The construction industry uses different types of material handling equipment for certain purposes, such as digging holes, making trenches, flattening the land, lifting large boulders, and transporting heavy loads. Just like you need white card training Wollongong to be safe on a construction site, the people assigned to use these machines must have a special license or certification as they are dangerous and usually hard to operate.
These pieces of equipment are also quite expensive, so some contractors contact companies that offer heavy equipment rental in Amarillo, TX. This is a great way for construction firms to save on operating costs for their business. Below is a list of some of the most common types of heavy equipment used for construction. Such as Case construction parts you can use these for construction purposes.
Excavator
One of the most famous examples of heavy equipment, an excavator is primarily used for digging, demolition, and heavy lifting. It is characterized by its four main parts, which are the following:
- Bucket – Also called a scoop, this part is used to take out a huge chunk of soil from the ground. It is made of solid steel and has large teeth to make scooping easier.
- Arm – The arm consists of two subparts: the boom that is connected to the house and the stick where the bucket is attached to. Its hydraulic motors allow it to move up and down.
- House or Cabin – The house or cabin is where the operator sits when controlling the machine. It rotates 360 degrees, which makes scooping and dropping significantly more efficient.
- Undercarriage – The undercarriage carries the whole equipment and transports it from one place to another. This part can either be wheeled or tracked, depending on the manufacturer.
Bulldozer
Mainly used for pushing debris and leveling land, a bulldozer is an extremely powerful earth-moving equipment. It serves plenty of purposes in road building, ground clearing, forestry, and infrastructure development. This heavy machinery has a pair of tracks on its sides, which gives it excellent mobility on irregular terrain, including rough roads, muddy areas, and mountainsides.
The key feature of a bulldozer is a heavy metal plate, which is called the blade. It can be categorized based on its shape and function:
- Straight Blade – Also called an S-blade, this one is short and has no side wings. It is best used for fine grading a large parcel of land.
- Universal Blade – Often abbreviated as U-blade, this one is characterized by its curved shape, which makes it ideal for various tasks, like ditching and crowning. It also has side wings that prevent anything it pushes from spilling to the sides.
- Semi-U Blade – A cross between the S- and U-blades, the semi-U blade only has a slight curve and a small pair of side wings. It is quite versatile since it can be used for fine grading, ditching, and crowning.
- Angle Blade – This is a special type of blade because it can be slightly tilted at a certain angle to the left or right. This function is quite useful for pushing large debris to the sides.
- Power Angle Tilt Blade – Often abbreviated as the PAT blade, this is considered the most versatile option. The blade can be moved from left to right at a certain angle, and it can also be lifted to a certain height. It is mostly used for scraping, grading, and backfilling.
Backhoe
The backhoe is sometimes confused with an excavator because it also has a long arm and a bucket and is mainly used for digging and heavy lifting. It is a very complicated piece of equipment, and it consists of several main parts, including the following:
- Cab – This part is where the operator sits when maneuvering the backhoe.
- Arm – Connected to the backside of the cab, the arm usually has a huge bucket on its end, which is used to scoop and drop large quantities of soil and rocks. Aside from the bucket, there are various attachments available for different purposes, such as a hammer, drill, rake, or breaker.
- Loader – The loader is connected to the front side of the cabin and used for demolition, grading, and evening lands. In some cases, the loader can be replaced with different attachments, such as brooms, forklifts, and plows.
These are just three of the most common types of heavy machinery used for construction. If you are a contractor that needs these machines for your project, contact businesses that offer equipment rental amarillo tx. These companies can lend you an excavator, bulldozer, or backhoe for a certain price.