5 Most Popular Machines Used On Worksites
Read on below to learn about each machine’s specific functions and why they are essential to getting the job done!
1. Excavators
Excavators are considered a standard of the industry. They are large, heavy construction machines that are designed to move earth. These machines are available on wheels or tracks, with each having their own advantages. Tracked excavators, those with treads, have better stability with a larger footprint and lower center of gravity and work best on softer terrains. When equipped with a hammer, crusher, or shear, they can be useful for demolition or quarry work. Wheeled excavators can do all these things as well, but they’re able to be used on hard surfaces so they have access to urban environments, paved roadways, building slabs, and parking lots.
Some general uses for excavators include:
- Material handling
- Digging of trenches, holes, and foundations
- Demolition
- Rough grading
- Heavy lifting and placing of pipes
- Mining
- Moving concrete barriers
- Cutting asphalt
- Grinding trees
2. Crawler Dozers
Crawler dozers are powerful tracked machines ideal for jobs that require high tractive effort. They function in conjunction with a variety of front mounted blades to move materials, each blade best-suited for a specific need of a worksite:
- U-blades: retain the material as you load, which allows you to move large volumes
- Semi-U blades: best for utility dozing as they have a large amount of flexibility in changing ground conditions
Straight blades: used for pushing material and cutting ditches, has less material retention. Compared to wheel dozers, both machines have about the same operating weight and flywheel power. However, crawler dozers have the advantage of traction; as a result, they are able to supply one and a half times the usable power.
3. Wheel Loaders
Wheel loaders are frequently used for tasks such as loading, carrying, and stockpiling but also have the ability to excavate earth. With attachments, their versatility increases even more, as they can be fitted to handle demand for pallet forks, grapples, brooms, and snow blades. These attachments increase the machine’s capabilities and enable it to have relevance all year round.
To view McClung-Logan’s complete inventory of wheel loaders, click here.
4. Articulated Haulers
Articulated haulers are used to transport material over rough terrain and are known for their ability to handle steep inclines and slippery conditions, making them an excellent off-road vehicle. They have high flotation and superior tracking as a result of their lightweight, large tire footprints and AWD. Additionally, these machines can turn and maneuver more sharply than rigid-frame trucks.
Even though originally intended as a “dumper,” articulated haulers can be used in many other ways:
- Concrete mixer
- Water tanker
- Container truck
- Hook loader
- Crane
- Timber transporter
- Wood chipper platform
5. Compact Track Loader
Compact Track Loaders are incredibly versatile machines, as they are easy to operate, perform a variety of tasks, and can fit in the bed of a pickup truck. Additionally, they have the specialized ability of working on and around finishing landscapes without the danger of damaging any surfaces. The compact track loader’s design increases traction and flotation, so it’s built to handle slopes as well as wet, soft, snowy, sandy, sensitive, and muddy ground conditions.
It’s been estimated that just two people using a compact track loader with an attachment can complete the same amount of work as a crew of five or more manual laborers.
The study done by Equipment World also researched the top brands that contractors purchased in the past four years. In the top three for small businesses, in the categories of both new used equipment, was the Volvo A40F articulated truck, a machine available through McClung-Logan.