Heavy equipment executes construction tasks that are not otherwise possible. Heavy-duty vehicles drastically improve construction efficiency and safety. They contribute to virtually every construction project in the world.
Here are the 15 most common types of heavy construction machinery used by crews domestically and internationally:
1. Grader
A grader (also known as motor grader) is a heavy construction machinery used to level the soil surface using a horizontal blade. This is common in road construction as well as in snow removal, dirt removal, and unnecessary soil removal. When new roads are being constructed, graders are a must to ensure quality levelling.
2. Backhoe
Backhoe is a piece of heavy equipment that’s used for many purposes. A backhoe has a hoe stationed on its back and a loading bucket on the front. It can be used in excavating trenches below machine level or alternatively, for bucket-loading, unloading, and lifting of materials.
3. Excavator
Excavators are the most widely used heavy construction machinery in the world. They are used to not only excavate, but also to complete heavy lifting, demolition, river dredging, tree-cutting, and more. At the end of a long arm, a digging bucket is used to do the task at hand. There are plenty of excavator attachments to improve the functionality and versatility of this heavy construction machinery.
4. Paver
Pavers are pavement-laying heavy equipment used in road construction. Through as asphalt-loaded feeding bucket, a paver distributes this asphalt evenly across a road surface with compaction. A paver increases the efficiency of a road-building operation and allows construction crews to move quicker in delivering on schedule.
5. Loader
Loaders aid in loading materials onto transportation vehicles a la dumpers and trucks. Loaders usually help to transport soil, demolition waste, and raw materials. The machinery uses a large-sized bucket attached by a short-moving arm at its front.
6. Trencher
Trenchers excavate trenches. Trenchers are used in pipeline laying, cable laying, and drainage construction. As with other heavy construction machinery, there are chained and wheeled designs. To excavate harder soils, a wheeled trencher is generally considered more efficient.
7. Bulldozer
Bulldozers are also used for soil excavation, removing the topsoil layer only. A bulldozer’s sharp-edged metal plate at its front can be raised and lowered using hydraulic pistons. For weak soil and rock strata, a lifting of soil, and similar projects, a bulldozer is your go-to.
8. Compactor
Compactors – also referred to as ‘rollers’ – compact material or earth surface. There are subcategories of compactors. Smooth-wheel rollers are used to compact shallow layers of asphalt. Sheep-foot rollers are used for deep compaction. There’s also pneumatic tired rollers which can be applied for fine soils and asphalt layers.
9. Pile Driver
A pile driver is used in pile foundation construction. A pile driver lifts the pile, holds it in position, and drives it into the ground at a required depth. A number of pile driver types exist, including piling rigs, piling hammers, and hammer guides.
10. Telehandler
Telehandlers are used for hoisting, lifting heavy equipment to a required height or to act as a construction platform for workers at a great height. A telehandler works with a long telescopic boom which is able to be raised, lowered, or forwarded as required. A telehandlers can be combined with other attachments and arrangements such as forklifts, buckets, cabins, and jibs.
11. Dump Truck
A classic piece of heavy equipment, dump trucks are used to carry materials on-site, off-site, and/or to a dump yard. They can move materials in large quantities and are most common on large construction sites. Off-road dump trucks are also available to move across any ground conditions and ensure materials can be moved with ease off-site.
12. Tower Crane
Tower cranes are used for hoisting and the construction of tall structures. Tower cranes make it possible to lift extremely heavy pieces – such as pre-stressed concrete, steel trusses, and frames – to a required height. A tower crane has a mast or supporting tower, jib or operating arm, and counter jib or counter-arm which has a counterweight, as well as an operator cabin from which the machine can be operated.
13. Dragline Excavator
A much less used heavy construction machine is a dragline excavator. For large-depth excavations, a dragline excavator has a long-length boom and digging bucket suspended by a boom. Dragline excavators are used most commonly for port construction, under-water excavations, and sediment removal.
14. Wheel Tractor Scraper
Wheel tractor scrapers will move earth through scrapping. The result is a flattened soil surface. At the front, there is a wheeled tractor vehicle and on the rear, a horizontal scraping blade. The ground is dug, excavated, and collected by the same heavy construction machine and then unloaded at a defined soil dump location.
15. Feller Buncher
A feller buncher is a type of tree-cutting equipment. In a construction field, feller bunchers are used to remove large trees that need to be cleared. This piece of heavy construction machinery cuts the tree, grabs it, and transports it to a defined area. A feller bunch works alongside dump trucks and loaders to gather trees in one place with the intention of getting them off-site.
