March 2015
Club Car Offers Limited-Slip Differential Option
Club Car’s new line of Carryall utility and transport vehicles are now available from the factory with an optional automatic limited slip differential (LSD) when ordered with the EFI powertrain.
New, Single-Family Home Sales Rise in February
The NAHB weighed in on February's 7.8% increase in sales of newly built, single-family homes, calling it "a great start to the spring buying season,” according to Tom Woods, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Blue Springs, Mo. “Hopefully, this is an indicator of how the rest of the year will fare.”
Dosko Announces Stump Grinder Winner
Thomas Madara, owner of Madara Equipment, McKean, Pa., is the winner of one of Dosko’s most popular rental stump grinder models, the 200-6H, valued at $2,659. Nicknamed the “Mini,” the stump grinder was given away at The Rental Show 2015.
Morbark Operator Safety Shield Available on
6-, 8-inch Beever Brush Chippers
Morbark, Inc., has expanded the availability of its ChipSafe Operator Safety Shield as an option to the Beever M6R and M8D model brush chippers. The ChipSafe device had previously been available on all new Morbark 12-inch to 18-inch capacity chippers. Field kits to retrofit current model Morbark 6- to 18-inch capacity chippers with the ChipSafe Operator Safety Shield also are available through Morbark’s worldwide dealer network.
Right Place, Good Timing for Extreme Telehandler
Las Vegas-based Xtreme Manufacturing showcased North America’s largest rough terrain telehandler at the World of Concrete in February. The XR7038 displayed was purchased by Bigge Crane and immediately put to work on a major highway project.
MECO Miami Adds Atlas Copco Road Construction Equipment
Atlas Copco has announced that MECO Miami Inc., Miami, Florida, now offers its Dynapac asphalt and soil rollers and pavers. MECO Miami also carries Atlas Copco air compressors, light towers and handheld tools.
Iron & Oak Announces Log Splitter Winner
Jon Broas of Aâ€1 Express Rental Center, Eau Claire, Wis., won an Iron & Oak BHVH2213GX horizontal/vertical log splitter, given away at The Rental Show 2015 in New Orleans. Broas was one of 5,870 attendees from 2,513 rental businesses who attended this year's event.
Titan Machinery to Close Four Stores
Titan Machinery Inc.announced it will close three ag and one construction store and reducing headcount by 14%, taking action due to the "continued industry headwinds" in the ag sector, stated CEO David Meyer.
Neff Announces Strong Year, Quarter
Online Live Bidding for This Week's
Alex Lyon & Son Massive Auction
Proxibid will provide live online bidding for Alex Lyon & Son’s Annual Three-Day Rental Return Auction taking place Thurs., March 26 – Sat., March 28 at 9:30 a.m. Eastern daily in Mays Landing, New Jersey. This sale includes construction equipment, aerials, telescopic forklifts, dump trucks and more. Internet bidding will be powered by Proxibid’s trusted online bidding solution.
Hyundai Announces 2014 Pinnacle Award Winners
Hyundai Construction Equipment announced the 2014 winners of the Hyundai Pinnacle Award, recognizing the company’s leading construction equipment dealers in North America. In addition to earning a Pinnacle Award, Cisco Equipment, with two of the top 15 salespeople in the United States, was named top-performing dealer of 2014. The dealer has four locations in Texas and New Mexico.
Construction Employment Keeps On Growing
From January 2014 through this January, construction companies added jobs in 43 states and D.C., according to an analysis of Labor Department data by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).
Building Permits Better Housing Market Indicator
Let building permits tell the tale of home construction, wrote Kris Hudson forThe Wall Street Journal. In other words, don't panic over the 17% drop in starts last month.
Housing Starts Take February Dive
Privately-owned housing starts dropped 17% in February, dropping to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 897,000, compared to the revised January estimate of 1,081,000. This is 3.3% lower than last year's level of starts which, at the time, were attributed in part to the polar vortex. Single-family starts dropped 14.9 percent, according to the HUD/Census Bureau data, coming in at 593,000, compared to January's revised 697,000 starts.
Can Fuel Tax, Federal Tax Rebate, Break Gridlock?
The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) outlined a detailed proposal it believes could end the political impasse over how to fund future federal investments in state highway, bridge and transit capital projects. The “Getting Beyond Gridlock” plan would marry a 15 cents-per-gallon increase in the federal gas and diesel motor fuels tax with a 100 percent offsetting federal tax rebate for middle and lower income Americans for six years.
Builder Confidence Slips in March
Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes in March fell two points to a level of 53 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) released today. The NAHB noted that it remains in positive territory and reported that the drop "is largely attributable to supply chain issues," said NAHB chief economist David Crowe..
Growing Momentum for Housing Demand
While housing and the economy are off to a slow start at the beginning of 2015, notes the NAHB's economist David Crowe, there's growing momentum for housing demand driven by positive developments in the labor market.
Dodge Momentum Index Improved Last Month
The Dodge Momentum Index increased to 126.3 (2000=100) in February, a gain of 4.3% from January's 121.1, according to Dodge Data & Analytics. The Momentum Index is a monthly measure of the first (or initial) report for nonresidential building projects in planning, which have been shown to lead construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full year.
American Pneumatic Tools Adds Tucker Sales;
Highlights Full Line-up
American Pneumatic Tools has announced that Tucker Sales, a manufacturer's representative firm covering Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska, will carry APT’s line of tools and equipment. At the recent rental show, APT showcased its new, full line of pneumatic and hydraulic tools, and its portable power, light compaction and concrete finishing products.
Rental Stores Now Have Direct Access for Toro Mowers
Toro announced at last week's Rental Show that rental centers now have access to Toro's mower line, which includes heavy-duty commercial walk-behinds, the popular 30” TurfMaster, the Toro Z Master 3000 series zero turn mower, and others.
Sullair Expands Certified REMAN Program
Sullair announced the launch of its Certified REMAN 375H cfm portable air compressor. The REMAN 375H is the latest addition to Sullair’s Certified REMAN program, which already includes the 900H AF; 900/1150XX HA and 1600H AF portable air compressors.
Single, Multi-family Construction Increase
NAHB analysis of Census construction spending data found that on a 3-month moving average basis, from January 2014, single-family construction spending increased 11.4% and multifamily construction spending increased 28.9%, writes Josh Miller in the association's Eye On Housing.
Generac's New Brand Provides "Single-Sourcing Contact"
Generac Power Systems announced last week that it has established a new brand and commercial group to better serve its mobile power products customers, combining the Magnum Power Products, MAC Heaters, and Tower Light brands, said Aaron Jagdfeld, Generac Power Systems’ president and chief executive officer.
Cummins Starts Producing Simplified Tier 4 Final Engines for Rental Equipment
Cummins announced last week that its producing 4-cylinder Tier 4 Final QSF2.8, QSF3.8 and QSB4.5 engines, using a simplified technology approach focused on compact installation packages for space-constrained construction and material handling equipment across the 49 hp to 173 hp range.
Hot Week for Equipment Auctions
Ritchie Bros reported record-setting auction results for a 5-day auction in Orlando, Fla. that ended February 20, and a 2-day auction that ended February 26 in Edmonton, Alberta. The company moved more than 10,500 equipment items in Florida, followed by more than 4,600 items at the Canadian auction. The number of bidders, on-site and online, also posted records, suggesting ongoing interest and demand in used equipment
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