes such properties as schools and government buildings.14% of all residential properties (12.4 million).

The risks are expected to increase through 2051.

“Over the next 30 years, due to the impacts of climate change, an additional 1.2 million residential properties, 66,000 commercial properties, 63,000 miles of roads, 6,100 pieces of social infrastructure and 2,000 pieces of critical infrastructure will also have flood risk that would render them inoperable, inaccessible or impassable,” the report says.

This chart shows the expected increase in flood risks by infrastructure category over the next 30 years.First Street Foundation’s “Infrastructure on the Brink” report

The report shows these four states facing the highest concentration of current risk: Louisiana, Florida, Kentucky and West Virginia. Of the top-20 at-risk counties in the U.S., 17 are in these four states.

The report also provides data on all at-risk cities and counties, and you can search on First Street’s website to find the flood risk for your property with the nonprofit’s free FloodFactor tool.

This chart shows the top-20 counties most at-risk to physical infrastructure flooding and the percentages of their infrastructure categories that are at risk. (Note: The “Infrastructure” column represents “critical infrastructure,” such as airports, fire stations, hospitals, police stations, ports, power stations.)First Street Foundation’s “Infrastructure on the Brink” report

For cities facing the most flood risk today, Moliere and New Orleans, Louisiana, top the rankings, with most, if not all, of their infrastructure vulnerable. Cities in California, South Carolina, Florida and Alabama also made the list.

This chart shows the top-20 cities most at-risk to physical infrastructure flooding and the percentages of their infrastructure categories that are at risk. (Note: The “Infrastructure” column represents “critical infrastructure,” such as airports, fire stations, hospitals, police stations, ports, power stations.)First Street Foundation’s “Infrastructure on the Brink” report

The report also looks into the future, showing which counties will see the largest percentage increase in infrastructure risk by 2051. Virginia has several metro areas facing a significantly increased threat. The list also includes counties in North Carolina, Massachusetts, Maryland and Texas.

This chart shows the top-20 counties with the highest estimated percentage increase of risk to physical infrastructure flooding by 2051 and the percentages of their infrastructure categories that are at risk. (Note: The “Infrastructure” column represents “critical infrastructure,” such as airports, fire stations, hospitals, police stations, ports, power stations.)First Street Foundation’s “Infrastructure on the Brink” report

The report says the impact of the increased risks could devastate local communities. It notes that in Harris County, Texas, home to Houston, 770 hospitals, public utilities and water-treatment plants currently risk becoming inoperable due to flooding this year.

Miami-Dade, Florida, has 1,640 schools, churches and museums at risk. The Chicago metro area has 225,000 residential properties at risk. And in the New Orleans area, 99% of the roads are at risk of becoming undrivable because of flooding, the report says.

First Street Foundation hopes the data will help prioritize funding toward protecting infrastructure from flood risks.

“Our work aims to determine the amount of flooding that would render infrastructure either inoperable or inaccessible,” says Dr. Jeremy Porter of First Street Foundation. “By applying research on depth thresholds and comparing them to flood data and probability metrics, we can determine roughly the extent of flooding that would cause a road to be impassable to cars, or a hospital to be shut down.”

This map shows where the greatest flood risks are to infrastructure.First Street Foundation’s “Infrastructure on the Brink” report

H&E Equipment Services has opened a new rental branch just north of Salt Lake City in Ogden. It is the company’s third Utah facility.

The 8,500-square-foot facility sits on three acres and features a fenced yard, offices, parts warehouse and separate repair shot with six service bays. The facility will offer construction and general industrial equipment for customers in northern Utah, southeast Idaho and western Wyoming.

Chris Baron, who also leads the company’s Salt Lake City branch, will manage the location. 

Kirby-Smith names Kunin VP, adds Atlas

Kirby-Smith Machinery (KSM) has named Mike Kunin vice president of national accounts, following the promotion of John Arapidis to president and CEO.

