Computer Software Category Winner
Electronic Signature technology
Rental operations require a lot of paper, especially for some documents that require obtaining a signature and filing a signed copy. The rental contract is the best example, for it binds the customer to the terms and conditions of the rental. It also confirms the pick-up of the equipment by a specific person. Sending a signed copy of a contract to the customer’s accounting department is a long and inefficient process. Now, thanks to “electronic signature,” one can eliminate paper contracts, archive the signed documents electronically, and send signed copies of contracts by fax or email with a click of the mouse. This access is not limited anymore to the central office and salespersons on the road or managers at remote locations can produce and obtain instantaneous access to these signed documents. Orion’s Sirius Pro Rental Software system maintains and archives all copies of signed documents.
Concrete Working Equipment Category Winner
Heavy-Duty Pavement Breaker (D25980K)
Designed to provide users with best-in class durability, performance, capacity and low vibration, the D25980K is equipped with metal, automotive-style seals on the ram and piston that help to prevent dust and debris from entering the unit, ensuring a longer life. The soft-start system allows the breaker to begin breaking as soon as the tool comes into contact with concrete, preventing the unit from “walking.” The D25980K is the hardest hitting electric breaker in the industry offering 61 foot-pounds of impact energy, 42-percent higher than its leading competitor, allowing it to handle thicker concrete than its competition. Engineered to provide users with 65-percent less vibration (at just 6.6 meters per second squared) than the leading competitor, the D25980K has a patent-pending SHOCKS -- Active Vibration Control system, which combines shock mounted rubber coated handles with along with a counter-balance mechanism.
Cutting/Drilling Category Winner
16-inch Power Cutter - 81cc (Model DPC8112)
Makita’s 16-inch Industrial Power Cutter is a versatile and long lasting saw that is ideal for cutting concrete, steel, angle iron, brick/masonry, asphalt, and more. The saw has the best power-to-weight ratio in its class, and has a five-stage advanced directional airflow filtration system for cleaner air, better performance, and longer product life. The saw weighs just 23.9 pounds, and is equipped with four anti-vibration mounts for smoother performance. It is a best-in-class saw for landscapers, road construction crews, railroad crews, rescue crews, general steel contractors, masons and welders. Five-stage, foam-paper-nylon system with advanced directional airflow provides clean air for better saw performance. The unite features a reinforced aluminum blade guard with a 70-degree range of limitless positioning using a marked knob handle. The cutting arm position simply changes from center position to flush (outboard) position, which allows cuts directly adjacent to curb edges, walls or directly above the ground. The tarter grip and decompression valve are located on the same side for faster starting. Cushioned operator grips with four vibration-absorption rubber buffers are designed for increased operator comfort. The improved exhaust emissions are EPA Phase II compliant while maintaining power and performance.
Earthmoving Equipment Category Winner
CX210B Series Excavator
Case Construction Equipment introduces the CX210B excavator featuring increased fuel efficiency and productivity, improved operator comfort, easier maintenance, and enhancements to durability and reliability. The Case CX210B delivers a 20 percent increase in fuel efficiency and a 17 percent increase in horsepower over the previous model, thanks to the new electronically controlled, common rail Tier 3-certified engine. This engine burns cleaner and more efficiently, yielding 157 net hp (117 kW). Increased hydraulic flow has improved cycle times. The machine also provides increased breakout forces, primarily due to larger-diameter hydraulic cylinders. The cab on the CX210B offers improved operator comfort and ergonomics. The noise levels inside the cab are the quietest in the industry at 68.6 dBa. Maintainability and serviceability has been improved substantially, as measured by the SAE maintenance score, earning less than 15,000 points, well below competitive models and the SAE target of 16,000.
Engines/Power Sourcing Category Winner
Power Shifter rapid-change engine mounting system
This invention establishes a new approach to powering machines. The Power Shifter rapid-change engine mounting system from Nascent Design Inc. adapts a single engine for swapping between multiple machines. Requiring no tools and taking less than 30 seconds, failed engines can be immediately replaced yielding maximum reliability. Engines can be swapped between seasonal machines, even stored separately. Owning fewer engines reduces cost and maintenance. The Power Shifter service stand provides free access to the entire engine at workbench height using the same rapid mounting system. Power Shifter can be used with any brand engine, and retrofit on certain existing machines—direct, belt or chain drive. Power Shifter is available for 3- to10-hp horizontal shaft equipment including mixers, trowels, blowers, log splitters, generators, snow throwers, dethatchers, aerators, chippers, sprayers, washers, compressors, pumps, edgers and tillers. Nascent Design Inc. will license this technology to machine manufacturers beginning October 1, 2007.
