These days, construction equipment is being sold more than ever before, and quite rightfully so. As the world is rapidly moving towards high-rise skyscrapers and mega engineering projects, the need for construction machinery is significantly on the rise. Be it residential, commercial, or industrial -- heavy equipment is mandatory in all projects. No matter what the engineering challenges are, professionals have found and are still finding ways to overcome them -- mainly with specialized equipment. The purpose of this article is to describe some of the most common ones used in elaborate construction projects all around the world.
What Is Heavy Construction Equipment?
While screwdrivers, nuts, and bolts can also be regarded as construction tools, they are not particularly heavy and are not capable of dealing with a colossal task on their own.
Heavy construction equipment basically refers to massive vehicles or earth-moving machinery that are capable of performing heavy-duty tasks at the construction site. Most of these tasks comprise removing and relocating earth and other related substances. These machines are known by many names in different regions. The common ones are heavy trucks, heavy machinery, heavy vehicles, engineering equipment, and a few more.
Must-Have Heavy Equipment for Construction Projects
Despite belonging to the same field of work, not all construction equipment have the same functionalities. Different devices specialize in different aspects or phases of a comprehensive construction project. Thus, it is important to understand the features of each piece of equipment independently. Let us take a look at some of the most common pieces of construction equipment that are in use today.
Intermodal Dump Trailer
Intermodal dump trailers are very common in industrial locations and shipping platforms along coastlines. These are large closed vans that are generally owned and maintained by leasing companies, railroads, motor carriers, or private organizations that specialize in the construction and intermodal transportation business.
An intermodal transport uses standard cargo units like swap bodies, containers, and trailers -- the last one being the most common. These cargo units can be transported to any location around the world via trucks, ships, trains, and even airplanes under certain circumstances. There are different types of trailers that have their own functionalities. Knowing the difference between each type will ensure that you are getting the right one.
If you are in the market for an intermodal dump trailer, check out the ACE intermodal dump trailer. It boasts some of the best features that you can ask for, including a high dumping angle of 45 degrees, telescopic 4-stage lift cylinders, and high-end corner bolster locks; let alone the capacity to transport and dump mammoth 20-foot intermodal containers.
Bulldozer
Any time you hear the term “heavy equipment”, the image of a bulldozer comes to your mind. You are not wrong either, as a bulldozer is, arguably, the most common piece of equipment that you would come across at a construction site. These machines are capable of handling enormous chunks of ground soil by using specialized blades attached at the front.
These machines are also adept at grading surfaces as they are heavy-duty and the enormous weight possessed is sufficient in flattening almost anything that comes in front. However, this does depend on the size of the bulldozer as the relatively smaller ones would not be as efficient as the large ones in such tasks.
The blades attached at the front can be moved with other attachments like blades, mulchers, rakes, and some more. Bulldozers are used in a variety of activities. Works include land clearing, demolition, road construction, home renovation, and farming.
Excavator
The presence of an excavator at a construction site means the engineers at work mean business. Excavators are some of the largest pieces of machinery used on such sites and are mandatory if large amounts of ground soil need to be excavated. These machines comprise a tracked undercarriage that enables them to maneuver around treacherous terrains. In fact, the sheer weight of an excavator helps in traversing the ground surface even without the driver attempting to do so.
The attachments of an excavator can also be changed, similar to bulldozers. This means these machines can be used in a variety of scenarios, inside the house in some cases. In general, a typical excavator has the ability to demolish and clear out an entire site, dig out a foundation, lay down plumbing lines, load materials in another machine or location, and modify the overall landscape of a construction site.
Backhoe
Backhoes are extremely versatile and can be used in a variety of different jobs within the depths of a construction site. Both the front and the back of a backhoe have their distinctive uses. At the front, a front-end loader is attached that can move debris, soil, and any other hard waste that needs to be removed from the worksite. At the back, an arm known as a boom and a bucket can be found that are used in moderate-scale trenching and drilling, as well as other general excavation operations.
Skid-Steer Loader
In terms of versatility, skid-steer loaders rank high among other related construction machinery. A typical loader consists of a bucket that helps in carrying, shoving, and loading soil, debris, and dirt. There are a lot of additional attachments found in a skid-steer loader -- primarily the ones that are used in digging and drilling. Examples include rippers, augers, tillers, cement mixers, wheel saws, and more.
These machines are relatively compact, which makes them feasible for use in places where larger instruments have difficulty reaching. A skid-steer loader is also quite agile as it comes with a wheeled chassis. This enables the driver to make sharp turns with the machine -- proving its effectiveness in maneuvering through challenging terrains.
Final Words
Be it a gigantic ice-crushing machine or a compact interior skid-steer loader -- construction machinery is needed in almost all sectors of infrastructural development. Thus, it is crucial to have a firm idea of the variety of functionalities each piece of equipment possesses that are being used in the modern era of construction.