Looking For Construction Equipment? Here’s What You Need to Know

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Looking For Construction Equipment? Here's What You Need to Know

How do you determine which equipment you need on your construction site? Earth moving equipment can be expensive, so you want to make sure you are getting the right pieces. If you understand the advantages and limitations of each piece of machinery, you can better choose the right tools for each job. There are a few common machines you will want to consider when planning your construction projects. 

Looking For Construction Equipment? Here's What You Need to Know

Excavators

 

You will most likely want to have an excavator on site when you have a large amount of earth to move. Excavators do come in different sizes, so you will want to consider the layout of your job site when choosing an excavator. There are also specific excavator attachments that you might need for each job. With these attachments, excavators can perform many different functions:

 

  • Digging holes for trenches and foundations
  • Demolition
  • Lifting heavy materials
  • Rough Grading

 

Loaders

 

Loaders have a large bucket that can be filled with items such as pipes and bricks, and they can be a valuable tool to lift and move materials around your job site. Loaders can be either wheel-based or track-based. 

 

The wheeled skid steer loader is a small but useful piece of equipment. The compact size and wheels make it easy to handle. However, if your job site has some tight areas that are difficult to manoeuvre through, you might want a skid steer. 

 

A track loader can handle the same jobs as a wheeled loader, but the tracks make this machine better to use on wet and muddy terrain

 

Graders

 

Graders have a long blade that is used to create flat surfaces. These types of machines are important in the construction of areas such as roads and car parks. 

 

Dump Trucks

 

Dump trucks can be found on most construction sites. A dump truck is useful to have on your job if you are moving a lot of earth. It will be more efficient to use a dump truck for transporting dirt and other materials around your site than moving things one excavator load at a time. Dump trucks can also drive on the road, so you can use them to transport materials to and from your job site. 

 

How to Determine Your Equipment Needs

 

Once you understand the specific functions of each piece of earth moving equipment, you still need to figure out which machines will work best for each job. Consider some of these steps you should take when choosing the best equipment for a construction job.

 

Assess Project Scope

You should examine blueprints to determine the scope of your project. You can then start to determine what size and type of machinery will work best for your job. It is also vital to have a detailed project proposal to plan for the specific equipment you might need at each step. 

 

Evaluate Site Conditions

 

You can gather information about job site conditions from blueprints, discussions with clients, and visual inspections. There are several site features that you should take into consideration:

 

  • Terrain
  • Weather
  • Surrounding landscape
  • Environmental preservation 

 

These factors will help guide your decisions about the proper equipment for a job. 

 

Consider Equipment Hire

 

As you figure out your equipment requirements, you should keep in mind that you do not need to purchase every piece of machinery. If you need some specialised pieces that you don’t normally use on other projects, consider equipment hire for those pieces. Equipment hire is also a good option for job-specific attachments and machines that you only need for a small part of a job.

 

To avoid costly work delays, you want to make sure you have the right construction equipment on your job site when you need it. Once you understand the best uses of the available machinery, you can take the appropriate steps to help determine the best equipment to complete your project.