Kunin will oversee the management and continued development of strategic partnerships between the company and its national account customers. He comes to the dealership after having held several key positions at Komatsu America during the past 21 years, including parts sales, construction and support equipment and most recently as business director of Komatsu’s central region. He will be located in KSM’s headquarters in Oklahoma City.

SMH GroupKMS has also added the SMH Group US’s line of Atlas material handlers and will represented the line in Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Illinois. The Atlas line includes mobile industrial and industrial tracked machines for the scrap, wood and recycling markets, among others.

KMS has 12 branch locations in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and Missouri.

W.W. Williams relocates Charleston store

W.W. Williams Company’s Charleston, South Carolina, branch has moved to a new location. The 20,000-square-foot facility has 14 service bays for repairing and servicing medium- and heavy-duty trucks, fleets, construction equipment, emergency vehicles and marine vessels in addition to power generation sales and service. 

Maverick Environmental adds Morbark line

Maverick Environmental Equipment has become a Morbark Industrial Products dealer for Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky ad western West Virginia. The company will sell and service Morbark’s line of tree care, forestry, sawmill and wood recycling equipment.

Herc buys Rapid Equipment Rental

Herc Holdings, parent of Herc Rental, has bought Toronto-based Rapid Equipment Rental. Rapid Equipment Rental currently has 110 employees and seven locations. Founded in 2013, it serves the industrial and construction markets in Toronto and the surrounding areas. 

Herc says the acquisition supports its long-term strategy to achieve greater density and scale in select urban markets across North America. It currently has 295 locations in North America.

MANUFACTURERS

Bomag adds milling, paving VP

Bomag Americas has named Chris Colwell its vice president of milling and paving, responsible for overseeing the company’s new business unit segment. Colwell’s industry experience includes positions with Astec Industries, Carlson Paving Products and managing a road construction equipment dealership.

Generac expands in Wisconsin

Generac has announced it will invest $53 million in facilities across the state over the next three years, creating more than 700 jobs. Expansion plans include a new administrative and R&D facility in Pewaukee, announced in July. The company’s global headquarters will remain in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

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Product details are still sketchy after all, it’s still a test machine  but John Deere used the Utility Expo to strut out its electric backhoe, the 310 X-tier E-Power, now in real-world testing with utility client National Grid.

“The battery electric technology on the 310 X-tier is one way we’re going to give leading-edge performance with innovative technology,” says Justin Steger, Deere solutions marketing manager. “It is geared toward customers that have stated carbon emissions-reduction goals.”

Throughout the spring and summer, National Grid used the machine to perform a variety of jobs, including trenching, loading, digging,  backfilling and using a breaker, says Brian Hennings, Deere product manager, speaking to Equipment World. Up next: cold-weather tests.

The “X-tier” identifies that it has a unique power train, says Hennings. “If we eventually do come out in the marketplace and things look very positive — the model would be offered as a 310 X.”

The placard next to the 310 X-tier at the Utility Expo said the machine represented an “early Phase 1 development in clean-energy solutions,” the same language Deere used in its January announcement that it was testing the machine. Deere will head into Phase 2 testing next year, Hennings says, and targeting energy consumption by specific components. “We want to offer at least an 8- to 10-hour composite runtime,” he says.

“We’re very early in this journey, and it’s going to take many iterations to meet customer expectations,” Hennings says, noting that even retaining the top 25 mph travel speed can consume a great deal of power. “It’s going to be more a matter of years instead of a matter of months.”

The 310 X-tier is positioned in direct comparison with the Deere 310L. Deere knows the electric unit will be compared with the runtime of the diesel unit, which has a 34-gallon tank and typically provides more than a day’s worth of work. One positive for the electric machine: it has an outside-machine decibel level of 75 while the 310L runs at 89 decibels. “It doesn’t sound like a lot on paper, but it’s not as loud as my dishwasher,”  Steger says. 

