Several types of specialized heavy duty vehicles are employed by the construction industry. These trucks are designed to perform activities directed toward lifting, digging, and moving material from one location to another. With current advancements, many types of this equipment are engineered to fit any budget and building need. It is certainly obvious that the demand for the use of these vehicles can have a great significance in a constantly growing city environment.

Common heavy duty equipment that could be seen at any building site would be dump trucks (which are utilized to transport building materials), bulldozers, cranes, and diggers. All of these vehicles cannot be driven without the proper training. An operator must be trained to anticipate any potential dangers that could occur while operating these trucks. In addition, the operators and other workers need to have proper knowledge of measures that need to be taken to prevent accidents in the working area.

Types of Heavy Construction Equipment

• Excavator - In general, excavators are heavy construction vehicles that have a boom, bucket and cab mounted on a pivoting horizontal surface which is mounted on a framework that serves as a support for the body with continuous tracks or rubber tires. Excavators use three hydraulic pump engines. Two pumps are used to supply motor oil at high pressure and the third pump is for pilot control. The structure that supports the house and the operator cab are the two main parts of the excavator. The undercarriage has a parallel metal track that is driven by a hydraulic motor and the cab contains the vehicle’s engine, fuel and motor oils.

The main boom, which is the most important part of an excavator, is attached to the house and can be configured in different ways. The boom can hydraulically rotate unhampered 180 to 360 degrees. At the end of the boom is a scoop-like apparatus which can be used for digging, cleaning and leveling uneven surfaces. It is equipped with side cutters to break solid ground and rocks.

• Loader - A loader is a piece of equipment that is utilized at the construction site. The primary purpose of a loader is to transfer material from ground level and upload it into a dump truck. It can also move a stockpile of soil, sand or gravel. This vehicle is also known as a bucket loader, pay-loader and/or front-end loader. They can be modified to work in conjunction with other devices or tools; at the job site, they are utilized to move bricks, pipes, metal bars and for any necessary digging. The capacity of the loader’s bucket depends on the size of the machine and the application.

• Roller Compactor - A roller compactor is a truck that is used in compacting soil, leveling road asphalt and foundation construction. This machine is also known as a road roller. The main purpose of this heavy duty machine is to compress and effectively flatten uneven surfaces.

• Forklift - A forklift is a powerful vehicle used to lift and transport heavy items. This machine is commonly employed in distribution centers and for use in warehouse activities. In general, it has a specified maximum weight in relationship to its forward center of gravity. The specification can be seen on the nameplate given by the manufacturer. Aside from raising and lowering the forks to certain level, the forklift also has the capacity to be tilted to bring into balance the materials being carried in order to prevent it from falling off the forks.

• Cranes - The crane is a heavy duty type of equipment commonly used in lifting and raising heavy items and transporting them in a horizontal direction. It is engineered in various forms that are suited for its specific usage. It was designed for the creation of high buildings as well as hoisting heavy equipment inside machine shops.

Many types of heavy duty vehicles are helpful in increasing productivity in the construction industry. These machines have made a great contribution to many building projects. They make the building process faster and easier. It also decreases the number of workers needed to do a job and ultimately helps in cutting down expenditures on such a project. These heavy duty vehicles are truly a blessing to the construction industry as a whole!