USA Landscape Materials

When trenchers were first introduced to the residential
and commercial contractors, they rapidly became the
backbone of the crew.  The time and labor trenchers
saved when they replaced the pick and shovel was
simply incredible.  The contractor was able to double
the number of jobs his crew could complete in the
same amount of time - or less.

The standard types of trenchers, whether dedicated
units or attachments, they are versatile machines
for contractors to have with them on the job.  They
can be used for many different purposes, from digging
valve box holes to trenches for drain pipes.  In
areas that contain rocky soil, large roots, or
other problems where the other machinery can’t access
the soil, the trencher will minimize downtime that
was once spent digging by hand.

The many types of vibratory plows will offer even
more labor saving options.  These plows eliminate
the hand labor of having to lay the pipe and
backfilling on numerous jobs.  Even though vibratory
plows have taken their market share and are great
for pulling pipe, trenchers are still very important
for many different types of applications.

The impressive company Bobcat offers three different
trenching attachments that are designed for use on
the smaller skid steer loaders.  The attachment
models LT102, LT203, and LT304 all have digging
depths from 2 - 4 feet.

Mini trenchers
The mini trenchers have been re-designed and
finely tuned from the same concept that made standard
trenchers so popular.  As the name suggests, they
are lightweight, with the largest models weighing
less than 400 pounds.  They are also compact,
allowing you to put them in the back of an average
pickup truck.

They will also dig a trench around 4 inches wide,
and up to 13 inches deep, neatly laying the soil
on side of the trench.  Without any trouble at
all, you can cover pipe with the backfill, leaving
a barely visible seam in the soil.

With time being money, these types of mini trenchers
are the answer when working in tight or small areas,
or on jobs that have a lot of trees or shrubbery.
Mini trenchers have a turning radius of less than
two feet and they will easily fit through most
garden gates.  Jobs that would normally need a lot
of manual labor will now save you a lot of time
and man power.

If you do construction or excavation work, even
gardening, you’ll find trenching and plowing
equipment to be essential to your work.  If you’ve
never used these types of equipment before,
you’ll be amazed at just how much time you can
save.

If you are just starting up your business, you’ll
find this type of equipment to be just what you
need.  You won’t need a lot of labor with a trencher,
as you can do most of it yourself.  For saving
time, money, and effort, trenching and plowing
equipment is the way to go.

As you may know, the CX330 is the upgrade to the
9050B model from Case.  The CX330 is quite an upgrade,
being much bigger than the 9050B.

In standard form, the CX330 is almost 5,000 pounds
heavier than the 9050B.  This added weight comes
from a larger counterweight and from a redesigned
carbody that will now completely enclose the swing
system.

These added pounds will also contribute to the boost
in the CX330s over-front capacity, and in combination
with higher hydraulic pressures the travel circuit,
give the excavator a very impressive 16% boost in
draw bar pull, which means more power for negotiating
poor underfoot conditions and very steep grades.

In addition to the new features, the CX330s digging
linkage has been enhanced in many ways.  The boom
and arm, deeper in cross section to accommodate
higher digging forces, now incorporate V-groove
type welds that are placed by robots and 100 percent
ultra sound inspected.

The boom foot and boom to arm pivots use improved
bushings, new plated pins, and new dust seals that
combine to make a more durable and easier to take
care of assembly.  The newly hardened chrome pins
will also contribute to the overall digging linkage
durability.

Even though the basic 6 cylinder, 8.3 liter engine
in the CX330 has been used in Case products since
1985, continual refinement over the years has
changed nearly 85% of the original engine’s part
numbers.  The CX330 features 259 net HP with an
air to air intercooler and a free breathing 24 valve
cylinder head.

The electronic logic that controls the new engine’s
fuel system tracks the machine’s operating parameters
and keeps the system continually armed to respond
instantly and precisely to the fuel requirements of
each individual cylinder.  The total electronic
design of the engine will also eliminate cable
and step motor controls from the fuel system, with
a large gain in reliability.

Even though modest changes in the CX330s digging
linkage geometry will contribute to the higher
forces of digging, the big guns here are the
refinement of the trench with it’s open center
hydraulic system.  The main pressure in the
implement circuit is up almost 8%, with the hydraulic
cylinder diameter up 7% as well.

Hydraulic power
The increase in hydraulic power combines with the
more efficient linkage geometry to yield almost
20% more bucket digging force and 15% more arm
force.  With 19 more HP, the CX330 can drive it’s
main hydraulic pumps with much better force.  In
addition, the new pumps will produce about 6% more
flow for increased hydraulic speed at much lower
system pressures.

