EquipmentShare says its new $230 million funding will help it launch its core T3 construction operating system and expand its suite of technology solutions.

“We are eager to leverage this milestone round to launch several initiatives, with the continued goal of empowering contractors and accelerating productivity in construction,” says Willy Schlacks, EquipmentShare president and co-founder.

The company says it will soon launch T3, a solution that digitizes and connects assets, people and materials. T3 will “give contractors real-time visibility into parts of the jobsite that are historically difficult to track and manage,” it says.

In addition, Columbia, Missouri-based EquipmentShare says it plans to significantly increase its footprint in the U.S. in 2021 and grow its total presence to more than 100 locations, including rental, retail and service. It now says it’s hiring 100 new employees a month. 

The funding round was led by Tiger Global Management, The Spruce House Partnership and RedBird Capital Partners. Addition participation came from Tru Arrow Partners and EquipmentShare’s existing investorsRomulus, Insight Partners and Anchorage Capital Group. 

tlas Copco adds Caisson Consultant

Atlas Copco

Caisson Consultant has been named a dealer for Atlas Copco Power Technique.

Caisson will provide sales, service warranty and application knowledge for Atlas Copco’s DrillAir high-pressure air compressors.

Incorporated in 2004, Caisson provides foundation equipment in the Ontario, Canada region, focusing on foundation drilling and geotechnical market segments. Specializing in piling, anchor, tieback and  limited access machines, it offers technical support, rentals, sales, RPOs, tooling and wear parts. 

Trophy Tractor builds Burleson facility

Trophy Tractor is adding a 28,000-square-foot facility on 13 acres in Burleson, Texas. The new facility will have eight service bays in a climate-controlled shop area, a 5,000-square-foot office space and a parts storage building.

The company specializes in providing new, used and reconditioned haul trucks, loaders, dozers, scrapers, excavators, along with a variety of other earthmoving equipment. 

MANUFACTURERS, SUPPLIERS

Hitachi hires customer care director

Hitachi Construction Machinery Loaders America has hired Marcelo Fazolin as its director of customer care.
In his new position, Fazolin will spearhead Hitachi’s After Sales Solution mission, which includes parts, support services, ConSite fleet management solution, global e-Service platform, remanufacturing and training.
Fazolin comes to Hitachi after global experience in automotive sales channels and supply chains.

Pitts Enterprises founder Andrew Pitts passes

Andrew Pitts Jr.Pitts Enterprises

Andrew Pitts Jr., 90, founder and former CEO of Pitts Enterprises, died on July 16th.

Pitts built his first logging trailer in 1976 and went on to found Pitts Enterprises, which manufactures a variety of forestry trailers, hydraulic elevating loader carrier trailers, open and closed top chip vans and moving floor vans. The company continues as a family business under the leadership of Andrew’s son, Jeff Pitts, who has lead the company as CEO since 2002.

Iron Capital adds RPO option for used equipment

Iron Capital says it is making rental purchase options to its product offerings, designed to fill a gap between rental and purchase options.

The company says the RPO options give contractors the ability to rent with the option to buy that applies a portion of the rental payments towards purchase. Iron Capital says its approach is unique in the North American used equipment market.

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Merlo has introduced its new DBM 3500 Mini Cement Mixer to the U.S. market.

Along with its compact stature, the mixer is maneuverable on tight jobsites, able to discharge concrete up to 330 degrees around the machine. The drum can rotate laterally 180 degrees, and the chute provides additional reach.

The mixer also has a tight turning radius, and the drum has a reduced incline angle for further agility.

It can produce 37.7 square feet of concrete in less than 15 minutes, the company says. The 1,321-gallon drum can deliver 4.6 cubic yards of concrete. A self-loading bucket can handle up to 25 cubic feet of aggregate at each load cycle. Hydraulics lift and rotate the bucket as needed, while the  door automatically opens to unload aggregate into the drum. The pump moves 66 gallons of water per minute into the mixing drum.

