Tag Archives: Excavators

Know all about heavy construction equipment – types available and how you should choose the right one!

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Heavy construction equipment is one of the most important elements in today’s world, where there is a continuous growth of the construction industry and new constructions are taking place every day. That is the reason, why the heavy construction equipment supplying job has become such a popular one in the industry. If you too are thinking of starting such a business, it is important that you know all about this.

Types of heavy construction equipment:

Many people do not know much about the different types of heavy construction equipment that are available in the market. These are used for various purposes. Some are used to assist in the construction and some are used indirectly in carrying, loading and unloading raw materials.

Some of the common heavy construction equipment that you will often get to see at a construction site, on the roads etc. includes –

  • Cranes
  • Backhoe
  • Loaders
  • Excavators
  • Forklifts
  • Bulldozers
  • Concrete mixers.

These are just a few of the many that you will frequently get to watch. However, there are many others that are not used as widely, but are meant for job-specific tasks. These are usually used during earthquake damage, storm damage and such other damage cleaning.

How can you access one?

The heavy construction equipment is not very cheap. There is no denying the fact that you will have to spend a lump sum amount of money, if you want to own one. Hence, it is always a better idea that you hire them, instead of owning them. This way, you will be able to access the ones that you would require for a particular task and you will not even have to spend a huge amount of money to own them and take care of them.

But of course, the heavy construction equipment is something that not everyone and anyone would require. It is mostly required by the construction industry companies and services. So, if you own such a company, it is always advised that you choose one that you can own, rather than hire it. This is because, hiring it every time will only cause you to pay more.

Choosing the right heavy equipment:

Once you have decided, whether you want to buy one or hire one, you need to check out a number of factors. These would include –

  • Brand: The right brand is very important. With a branded company, you will be able to have the peace of mind regarding its function and life.
  • Condition: In case you are buying used heavy equipment, make sure it is in a good condition.
  • Papers: The papers of the used heavy equipment must be proper, otherwise you will not get a permit and insurance, if you wish to have one.

If you take these factors into consideration, it will be easier for you to make a choice. In case you are still confused, always consult a skilled professional, who has years of experience in this field or a dealer of heavy equipment. They will be able to guide you properly.

Highway construction with excavators

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Construction industry requires different types of heavy equipment for various types of works. They can’t limit their use to just one kind of machine for all the work. They have to bring in different heavy equipment that are capable of doing certain specialized work. For instance, you can’t make use of a loader for grading purpose. You have to use a grader for that work. Simultaneously, you can’t use any heavy equipment other than a water truck to spray water on the jobsite to contain the dust on the site. In the same way, when you are constructing a highway there are few heavy equipments that you need the most; without which you just can’t get the act right. You need a roller to crush the stuffs and make the road smooth and plain. Similarly, you also need an excavator at the beginning of the highway construction. Perhaps it all starts with an excavator which comes in handy for lot many activities.

A crawler excavator is perhaps the best heavy equipment that a contractor who engages in highway construction can have. A crawler excavator is quite similar to any other excavator which is exclusively used for excavating earth and rock and then loading them onto dump trucks. It basically has a boom which is attached to the front of the machine. At the end of the book, you will have a bucket with or without claws which is extensively used to pull out mud. The cabin in which the operator sits and operates the machine is just right above the undercarriage and is set on a rotating platform. The undercarriage of the machine has wheels or tracks which help the machine to move without losing grip. The attachment in a crawler excavator can be changed as per the requirement of the business. This means that you can now select from a range of options of attachments that you feel will get the work completed in lesser time.

The operator working on the excavator should be highly skilled and experienced as you can’t have someone who has little or no experience in highway construction. Operators who have worked for at least 5 years in constructing small roads can be signed up for highway construction. They should be under the supervision of senior operators who have loads of experience in constructing highways. Constructing highways is a tough job and it takes years for operators to clear the ground for the next level.

A contractor who has taken up the job of excavating should have more than 3 excavators working at a time on the site. They should set up a point till where the excavation work will be carried out and also a deadline should be given to the operators to make sure that the work is done within the given timeframe. Excavating work should be done in a phased manner and not dig up the entire place at one go. Once the excavating work is done, it should pave way for other machines to complete their part of job.