The new PCS (Pro Control System) will manage the
hydraulic system and interface with the 6TAA-830
engine, and does it with more electronic genious
than the 9050B did.  Similar to the 9050B, the
CX330 does have manually selected working modes,
although it departs from previous designs by adding
a new automatic work mode.  By working in the
new automatic mode, the CX330 can analyze load
demands and operator input at the joystick, then
adjust the engine and hydraulic pumps to balance
power and speed with efficiency and even with the
economy.

Other PCS features include a high speed assistance
system, which will speed up boom and arm functions,
and an automatic power boost system as well.  The
power boost system will increase main pressure by
10% for 8 seconds if the implement system reaches
the standard relief pressure for more than 1 second
in tough digging conditions.

With everything the CX330 from Case offers, it’s
truly the best excavator in years.  Case has outdone
themselves this time, doing their part to make
excavating both fun and exciting.  If you’ve been
looking for the perfect upgrade from the 9050B, the
CX330 is all that and a bag of chips.

The bulldozer is a very powerful crawler that is
equipped with a blade.  The term bulldozer is often
used to mean any type of heavy machinery, although
the term actually refers to a tractor that is fitted
with a dozer blade.

Often times, bulldozers are large and extremely
powerful tracked vehicles.  The tracks give them
amazing ground mobility and hold through very rough
terrain.  Wide tracks on the other hand, help to
distribute the weight of the dozer over large areas,
therefore preventing it from sinking into sandy or
muddy ground.

Bulldozers have great ground hold and a torque
divider that’s designed to convert the power of the
engine into dragging ability, which allows it to
use its own weight to push heavy objects and even
remove things from the ground.  Take the Caterpillar
D9 for example, it can easily tow tanks that weight
more than 70 tons.  Due to these attributes,
bulldozers are used to clear obstacles, shrubbery,
and remains of structures and buildings.

The blade
The blade on a bulldozer is the heavy piece of
metal plate that is installed on the front.  The
blade pushes things around.  Normally, the blade
comes in 3 varieties:
1.  A straight blade that is short and has
no lateral curve, no side wings, and can be used
only for fine grading.
2.  A universal blade, or U blade, which is
tall and very curved, and features large side wings
to carry more material around.
3.  A combination blade that is shorter,
offers less curvature, and smaller side wings.

Modifications
Over time, bulldozers have been modified to evolve
into new machines that are capable of things the
original bulldozers weren’t.  A good example is
that loader tractors were created by removing the
blade and substituting a large volume bucket
and hydraulic arms which will raise and lower the
bucket, therefore making it useful for scooping
up the earth and loading it into trucks.

Other modifications to the original bulldozer
include making it smaller to where it can operate
in small working areas where movement is very
limited, such as mining caves and tunnels.  Very
small bulldozers are known as calfdozers.

History
The first types of bulldozers were adapted from
farm tractors that were used to plough fields. In
order to dig canals, raise earth dams, and partake
in earthmoving jobs, the tractors were equipped
with a thick metal plate in the front.  Later
on, this thick metal plate earned the name blade.

The blade of the bulldozer peels layers of soil
and pushes it forward as the tractor advances.
The blade is the heart and soul of the bulldozer,
as it was the first accessory to make full use
for excavation type jobs.

As the years went by, when engineers needed
equipment to complete larger jobs, companies such
as CAT, Komatsu, John Deere, Case, and JCB started
to manufacture large tracked earthmoving equipment.
They were very loud, very large, and very powerful
and therefore earned the nickname “bulldozer”.

Over the years, the bulldozers got bigger, more
powerful, and even more sophisticated.  The
important improvements include better engines,
more reliable drive trains, better tracks, and
even hydraulic arms that will enable more precise
manipulation of the blade and automated controls.
As an added option, bulldozers can come equipped
with a rear ripping claw to break up pavement or
loosen rocky soil.

The best known manufacturer of bulldozer is CAT,
which has earned a vast reputation for making
tough and durable, yet reliable machines.  Even
though the bulldozer started off a modified farm
tractor, it rapidly became one of the most useful
pieces of equipment with excavating and construction.

Also referred to as a loader backhoe, the backhoe
loader is an engineering and excavation vehicle that
consists of a tractor, front shovel and bucket and
a small backhoe in the rear end.  Due to the small
size and versatility, backhoe loaders are common
with small construction projects and excavation type
work.

Originally invented in Burlington Iowa back in 1857,
the backhoe loader is the most common variation of
the classic farm tractor.  As the name implies, it
has a loader assembly on the front and a backhoe
attachment on the back.

