How Should You Prepare Your Vineyard Equipment Before The Fall Harvest?

Vineyards are a thriving business in places where the climate is temperate (the temperature is mild) and this refers to locations that lie between the tropics and the polar regions such as California in the United States (above the equator) and Southern Australia and New Zealand (below the equator).

If you are based in one of the specified locations mentioned above, you might want to consider growing a vineyard in your area and make it as an additional source of income - that is, if you like farming. And, of course, just like any other projects, getting into vineyard farming involves a number of important considerations to take into account to have better chances for success.

In this article, however, I am to discuss specifically about preparing your vineyard equipment before the fall harvest. This can help to make your harvesting work more efficient while trying to reduce the

costs.

So, how should you prepare your vineyard equipment before the fall harvest? Here are some insights you might find useful:

• Build your equipment checklist - part of your vineyard harvesting is to prepare a checklist of vineyard equipment that you need so that you can avoid a possible overlook, which can cause a delay to your harvesting. This is also a good time to spot those equipment that is more ideal or best fitted to your need.
• Have the equipment available before the vintage - whether you buy or rent equipment for vineyard harvesting, make it sure that they arrive on time (or earlier). In this way, you have an ample time to do the necessary preparation. Remember that we have what we call the 'harvest-delay-effect," which highlights the importance of picking in a right time to deliver quality produce.
• Check all equipment are in good working condition - yes, I know this is basic but things are sometimes overlooked; this is just a reminder that equipment should be checked accordingly; make sure that all are functioning as they should be.
• Equipment should be cleaned and sanitized - as the work involves harvesting for consumption, cleaning and sanitizing your vineyard equipment is absolutely necessary. It is important that cleaning and disinfecting is part of your process to avoid possible contamination. Here's additional insight on vineyard equipment sanitation.
• You and your employees should know how to run them - sure you are already familiar with vineyard equipment; in fact, you might have been using them for years. However, there might be some equipment that require your testing (especially the new ones) so that you (and your employees) can get used to them. Being familiar with the equipment you use helps avoid unnecessary delay, which can affect your overall productions.

The success of your vineyard business lies on your skills in farming and the proper use of equipment to achieve your vineyard optimum potentials

Some Features Of Club Car Utility Vehicles

Club Car is one of the world's largest manufacturers of small-wheel, zero-emissions electric vehicles. Particularly, the company produces some popular utility vehicles (gas-powered and electric-powered) such as the Carryall.

Speaking of Carryall, this particular model is ideal for light work and for general transport; it is known for its industry leading speed, maneuverability, and ground clearance (ride height). It is available both as gas-powered and electric-powered. In addition to that, this item has also a number of features that can benefit the users. These are the following:

(Gas-powered)

• Fuel gauge/hour meter standard
• Headlights\
• Fits in full-size pickup truck bed
• 800 lb (363.2 kg) - for the  total vehicle capacity
• 18 mph (29 kph) - the maximum speed
• 351 cc gasoline 10.4 hp (7.8 kW) engine, rated @3600 rpm per SAE J1349
• Roto-molded plastic, tilting bed box (7 cubic feet; 300 lb capacity)
• Automotive finish paint over high-impact ABS front body

(Electric-powered)

Carryall 252 Electric Utility Vehicle
(Photo credit: Turf and Industrial)

• Headlights
• Fits in full-size pickup truck bed
• Club Car's exclusive IQ System™ 48-volt electric motor
• 800 lb (363.2 kg) -- the total vehicle capacity
• 18 mph (29 kph) -- the maximum speed
• Roto-molded plastic, tilting bed box (7 cubic feet; 300 lb capacity)
• Automotive finish paint over high-impact ABS front body

Another popular item from Club Car is Turf, which is used for cutting cups and setting flags as well as collecting driving range balls. Moreover, this particular design is recognized as efficient, economical vehicle that is ideal for any light-duty golf course application. It features the following:

(Gas-powered)

• 351 cc gasoline 10.4 hp (7.8 kW) engine, rated @3600 rpm per SAE J1349
• 800 lb (363.2 kg) -- the total vehicle capacity
• 9.1 ft3 (0.3 m3) Cargo Box carries 300 lb (136.1 kg)
• Rustproof Aircraft Grade Aluminum Frame, Chassis & Cargo Box
• Differential Guard -- vehicle's protection particularly at off-road use
• Heavy Duty Front Bumper
• Radio/Beverage Holder
• Premium tread tires
• Battery warning light standard
• Self-adjusting, maintenance-free rack and pinion steering for easy handling
• Heavy duty unitized powertrain

(Electric-powered)