Merlo duplicated the in-cab controls outside the mixer at ground level. “From the ground, an operator can control engine acceleration, water pump activation, drum rotation, barrel lift, chute lift and emergency stop,” the company says.

The Merlo DBM 3500 Mini Cement Mixer can produce 37.7 square feet of concrete in less than 15 minutes, the company says.MerloThe ROP-certified, enclosed cab has double controls split between the front and rear. The front controls are for driving. The seat rotates 180 degrees to access the rear controls, which manage the mixing drum and self-loading bucket and also drive the vehicle. A lever reverses travel direction. Travel speed is up to 25 mph.

The mixer runs on a 100-horsepower Deutz diesel engine mounted on the side for increased ventilation and access.

Other features include four wheel drive with three steering modes, hydrostatic transmission, and portal axles for increased ground clearance of 16 inches. It is designed for any terrain, the company says.

The Merlo DBM 3500 Mini Cement Mixer can also be operated at ground level.MerloThe water tank has a 246-gallon capacity. Max unloading height is 7 feet.

The DBM 3500 is 12.7 feet high, 7.7 feet wide and 17.9 feet long.

It is sold in the U.S. through importer Applied Machinery Sales.

The hydraulic self-loading bucket on the Merlo DBM 3500 Mini Cement Mixer can hold up to 25 cubic feet of aggregate to load into the mixing drum.Merlo

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When Cat first announced the switch from the D6K2 to the D4, the name change did not indicate a new machine. “We literally just pulled off the old sticker and put on the new,” Sam Meeker, Cat product application specialist, told Equipment World last year. 

That is no longer true. 

Now it’s the D4’s moment to shine in Cat’s new dozer lineup, and the improvements over the former D6K2/D4 are notable. These include an up to 30% increase in visibility to the area in front of the blade. Cat says these shorter sight lines mean the visual distance between the blade and the material pile is shortened by about 40% so operators spend less time backing up.

Visual distance between the blade and the material pile on the Cat D4 is shortened by about 40%.Caterpillar

The 130-net-horsepower D4 now also shares the 10-inch touchscreen main display that’s common in much of Cat’s dozer lineup. In-cab features include a standard high-definition rearview camera.

[Related: Check out our video on why Cat renamed the Cat D6K2 the D4.]

If you opt for Cat Grade with 3D, the 10-inch Grade operator interface is designed to work like a smartphone. And you can install custom Android OS platform apps.

Standard technology features include:

Slope Indicate shows machine mainfall and cross-slope on the main display. Stable Blade works with operator blade inputs for smoother surfaces.Traction Control automatically reduces track slip to save time, fuel and track wear.

Optional technology on the D4 includes:

Cat Grade with Slope Assist provides basic blade positioning assistance without added hardware or a GPS signal. Factory Attachment Ready Option (ARO) provides mounting locations, brackets, and hardware, designed to simplify installation of any brand of grade control system and allow easy assimilation to your preferred grading technology. All Cat Grade systems are compatible with Trimble, Topcon and Leica Geosystems radios and base stations.Cat Grade with 3D uses a GPS signal to automatically adjust lift and tilt blade movements as an operator follows a design plan. The low-profile roof-mounted spoiler houses the system’s antennas and receivers. The system also includes Cat’s AutoCarry, which automates blade lift, designed to get more consistent blade loads on each pass and reduce track slip.

The Cat D4’s longer service intervals contribute to reduced maintenance costs of up to 7% compared with its predecessor.Caterpillar

Longer service intervals 1,000 hours on engine oil and filter changes with Cat’s Scheduled Oil Sampling program contribute to a 7% decrease in maintenance costs. Service intervals have also been extended on the air cleaner and the diesel exhaust fluid pump filter. And LED lights offer up to six times the life of halogen. 

You can opt for either a low ground pressure or standard track configuration. The standard Variable Pitch Angle Tilt blade also comes with a foldable option to reduce transport width. 

Forestry and landclearing contractors can choose specialized guarding that protects against impacts and airborne debris. An impact-resistant cab with polycarbonate windows is also available. 

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