In the construction industry, different equipment is used during the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of the work to facilitate the work. Having the right tools and machinery will ensure the efficiency of the processes in the different stages of construction, in addition to preventing the physical integrity of the workers from being put at risk. Whether you are looking for machinery to buy or rent for your project, you should know their types and functions, and based on that choose the ones that fit your needs. In the following blog, we share with you about construction machinery and its types.
The size and characteristics of the machines vary according to the activity you are looking for them to perform, among which we find:
- Excavation of land in which the settlement of the foundations of various structures will be made.
- Soil displacement to shape the land on which roads or highways will be set.
- Loading and unloading of construction material.
- Mining activities.
- Separating some part of the soil layer with the objective of transforming the terrain according to the project to be executed.
- Now, machinery owes its classification to its different sizes, which is why it is divided into heavy, semi-heavy, and light.
Heavy Machinery
As their name indicates, these are of a great size and weight, all of them must be operated by a person with high knowledge in their handling, and following the corresponding security norms. In this category we can find:
Bulldozer
It has a powerful front shovel and is mounted on rails or tracks. This machinery is mainly used for heavy-duty work such as excavation, land leveling, soil piling, etc.
Excavator
This is the most important heavy machinery used in the construction industry. Their main use is excavation; however, they can also be used for other purposes, such as demolition, river dredging, etc.
Mini excavator
It is a small industrial equipment. It is their size that makes them practical and useful for a variety of jobs. It helps to prepare the ground, excavate, and remove debris in hard-to-reach places. Even on uneven terrain. The mini excavator is a versatile machine that is also used on farms, in confined environments; but it is especially useful in civil construction because of its compact size and ease of transport.
Backhoe
It has a bucket at the front and a digging arm at the rear, which allows them to perform a variety of tasks.
Examples include excavation, demolition, material moving, asphalt removal, and road paving, among others.
Motor graders
It is a self-propelled construction machine with wheels. It incorporates an adjustable blade located between the front and rear axles to cut, move or flatten the ground.
Skid steer loader
Also known as a skid-steer loader, it is an extremely compact type of tractor. It has a loader arm attached to its front end.
Also, unlike most of the above machines, the skid steer loader is light, small and very agile.
Articulated trucks
These are motor vehicles consisting of two or more interdependent structures connected by a hydraulically assisted axle. This allows the truck to maintain its connection between the tractor and the trailer. The articulated truck is mainly used to transport construction materials such as sand, cement blocks, rubble, etc., in quantities that exceed the capacities of a traditional truck and in terrain where other vehicles would get stuck.
Semi-heavy machinery
Unlike the previous ones, these have a smaller dimension, they are used to remove a smaller amount of soil compared to heavy machines. In turn, they can be used to excavate land that is not too deep or to load medium-weight elements.
They include the following:
- Construction dumpers
- Small excavators
- Small cranes
Light machinery
These are of much smaller size and are used to perform tasks that do not require so much demand, are subdivided into pneumatic that operate on the basis of compressed air and electricity, some examples are:
- Water pumps
- Compressors
- Vibrating machines
- Steel cutters
Are you about to start your project and have doubts about the materials and equipment you need? At SILMÉXICO our expert construction team will guide you from start to finish. For more information write to info@silmexico.com and one of our specialists will contact you.
