Category: excavation equipment

Trenching And Plowing Equipment

When trenchers were first introduced to the residential
and commercial contractors, they rapidly became the
backbone of the crew. The time and labor trenchers
saved when they replaced the pick and shovel was
simply incredible. The contractor was able to double
the number of jobs his crew could complete in the
same amount of time – or less.

The standard types of trenchers, whether dedicated
units or attachments, they are versatile machines
for contractors to have with them on the job. They
can be used for many different purposes, from digging
valve box holes to trenches for drain pipes. In
areas that contain rocky soil, large roots, or
other problems where the other machinery can’t access
the soil, the trencher will minimize downtime that
was once spent digging by hand.

The many types of vibratory plows will offer even
more labor saving options. These plows eliminate
the hand labor of having to lay the pipe and
backfilling on numerous jobs. Even though vibratory
plows have taken their market share and are great
for pulling pipe, trenchers are still very important
for many different types of applications.

The impressive company Bobcat offers three different
trenching attachments that are designed for use on
the smaller skid steer loaders. The attachment
models LT102, LT203, and LT304 all have digging
depths from 2 – 4 feet.

Mini trenchers
The mini trenchers have been re-designed and
finely tuned from the same concept that made standard
trenchers so popular. As the name suggests, they
are lightweight, with the largest models weighing
less than 400 pounds. They are also compact,
allowing you to put them in the back of an average
pickup truck.

They will also dig a trench around 4 inches wide,
and up to 13 inches deep, neatly laying the soil
on side of the trench. Without any trouble at
all, you can cover pipe with the backfill, leaving
a barely visible seam in the soil.

With time being money, these types of mini trenchers
are the answer when working in tight or small areas,
or on jobs that have a lot of trees or shrubbery.
Mini trenchers have a turning radius of less than
two feet and they will easily fit through most
garden gates. Jobs that would normally need a lot
of manual labor will now save you a lot of time
and man power.

If you do construction or excavation work, even
gardening, you’ll find trenching and plowing
equipment to be essential to your work. If you’ve
never used these types of equipment before,
you’ll be amazed at just how much time you can
save.

If you are just starting up your business, you’ll
find this type of equipment to be just what you
need. You won’t need a lot of labor with a trencher,
as you can do most of it yourself. For saving
time, money, and effort, trenching and plowing
equipment is the way to go.

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Excavation

Excavation is most commonly and best known for a
technique within the science of archaeology. The
individual types of excavation are known simply
as digs to those who participate, with this being
an over literal description of the process. An
excavation concerns itself with a specific
archaeological site or connected series of sites,
and may be carried on over a number of years, since
the work is normally seasonal.

Within the industry of excavation, many more
techniques may be utilized, with each dig having
its own particular features that may necessitate
differences of approach. Resources and other
practical issues don’t allow archaeologists to carry
out excavations whenever and wherever they choose,
as many known sites have been deliberately left
alone and non excavated.

Initially, excavation involves the removal of any
topsoil that is uncovered by machine. What is
dug up may be examined by a metal detector for stray
finds but unless the excavation site has remained
untouched for a long period of time, there is a
small layer of modern material on the surface that
is of limited archaeological interest.

In rural areas, any type of archaeological features
should be visible beneath the surface. With
urban areas, they may be thick layers of human
deposits and only the uppermost will be visible to
the naked eye. With either case, the first task
is drawing a scaled site plan that will show the
edges of the excavation.

This plan can be composed using tape measures, or
as it is more common these days, an electronic
total station. A grid is normally set up, to
divide the site.

Excavation is also useful for digging out houses
and trenches. When clearing dirt out for roads
or sub divisions, excavation is what takes care of
things. Even though there are a few means, the
term excavation is used anytime that the earth or
dirt is disturbed.

Heavy machinery is also very common with excavation,
such as excavators or backhoes. Excavating crews
run the equipment and dig up soil and rocks for
whatever the purpose may be. Excavators are the
most used machinery, as they can move a lot of dirt
in a little bit of time.

