Among all heavy machines, the excavator stands-out due to the wider variety of applications that these particular machines are used for compared to other heavy machines.
Excavators are often seen as ‘multi-purpose’ machines by contractors, project engineers and project managers and it is due to the ‘multi-purpose’ characteristic of the excavators that the frequency that excavators are taken for hire compared to other heavy machines are significantly higher.
This article will examine some of the more common uses for excavators that make them the ‘go to’ heavy machine for most contractors who take excavators for hire.
Grading
In essence grading within the scope of earthworks involves levelling and shaping surfaces to meet the required ground layout specifications. This would revolve around removing or adding soil towards achieving a specific contour or gradient of the ground.
Demolition Work
Demolition generally revolves around the controlled destruction of a structure and excavators are the perfect machines to do this. Most contractors take excavators for hire along with certain hydraulic attachments that are needed to demolish structures. The type of hydraulic attachments for demolition work is dependent on the type of structure.
Landscaping
Most contractors take excavators for rent during the initial stages of a landscaping project. Excavators are able to clear land quickly and subsequently sculpt the land according to the landscape blueprint requirement. These machines are able to dig ponds, level ground, remove trees by the roots, move boulders and large rocks among many other things
Material Handling
Excavators are able to move large amounts of material quickly which makes them perfect for use in scrap metal yards, farmland, moving and loading earth into dump trucks rapidly and even for clearing debris.
Home Improvement Projects
Excavators are perfect solutions for home improvement projects. Depending on the scope of the home improvement project, excavators may be used for trenching work for installations of new water or gas pipes and electrical cables; they may also be used for digging earth for building pools or even used for demolishing structures to make way for new structures to be built.
Renting Excavators – Dealing with Construction Equipment Rental Companies
Prior to going out and renting an excavator, there are indeed a few considerations that must be taken into account to ensure that the excavator is used optimally and budgets are observed. First and foremost, the project schedule must be examined in order to determine when the excavator will be used within the phases of the schedule.
This is to ensure that the excavator is not taken for hire and left unused and idling for hours. It is important to time the use of the excavators and coordinate with the rental company in order to achieve ‘just in time’ delivery of the excavators. Most of these rental companies offer drop-off and pick-up services and this eliminates the need to manage additional logistics.
Apart from that, most excavators come with a standard bucket fitted to them which is only suitable for certain jobs. Additional hydraulic attachments that could help speed-up tasks must be considered in advance as renting attachments along with excavators would be cheaper than to hire attachments separately.
