What are Excavators?
Excavators are a piece of heavy construction equipment and one of the most commonly used for construction or aggregate projects. They are great for digging trenches and foundations, demolition work, and landscaping. Another name for excavators is track hoes, but there are also mini excavators. Each type of excavator is designed with a bucket that has teeth which help to dig deep into soil or loose materials in order to move them.
Excavators come in a variety of sizes that provide different lifting capabilities and have a hydraulic arm with a boom and a bucket.
What are excavators used for?
Excavators are versatile machines that are used for multiple applications. The most common uses include:
- Digging trenches, foundations, and holes
- Demolition of buildings and structures
- Landscaping and grading of land
- Mining of minerals and ores
- Handling of heavy materials such as logs and concrete
- Snow removal and clearing of debris
- Construction of roads, bridges, and other infrastructure projects
What are the different types of Excavators?
Each project has different needs. Luckily, there are different types of excavators for each size of construction project.
Hydraulic Excavators
This type of excavator is the most common and offers a larger lifting capacity, an enclosed cabin, and tracked wheels. Since hydraulic excavators can lift more, they are commonly used in medium to large construction projects.
Mini Excavators
Mini Excavators are just that, miniature versions of excavators that are designed to fit in tighter and narrow spaces that a more traditional excavator/track hoe cannot. These types of excavators are compact with tracked wheels and typically weigh less making them perfect for demolition, landscaping, and urban construction projects. These are also great for digging trenches and removing tree stumps which makes them popular for homeowners.
Wheeled Excavators
This type of excavator is just like any other variant, except they have 4 large tires instead of having tracked wheels. Wheeled excavators are designed to be used on hard surfaces, making them perfect for urban or road construction projects or in quarries. The other added benefit is that they are quicker than tracked excavators, making them better for projects that require frequent relocation. One drawback is that they aren’t as stable.