Anytime you are taking part in excavation, you should
always use common sense and be safe. If you plan
to get down into a hole or trench, you should always
use a trench box. Even though the hole may not
be that deep, excavation sites can always cave in
and at that point – things are very dangerous and
possibly even deadly.

For digging up rare artifacts or putting in houses
or roads, excavation is something that has been around
for years and years. There is a lot to learn with
excavation, as you’ll need to know how to run
machinery, shoot grade, and how to properly dig
holes and trenches so they won’t cave in.

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Forklift

Sometimes called a forklift truck, the forklift is
a powerful industrial truck that is used to lift
and transport material by steel forks that are
inserted under the load. Forklifts are commonly
used to move loads and equipment that is stored on
pallets. The forklift was developed in 1920, and
has since become a valuable piece of equipment in
many manufacturing and warehousing operations.

Types
The most common type of design with forklifts is
the counter balance. Other types of designs
include the reach truck and side loader, both of
which are used in environments where the space is
at a minimum.

Control and capability
Forklifts are available in many types and different
load capacities. In the average warehouse setting,
most forklifts have load capacities of around
five tons.

Along with the control to raise and lower the
forks, you can also tilt the mast to compensate
for the tendency of the load to angle the blades
towards the ground and risk slipping it off the
forks. The tilt will also provide a limited
ability to operate on ground that isn’t level.

There are some variations that allow you to move
the forks and backrest laterally, which allows
easier placement of a load. In addition to this,
there are some machines that offer hydraulic
control to move the forks together or further
apart, which removes the need for you to get out
of the cab to manually adjust for a different size
load.

Another forklift variation that is sometimes
used in manufacturing facilities, will utilize
forklifts with a clamp attachment that you can
open and close around a load, instead of having
to use forks. Products such as boxes, cartons,
etc., can be moved with the clamp attachment.

Safety
Forklifts are rated for loads at a specified
maximum weight and a specified forward type center
of gravity. All of this information is located
on a nameplate that is provided by the manufacturer
and the loads cannot exceed these specifications.

One of the most important aspects of operating a
forklift is the rear wheel steering. Even though
this helps to increase maneuverability in tight
cornering situations, it differs from the
traditional experience of a driver with other
wheeled vehicles as there is no caster action.

Another critical aspect of the forklift is the
instability. Both the forklift and the load must
be considered a unit, with a varying center of
gravity with every movement of the load. You
must never negotiate a turn with a forklift at
full speed with a raised load, as this can easily
tip the forklift over.

Normally, to drive a forklift, you’ll need to
pass a basic test. They aren’t difficult to
operate, although you’ll need to be safe when you
operate them. Once you have operated one for a
while, you’ll have no problems being safe.

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Front Loader

Also known as a front end loader, bucket loader,
scoop loader, or shovel, the front loader is a type
of tractor that is normally wheeled and uses a
wide square tilting bucket on the end of movable
arms to lift and move material around.

The loader assembly may be a removable attachment
or permanently mounted on the vehicle. Often times,
the bucket can be replaced with other devices or
tools, such as forks or a hydraulically operated
bucket.

Larger style front loaders, such as the Caterpillar
950G or the Volvo L120E, normally have only a
front bucket and are known as front loaders,
where the small front loaders are often times
equipped with a small backhoe as well and called
backhoe loaders or loader backhoes.

Loaders are primarily used for loading materials
into trucks, laying pipe, clearing rubble, and
also digging. Loaders aren’t the most efficient
machines for digging, as they can’t dig very deep
below the level of their wheels, like the backhoe
can.

The deep bucket on the front loader can normally
store around 3 – 6 cubic meters of dirt, as the
bucket capacity of the loader is much bigger than
the bucket capacity of a backhoe loader. Loaders
aren’t classified as excavating machinery, as
their primary purpose is other than moving dirt.