• Club Car's exclusive IQ System™ 48-volt electric motor
• 800 lb (363.2 kg) Total Vehicle Capacity
• 9.1 ft3 (0.3 m3) Cargo Box carries 300 lb (136.1 kg)
• Rustproof Aircraft Grade Aluminum Frame, Chassis & Cargo Box
• Differential Guard
• Heavy Duty Front Bumper
• Radio/Beverage Holder
• Premium tread tires
• Electronic fuel gauge/hour meter, low-oil warning light
• Self-adjusting, maintenance-free rack and pinion steering for easy handling
• Heavy duty unitized powertrain

Challenges to find vineyard equipment in California

If you are based in the state of California and if you are planning to buy a vineyard equipment in the area, you might find the task pretty challenging. Here are some of the reasons why:

The challenge of finding a good distributor - in a state that is big as California, finding a good, reputable distributor is a bit difficult. You might be able to secure a list of prospective distributors from somebody but that does not mean you do not need to conduct a thorough examination on their background anymore.

Recommendation: make your own research prior to buying a vineyard equipment (e.g. utility vehicles, tractors); list down some good prospects (and the Internet is a good place for this) and then perform further company background check to trim down your list until you finally arrive to the best choice.

The competition - the competition among distributors might put some confusion in you part; some might give deceiving product info just to convince you to buy their items. This scenario is common to places where competition is high. So, you need to be careful whet it comes to this, especially with California.

Recommendation: work on securing a list of recommendation from proven reputable entities or individuals who are experts in this area. A government agency that regulates dealers is helpful; information other institutions like Better Business Bureau can also help in finding some good prospects.

The price - while California is not the most expressive state in the USA, in general, we can not deny that prices on heavy equipment such as utility vehicles can be pretty high in this area, considering the demand in the market as well as the standard of living.

Recommendation: make product comparison by investigating the list of prices provided by your prospects. Knowing the factory price can also help you to weigh on whether or not the distributors' (the market price) prices list is justifiable or not.

Used versus New - the challenge of buying either used vineyard equipment or the new one is another area that might put some confusion to you. Buying a used equipment can save you some good amount of money, but it could also present major drawbacks when it comes to equipment performance.

Recommendation: Consider the duration of use of equipment - are you planning to use it long term or short term? If it is for long term use, buying a used vineyard equipment might be impractical most especially if the previous own did use the equipment for quite a long time already.

Commercial Roofing Contractors in San Jose, California

San Jose is one of the places in the California area where you can find quite a number of commercial roofing contractors. But the question is - are all of them reputable? Well, all of these commercial roofing service providers can be reputable. But still, that does not guarantee a 100% good service; contractors simply are not equal in terms of providing services, so you need to be wise in choosing one.

Here are some useful insights on how you can find a good roofing contractor in San Jose - you might want to consider the following:

The distance of the service provider

If you are looking for a commercial roofing contractor to work on your project, you might want to consider, as part of your criteria for selection, the distance of prospective roofing service providers. Contractors that are closer to your facility can be logistically advantageous, which can help you save some amount from the total service cost. To be able to get some useful information about the distance, you can make use of online directories; they are one of the best places on the Internet as they give direction information. You can try using Google Places, Yahoo! Local, Yellow Pages, Yelp, etc. Just search for commercial roofing contractors - specific to San Jose, CA.  You might be amazed by the search results you can get.

Checkout the company’s portfolio

The projects a company has had in the past is one of the best indicators of how good it is in providing such service. So, you must make time  to evaluate the projects they have done (you can personally - or through phone - ask a list of their projects in the past) by doing some research. Some important information you must find out include: the type of roofing system they have installed; feedback from their clients, project owners; and costs.

Energy-saving roofing system

Green building is becoming more and more popular today; so as energy-saving. Both can be applied to your roofing system provided the commercial roofing contractor you choose is good enough to carry out this plan. A good roofing contractor offers an energy-saving roofing system to its clients as this can help in operation costs reduction. In California area, you might want to check BCI Quality Construction Inc. as it has a roofing system called ‘cool roof,’ which is designed to lessen energy use up to 50%. This is really beneficial most especially during summer season, where energy consumption usually at its peak level because of higher temperature to maintain.

That would be all for now folks! For feedbacks, let me know. Just use the comment section below.

Industrial Mowers - Finding Some Good Brands, Contractors

Mowers are a useful tool that helps a challenging work become a lot easier, particularly in cutting grass or other plants on the ground. This equipment can be good in both agricultural (farming) and commercial / industrial use. The smaller types are commonly used in lawns and sports grounds; bigger mowers (also known as mower-conditioners) are used in cutting grass in land used for farming purposes.

Mower comes in a variety of designs and brands. Among the most popular are John Deere and the Wright.

John Deere.

John Deere Mower -
Photo credit: Turf and Industrial Equipment Company,
Santa Clara, CA

Under the John Deere brand, you can choose from a wide selection from its product line. You can have the Consumer Mower, which is intended for residential applications; the Walk Behind,which commonly used in professional landscape works. For a more challenging tasks such as golf lawn maintenance, you can have the Commercial Series; for a wide-area work, you can choose the Turbo Wide Area mower. If you are an entry-level professional contractor, you can have the option of using the commercial ZTrak. For challenging terrains (uneven grounds), QuickTrak can be the best option you can pick.

