Heavy equipment are essential in majority of digging excavations and also trenching operations as they are being used in maneuvering soil, rocks, boulders and other debris away from the site of operation.
If you are not too familiar with these heavy machineries, here are a few that are commonly used.
Probably one of the most versatile pieces of equipment built would be the backhoe loader, also called a loader backhoe or tractor backhoe. It is a heavy equipment vehicle that consists of a tractor fitted with a bucket on the front and a small backhoe on the back. Due to its relatively small size and versatility, backhoe loaders are very common in urban construction projects. These machines travel on rubber tires, and can actually travel at speeds of approx. 25 mph/40 kmh. This makes these machines very popular where travel between worksites or excavations is required often.
These machines are often used in digging small excavations and trenches. The loader attachment on the front of the machine can move material such as sand or gravel and can be used to can load trucks.
Next are dredges which are machines that are used to excavate area that are under water. Dredges are used to deepen harbors, waterways and are also used in underwater mining. This technique is often used to keep waterways navigable or reclaim land.
Lastly are excavators which come in two basic forms – tracked and wheeled. Due to their versality, they can be of use in many different industries. Among the two, tracked excavator is more commonly used due to it having better flotation and traction characteristics than the wheeled excavator. It can also move quickly from job to job minimizing the need for additional transportation. This heavy equipment consist of a boom, dipperstick, bucket and cab on a rotating platform. The cab sits atop an undercarriage with tracks or wheels. All movement and functions of the excavator are accomplished through the use of hydraulic fluid.
Prior to any excavation work, it would be nice to get a heads up of equipment and heavy machines that might be used on the operation site.