For construction jobs of almost any size, heavy equipment is usually needed. This is true of home building, larger commercial building, and civil projects. Earth-moving equipment includes a wide range of machinery that can excavate, grade soil and rock, and perform other tasks.
Earthmovers and other heavy equipment help accomplish the earthwork and handle materials, assist in demolition, and are important in construction. Many types of heavy construction equipment are designed for numerous functions, making them invaluable on construction sites.
Here is a shortlist of several commonly used heavy equipment types and excavation equipment used in the construction of homes, commercial buildings, and civil projects.
Excavators
An excavator is a large piece of construction equipment driven on wheels or tracks. A typical excavator has a long bucket arm attached to a rotating cab area that can turn 360 degrees. The operator in the cab has good visibility of the entire surrounding site. Excavators are quite versatile and can be fitted with specialty attachments for specific jobs.
Backhoe Loaders
Backhoes have a farm tractor-type body, an adjustable shovel in front, and a small bucket toward the back for digging into the ground. Backhoe loaders are medium-sized compared to other construction equipment and can work in spaces with a limited area. They move dirt, dig holes or trenches, and can place pipes and other materials where they’re needed. One useful feature of backhoe loaders is that they’re wheel-driven. The bucket on the back end can be changed out to dig trenches of different widths and sizes.
Bulldozers
Bulldozers tend to be among the strongest and most reliable pieces of heavy equipment used in construction. A bulldozer is an extremely heavy and powerful piece of construction equipment used to move dirt, rock, plants, and other types of materials on a construction site. Bulldozers have a larger, wider front blade in the front, which uses two hydraulic pistons to move it. It has a limited range of movement at various depths and angles. It’s normally used to move piles of dirt, and it’s also used for rough or fine grading, depending on its size.
Trenchers
A trencher is used to dig trenches, usually somewhat narrow ones, specifically for piping and cabling. Trenchers come in numerous types and sizes, from small walk-behind types to quite large machines that cut into the pavement and other harder surfaces. A trencher has a conveyor belt that carries the excavated material and moves it onto the ground close to the trench. Trenchers can use different digging styles, dependent on the depth of the trench and the type of material being excavated.
These are just a few of the most common equipment rental options you have when dealing with the construction and excavation of a building site. There are other more specialized heavy machinery options available, should you need them.