Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/185325
on record | by Marcia Gruver Doyle MGruver@randallreilly.com And now for a smile … B lame it on the Great Recession, Tier 4 or continuing dire workforce projections, there's been a whole lot of serious going on. Time to revive what used to be an annual column of mine: a look at the smile-inducing, even downright odd, things that have crossed our desktops in the past month. (All of these stories can be read in their entirety on www.equipmentworld.com.) Steered by a carrot … and a hamster Lending new argument to the "carrot or the stick" debate, Volvo Trucks set up a FMX dump truck demo that's still getting a lot of hits on www.equipmentworld.com. In order to demonstrate how easily its Volvo Dynamic Steering guided the truck, the company strapped a hamster wheel – complete with Charlie the hamster – on its steering wheel. A professional driver then "steered" Charlie by positioning the carrot above the hamster's head. As you'll see in the video, Charlie wasn't always the best operator, especially on some high quarry roads, but his scampering feet made easy work of the required twists and turns. We won't talk about brake wear, however … Gothic equipment I know many contractors consider themselves artists, sculptors of the land. Belgian artist Wim Delvoye, however, has taken this thought a few steps further. When he created a series of laser-cut Corten steel sculptures about 10 years ago, he didn't just see yellow iron when he looked at the common dozer; he saw an ornate, spired cathedral. The result is a series of intricate, mesmerizing pieces, which concentrate on a machine's form rather than its function. Experts warn contractors these days not to get attached to their equipment, but this artist saw the inherent High Church awe little kids still see when these machines show their muscle. And then she walked in … Florida-based Sims Crane & Equipment knows the best way to get a point across is to use a little entertainment. They've produced a series of safety videos – yeah, those things that can cause Baptist head bobs when the lights go out – that borrow from the TV series "Lost" and the atmosphere of the classic "Citizen Kane" (redubbed "Citizen Crane"). Sims spent the bucks to produce high-quality takes featuring their grizzled safety director Bob Berry (just looking at him you know he better not catch you without your hard hat). He was totally game to utter such lines as "An then she walked in, a small ray of sunshine in cloudy sky," before going into safe lift procedures in adverse weather conditions. Wanting wide distribution, Sims puts the videos up on YouTube. "We are all visual learners, but if you use humor as a hook, the learning is just more effective," says Dean Sims II, marketing vice president. Love it. EW EquipmentWorld.com | October 2013 7 EW1013_On Record.indd 7 9/24/13 1:44 PM