Contractors are the movers and shakers of the world. They use large pieces of heavy equipment to build roads, demolish old buildings, and transport heavy materials. Without their equipment, the buildings, roads, and landscapes many people take for granted wouldn’t exist.
Contractors use many types of heavy equipment, but which are the most important? The answer to that question will be different depending on the kind of work they do, but across the board, these are the five most important pieces of heavy equipment contractors use.
Forklifts
Forklifts are one of the essential pieces of equipment for contractors. Contractors use forklifts to move heavy materials and equipment. Forklifts are essential for many construction jobs and helpful in various settings, including warehouses and industrial facilities.
Several jobs are made safer and more efficient using a forklift to transport materials such as lumber, drywall, and concrete. Forklifts are multifunctional pieces of equipment, and they are made even more versatile with attachments like self-dumping hoppers.
With self-dumping hoppers, clean-up is faster, safer, and more efficient. Self-dumping hoppers are available in several styles and sizes, including speciality hoppers that fit under workbenches. You can also get slab hoppers for storing and transporting lumber or scoop and dump hoppers for loose materials like gravel and sand.
Expanding the versatility of a forklift eliminates the need for other types of heavy equipment, earning the forklift the top spot as the most influential heavy equipment for contractors.
Cranes
Because of the high land cost, many new buildings being built today are multistory. Cranes have become critical heavy equipment for building contractors because multistory buildings can’t be made without them. They are used for both construction and demolition. Cranes are used in building roads and moving all types of heavy materials and equipment.
Several types of crane contractors use, but they all fall into two categories. Cranes are either static or mobile, depending on what kinds of loads are being moved and how heavy they are. Static, stationary cranes can lift heavier loads but aren’t as flexible as mobile cranes, which can be moved around the job site wherever needed.
Excavators
Another versatile piece of heavy equipment used by contractors is the excavator. Excavators can perform a wide range of tasks, and they are essential pieces of equipment. Waste management, construction, and forestry are among the industries that use excavators.
Primarily, excavators are used as powerful digging machines for projects like trenching, ditches, and foundation preparation. However, they are also used in demolition projects, moving large objects, and grading roads. Since they come in different sizes, contractors can easily find one that’s right for their work.
Depending on the industry and work type, contractors can choose from tracked or wheeled excavators. Tracked excavators have a platform that rotates quickly and provides more stability, while wheeled excavators have more clearance and are more agile.
Skid Steer
Skid steers are another of the most valuable pieces of heavy equipment for contractors. They aren’t as big as excavators and backhoes, which makes them better for working on small jobs. Construction and landscaping companies use them for various tasks, such as digging ditches and trenches, planting trees, and moving dirt and other materials.
Skid steers, like forklifts with the right attachments, are made even more versatile. Everything from buckets and forks to augers and grapples can be attached to a skid steer, making it an all-purpose machine.
Backhoes
While backhoes and excavators perform many of the same jobs, they are both important to contractors. Backhoes are the perfect size of equipment for many jobs, like digging trenches for septic systems and foundations.
Like excavators, backhoes are excellent for clearing debris and moving dirt. While they aren’t used for heavy digging like excavators, contractors often use them for jobs like removing debris from a construction site. Backhoes are used for smaller to medium-sized jobs, and excavators work best for large jobs.
When choosing between an excavator and a backhoe, it’s essential to consider that backhoes are used for many things. A loader for pushing heaving materials or backfilling and levelling is on one side of the backhoe. On the other end is the bucket, which is used for digging. To make it even more versatile, you can add attachments, like street sweepers, tampers, and snowploughs.
The Importance of Heavy Equipment
It’s difficult to express the importance of heavy equipment in our modern world. While each type of equipment has unique capabilities, they all work together to create the buildings, roads, and landscapes everyone uses. Contractors use these five vital pieces of equipment daily to perform countless tasks that would be impossible without them.
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