Jordanne Waldschmidt, chief editor of Equipment World, caught up with Joe Dietz, the chief technology officer at excavation contractor Bob Dietz & Sons, New Paltz, New York, at the show. Dietz and his two brothers also serve as ambassadors for Deere, sharing their passion for the brand on social media. Here he gives his impressions after operating the 310X-tier for the first time:

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Hennings says utility companies, such as National Grid, along with municipalities working under emission mandates, are likely to be first adaptors of the 310 X-tier when it comes to market.

What we know now

John Deere

As mentioned, Deere compares the 310 X-tier with the diesel-powered 310L. It has a net peak power of 75 kilowatts (equivalent to 100 horsepower) at 1,600 rpm. The placard at the Utility Show posted 310 X-tier specs in line with those of the 310L:

14-foot 1-inch max dig depth.6,602-pound loader lifting capacity. 6,992-pound crowd cylinder digging force. 22.8 mph max travel speed.

One noticeable difference: the 310L has a listed operating weight of 14,669 pounds; for the 310 X-tier that gets bumped up to 16,119 pounds. 

But again, these are just Phase 1 specs. “There will likely be many changes in the specs before it’s available for sale,” Hennings says.

John Deere announced in January that it had partnered with energy company National Grid an electric, natural gas and clean energy company serving more than 20 million customers in the Northeast to pioneer the machine.

At the time, Jason Daly, Deere global director, production systems, technology and marketing, called the project “another stepping stone in our backhoe innovation journey.” Adds Hennings: “This is an exciting project for the Deere backhoe design team.”

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Concrete Cutting Systems of Pennsylvania has been named the winner of the 2021 Safety Award, presented annually as part of Equipment World’s Contractor of the Year Award program.

David Nevrotski started Concrete Cutting Systems in 1995 in the basement of his house in Philadelphia. Today, it is an $11 million to $13 million company with 75 employees, including a branch office in Pittsburgh. Along with being the safety award winner, Nevrotski is one of 12 Constractor of the Year finalists for 2021. The awards were presented September 25 at a ceremony at the Wynn hotel in Las Vegas. Presenting the safety award was Hiro Tongu, marketing manager at Caterpillar, a sponsor of the Contractor of the Year program for 21 years.

Specializing in difficult concrete cutting and drilling projects – with blades as large as 66 inches in diameter – the company makes safety a top priority so its workers go home each day injury-free.

Despite the dangers of the job, the company has experienced no lost-time injuries, no OSHA violations and has an experience modification rate of .73.

All of its workers have been certified to meet stringent federal silica dust requirements that took effect in recent years. All workers also have OSHA 10 certification, and many are cetified to OSHA 30.

Concrete Cutting regularly brings in a safety consultant to perform training. It also offers employees CPR instruction. Every month, a company-mandated stand down occurs to discuss  various safety topics.

Workers are also encouraged to bring up any concerns or suggest improvements. The company has offered incentives for workers who follow safety practices.

Often working at night on road projects, their trucks can be seen from far away by motorists, with lights underneath, on top and a strobe on the back. The company demands that the prime contractor have an attenuator truck on the jobsite and that when possible Jersey barriers and other safety structures are in place. Their workers can also be seen wearing lighted hard hats for additional protection.

“We try to get as much of the newest and best safety equipment out there,” Nevrotski says.

During the pandemic, the company policy was one person per truck. Each truck was also sanitized every day after returning to the office. Employees were provided masks, hand sanitizer and followed social distancing practices.

“They are extremely safety oriented,” says Mark Bastian, senior vice president of CTX Infrastructure. “We do work for natural gas utilities, which have some of the more stringent safety requirements. We have never had an issue with using them as one of our subs on the jobs.”

Adds another contractor client, Bryan Fleming of James J. Anderson Construction, “Their safety practice is one of the best around in the industry.”

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Winter weather is close at hand, so it’s time to start thinking about snow-clearing equipment.

Contractors have a variety of attachments to choose from to equip their construction equipment or pickup trucks to remove snow and ice from roads, parking lots and other surfaces.

