Ifor Williams is stumping up three of the award-winning company’s top-selling trailers, which will be up for grabs in a special Ffermio competition.

Digital technology and the Internet mean the farming programme can these days be seen by viewers well beyond the borders of Wales, which is home to Ifor Williams Trailers.

The trailer giants have once again committed to exhibit at SED and will be back at the 2011 event with a wide range of its ever popular trailers. Visit SED from 17th - 19th May at Rockingham Motor Speedway, Corby Northants. Check out www.sed.co.uk for exhibitor information.

For details of the competition click here

To check out Ifor Williams Trailers click here

The £3 million plus project, run by Sustrans, will revitalise the National Cycle Network using Hewden plant, including excavators, dumpers and rollers across 13 locations in England.

Instructors from specialist training companies; Mentor and Eco Training will be educating the teams of previously unemployed adults (who are between 18 and 24) in the safe use of plant equipment. Once training is complete, the trainees and Hewden plant will begin work on the project.

All plant and site equipment for the project is being supplied by Hewden through its national branch network.

Hewden has also recently signed up to exhibit at SED 2011 at Rockingham Motor Speedway, Corby Northamptonshire from 17th - 19th May next year.

Click here for more information

August saw the second consecutive rise in truck registrations to stand at 1,567 units in the month but did little to boost the year-to-date figures which still lag by 15.6% - albeit that this is much better than the 26.7% shortfall on the rolling year total. Three-axle tractive units were the big risers for while sales of rigid trucks still languish 9.6% behind last year.

A 15.1% increase in van sales in the month (to 8,666) pushed the number sold in the first eight months to 133,245 - some 3% higher than at the same point last year. Sales of pick ups were up by a fifth in August to almost 600 units while registrations of 4×4 utility vehicles grew by more than 29%.

SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt said: “The economy remains in the early stages of recovery and it will be important for government to help sustain growth in the forthcoming spending review.”

Going forward Ammann will focus on its global activities in road building equipment while Yanmar will strengthen its European activities to become the sole manufacturer of mini-excavators in Saint-Dizier. The companies will retain post-split ties in specific markets including the UK where the distribution will remain in its current form.

The collaboration, which lasted more than two decades, followed anti-dumping law suits and saw the setting up of joint production plant in France (which now builds excavators from 0.5 to 10t) to supply the European market. Yanmar had engineering responsibility while Ammann ran management and marketing in Europe.

Subsequently, in 2005, Ammann bought a compaction machinery manufacturer in the Czech Republic and in 2009 acquired an Italian manufacturer of road pavers while Yanmar’s mini-excavator range has developed up the weight range. This has lead to a dwindling number of dealers are carrying both Ammann and Ammann-Yanmar products while in Switzerland Ammann/Avesco has a Cat Rent operation.

The £3 million plus project, run by Sustrans, will revitalise the National Cycle Network using Hewden plant, including excavators, dumpers and rollers across 13 locations in England.

Instructors from specialist training companies; Mentor and Eco Training will be educating the teams of previously unemployed adults (who are between 18 and 24) in the safe use of plant equipment. Once training is complete, the trainees and Hewden plant will begin work on the project.

All plant and site equipment for the project is being supplied by Hewden through its national branch network.

Hewden has also recently signed up to exhibit at SED 2011 at Rockingham Motor Speedway, Corby Northamptonshire from 17th - 19th May next year.

Click here for more information

The existing 250-litre MB250SD mixing bucket now comes with a round top grate, a concrete bag cutter, a foldable side step and a stronger, more durability auger design that minimise residues left in the bucket. These features are also available on the new 200-litre MB200SD mixing bucket which designed to fit Bobcat’s S150 compact loaders and above.

Another addition to the range is a version of the MB250SD mixing bucket with a Quick-Tach system for use on Bobcat’s T2250 telehandler.

The hire company, which is a member of the Ladder Association, is offering up to a 50% discount of new ladders in exchange for unsuitable ladders which it will recycle. It will roll out its exchange program this month across more than a third of its depots nationwide and it will run until the end of the year.

This is the fourth year that Speedy has participated in the scheme and it is also offering free online and leaflet guides on working safely at height and product selection.

Mark Turnbull, safety, health, environment and quality director at Speedy, said: “Despite the huge strides that have been made over the last five years in reducing accident rates on construction sites, working at height remains the most dangerous activity. Many incidents are caused by ageing and faulty equipment, which makes the ladder exchange such an important scheme…”

Currently the S/S category reflects the skills and knowledge required for crane operations and the test has to be taken on a crane with a hoist rope, 360º slew and full radius capabilities. This means candidates who normally use lorry loaders, telehandlers and excavators cannot use this type of equipment on the test which is causing considerable issues for CPCS

Endorsing the S/S category had been discussed but rejected as it was felt it would limit the utilisation of personnel between different types of lifting equipment on site and would require re-testing when certificating for additional types. Therefore the CPCS is proposing four alternatives:
1. Create an ‘All Lifting Types’ endorsement to the S/S category - based on the current test specification of using a crane, and provide further endorsements for non-hoist rope lifting equipment.
2. Remove the requirement of a hoist-rope equipped crane for the test, allowing the use of other lifting types.
3. Leave the current test requirements (of needing a crane) unchanged.
4. If option 1 is the preferred, create a hierarchy system whereby those tested on one type could automatically be awarded others. (For example somebody tested on a lorry loader would automatically be awarded the telehandler, excavator and masted forklift categories.)

Current CPCS testing requirements means that the question paper for S/S would relate to all endorsements so candidates wishing to add additional S/S endorsements (as in option 1) would only need to undertake the practical test.

Feedback on the preferred options should be sent to Haydn Steele at the CPA (haydn.steele@cpa.uk.net) by 10 September indicating the preferred option along with any supporting statements.

The new standard specifies that semi-automatic hitches and fully automatics with a single pin latching capture system are not acceptable and sets a phase-out date for manual couplers as the end of 2012. Fully automatic hitches with a secondary locking arrangement (as demonstrate in the photograph) are acceptable provided they will retain the attachment in the event of a total power failure and once the machine has been stopped.

Even with automatic couplers the standard requires the operator leave the cab to verify correct engagement. Furthermore, it specifies a 4m safe operating envelope for machines with quick couplers from which all personnel are excluded and places the responsibility for this on those planning the work.

The ultimate responsibility for the safe use of the quick coupler remains with the machine operator and they must not slew an attachment near or over other workers. Managers are responsible for ensuring all excavator operators on their site are properly certificated, aware of the risks associated with quick hitches and familiar with the correct procedures including the need for a visual check.

Also detailed in the standard are lifting procedures involving quick hitches including the need to deduct the weight of the coupler from the safe working load.

The 70t machine is equipped with Kocurek long-reach arm to undertake dredging work at the London Gateway deep sea container port project near Thurrock which will be able to accept vessels with drafts up to 16.8m. A triple-articulated boom gives the machine a 25m maximum reach (from slew centre to the bucket edge) and a digging depth of 17m.

At the business end is the bucket linkage from a 36t EC360C (which will be fitted with buckets between 1.5m³ and 2.0m³) while a Prolec PCX - 3D GPS machine guidance system will aid the operator when digging under water. Additional counterweights increase stability and take the all-up weight to 76t while Volvo’s 16-litre engine provides 320kW of power and 2250Nm (at 1,350rpm).