The top 5 most read stories of 2019

heavy equipment

From bauma to acquisitions to new equipment technologies in the field, there was no short supply of news in the world of heavy equipment.

However, some articles drew more attention than others on equipmentjournal.com.

Here are the top five stories that were read the most by our online audience in 2019.

55 unique facts about bauma 2019

Every three years, the global construction industry gathers in Munich, Germany for bauma — the world’s largest trade show.

This year’s show, which took place in April, welcomed about 600,000 visitors alongside 3,700 exhibitors from 63 countries. Preparation for the massive trade show is a feat in itself.

Read more about how the show comes together here.

4Priestly Demolition makes its television debut


This year, The History Channel introduced the work of Priestly Demolition to living rooms across the world.

On Sunday, September 15, the History Channel aired the first episode of Salvage Kings, a Canadian-original series that features the demolition and salvage team at Priestly Demolition Inc.

Read more about the show here.

3Caterpillar’s global operator challenge

This year, Caterpillar offered operators from around the world the chance to prove they’re the best in the business.

At bauma, Caterpillar announced its first Global Operator Challenge. The multi-stage event, held globally, allowed heavy equipment operators test their skills.

Later in the year, Alberta’s Jaus Neigum won the Western North America leg of the competition. He now moves onto the final round at Con-Expo in Las Vegas.

Read more about the challenge here.

2John Deere’s 850L crawler dozer

heavy equipment

Focusing on reliability and durability, John Deere completely redesigned its 850K dozer to create the new 850L crawler dozer.

The new dozer was previewed during a recent media event at John Deere’s Sacaton demonstration site near Phoenix, Arizona in March.

With a recurring theme of ‘bigger’ throughout the design, the 850L features a heavy-duty mainframe with an increased thickness by as much as 60 per cent in certain areas.

Read more about the new dozer here.

1Our top story: Brandt acquires Nortrax

The most read story (by far) on equipmentjournal.com was Brandt’s announcement that it would acquire Nortrax in Canada.

The acquisition solidified Brandt’s position as the largest privately-held John Deere dealership worldwide.

The deal merged all John Deere Construction & Forestry dealerships in Canada under the Brandt banner, allowing unprecedented access to Deere products, parts and support services to Canadian contractors.

Read the story here.