6 Different Excavator Types And Their Uses – A 2024 Guide

For all building, excavation, drilling, and construction projects, an excavator is, perhaps, the most important machine that you can own or lease. Manufactured for a wide range of processes including mining, pulling, and dragging, it can also improve the overall productivity and performance of your employees, and at the same time, lowering the operating expenses that you have.

By picking a proper excavator design for your business, you’ll be capable of improving the ample energy, durability, and efficiency on your site, but, if you are wondering what excavator type might be suitable for your project, this article can help. Let’s take a look at 6 different excavation machines that you can choose, and, of course, what you can utilize them for:

Standard

By choosing a standard excavator, you’ll gain a wide range of things including a boom, container, and a stick located in front of the vehicle. Besides this, the cabin can provide a 360 movement, which means that the person using the vehicle will be able to quickly drill, dump, and transfer objects and rubble while remaining in one place. Also, you should know that they are referred to as crawler machines as well and that they run on 2 parallel tracks.

They are manufactured in a wide range of dimensions, starting from the small ones that are ideal for simpler tasks to the huge ones manufactured specifically for hide-duty uses. These are most commonly used for building, drilling, some agriculture jobs, as well as other businesses that need the removal of soil or other items.

Wheeled

Now, these are extremely similar to the aforementioned vehicle, however, there is one important difference – instead of operating on tracks, they operate on wheels. These machines can provide the same processes as the regular ones, but, they are more suitable for sites that have solid surfaces and terrains such as concrete and asphalt.

Long-Reach

These excavators are another variety of the conventional type, but, it does feature a handle and boom that is longer. Since they can reach and transport objects further, they are mostly utilized for larger projects that need everything to be efficient and speedy. Most commonly used for demolition projects, they are used for their precision and/or when it is dangerous to use a wrecking ball. If you want to see what demolition services you can opt for, check out International Attachments for additional info.

Draglines

Draglines are heavy-duty vehicles utilized for big projects such as trench digging and strip digging. The machines utilize a bucket connected to ropes or strong chains that unearths the elements by pulling the container along the exterior of the materials. In order for it to dump the substances it collected, it simply releases the bucket. If you are in need of surface mining, this machine is perfect for you.

Backhoe

Yet another machine that you can find on most drilling, and construction projects. You should know that it is usually mistaken for the standard excavator, but, there is one difference, they feature a boom addition on the rear. Located on the front, you’ll find a huge container or sharp edge that is frequently utilized for shifting, smoothing, and transferring dirt and other things.

You might be wondering – how is it beneficial to choose this type over the standard one? Well, to put it simply, you’ll gain versatility. Besides helping you with digging and excavation, it will also help you with leveling and grading soil, and moving a lot of things at once. If you want to improves its capabilities, you can even add some attachments that will help.

Suction

This is one of those machines that are used less often, but, they are loved by people who need to loosen and remove soil efficiently and precisely. They utilize high-pressure water that can easily make soil looser, as well as removing it by using a suction pipe. The pipes are usually equipped with sharp edges that’ll help with breaking up the materials even more. When someone needs to deal with soft terrains that require gentle actions, they can opt for this excavator.

What Should I Consider?

There are various machines you can pick from, which is one of the reasons why you might feel anxious about choosing one for your project. Choosing a proper one will allow you to have more power at the site, and it will enable you to do your work efficiently while decreasing your expenses at the same time.

If you choose to lease an excavator for a business similar to the one mentioned above, you’ll definitely want to determine what your needs are for the project you are working on. On the other hand, if you are buying a machine for your company, you’ll want to consider the project type and scale your business deals with.

You should choose one that will meet all the usual job demands that you have, as well as on that will work properly on the terrains you usually work on. You might want to make the most of the cash you are investing, hence, look for a machine that will allow your business to grow in the near future.

More importantly, you need to think about the requirements. For instance, you might need to dig deep and if so, ensure that the machine is able to achieve the depth you need. The lift height and capacity are extremely important, especially if you are in charge of moving heavy and large objects.

Last, but not less important is where you’ll store the machine. Since weather conditions such as rain, snow, and wind can influence its condition, it is recommendable to store the excavator indoors. So, besides thinking about all of the above things, do not forget to think about where you’ll store it.

Conclusion

As you can see, there is actually a wide range of excavation machines that you can choose for your construction projects. So, now that you know what might fit your needs, as well as what you need, you should not lose any more time. Instead, start browsing online and brick-and-mortar businesses in order to find a machine that will fit your needs and project requirements.