Construction

Must-Have Earth Moving Construction Heavy Equipment

List of great construction equipment that you must have on a job site
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By Juan Rodriguez
Updated May 29, 2017

Depending on the construction application, heavy equipment will be used in different ways and will help you to achieve your
milestones as scheduled. Heavy equipment could be divided into four major components:

Earth-moving equipment
Construction vehicles
Material handling
Construction Equipment

There are many others and several variations of a construction equipment, but the ones listed below are the most common ones used
by contractors.This article will explain some of the benefits from common earth-moving equipment and how you can get the most out
of them.

1
Excavators
Excavator. Photo Pixabay

Excavators are large construction equipment that can be available over wheels or tracks; the latest one considered the standard in the
industry. A traditional excavator usually has a long bucket arm attached to a pivoting cab that can rotate a full 360 degrees. The
operator sits in the cab and from there he/she can be able to have visibility of the site. Excavators are used most of the times to dig dirt
or to lift heavy pieces including prefab pieces, pipes and other smaller equipment. The most common uses of an excavator are:

Material handling
Digging of trenches, holes and foundations
Brush cutting with hydraulic attachments
Demolition
Rough grading
Heavy lifting and pipe installation
Mining
 River dredging

2
Backhoe Loaders

Backhoe. Photo Gravskopa Pixabay

Backhoe loaders are very similar to tractors with a slight difference: they contain an adjustable, shovel in front of the equipment, and a
small bucket in the back of the loader used for digging. Backhoe loaders are considered medium sized construction equipment for
smaller jobs, and with limited space to perform the operations. They can move dirt, backfill, dig trenches and place smaller pipes into
place. One of the best attributes of backhoe loaders is that they are tire mounted and they can be used in urbanized areas and patios.
The bucket in the back can be modified using different attachments allowing you to dig trenches of different widths.
 3
Bulldozers

Bulldozer. Photo Pixabay

Bulldozers are considered one of the strongest and most reliable heavy equipment used in the construction industry. It is powerful and
extremely heavy equipment used to move dirt along large open tracts of land. Bulldozers have a wide flat blade in front that can be
operated using two hydraulic pistons allowing the blade to be moved in limited angles or depths. They are normally used to push piles
of earth and for rough/fine grading depending on the size of the bulldozer. Its weight can be used to crush larger boulders among other
actions.
 4
Skid-Steer Loaders

Photo digga.com

Skid steer loaders are one of the most versatile machines available in the construction industry. This equipment, really simple to
operate, can turn within their own footprint, just like a tank, so it is ideal in confined spaces or in areas where construction activity has
been finalized. Skid steer loaders have wheels and they can offer increase traction, ideal in snow or mud, reduces soil compaction and
their tread system prevents damage to finished areas. More

5
 Motor Graders

Motor grader. Photo Paula Bronstein Getty Images

Motor graders are heavy equipment used to fine grade and move small amounts of dirt. They have a long blade that can be adjusted to
meet certain angles to create a flat surface. This equipment can normally have a second blade in front of the front axle and in some
instances can be used for underground mining. They are normally used to fine grade dirt or gravel roads, or to prepare the base course
before placing asphalt. Graders can be used to produce sloped surfaces or drainage ditches with shallow V-shaped cross sections.

6
Crawler Loaders
Crawler loader. Photo Alexprevot Flickr

This is another great piece of construction equipment. Combining the capabilities of an excavator with a backhoe, this one will be
able to get increase your production when you are hauling material off or on-site Because they are track mounted, they can move
easily without the need of additional transportation. The can be used to load spoils into trucks and to dump soil in different locations.

7
Trenchers
Trencher. Photo Ditch Witch Flickr

A trencher is a construction equipment used to dig trenches on which pipes can be laid down. There are several trencher models: walk-
behind modules, small size operated trenchers or heavy trenching equipment that can be used to trench pavement asphalt and other
hard surfaces. The trencher has a conveyor system that carries the excavated material and locates it next to the trench been made.
Trenchers can use different digging implements depending on how deep they must trench and how hard is the material to be cut.
Trenchers must be handled with extreme care because they are very dangerous equipment.

8
 Scrapers

Scraper. Photo David McNew Getty Images

A scraper can move dirt and aggregates within the site easily and without the needs of additional equipment. However, they are not
meant to be used for all construction sites. This type of heavy equipment is used in large open areas when they can run at higher
speeds and facilitate the cut and fill activities.

9
Common Dump Trucks
Dump Truck. Creative commons

Dump trucks are needed on almost every site and they are considered a construction heavy equipment. There are multiple sizes and
variations to move your load easily and effectively. Off-road or regular dump trucks, the are used in almost all construction
projects. More

10
Other Construction Equipment
Open to new ideas. Photo Sweetaholic

There many other like cranes, rollers, telehandlers, forklifts and many others that can be used at your site. Every construction site will
need to be analyzed to make sure the right heavy equipment is being used and