Here are 11 attachments to consider:

Bobcat’s hydraulically driven angle broom attachment (pictured above) can handle quick cleanup jobs without damaging pavement surfaces. The bristles’ waved design creates a cleaner path and can sweep more snow or debris in one pass. Reverse bristle rotation is available on the 68- and 84-inch angle brooms for sweeping leaves, snow and debris away from corners, curbs, buildings and obstacles. The standard orange heavy-duty bristles are designed for longer life and better visibility. The attachment is available for Bobcat’s M and R series compact track loaders and skid steers and Bobcat Toolcats.

Doosan snow pusherDoosanDoosan’s bucket-mounted snow pusher attachment is designed for the company’s 13- to 20-metric-ton wheel loaders and toolcarriers. The attachment comes in two versions: 12 feet wide at 2,200 pounds and 14 feet wide at 2,400 pounds. The pusher is designed to be an alternative to buckets and traditional plowing for clearing parking lots and roads. Features include a 47-inch moldboard for high-capacity snow removal, a 1.5-inch rubber cutting edge to protect surfaces, high-grade steel skid shoes, a 12-inch push beam and three bucket-mount support tubes to help keep the snow pusher rigid.

Fisher Storm Boxx snow pusherFisherFisher made its Storm Boxx pusher plows for large construction equipment, such as wheel loaders and backhoes. Models are available at 12, 14 or 16 feet wide. A two-piece steel trip edge is designed to deliver a cleaner scrape of hardpacked snow and ice. It also protects the operator and equipment when hitting hidden obstacles. Floating attachment plates allow side-to-side movement and smooth out bumps, keeping the pusher in continuous contact with the surface. It is also designed to be easily attached to various equipment.

Hilltip salt spreaderHilltipHilltip’s new IceStriker 2000-3300 SSA/SSC stainless-steel salt spreaders are designed for three-quarter-ton trucks. The device can spread bulk sand and gravel, bulk/bag salt, sand-salt mixes and fertilizers. It is offered in three sizes: 2, 2.65 and 3.3 cubic yards. The stainless steel wards off corrosion, and Hilltip also immerses its hoppers in an acid bath to ensure corrosion-free welds and surfaces. An inverted “V” with a vibrator helps prevent bridging. The stainless-steel flip-up chute is designed to spread salt in environments with high humidity, and a tarp kit helps keep spreading materials dry.

HitchDoc hydraulic snow blowerHitchDocHitchDoc’s all hydraulic snow blower is designed to reduce your carbon footprint. The company has eliminated the diesel engine, crankcase, shear pin and air filter, as well as the need for diesel exhaust fluid. The hydraulic blower is quieter and offers better visibility and balance. It is 9 feet wide and weighs 5,200 pounds. It is designed for wheel loaders of 2 to 4 cubic yards equipped with hydrostatic transmissions.

JCB Snow BlowerJCBThe JCB snow blower range features a two-stage design with the ability to throw snow 25 to 40 feet. A poly-lined chute and deflector can be adjusted to direct the snow discharge. The 25-inch standard flow shroud openings quickly dispense with high volumes of snow. The direct drive hydraulic motor design reduces the number of moving components for less wear and longer life. The blower includes adjustable skid shoes, a bolt-on replaceable wear-resistant tapered steel edge and quick release coupling. It is available in widths of 60, 72, 78 and 84 inches in either standard or high flow.

Pettibone SpeedSwing 445F with snowblowerPettibonePettibone’s Speed Swing 445F rail crane is now available with a CreepDrive system from Poclain Hydraulics that allows it to run high-flow attachments like snow blowers and power brooms at slower travel speeds on or off the rails. The CreepDrive can deliver up to 33 gallons per minute of hydraulic flow. It comes with a display interface for controlling rpms and an integrated rocker pedal for traveling the machine forward and in reverse up to 2 mph. The Speed Swing 445F provides 180-degree boom rotation and has a spacious, climate-controlled operator cab.

SnowEx heavy-duty snowplowSnowExSnowEx’s heavy-duty straight-blade snowplow gives skid steers commercial-contractor performance. It is available in four blade widths. The plow is built with a formed base channel for extra durability. Six vertical ribs, two angled Power Ribs and a quad design provide added torsional strength to prevent blade twisting. The A-frame is constructed of tubular steel to handle the toughest jobs.

