Removing Brake Dust Buildup

by Shawn Low

When you operate a pressure washing business and are asked to clean machinery, show trailers for beer companies and trucks that haven't seen water or civilization for over a year, you develop techniques to get things cleaned, fast that others can't.

Sometimes its as basic as applying hard labor and hot water, and at other times, its using a combination of high or low pressure and special chemicals and soaps.

The All Clean Service crew in Vancouver, has many times, cleaned an old machine which was to head to the paint department and when it was finished, repainting wasn't needed, Seeing this, the owner or operator, will say, "Can you guys get my wheels clean with those pressure wash machines?"

And the answer they get usually surprises them. Whether you use hot or cold water pressure washing, its what you do before you wash them with the machine, that makes the difference. A power wash will remove most of the black or brown colored brake dust from your steel, alloy or painted wheels, but there will always be a residue that wants to stay put. And regular soap just won't cut it.

Local auto parts stores sell a variety of wheel cleaners, and the foamy ones tend to do a better job of cleaning, than a light liquid spray on cleaner, but there's something you probably already have at home that works as good or better.

Believe it or not, your liquid diswasher gel or soap is dynamite for cleaning the dust off your once shiny wheels.

Put a little in a small bowl and wipe it onto your wheels with a paper towel or an old dish brush. Then give it a quick blast with your pressure washer so that there's no dried residue and you're done!

For more information check out http://sites.google.com/site/hotwaterpressurewash/Home for more pressure washing and cleaning tips.

What are Forklifts? –an Introduction

by Benard Worseley

If you have a warehouse then you would most likely need one or two forklifts. Forklifts are a kind of machine capable of lifting things that weigh thousands of pounds. Forklifts resemble a small truck with two metal forks on its front that are used to lift very heavy cargos. Forklift operators should move forklifts forward until its forks can under the cargo, lifting the cargo in the air by moving the forks. Forklifts forks are also called blades or tines and are normally made out of steel. It is capable of lifting up a few tons.

Depending on your preference, you can choose a forklift that is powered by gasoline, propane or electricity. If you are choosing an electric forklift then you should know that it relies on batteries for it to run perfectly. Electric forklift, however, are hard to maintain and its fuel may cost you a lot. Many companies like electric forklift because it doesn’t give of harmful fumes like gas powered machines do.

Some forklifts are not only used indoors but also outdoors. Rough terrain forklifts are designed to be used outside having the capability to lift the heaviest of cargos. It usually operates on gasoline but you can also find some that operates on diesel and natural gas. Rough terrain forklifts also have heavy duty tires making it possible to be driven on rough surfaces outdoors.

Following safety precautions when using a forklift is vital to the safety of a forklift operator. Forklift operators have to be careful not to go beyond what forklifts can only carry and consider, at all times, the forlklift’s weight capacity. Forklift operators must also know how to drive and handle forklift’s rear steering wheel effectively. Driving a forklift is easy and can be compared to driving your own car in reverse, meaning forklift operators should constantly steer to make sure he is moving in a straight line. Forklift operators must also be aware at all times of the forklift’s ever changing center of gravity to avoid dangerous sharp turns and to avoid going too fast. Before anyone can operate a forklift, he has to be fully trained a licensed.

Forklifts have significantly lessen the stress of warehouse work. Because of forklifts, it is now possible that a single person can move the heaviest of cargos at once. Properly-maintained and safely operated forklifts will surely make lifting and transporting cargos of your company infinitely stress-free.

Construction Bulldozer – Powerful Heavy Crawlers

by Ernesto Maitim

The construction

bulldozer is one of the most powerful crawlers that have a sturdy blade for an efficient equipment. Bulldozer, while often thought of as heavy machinery, actually refers to as a dozer bladed tractor.

Often times, the construction bulldozers are tracked vehicles that are gargantuan in size and extremely powerful. Their tracks provide them with amazing mobility as well as the ability to hold on through rough grounds. On the other hand, the wide tracks help in distributing the dozer weight on the wider areas. This helps the bulldozer from sinking in soft or muddy areas.

Construction bulldozers actually possess amazing ground hold. It also has a torque divider that converts the engine power into dragging ability, thereby allowing it to utilize its weight to be able to push those heavy materials and obstruction in front and easily remove objects from any ground.

Over the years, construction bulldozers have experience modifications and changed into becoming much modern and more efficient machinery capable of performing heavy tasks that the original dozers were not. For example, bulldozers become loader tractors by the removal of the blade and substitution of the bucket as well as hydraulic arms, making it effective in scooping of soil and loading the scooped material into trucks.

Original construction bulldozers are bulkier, whereas now there are smaller versions which are best in operating in small work places that allows for limited movement such as tunnels and caves. Mini bulldozers are affectionately called calfdozers.

For more articles and discussions on construction bulldozers and Komatsu excavators, do visit our Excavating Equipment World blog.

You Can Win The Truck Bed Protection Battle

by Matthew C. Keegan


Did you know that your pickup truck needs protection from thoughtless and uncaring people? Yes, while a bed liner can certainly offer a degree of protection, just saying "no" to people who want to borrow your truck is a good idea too!

You knew it would eventually happen: You lend your truck to a buddy who says he has a "few" pieces of furniture to move, but when he returns the truck the truck bed has fresh scratch marks in it. That would have been all right if he had apologized and offered to make amends, but now you have to deal with unsightly scratches that can only make your truck’s value deteriorate faster. Had you given it some thought beforehand, you would have placed a bed liner in your truck to prevent scratches from happening.

Unfortunately for me, the above account actually happened as I was trying to help a young couple out by offering them my truck. Worse, I was warned in advance by a friend that the couple would take advantage of me and he was, unfortunately, correct. Let’s just say that it was a bitter lesson learned.

Many years have passed and I no longer own that old Ford F-150. My current people mover is an SUV, so I have no open area to deal with. Yet, I hope to eventually get a new pickup truck have looked closely at some of the bed protection products available to owners today, particularly bed liners. Advances in technology have brought new products on the market that either did not exist a few years ago or were too expensive for the average driver.

Some of the bed liners you can purchase include:

Spray on liners. You read that right: you can have super-thick polyurethane sprayed right into the bed of your truck. At one quarter inch thick, you can receive protection from scratches or fluid and it is completely air tight. One manufacturer says this about their product, “It's scratch-resistant, slip-resistant, and really easy to clean.”

Roll on liners. Similar to spray on liners, are roll on liners. Everything that I have read about roll on liners means a lot of work for the person who does the job, which typically is the truck’s owner. After sweeping and cleaning the bed free of all debris, you will then need to sand the entire truck bed and the sides before applying the rubberized coating. The sanding forces the coating to adhere to the bed area and I must tell you that between the sanding, masking tape, rubbing alcohol, newspapers, and particle masks, this is one nasty job!

Installed liners. Okay, I am biased with my preferences. If it were up to me, this is the product I would purchase. The first option is too expensive; the second option too messy; while the third option -– an installed liner -- makes the most sense of all. Still, you need to be careful in this area too as some bed liners are certainly better made than others. Look for those liners that are scratch and dent resistant, waterproof, chemical proof, stain resistant, and durable, i.e. not subject to cracking, chipping, or fading.

In all, a bed liner makes perfect sense for any truck, particularly if you can put one in that covers the sides and the wheel wells. All the decent ones I have seen are nicely padded and can easily be cleaned. Learn all about the products you are considering before making a decision to buy.