Because of the housing market and the downturn in commercial construction, sales of mid-sized, tandem rollers have taken a tumble—by as much as two-thirds in 2010—according to one leading manufacturer. So it's no surprise that there hasn't been a whole lot of activity in this particular size class, except for upgrading engines to meet Tier 4-1 emissions standards coming down the pike in the next couple of years. Some manufacturers have already made that move; others have yet to make the transition. "There's some activity in governmental, through cities and street departments or county road departments, but there's just not the commercial activity with these smaller rollers as we've seen in years past," says Bob Marcum, Volvo Construction Equipment product specialist-road machinery. Highway-class rollers, however, have seen sales boosted by stimulus money and highway projects, he says.
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