Choosing Heavy Earthmoving Equipment 101

Earth moving is a serious business especially if you belong to the infrastructure or construction industry. While for most it seems like a simple job of digging and carrying the material from one place to another, there is sound science that goes into every move that is made to do a simple act of digging and handling the material from one place to another. However, it is only the people in charge of the job that understand how critical it is to select the right heavy earthmoving equipment and operator for the same. The seemingly simple task of operating the machinery requires a lot of skill and science to make it happen.

That being said, here are some simple pointers to keep in mind when selecting heavy earthmoving equipment for your job site:

Quality Matters: Quality of the machinery is of prime importance when selecting one for a jobsite. Irrespective of whether you are buying or renting the equipment, quality remains a crucial factor. Always opt for best quality products even if it means spending some extra bucks. This small additional expenditure will probably save you from bigger expenses in form of maintenance and replacement of worn out parts in the future. Bad quality products are a liability and a threat to both the company using the product, and the people working on the site of the product. Accidents due to bad products are known to be fatal and in some cases have cost lives and a lot of money in others. Always check that the products meet the prescribed safety standards to ensure safety of the machine, operator and the onsite crew.

Matter of material: The material being moved is another major variable when choosing the machine. For example, sandy soil requires a scraper, while clayey soil would require a paddle scrapper. Some other materials might require tractor type scrapers with a robust and powerful engine to get the work done. A backhoe loader works well enough when in need of breaking asphalt and moving it on a road construction site. Cranes and forklifts on the other hand work well for material handling.

Site size: Size of the job and the job site matters when wanting to choose the heavy earthmoving equipment. Excavators are suitable to larger sites with sufficient moving space for the bulky equipment. Backhoes on the other hand are rather compact and are better suited for job sites with less moving space and narrow passages. Similarly if the machine needs to be used on different parts of the site, then a compact machine like the backhoe is suitable since it can be easily driven from one site to another.

Season wise: The season and terrain are important factors too that need to be taken in account when choosing equipment. Backhoes with extend hoe are required in colder climates covered by snow since the dig depth required is higher than normal. Warmers climates do not require these extension options. The equipment should have strong footing to suit the terrain and the climate. Wheels of the excavator don’t do well in snow clad or mushy regions.

These are just some factors to keep in mind when choosing a piece of equipment for your job site. We will be back with more to help you stay at the top of your game