Kevin Cook Heavy Equipment Guy

Mini excavators work efficiently in small projects and smaller space

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A mini excavator or compact excavator is used for digging or demolition works in construction projects or as a part of repair and maintenance. Mini excavators are specially manufactured for comparatively smaller projects but these machineries need expert hands for flawless and safe operation. Mini excavators are available with different attachments meant for digging and demolition. A mini excavator comes with a small cab where the controller sits comfortably for driving and controlling the machine. These days, highly sophisticated electronics devices are used for maneuvering and controlling the machine. Mini excavators either have wheels or tracks.

What kinds of jobs require mini excavators?

A mini or compact excavator can accomplish a multiple of tasks, some of which are as follows:

    • Digging Holes on the ground, walls, or hills
    • Digging ponds, or reservoirs
    • Demolishing a small structure
    • Removing concrete or natural obstacles
    • Removing snow from the road or garden
    • Creating trenches
    • Removing debris
    • Digging irrigation channels
  • Cleaning drains
  • Flattening uneven landscape

 

Mini excavator models possess different benefits and they are specialized in handling different types of projects. Before, buying or hiring such machinery, the user needs to think about the availability of space, and type of job where the machine will be employed.

Types of mini excavators

Two types of mini excavators are available in the market:

Tail swing excavators – These excavators are popular for their greater lifting capacity, and arm breakout force, comfortable cabs, and easy to control option. The rear counterweight is specially designed to provide more stability to the whole system while excavating or lifting theweight. The machine requires some extra space for movement, so it is not suitable for a narrow area.

Zero-tail swing excavators – As the name suggest, this machine is just suitable for a narrow area. Its counterweight moves within the width of the excavator making it adjustable in a small space and keeping thefocus of the operator just on the job. The maintenance expenses of this excavator are also lower than tail swing excavators.

Zero-tail swing excavators have become more demanding than the traditional mini excavators as they are easily operable in urban and populated areas. As the counterweight radius is minimized within the width of the machines there remains less chance of damage to other properties.

Attachments for mini excavators

These machinery are extremely useful as the users can apply these in different works with different kinds of attachments like buckets, chuck blades, rippers, blades, grippers, grapples, and much more. Again, each of these attachments has different specifications which are used in different situations. For example, buckets have a multiple of categories like digging buckets, tilting buckets, tilting buckets, rotary tilting buckets, etc. and grapples have categories like rotating lock grapples, rock grapples, wood processing grapples, etc.

For an efficient use of a mini excavator, the operator needs to be trained on this machine. Otherwise, work hour and quality of work may be lost and damage of property or other kinds of accidents may occur. Mini excavators are optimally expert in multiple jobs where promptness and expenses matter a lot.

 

336F L excavator – CAT’s new fleet of excavators

Construction companies in US have been long waiting for the new excavator that they have heard so much about from CAT. Their long wait is now over as they have come up with the 336F L excavator in the large series. This machine is not only capable of excavating but can be used for many other purposes. It is actually multi-functional heavy equipment that has the capability of demolishing structures like a bulldozer can also be used for grading purposes and can take care of loading debris. Normally the items that we expect from a track loader is what you get from this heavy equipment. The only major difference is that it is an expert when it comes to excavating and excavating companies would not want to go with any other machine if they are given this as an option. It consumes less fuel as compared to other machines which therefore brings it in the category of green heavy equipment.

The specification of 336F L excavator can amaze a person who has slightest of knowledge about heavy equipment. The operating weight of the excavator is around 80,500 lbs which bring it in the category of large sized heavy equipment. The make of the engine is C9.3 ACERT with a net power of 303 horse power. Talking about the hydraulics, the total flow of main pumps, implement and swing is 151 gpm and the maximum relief valve pressure is 5076 psi. The minimum and maximum width of the bucket is 30 inch to 72 inch. This means that it can be installed with a bucket that has a lot of capacity to gather stuffs and then load it in a truck. This is where it can give tough competition to a track loader or a backhoe loader because you can’t install this big bucket in a loader. So if you are excavating and are worried about the loading part of the mud then you can get it done with the same machine and do not have to deploy a new one.

Moving towards the performance of the machine, the total length of the stick that is used for dimensions is around 12 feet and 10 inches. The maximum the machine can go is 26 feet and 10 inches. The maximum depth of vertical wall is 20feet and 8 inches and the reach at ground level is around 38 feet and 5 inches. This is perhaps phenomenal as it has the capacity to go real deep inside the ground. The height of the dump is 24 feet and 7 inches. The force of the arm is 31810 lbs and bucket digging force is 42380 lbs. The undercarriage of the machine is simply exceptional. The total track show width is 34 inch with a maximum travel speed of 3 mile per hour and maximum drawbar pull of 66139 lbs.

