Types and features of Heavy Equipment

Posted by on Aug 13, 2013 in Cranes | 0 comments

The term heavy equipment refers to machines that have been specially constructed for carrying out construction work. The right kind of implement traction, structure; power train; control and adequate information go in the making of these machines. These machines work through the use of simple mechanics and the extensive use of hydraulic drives as a source of energy and motion. There are many different types of heavy equipment for carrying out a wide variety of activities. The many different types of excavators include compact excavators, reclaimers, trenchers and yarders. The track type heavy equipment consists of machines like agricultural tractors, bulldozers, snowcats and military engineering equipment. When it comes to underground equipment one can find machines like tunnel boring machines and roadheaders. Mining cannot be done without the use of heavy trucks and tractors which have a lot of storage volume. Then there are loaders, harvesters, soil stabilizers, paving machines, dump trucks and drilling machines.

One of the main features about heavy equipment is that they use special tires. The tires that they use need to be able to withstand a lot of weight and at the same time have speed and mobility. It is important to understand the construction of the machine and the type of work that they will be required to do in order to select the right type of tires. There are many machines that use caterpillar tracks which are a system of vehicle propulsion. It is a continuous band of threads that is driven by two or more wheels. It is common to find these tracks on heavy bulldozers.

It requires quite a bit of skill to operate such heavy machines. That is why companies that operate these machines take their operators through extensive training programs before they put them on the job. In countries like the United States, there are organizations that offer training specifically for operating such equipment. For instance, teamsters are well known for operating haul trucks. There are also certifications given to qualified operators so that companies may recruit them knowing that they have the skills and equipment to operate such heavy equipment. Some of the largest companies in the world are responsible for building these types of machines. Hyundai Heavy Industries of Japan, BEML of India, Doosan Group of South Korea, CNH Global of the United States and LiuGong of China have acquired a strong reputation for making high quality heavy equipment.

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