Types of Equipment Useful in Excavation

Excavation construction can be confusing if you are not familiar with it. Before hiring an excavation company, you should know a few things about the types of equipment that they use.

Standard Excavator

The standard excavator consists of a boom, stick, and bucket attached to the front of the machine. These machines move on tracks rather than wheels. Essentially, it uses the bucket to scoop earth from the ground. It has a 360-degree rotation and can easily dig, move, or transfer materials to a different location.

Wheeled Excavator

This type of excavator is almost exactly the same as the standard excavator used in excavation construction, except it has wheels instead of tracks. They do not work as well on soft or sloped excavation sites.

Long-Reach Excavator

This one is useful mostly for demolition when the site is too small for a wrecking ball. It had more reach than most other excavators.

Dragline Excavator

There are not many small construction applications for this type. Most often, it is used for strip mining and dredging.  It drags the bucket along the ground scooping up large amounts of material.

Hydraulic Shovels

These are useful for large digging tasks or filling a large hole with something like stone or gravel. You see these in mining or digging. You should note that these in different sizes and are useful in digging out things like professional swimming pools and dive sites.

Backhoe Excavator

A backhoe is one of the more common types of excavator and one that you are probably used to seeing. They are extremely versatile and are useful in everything from mining to small-scale construction. 

Suction Excavator

These are rare and useful in soil reclamation. They use water and a suction tube to remove topsoil and contaminants.

Each type of excavator has specific uses and abilities. It is important that you choose the excavation construction equipment that is right for your construction project.