Virnig picukp broom with water tankVirnigVirnig’s Internal Water Tank Broom for skid steers controls dust as you sweep. The protected 55-gallon tank behind the bucket provides 35 minutes of continuous runtime. The translucent tank has capacity indicators so water level can be viewed by the operator while in the cab. The guarded adjustable valve regulates water pressure to the nozzles. The broom is available in 72 or 84 inches. Features on the broom include a recessed and guarded direct drive motor, HD bucket with wear bars, bolt-on edge, oversized 2-inch bearing, poly/wire bristles and pin adjustment system.

Western’s Prodigy Skid Steer SnowplowWesternThe Prodigy snowplow from Western features wings that automatically move with no additional wiring or controls. It has a universal skid-steer mounting plate. Once the pins are engaged, the plow is ready. The plow uses the onboard hydraulics system of the skid steer to lift and lower the blade. An oscillating mount that provides 6 degrees of total side-to-side oscillation is optional to improve scrape and cutting-edge wear while reducing damage to the terrain.

Winter Equipment Razor Arrow snow bladeWinter EquipmentWinter Equipment’s Razor Arrow Straight Blade System is designed to give Western Pro Plus plows longer blade life and improve cutting. It features two, 4-1/2-foot Razor blade sections, two Plow Guard Juniors and grade 8 hardware. The two Plow Guard Juniors prevent uneven and premature wear on the plow’s wear bar. The Razor Arrow system includes a two-piece, pre-welded blade with 5/8-inch abrasion-resistant cover plates. The cover plates are welded to a tungsten carbide insert cutting edge for increased wear life and surface footprint. Built-in wear indicators help to track wear life.

 

 

 

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Work has begun on widening I-65 from Nashville to the Kentucky line, the highest-cost road project in the state’s history.

The interstate will be widened from four to six lanes.

In all, nearly 26 miles of roadway will be widened to address safety and improve traffic flow. The roadway currently sees high traffic, especially at peak commuter times, leading to traffic jams and crashes, says the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

Shoulders of 12 feet wide will be added, as well as concrete median barrier wall in places.

The project includes two northbound truck-climbing lanes and an auxiliary lane in each direction between interchanges at Exits 96 and 97.

The project has been broken down into five phases. Jones Bros. of Tennessee has won the $160 million contract – the largest award in TDOT history – for the 9.68-mile section from State Route 25 to near SR 109 in Davidson County, which is set to begin.

Along with widening, that section requires the replacement of 10 bridges, replacing an overpass and building 17 retaining walls. The northbound weigh station will be converted to tractor trailer parking. And Intelligent Transportation Systems will be added throughout the corridor.

Work is expected to be completed in December 2025, with road closures mostly on nights and weekends. The contractor has incentives to finish early, as well as penalties for missing deadline, according to TDOT.

Other sections of the project are as follows:

From Rivergate Parkway to near SR 41 (US 31W)From near SR 41 (US 31W) to near SR 257 (Bethel Road)From SR 257 (Bethel Road) to SR 25 (Main Street)

A section between SR 109 and the Kentucky line has been completed.

 

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The all-new Ditch Witch RT70 ride-on trencher, introduced at the Utility Expo, gives you the option of switching from tires to tracks depending on what the jobsite requires.

The machine’s modular design features a single base unit with the option to move from tires to tracks. “In the past, trenchers either came with tracks or tires,” says Steve Seabolt, Ditch Witch product manager for heavy duty trenchers. “Now, if a customer decides later that they want to upgrade to tracks to work in different conditions, they can do so.”

The tires-to-tracks switch is accomplished at the dealership by unbolting the tire assemblies, mounting the track assemblies and then changing the machine’s software. (With the track assemblies each weighing 1,600 pounds, the switch is usually best handled at the dealership.) With different attachments and optional add-ons, operators can customize their machine throughout its lifecycle for specific jobsite needs.