The price of the 336F L excavator is slightly on the upper range which is mainly due to the top range performance that it can provide.

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Operators find it comfortable to work on technologically advanced excavators

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In order to speed up the work, you have to give your employees the latest equipment so that they are comfortable using them and can deliver in no time. You can’t use an age old machine and expect your men to complete the work in a stipulated time frame. They just will not be able to do that even if they want to. Same goes in the case of excavators. You can’t expect the operators to excavate a huge portion of land in just few days by giving them an excavator that is perhaps decade old. There is a possibility that the operator may not know its functions properly and might take time to get his hands on the machine or may just not want to work on it. So when you are looking to get a work done in a designated time frame you also need to ensure that you give your operators the equipment that they are comfortable working with.

Heavy equipment manufacturing companies have sensed the pulse of the operators and have therefore manufactured various types of machines that are technologically advanced. These types of machines mostly have automated functions which eases the work of the operator and at the same time lessens the chance of any accidents happening on the jobsite. Now we have several types of excavators in the mining and construction industry such as dragline excavators, bucket wheel excavators which might have existed for decades but the changes that are brought in is from within. For instance, the engine of the machine has been made better. The levers in the machine have been lessened and with the help of just few levers, the operator can handle most of the work.

It seems that there are no major changes made in the concept of the excavator it is just that the changes are made in the interiors which make things convenient for the end user. When heavy equipment companies manufacture excavators, they have to take into consideration a lot of factors. Factors such as if they are manufacturing the excavators for construction industry or for mining industry because the make of the machine will be different for different industries. The requirement of a mining industry will be obviously different from the construction one. They might want some additional features which is not required in the construction sector or can ask for adding few attachments in the existing excavator.

Ideally, many heavy equipment companies conduct surveys to understand the need of the operators. What they want to be added and how they want it to work. If there are any deficiencies in the existing model, how can they bring some improvement? They manage to take the survey from different companies across many states and then on the basis of the wants of the operators, they try to bring it new features. It is evident that the engineers have a tough time to get most of the features in but they still manage to do so. They eventually understand that in today’s time in order to exist in the industry they have to make as per the needs of the operators.

What are the proper operations for heavy construction equipment

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When it is about construction jobsite or work related to construction, we can easily consider heavy equipment to be the backbone of the industry. Different types of heavy equipment are required for the completion of daily activities in a construction jobsite and each heavy equipment has its own utility. In other words every other construction machine is unique in its own way and so the operation of every other machine is different from the rest. For instance, the work that a grader can do can possibly be done by no other machine and it is only grader type heavy equipment that can be used for grading purposes and so is an excavator can do excavation like no other machines can. The owner of heavy equipment takes a lot of things into consideration before he/she decides to buy it. The kinds of project for which he/she will need the machines, the duration for which he may require their services and things like that play a mighty role for the selection of heavy construction machineries.

Excavators:-

Industry experts believe that you can’t replace an excavator with any other machine when it is about excavating earth. No other heavy equipment can do the work as precisely as an excavator. Other than that there are many things that one needs to take into consideration before he begins with an excavation project. The pattern of the soil is perhaps the most important criteria that need to be considered apart from the weather in that area. One also needs to consider the risk that they may encounter while digging deep inside the earth. You may not want to slide in deep and then get stuck. That would be the most deadly thing that can ever happen to anyone. Moreover the different types of attachments that are used for digging purposes and are installed in the excavator can’t be possibly done with any other type of machine.

Graders:-

For construction companies that are into leveling grounds or making landscapes they can’t get anything better than a grader. It has a long blade in the front or in the middle of the machine which is primarily used to remove the unwanted mud from the earth’s surface and therefore level the ground. It is also extensively used in road construction and to remove snow from the roads. It is perhaps one of the best construction machines that is used for removing snow as it can collect lot of the stuff in its blade at one go.

Rollers:-

No road construction work can be completed without the use of rollers. It is perhaps this is why it is also known as road-rollers. It has a big drum at the front of the machine. The drum is used to level the ground during the construction of the road. It is quite a heavy thing and therefore can settle even the toughest of material.

