Construction projects usually involve huge chunks of work that should be done within a specified period. Both financial resources and time are essential considerations hence the need for heavy machinery.
Heavy equipment are applicable in both small projects and large industrial projects, helping ease and speed up the work. Most come with the advantage of being multipurpose, making them invaluable to construction companies, while others are suited to specific tasks.
In this article, we explore the most commonly used heavy machinery in construction works.
Excavators
An excavator is a mechanical piece of construction machinery composed of a bucket, hydraulic cylinder, engine, cab, arm, and boom. Excavators have a basic structure of a house and an undercarriage having tracks or wheels based on convenience.
There are different types of excavators for hire, each suited to perform a variety of functions. The attachments on the excavator can be replaced, increasing the stretch of functions the excavator can handle. An excavator generally does material handling, land grading, trenching, demolition, mining, loading, clearing, and heavy lifting.
The excavator’s structure is suited for construction work because it allows the operator to see the entire ground they are working on from the seats. The excavator can also perform a whole circular rotation which adds to its explorative nature.
Bulldozers
A bulldozer is a robust piece of machinery that is primarily used to cut through the top surface of the land and move it around. The operation of this heavy equipment is based on its hydraulic-operated pistons.
Bulldozer tracks can navigate almost any terrain, and the wide blade is adapted to cut through the land, enabling earthmoving. On the side opposite of the blade, they can be fitted with rippers to scrape into rocks and tough surfaces. The rippers compliment the bulldozer’s considerable weight in breaking through the land surfaces.
Trenchers
A trencher or trenching machine is a piece of equipment used to burrow trenches in the soil. Trenchers are used where there is a need to create grooves or pathways in the ground to lay drainage pipes, communication lines, internet cables, or pipelines.
There are different trencher types but the most common are chain and wheel. The chain trencher is uniquely adapted with a chain-saw-like arm to help cut through soil and rocks. The wheeled trencher has a strong-teethed metal wheel that rotates on the ground surface to dig trenches.
Graders
Graders, commonly known as motor graders, are used in creating even surfaces during the grading of land. Motor graders have a structure of a standout horizontal blade located between the front and rear wheels.
The machine is used to grade through fine and rough surfaces and can also be applied in moving around small amounts of surface dirt and soil. One of the grader’s important features is that its blade can be switched to an angular orientation to suit various grading tasks. The angular switching also helps increase precision.
Backhoes
A backhoe, also known as a backhoe loader, is a versatile machine structured with an adjustable boom that controls the bucket at the rear. The backhoe also has a loader at the front. The backhoe is multipurpose, and its bucket can be switched with other attachments to widen its purview of tasks.
Backhoes are generally not as large as excavators and are thus limited to only mid-sized construction projects. The backhoe is also limited in arm movement, with most backhoes limited to 180°. The backhoe is commonly used for loading, unloading, digging, lifting, trenching, landscaping, and many more activities.