Machine size was also a design driver, Seabolt says. “We wanted to put as much power in a small footprint to keep the weight and size down,” he says. “Contractors want to be able to pull it behind a smaller truck and get into more confined spaces.”

Ditch Witch’s patented cooling fan simultaneously pulls air in from the front and off the rear, exhausting it out of both sides of the trencher.Equipment WorldDirecting heat away from the operator was also a design directive. “Most fans are typically pulling and pushing air through the radiator, which passes over the engine and ends up on the operator, making for an uncomfortable environment,” Seabolt says.

Instead, Ditch Witch uses a patented cooling fan that pulls the air in the front, like normal, and then simultaneously pulls it in through the rear, off the engine and off of the operator, exhausting it out of both sides of the trencher. Daily maintenance points are grouped in one accessible location and covered with a single-piece, easy-open hood. 

An open layout and 90-degree swivel seat give you a full view of the machine from front tire to back tire and attachment. The enhanced visibility and ergonomics keep you comfortable for productivity over a long workday.

With a 72-horsepower Yanmar diesel engine and built with a 73-inch-wide footprint, the RT70 rubber-tire trencher can handle heavy-duty jobs. Steering is with a wheel rather than levers, and the trencher’s crab steer enables you to maneuver around obstacles in tight spaces.

Track length is 104.4 inches. Top speed with tracks is 4.22 mph, while the rubber-tire option gets 6.52 mph. For slow-speed operation, the tracks get down to 0.79 mph,  while the machine with tires can creep along at 1.21 mph. The RT70 also comes with a 72-inch backfill blade.

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U.S. contractors are now getting real-world experiences on Volvo Construction Equipment’s first battery-electric compact machines, the Volvo ECR25 excavator and the L25 wheel loader.

Four Volvo CE customers used the two machines in a variety of applications for about a year. 

The verdict? Zero-emissions does not mean decreases in productivity. Testers say they saw no compromises in digging depth and breakout force on the excavator or tipping load and dump height on the wheel loader. In addition, the units had full use of hydraulic power to any attachments.

To help show its operators what the electric ECR25 could do, one company testing the machines, demolition contractor Casper Company, ran a side-by-side demo of the electric unit with a diesel machine, both equipped with breakers. “It was as strong if not stronger [than the diesel machine] and that kind of changed everyone’s mind,” says Darrell Merritt, Casper superintendent. “I was shocked as well.”

Darrell Merritt, Casper Company, (left) and Jacques Marais, Baltic Sands, detailed their experience with the electric compact machines during a Volvo press event. Stephen Roy, Volvo CE president of region North America, moderates.“I had guys who wanted all the diesel power they could get, and they were surprised at the machines,” says Jacques Marais, director, Baltic Sands, a residential builder that specializes in off-grid property management, which also demo’d the electric units. 

Where the challenges remain are in battery charging speed and infrastructure. “There are current limitations in terms of getting a full eight-hour day,” Marais comments. Still, he says, “recognize that the electric machine is going to give you something that’s really close to it.”

“My guys usually work 10-hour days and we had to charge them at lunch and on breaks,” Merritt says. “If we were doing soft digging we got a little further, but not if we were using a hammer for 10 hours day.”

But there’s no doubt that there is a growing interest in electric-powered units by users, prompted in part by project owner concerns over the emissions and noise produced by diesel machines.

A week after the California press event, Volvo CE demo’ed the two machines at the Utility Expo. More than tire-kickers got behind the controls: Volvo says it took ECR25 orders during the show, orders that will start being filled in January. 

Tester experience

Baltic Sands test units.Volvo CE

Funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and administered by the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the goal of the pilot test was two-fold, says Ray Gallant, vice president of product management and productivity, Volvo CE. One, put the machines in real working conditions and two, test the charging infrastructure.