There are many other heavy equipment which has its own specific utility and that can’t be replaced by any other machine.

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Machines that matter the most in the construction domain

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Heavy equipments are considered as the most important element of the construction industry and each machine has its specific role to play. So whenever you go out to shop for heavy equipment, you must know which machine you need to buy. There are few heavy equipments that are mostly required irrespective of which sphere of the industry you are in. For instance, if you are into landscaping you may need a grader, an excavator and at times a dozer. However, if you are into building bridges, you may need more heavy equipments than for building a landscape.

So the genre of business you are in defines what kind of construction machines are needed by you. It is quite imperative for a construction business owner to understand the functions of heavy equipments in his business. He can’t go for every type of heavy equipment that is available under the sun. He needs to understand the role of the heavy equipments in his line of business and thereby make necessary purchases.

We will be discussing about some heavy equipment which are commonly used in almost every construction site.

Rollers:-

Rollers are ideally used to construct roads but they are not restricted to just road construction. They are used for leveling the paths on the construction site as well. One can understand how difficult it is to walk on crooked paths and that too when you are working in a perilous ambience. You need to have proper ways that are properly leveled and also smooth enough to move without any hindrance. This will allow people to move with comfort causing almost 0 injuries while walking on the site. In this way rollers also provide good deal of safety to the workers.

Excavators:-

Almost every construction site requires some amount of digging work and the most convenient and suitable construction machine that can be used for this purpose is an excavator. Its huge sharp claws can dig deep inside the ground and remove the mud out. You only need to change its attachment to make it multi-functional. This is perhaps the most sought after heavy equipment in the entire construction domain. You will hardly see any construction project without an excavator. Though there are now alternatives in place but the old players still want to work with this piece of metal.

Dozers:-

Let us now talk about the unbreakable or the one that has the potential to break anything. Well, a dozer is heavy duty equipment that is known for its capability to mow down the toughest structure. While bringing down a building, a wrecking ball is attached to the front of it and then the ball is moved in full force and it bangs the object. Doing this continuously brings the structure down. This form of equipment is used during the initial stage where a permanent structure needs to be pulled down and will be replaced by something new.

These are perhaps few construction machines that matter the most in the construction domain and have also earned its reputation for the right reasons.

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Quick attached buckets for excavators

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Men/Women in the construction business consider excavators as one of the most important heavy equipment. It is considered important for many reasons. It is not only used to excavate land but can also be used as a dozer. Other than that, you do not need another heavy equipment to pull the debris and load it on a truck. This can also be effectively done by the excavator. So when we are talking about pulling out debris from the construction site using an excavator, we should be talking about the different kinds of buckets that are attached to the machine. The effectiveness of an excavator in pulling the debris lies mostly on the types of buckets that are being used on the machine. So a bucket which is big in size and capacity can pick a whole lot of debris at a single shot and dump it in the truck.

Now we need to know a thing or two about these buckets. Buckets are manufactured by different heavy equipment companies and they differ in quality. Also the locks of the bucket play an important role while lifting the debris. If you have bucket with double locking technology, it serves your purpose. These kinds of buckets are considered to be safer as the chance of breaking the lock due to too much of weight can be taken care of. The double locking system is also instrumental in situations when the machine is working in a dirty environment. An excavator mostly has to work in such a kind of an environment. The bucket often has to get into muddy water to pull the mud out. This can damage the locking system to a greater extent and therefore it is imperative for one to check the bucket before he starts working for the day.

Other than the locking system, there are other features as well which are quite important when it comes to earth excavation. The teeth of the bucket are supposed to act as a grip and are also useful to dig deep in the ground. The sharper the teeth of the bucket the more quickly you can get the job done. Other than this, the operator also needs to check how quickly he can change the attachments. Changing attached buckets can be a problem. If the buckets are rigid to open up, it can become a problem for the guy to change the bucket. One ideally expects the bucket to open up quickly so that it can be changed with an appropriate one. if that takes too long to open up, it can also affect the productivity.

While you are shopping for buckets for an excavator, you should primarily look for the ones that are quick to attach. It should not take lot of your time. Quick attached buckets are often sold on the internet. So read the description of the bucket before you pay for the item. Websites like eBay and Amazon deals into selling excavator buckets. So one can simple take a glance of these websites and make some purchase from there.

