Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/656563
SalesRentalPartsService TheCompleteSourceForAllYour AggregateNeeds! www.genagg.ca Winnipeg|204-697-9600 841OakPointHwy,Winnipeg,MB Regina|306-757-2400 18McLeodRoad,Regina,SK A workhorse of the heavy construction industry, the crawler tractor (dozer) is usually the first piece of heavy equipment on a project site. Because it runs on two tracks that distribute its weight over a wide surface area, much the way snowshoes distribute a person's weight on soft snow, it won't sink into soft ground, and the tracks give it superior mobility on rough terrain. A concave blade attached to the front of the machine can swivel and move up and down with the assistance of hydraulic arms. Different blades with replaceable cutting edges are used to push dirt and rock ahead of the machine. Operators use one control to operate the dozer and a different control to operate the blade. A ripper attached the rear of the machine has teeth to break up hard surfaces, just as a spading fork is used to loosen compacted soil in a garden. While a crawler tractor can be used to level ground, a motor grader is more precise. The operator controls the height and position of the blade — often with the aid of a GPS system for added speed and accuracy — to create a level surface during road construction. The motor grader is also used to create v-shaped drainage ditches at the side of the road. In winter, it may be equipped with a front- mounted blade for snow clearing operations. ❚ heavy machinery makes short work of jobs that were once powered by people and livestock. once known as bulldozers, crawler tractors have evolved into high-tech pieces of equipment. meet the equipment Making the Grade wednesdaY march 23, 2016 7 A SUPPLEMENT TO THE WINNIPEG FREE PRESS