HDT Visits World of Concrete 2019 [Photos]

Competitive truck brands coexist in equipment suppliers' booths, as with this maker of truck cranes. Chassis builders go to great lengths to accommodate the needs of upfitters of specialty bodies like these.

International Trucks showed its full line of construction-ready models, including the HX (foreground, for heavy extreme, which replaced the PayStar) and HV (background, for heavy vocational, which succeeded the WorkStar). The promise of “uptime” is proclaimed here, as it is with the builder’s highway vehicles.

In past shows, this space in the long concourse between the Las Vegas Convention Center’s North and Center halls was occupied by shelves of shirts, jackets, coffee mugs and other souvenirs. This week, the vendor brought in a 53-foot display trailer to do the same sales job. Set up and break-down time must be greatly reduced, though shoppers can’t easily touch and feel the merchandise.

Kenworth is showing a twin-steer T880, an 8x4 chassis which takes advantage of weight distribution regulations in a few American states and Canadian provinces. This unit’s destined for a ready mix operator in British Columbia.

Western Star announced enhancements to its popular 4700 model, including a newly available 40-inch integral sleeper shown on the poster above its booth. The updated model goes into production later this year and should be at dealers in August.

Simulated concrete made of gray-colored shredded tire rubber lay in the chute of a Terrex Advance front-discharge mixer. It looked rather realistic, even if it didn’t flow.

Heavy concrete pumper bodies are mounted on extra-heavy-duty chassis, often Mack’s TerraPro with multiple axles. This unit has seven axles – three steerable in front and four rear axles with the last three powered. The very last axle is also steerable.

Most World of Concrete attendees are from the U.S. and Canada, but people come from more than 20 countries around the globe, show organizers say. These men are from China.

Akbar Ghous, a national accounts manager for Western Star, notes details of a “challenge” driving course outside the convention center’s South Hall. Included are several backing maneuvers, a nose-in, and a parallel park. It’s the ninth time the builder has sponsored the driving contest at the concrete show.

A pair of brightly trimmed and easy-to-drive Western Star 4700 dumpers were offered to competing participants. Most ran the course in three to five minutes and of a possible 50 points, scored from the mid 30s to high 40s. The author racked up 47 out of 50, but a kindly judge helped him in one maneuver.

The World of Concrete is an annual show in Las Vegas. On display are, among thousands of other things, trucks that haul and pump the gray slurry composed of cement, sand, and aggregates. Mack Trucks' booth had plenty of such vehicles.

Schwing, a German company with manufacturing operations in the U.S., is best known for concrete pumpers. Its products range from small but heavy towed units to huge long-boomed truck bodies mounted on massive multi-axle chassis.

In this age of electronic control modules, it’s refreshing to see Copma, a maker of truck cranes, declare that this model has “no computer… unless you want one.” Hydraulic controls are entirely adequate, thank you!

Display version of Cummins’ lightweight X12 diesel was in Western Star’s booth. Western Star and Freightliner are the first mainstream truck builders to offer the new-to-North America engine (earlier versions have been used by operators in China and South America). Autocar, Oshkosh and Terrex Advance – all makers of front-discharge mixer chassis – all previously said they’d have the X12 as an option.

Putzmeister pumper booms and a belt conveyor reach toward the ceiling of the Las Vegas Convention Center’s Central Hall, where most trucks and truck-borne equipment are exhibited. Pumpers can handle only concrete but are easy to flush out after use; conveyors can move dry (“high-slump”) concrete plus sand and gravel, but require much labor to clean.

“Massive” is a good word to describe many concrete pumpers. That applies to extendable, stabilizing outriggers, like this one, as well as powerful internal machinery powered by the truck’s engine via PTOs.