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Swiss construction firm Ziegler has recently taken delivery of 30 Volvo wheeled loaders, supplied and serviced by independent Volvo dealer Robert Aebi. In April 2015 Basel-based construction firm Ziegler replaced its entire fleet of wheeled loaders with new Volvos – a considerable investment for the company. Ziegler workshop manager Peter Blapp said the company’s old wheeled loaders had been in action since 1999 and were no longer fit to meet new regulations coming into force. From May this year all w

Visitors to a nature reserve in Thailand had an unusual animal encounter when an elephant decided to sit on their car. The nature reserve is close to the Thai capital Bangkok and the car owners had decided to see some wildlife. However, they had something of a shock when the elephant walked into the road and attempted to sit on top of the car, crushing it badly in the process. Luckily, both the car occupants and elephant were unhurt and will perhaps be more wary in the future. The incident happened during t

A woman car owner in the UK took her Honda Civic to a local garage, complaining that the vehicle’s performance had dropped alarmingly. Due to an indeterminate fault, the car was no longer capable of exceeding 64km/h and the owner was concerned that the problem with the engine could be serious and wished to rectify it. A mechanic was detailed to work on the vehicle and after carrying out a series of tests to determine what was at fault, was both surprised and amused to find the root of the problem: nuts. A s

A woman in the Chinese city of Jiangsu became convinced her husband was having an affair with another woman and in a fit of rage, furiously attacked his car. The woman used a brick to smash the windscreen and batter the bodywork of the car, while her husband sat inside. Her hand covered in blood from the brick, the woman continued shouting at her husband until he finally got out of the car to talk to her. This follows on from another incident earlier this year in China when a woman destroyed his Audi R8 spo

A handful of British-registered performance cars proved something of a handful for the French police recently. The five cars, including two Porsches and a Lamborghini, rocketed past an off-duty officer travelling in his own vehicle along a stretch of autoroute close to the Spanish border. Because of the high speeds involved, the French police opted to use a helicopter operating out of its base in Bayonne to track the cars. The drivers did spot the helicopter tailing them and then slowed down but were still

A handful of British-registered performance cars proved something of a handful for the French police recently. The five cars, including two Porsches and a Lamborghini, rocketed past an off-duty officer travelling in his own vehicle along a stretch of autoroute close to the Spanish border. Because of the high speeds involved, the French police opted to use a helicopter operating out of its base in Bayonne to track the cars. The drivers did spot the helicopter tailing them and then slowed down but were still

A Chinese company, Sanya Si Hai, has developed a car that can be produced using a 3D printer. Costing just US$1,700, the vehicle is somewhat basic and is only capable of 40km/h. The battery-powered Shuya car can carry two people and is intended for use on short urban trips. However, the diminutive Shuya was beaten to pole position for the honour of the world’s first 3D printed car by the US-developed Strati, made by Local Motors in the US. Sanya Si Hai has previously developed a 3D printed boat that is 2m l

In the US, the president recently signed a short-term extension for highway funding. This is a two-month extension that will provide funding for highway infrastructure until the end of July. But it is a very temporary measure made as the US Government has so far been unable to agree the longer term deal that will guarantee highway investment. The Highway Trust Fund is in particular need of investment and such a short-term political patch cannot provide the necessary solution to help boost the US constru

A series of new rubber tyred asphalt compactors are now coming to market from several key manufacturers - Mike Woof writes Several of the major European compactor manufacturers are introducing new rubber tyred machines to meet demand. Pneumatic tyred rollers are often used for finishing work in road construction, due to the high quality surface they can deliver. For a time development of these machines stalled but in recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in their use. Contractors have reali

Astec’s headline RAP plant can use up to 65% RAP content As it does for the 50% double barrel system aggregate dryer/drum mixer model, Astec is guaranteeing that its customers will get the increased percentage. The unit runs at 181-360tonnes/hour production (200-400UStons/hour). Astec, based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, manufactures all of their state-of-the-art Hot Mix Asphalt plants in the US. They introduced the first double barrel plant in 1989, according to executive vice president Steven Claude, during