Anytime the loader and backhoe are attached it is
never referred to as a tractor, as it is not normally
used for towing and doesn’t normally have a PTO.
When the backhoe is permanently attached, the
machine will normally have a seat that can swivel
to the rear to face the backhoe controls.  Any type
of removable backhoe attachments will normally have
a seperate seat on the attachment itself.

Backhoe loaders are common and can be used for many
tasks, which include construction, light transportation
of materials, powering building equipment, digging
holes and excavating, breaking asphalt, and even
paving roads.

You can often replace the backhoe bucket with
other tools such as a breaker for breaking and
smashing concrete and rock.  There are some loader
buckets that offer a retractable bottom, which
enable it to empty the load more quickly and
efficiently.

The retractable bottom loader buckets are often
times used for grading and scratching off sand.
The front assembly on a backhoe may be either
removable or permanently attached.  Often times,
the bucket can be replaced with other tools or
devices.  In order to mount different attachments
to the loader, it must be equipped with a tool
coupler.  The coupler consists of two hydraulic
cylinders on the end of the arm assembly, which
can expand and retract to allow different tools to
be attached to the unit.

There are several types of backhoe loader brands,
including New Holland, John Deere, and Case.  Some
will offer you cabs, while others won’t.  The
newer types of backhoe loaders even offer you air
conditioning, radios, and other accessories that
make you feel like you are working with luxury.

Common with excavating jobs, the backhoe can serve
many purposes.  It can haul equipment and supplies
in the loader bucket.  Another great use is to cover
up dirt when filling in trench lines or covering
up pipe that was just put in the ground.  The
backhoe attachment at the rear is ideal for digging
water pipes and sewer pipes.

The best thing about the backhoe loader is the
fact that they are easy to operate.  You don’t
need to be a rocket scientist to fully operate this
nifty piece of equipment.

If you’re getting ready to go on a new garden venture, you need to prepare
your soil to ideally house your plants. The best thing you can do in the
soil preparation process is to reach the perfect mixture of sand, silt,
and clay. Preferably there would be 40 percent sand, 40 percent silt, and
20 percent clay. There are several tests used by experienced gardeners to
tell whether the soil has a good composition. First you can compress it in
your hand. If it doesn’t hold its shape and crumbles without any outside
force, your sand ratio is probably a little high. If you poke the
compressed ball with your finger and it doesn’t fall apart easily, your
soil contains too much clay.

If you’re still not sure about the content of your soil, you can separate
each ingredient by using this simple method. Put a cup or two of dirt into
a jar of water. Shake the water up until the soil is suspended, then let
it set until you see it separate into 3 separate layers. The top layer is
clay, the next is silt, and on the bottom is sand. You should be able to
judge the presence of each component within your dirt, and act accordingly.

After you’ve analyzed the content of your soil, if you decide that it is
low on a certain ingredient then you should definitely do something to fix
it. If dealing with too much silt or sand, it’s best to add some peat moss
or compost. If you’ve got too much clay, add a mixture of peat moss and
sand. The peat moss, when moistens, helps for the new ingredient to
infiltrate the mixture better. If you can’t seem to manage to attain a
proper mixture, just head down to your local gardening store. You should
be able to find some kind of product to aid you.

The water content of the soil is another important thing to consider when
preparing for your garden. If your garden is at the bottom of an incline,
it is most likely going to absorb too much water and drown out the plants.
If this is the case, you should probably elevate your garden a few inches
(4 or 5) over the rest of the ground. This will allow for more drainage
and less saturation.

Adding nutrients to your soil is also a vital part of the process, as most
urban soils have little to no nutrients already in them naturally. One to
two weeks prior to planting, you should add a good amount of fertilizer to
your garden. Mix it in really well and let it sit for a while. Once you
have done this, your soil will be completely ready for whatever seeds you
may plant in it.

Once your seeds are planted, you still want to pay attention to the soil.
The first few weeks, the seeds are desperately using up all the nutrients
around them to sprout into a real plant. If they run out of food, how are
they supposed to grow? About a week after planting, you should add the
same amount of fertilizer that you added before. After this you should
continue to use fertilizer, but not as often. If you add a tiny bit every
couple of weeks, that should be plenty to keep your garden thriving.

Basically, the entire process of soil care can be compressed into just
several steps… ensure the makeup of the soil is satisfactory, make sure
you have proper drainage in your garden, add fertilizer before and after
planting, then add fertilizer regularly after that. Follow these simple
steps, and you’ll have a plethora of healthy plants in no time. And if you
need any more details on an individual step, just go to your local nursery
and inquire there. Most of the employees will be more than happy to give
you advice.