Wright

The Wright Commercial Mower Company also offers a wide selection of mowers from its product line. One popular model the company has is the Stander, which comes in a number of models. This type is said to be the best in handling mowing jobs in any terrain. The company also offers the Wright Z - Riding Mower model, which is considered to be the strongest, fastest, and the most agile mid-mount mower available.

Along with the main product line, the company also offer mowing accessories such as Grass Gobbler; grass collection system,

Finding a distributor

The challenge of getting your own mower does not end after you have picked the most ideal product for your own unique mowing needs. Finding a reputable distributor is definitely a challenging task as well -- scammers are just everywhere -- that you need to work out. You might want to check out industrial equipment companies as well as vineyard supplies companies online to begin with your search. You will need to consider whether you are to purchase online (via the Internet) or through a local mower distributor near you. Either way, you need to take into account these considerations: review from other customers (those who have actually used its products); the distributor’s reputation based on how the government (the agency that regulates this kind of business) sees it, as reflected on its certification / accreditation. And lastly, the length of time the distributor has been operating is also an important indicator of its worth.

Establishing an Effective Building Maintenance Strategy

Photo credit: IMPEC Gourp, Inc.

It is extremely important that you have an effective building maintenance strategy; this is to ensure that all the system components of your building are always working well - efficient yet economical. But the question you might have in mind is: how can I do it? Well, I have here below some insights that you might consider useful for your building maintenance tasks - things that I have noted from roaming around the web.

Here are some useful ideas:

• Your company needs to have an established protocol that every staff member must follow; it is the standard procedure that serves as basis for your building maintenance tasks. Please note that every protocol is open for upgrade or modification as it must conform with the ever-changing work environment.
• Help from a third party can be a very great help in establishing your protocol. What I mean is that there are probably areas of maintenance works where you and your staff might be not excellent to carry out; a third party that is experts in the field can help in defining your system for building maintenance. For instance, companies in California called the IMPEC Group provides a third party maintenance services to companies in the area - letting the companies work on their core businesses and have the maintenance tasks managed by the said service provider.
• Periodic assessment or evaluation is necessary to determine whether the protocol you have defined and established has been carried out well - and carried out effectively - or just another system loopholes. The evaluation can be done monthly, quarterly, etc. - depending on the type of system you have and the industry you belong.

Your building maintenance strategy must be able to achieve the following goals:

• To see to it that every component is functioning well so that your building whole operation is not hampered, which is critical in keeping your clients to stick on your company in the industry you belong.
• To keep the operations cost at a minimum level, which is vital to help attain the optimum net worth your company can have.
• To help maintain the whole facility so that it is always safe from any untoward accident such as fire or structure collapse, etc.

So, again, remember to be always aware on how your building maintenance tasks is being done and you can always alter the standard procedure you have established for constant refinement.

That’s all for today folks! Till my next blog.

Commercial Metal Roofing

Photo credit: BCI Construction Inc. -
commercial metal roofing service
provider in San Jose, CA.

In my previous post, I wrote some insights about commercial roofing services. This time around, I'd like to share about commercial metal roofing - the main benefits, metal roofing contractors, as well as metal roofing installation guides.

So, why go for metal roofing?

Most especially for commercial buildings, metal roofing can provide a number of benefits (more than the other types) against the following elements: Fire (as metal does not support combustion); wind (you can feel more safe especially during calamities); water (metal does not allow water penetration and this is a good way to reduce damage to structure); and, lastly, snow (makes snow slides easily of your metal roof).

Aside from the benefits mentioned above, a commercial metal roof also offers the following advantages:

• environment friendly (so, those who are into green building, you might want to consider this particular roofing system)
• as compared to other types of roofing materials, metal roofs require little maintenance.
• could last longer (so it can really be more economical in the long run)

Finding a good metal contractor

If you go for a metal roofing, you will surely need a good contractor for your project. But how can you find a good one? Well, the best place to start your search is to use the Internet. There are lots of good resources online; surely, you can find some good prospects. If you are within California area, you might want to check Bay Quality Construction, Inc. Here are some insights that you might want to consider when you search for prospects:

• has the necessary permit / license to offer such service
• has been in business for years
• positive feedback from clients, good reviews
• provides free assessment and roofing installation education.

Do-it-yourself metal roofing installation

Although roofing installation project is done, most of the time, through the help of a roofing contractor, some might choose to do it by themselves most especially when the work is just small-scale. With that, I thought this good metal roofing installation guide from ENGLERT can help - you might want to check that out.

Related articles:

• Why choose Metal Roofing
• How to install metal roofing