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Clearing debris using heavy equipment

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The entire construction industry is largely dependent on the use of different kinds of heavy equipment. It can be used for many purposes like road construction, digging deep inside the ground, rolling down an existing structure or simply removing debris out of the site. Well, removing the debris can be a painful task for the workers if they exclude the involvement of heavy machineries. It may take weeks if not months for the workers to just remove the debris out of the site if they had to do this manually and without the participation of heavy equipment. In a nutshell, it is just not possible. You can’t take a hit on your finance and delay your project just because your employees are busy clearing the debris. That sounds completely insane from the perspective of a construction business owner.

So in a situation where you got to take care of the debris, it is advisable that you have your heavy equipment in place that are especially used for such work and get the work done in few days. The entire purpose of using heavy equipment to get the work done is to save your time as well as the time and energy of your workers and also to speed up the work a bit. The heavy equipment that are ideally used to clear debris are excavators, backhoe loaders, front loaders and any machine that can have an attachment either in the front or at the rear and can attach a bucket out there are fit to do this work.

Many construction companies or for that matter demolition companies use a dozer to demolish structures and then use the same machine with a different attachment and clear the debris. All they do is fit in a bucket in the front and the operator makes sure he gets the job done in a day’s time. So a bulldozer is a favorite for many demolition companies. Though there are some who prefer a backhoe loader for the same job but many find dozers to be more compatible than any other form of heavy equipment.

Excavators can also be used to remove debris. The claws of the excavator can be used to draw the debris in it and then it moves at the back of the machine and dumps the stuff inside the bucket which is then moved and eventually dumped in the truck. Excavators are the ideal heavy machines for the ones who got to dig deep inside the ground and then carry the dirt and dump it in the truck. So the construction and mining companies who are into building huge apartments or who goes deep inside the ground in search of minerals find an excavator as a perfect machine for their job.

Backhoe loader is such heavy equipment which is primarily used to remove debris. It has a bucket at the rear of the machine and the dirt is filled inside the bucket with the help of the boom that’s attached on its front. It is also used for excavating work; therefore has similar features of an excavator.

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Road construction machines

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For the development of the economy of any country, good well maintained roads play quite a vital role. If you have good roads it becomes easy to transport goods from one place to another. Right from agricultural sector to manufacturing industry, all of them highly depend on good constructed roads. One can easily understand how important it is to ferry agricultural products to the main market from where it gets further distributed to the wholesaler and then finally to the retailer. Similarly, raw materials are transported day in and day out so that the manufacturing and other industries can function without any hindrance. It becomes very important to ensure that the roads are well maintained and whatever heavy equipment are required to keep the quality of the roads in place are done without any compromise. Unlike in a construction sector, only few sets of heavy equipment are needed to construct roads and also to maintain them.

As far as the road construction work goes, usage of heavy equipment depends on the kind of work that is needed to be done. It ideally varies from constructing a new road or just working on few repairs on the existing one.

Motor grader:-

Before placing asphalt on the road, it is important to flatten the surface. This can be done with the help of a motor grader. The ones that are used to flatten the surface have 3 axles with the cab on the top of the rear axle and the third axle is located at the very front of the machine. It also has a very long blade in the center of the axles.

Road roller machine:-

A road roller is a common type of heavy equipment that one will find in a road construction area. It is used to press the layer of asphalt that has been laid on the ground. Ideally, 2 to 3 layers of asphalt are laid and thereafter the roller machine is rolled on the road and presses the asphalt to make the road smooth. There are several types of rollers that one can find on road construction projects. The type of rollers is often selected keeping into consideration the kind of road being constructed. There are rubber tire rollers or double drum asphalt rollers or rollers that are combination of both of the rollers. As stated, the kind of construction of roads actually suggests the type of rollers to be used for the project.

Excavator:-

Excavators are machines that are used to dig earth and rocks. They are used in road construction projects where there is a need to excavate a portion of land that will help to bring the road to a level. They are also used to break an uneven structure with the help of the boom or the bucket and collect all the dirt and load it on the dump truck.

Wheel Loader:-

A wheel loader is considered to be vital heavy equipment when it comes to construction of roads. It is used to gather all the dirt from the earth and dump it on a dump truck. Due to the big size of the bucket, it can pile up loads of dirt and dump it at a given point of time.