Generators/Welders Category Winner
Flip-Hood/Flip-Tongue Generator
Magnum Products LLC introduces new patent-pending, Flip-Hood/Flip-Tongue generator models MMG 35FH and MMG 55FH. The new generator’s two access hoods flip wide open to allow for unobstructed accessibility to the generator’s internal components. The front, service hood easily flips open providing complete accessibility to perform daily operator checks and routine maintenance. The back hood flips open to provide access to the generator end and electrical connections for full service. Large control panel access with one centralized location of all electrical connections and wiring make this new generator design easy to use as well as maintain. Magnum’s Flip-Tongue trailer design; the trailer tongue flips up decreasing the overall length of the trailer to 100-inches long permitting cross trailer loading for shipment; 40-percent to 45-percent freight reduction costs, adds equipment security on dealer lot and jobsite. Magnum’s Flip Hood and Flip Tongue designs increase the rental dealers’ return on their investment; faster and easier to use and service, lower transportation costs.
Lawn & Garden Equipment Category Winner
420sx Vibratory Plow
The Ditch Witch 420sx vibratory plow features riding capability, greater horsepower (40 hp) than other models, and several features that other articulating vibratory plows in its class do not have. The 420sx exclusively features a dual-speed attachment drive. With two speeds, the operator can quickly adapt to changing ground conditions, whether plowing or trenching. The 420sx is designed to closely follow the contour of the ground, which helps the attachment maintain a constant plowing depth on uneven terrain. Besides a standard vibratory plow, the 420sx can run a Roto Witch boring attachment and trencher. The operator’s console of the 420sx moves with the operator when the machine’s frame articulates, so the controls are always in the same place in relation to the operator. Another exclusive feature of the 420sx is its fold-down ROPS (roll-over protective structure), which enables the unit to operate under tree limbs, eaves and other low-hanging obstacles.
Lifts Category Winner
Z-40/23N Articulated Boom
Ideal for “up, out and over” applications, the Genie Z-40/23N articulated boom offers contractors a narrow profile of 4 feet, 11 inches (1.5 meters) wide to easily fit through standard-sized double doors. With a tight turning radius, just 2 feet, 11 inches (0.61 meters), it can easily maneuver through tight passageways and congested work areas. The Z-40/23N features a maximum clearance of 21 feet, 3 inches (6.48 meters); a maximum working height of 46 feet, 5 inches (14.32 meters); and a maximum horizontal reach of 22 feet, 8 inches (6.91 meters). The boom features a true multi-function control system that allows operation of several machine functions at once — from raise, lower and rotate to extend, steer and drive. It also features Genie’s new AC drive system, combining DC batteries with 3-phase AC drive motors for quiet, energy-efficient operation and continuous control of drive speed [from 0 to 4.5 mph (7.2 km/h)], braking and turning.
Material Handling Category Winner
PS3500H and PS4000H Site Dumpers
From cramped construction sites and rough terrain to landscaping, golf course, nursery and cemetery applications, Terex PS35000H and PS4000H site dumpers are designed to give the operator exceptional visibility for moving any material — dirt, clay, sand, stone, concrete, fertilizer and more. These units possess four-wheel drive, articulated steering capabilities and increased versatility — allowing loads to be rotated 180 degrees from side to side and tipped to accurately place a load. The PS3500H and PS4000H both are designed with 2/2 hydrostatic transmission and permanent 4-wheel drive. The PS3500H can handle a heaped capacity of 2.4 cubic yards (1,870 liters) and a maximum payload capacity of 7,716 pounds (3,500 kilograms). The PS4000H has the capability to haul a maximum payload of 8,818 pounds (4,000 kilograms) with a heaped capacity of 3.3 cubic yardsd (2,500 liters). A Kubota V2203 43.2-hp (32.4 kW) diesel engine powers both units. Both models meet Tier 2 emission requirements.
Power Tools Category Winner
BH 24 Gasoline Breaker
Wackers’s BH 24 gasoline breaker has been re-engineered to increase power and reduce HAV (hand-arm vibrations) by up to 50-percent. Packaged together with Wackers’s own EPA certified 2-cycle engine, the BH 24 brings the industry the most convenient and hardest hitting breaker in its class. This innovative design focuses around an optimized percussion system that increases power and reduces the vibrations. The piston and striker have a reconfigured shape reducing the striker’s weight to increase its velocity resulting in higher impact energy. The striking mechanism directly hits the tool, reducing the amount of vibration that returns to the operator. Also contributing to the reduced vibration is Wackers’s patented vibration damping protective housing. Wackers’s system isolates the entire upper housing, reducing the vibrations not only to hands and arms, but also the entire body resulting in lower operator fatigue. All of these features are packaged in a lightweight (under 60 pounds), compact tool that provides the best performance by combining machine efficiency and operator productivity.
Miscellaneous Category Winner
Dryvex MC5200
The Dryvex MC5200 is a portable dehumidification unit that can be pulled by a one-ton truck. The unit features a powerful heat-based drying system that uses clean outside air-conditioned to a low relative humidity of 5 to 15 percent. The fresh, extremely dry air is blown into the wet structure via flexible ductwork. The dry air absorbs the moisture from the wet contents in the structure. Then a second return blower accelerates the drying process by extracting moisture-laden air from the structure. The unit can take 12,000 square feet or 170,000 cubic feet of saturated space from 90 percent relative humidity to below 15 percent in the crucial two- to three-day period before secondary damage from mold and bacteria growth can begin. The unit helps reduce reconstruction and insurance costs related to water damaged building.
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