Working through its company-owned Volvo Construction Equipment & Services California dealer, Volvo tapped four organizations to demo the electric ECR25 and L25: 

Baltic Sands used the machines to excavate, grade and move materials among other tasks.Casper Company employed them for demolition work, including inside buildings.The California Department of Transportation used the units for trenching, grading and clearing of drainage areas.Waste disposal and recycling giant Waste Management tasked them with light waste handling.

Together the operations put 400 operating hours on the machines but don’t equate that with hours on a diesel engine, which accumulates hours as it consumes fuel, including idle time. With electric machines, if it’s not moving, no hours accumulate.

Testing operations found that charging infrastructure and speed remain a challenge, although Volvo says the high current available on the U.S. power grid proved beneficial in comparison with the European tests it has conducted. The tests used several charging options, including 240-volt AC grid power, a prototype 48-volt fast-charging mobile charger and a solar powered charger manufactured by Beam Global.

The machines use the same Type 2 charger currently on electric cars.

Using off-board fast charging, the excavator can be recharged 80% in one hour; for the loader, 80% can be achieved in 2 hours. On-board recharging takes 5 hours for the excavator and 12 hours for the loader. Depending on application and use, this gives each machine about 8 hours of operation.

Since Casper was using its electric machines on several jobs, it transported the units back to its yard for overnight charges.

Because Baltic Sands works in remote areas that aren’t connected to the grid, during the early stages of the project it transported the machines back to is yard for charging. Baltic eventually landed on using the solar-powered charger. “We found that to be a really good solution,” Marais says. It was an exciting prospect for us, especially down the line,” he says.

“I personally love solar charging,” Gallant says. In fact, Volvo had Beam Global set up its EV ARC 2020 transportable charging station at in the company’s Utility Expo booth. We’ll explore that system in a later story.

Changes in attitude

While his older operators were hesitant at first that quickly dissipated, Merritt says. “They figured out it wasn’t so hard,”  he says. There were also other benefits.

“We do a lot of underground utilities in existing occupied buildings and some of the biggest problems we have are noise and exhaust fumes,” Merritt says. Because of this his firm was prompted to do this work by hand. Merritt was actively looking for an alternative when the Volvo test opportunity presented itself.

“My guys loved it because they could talk to each other,” he says. (Volvo says exterior noise decreased by 9 decibels — a 90% reduction in sound power — on the the ECR25 compared to diesel units. The L25 saw similar reduction in sound power.) “They’re usually waving their arms to get an operator’s attention, so it’s also a safety thing.”

Another benefit, Merritt says: not being tired at the end of the day.

“Operator fatigue is a big deal,” Marais agrees.

Electric machines could also serve as a competitive advantage, Merritt says. “A lot of time we kind of get a bad rap for being the loud demolition guys,” he says. “This gives us up a leg up and our general contractors are pretty excited about it.”

Volvo also points out electric machines don’t require diesel engine maintenance such as changing oil, oil filters and diesel particulate filters. The DEF tank is also eliminated. What remains is the hydraulic system oil and filter and the coolant for the inverters and the drivetrain.

Volvo says the lithium-ion battery-powered units which again worked a combined 400 hours  reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 6 metric tons. Compared with a diesel-powered model, the test units saved 560 gallons of fuel at an estimated cost of $2,400, according to Volvo.

Quick specs

Priced at $92,900, the ECR25 features a 24-hour electric motor (peak), 20-kilowatt-hour battery capacity and has an operating weight of 6,102 pounds. In the operator’s seat, the machine noise is 74 decibels; outside the machine, the level is 84 decibels.

The L25, priced at $135,000, has a 48-horsepower electric motor (peak), a 1.2 cubic-yard bucket and weighs 11,023 pounds. 

Volvo  says it will continue to develop the electrification of other sizes and types of machines, along with pursuing additional grant opportunities and strategic partnerships. Beyond electric, Volvo sees hydrogen fuel cells, hydrogen combustion and grid-connected machines all playing a part in the zero-emission jobsite journey.

Volvo says its R&D will focus next on continuing the enhance the run times of the machines, optimizing on-board charging systems and exploring alternative charging methods for jobsites that do not have ready access to charging stations.