Building Your Dream Apartment

What Excavation Vehicles Do Construction Firms Need?

22 April 2020

Julian Caldwell

Although many construction companies use subcontractors to do their excavation work when it is required, many main contractors will have their own excavation vehicles at their disposal, too. There are numerous types of motorised excavation tools available to purchase in Australia today. Although some of them are highly specialised and more at home in the mining industry than the construction sector, a good many are suited to anything from big civil engineering projects to small-scale housebuilding work. What are the main excavation vehicles used by construction businesses in the country today?

Backhoe Loaders

The most common excavator you will see on any Australian construction site is a backhoe loader. This is because these highly manoeuvrable machines are easy to get into position, and they require no assistance to get them to site because they are at home on the road. Backhoe loaders come with two digging attachments which make them more versatile than mini-diggers, for example. Their arms can also be fitted with different attachments to do a wide range of jobs.

Skid Steers

These are agricultural vehicles that are equally suited to the construction industry. Ideal for lowering soil compaction, skid steers have four large, equally sized wheels and can turn in places where large vehicles might not be able to. Lighter than other excavation vehicles, they can also be used in locations where tree roots might be present without crushing them.

Trenchers

These vehicles do exactly what you would expect of their name. They dig in a specific way to provide a narrow cutting in the surface of the ground. You need to be an experienced operator to get the best out of a trencher, but in skilled hands, they can make light work of digging trenches for culverts, pipes, electrical cables and sewers.

Bulldozers

One of the toughest forms of excavation tools around, a bulldozer will often be used to shift rubble as well as mud and earth. Bulldozers come with a range of different attachments on the front, known as blades. For example, blades can have a V-formation, which means pushing to either side. Or the blades may be angled, which helps to pile earth up on one side only. Although they are not as manoeuvrable as other excavators, they have an incredibly high level of torque that allows them to shove past even the toughest of obstacles.

To learn more, contact a company that offers excavation equipment.

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