In the construction industry, one of the quickest-growing industries in the country right now, there are tons of heavy machines that are used every day. One staple that you’ll see on almost any type of construction site is an excavator. Excavators are used primarily for digging, among other tasks. There is more than one type of excavator used in the construction industry. Check out the types of excavators for construction in this helpful guide.
Crawler Excavator
A crawler excavator is the most common type of excavator to find on a construction site. Unlike other excavators, it does not have wheels. Instead of wheels, this type of excavator relies on a track for increased balance, stability, and efficiency. This track may look similar to the track of a tank. This track helps them to be more maneuverable in muddy conditions and rougher terrain.
Long-Reach Excavator
A long-reach excavator has a longer arm than other excavators. This makes it essential for hard to reach areas and more difficult to maneuver locations. It is most often used for waterway work since the extended arms are able to dig under water and bring up a lot of materials. They’re also used for demolition as they can reach far to help with difficult-to-reach demolition projects.
Mini Excavator
A mini excavator is a compact version of an excavator. The goal of a mini excavator is to get into smaller spaces and minimize the damage to the ground it rolls over. Lighter and smaller, the mini excavator also has minimal tail swing for sharper turns and a safer jobsite environment. What you need to know about mini excavators will differ based on what kind of project you’re working on.
Dragline Excavator
A dragline excavator is one of the most unique types of excavator. It is a very large machine with a rope and dragline system. In this design, there is a bucket attached to the rope system by a hoist coupler. The rope controls the movement of the bucket, and the dragline brings the bucket to the driver. These are most commonly used in large projects and are so huge they are typically put together once the parts arrive at the jobsite.