In construction areas, mainly when fixing roads
in the middle of the city, front loaders are
used to transport building materials such as
pipe, bricks, metal bars, and digging tools.

Front loaders are also very useful for snow
removal as well, as you can use their bucket or
as a snow plow. They can clear snow from the
streets and highways, even parking lots. They
will sometimes load the snow into dump trucks
which will then haul it away.

Unlike the bulldozer, most loaders are wheeled and
not tracked. The wheels will provide better
mobility and speed and won’t damage paved roads
near as much as tracks, although this will come
at the cost of reduced traction.

Unlike backhoes or tractors fitted with a steel
bucket, large loaders don’t use automotive
steering mechanisms, as they instead steer by a
hydraulically actuated pivot point set exactly
between the front and rear axles. This is known
as articulated steering and will allow the front
axle to be solid, therefore allowing it to carry
a heavier weight.

Articulated steering will also give a reduced
turn in radius for a given wheelbase. With the
front wheels and attachment rotating on the same
axis, the operator is able to steer his load in
an arc after positioning the machine, which can
come in quite handy. The problem is that when
the machine is twisted to one side and a heavy
load is lifted high in the air, it has a bigger
risk of turning over.

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Cranes

A crane is a tower or derrick that is equipped with
cables and pulleys that are used to lift and lower
material. They are commonly used in the construction
industry and in the manufacturing of heavy equipment.
Cranes for construction are normally temporary
structures, either fixed to the ground or mounted
on a purpose built vehicle.

They can either be controlled from an operator in
a cab that travels along with the crane, by a push
button pendant control station, or by radio type
controls. The crane operator is ultimately responsible
for the safety of the crews and the crane.

Medieval cranes
Cranes of the Middle Ages were used to build the
cathedrals of Europe. The crane was fixed on top
of a wall as it was being constructed and was
powered by men that ran inside of two large wheels
on each side. Cranes were also used in medieval ports
and in shipyards.

Mobile cranes
The most basic type of crane consists of a steel
truss or telescopic boom mounted on a mobile platform,
which could be a rail, wheeled, or even on a cat
truck. The boom is hinged at the bottom and can
be either raised or lowered by cables or hydraulic
cylinders.

Telescopic crane
This type of crane offers a boom that consists of
a number of tubes fitted one inside of the other.
A hydraulic mechanism extends or retracts the
tubes to increase or decrease the length of the
boom.

Tower crane
The tower crane is a modern form of a balance
crane. When fixed to the ground, tower cranes
will often give the best combination of height and
lifting capacity and are also used when constructing
tall buildings.

Truck mounted crane
Cranes mounted on a rubber tire truck will provide
great mobility. Outriggers that extend vertically
or horizontally are used to level and stabilize
the crane during hoisting.

Rough terrain crane
A crane that is mounted on an undercarriage with
four rubber tires, designed for operations off
road. The outriggers extend vertically and
horizontally to level and stabilize the crane when
hoisting. These types of cranes are single engine
machines where the same engine is used for powering
the undercarriage as it is for powering the
crane. In these types of cranes, the engine is
normally mounted in the undercarriage rather than
in the upper portion.

Loader crane
A loader crane is a hydraulically powered articulated
arm fitted to a trailer, used to load equipment
onto a trailer. The numerous sections can be
folded into a small space when the crane isn’t in
use.

Overhead crane
Also refered to as a suspended crane, this type
is normally used in a factory, with some of them
being able to lift very heavy loads. The hoist is
set on a trolley which will move in one direction
along one or two beams, which move at angles to
that direction along elevated or ground level
tracks, often mounted along the side of an assembly
area.

In the excavation world, cranes are used to move
equipment or machinery. Cranes can quickly and
easily move machinery into trenches or down steep
hills, or even pipe. There are many types of
cranes available, serving everything from
excavation to road work.

Cranes are also beneficial to building bridges or
construction. For many years, cranes have proven
to be an asset to the industry of construction
and excavating. Crane operators make really good
money, no matter what type of crane they are
operating.

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