Dumpers - Transport Vehicles

These are used for the horizontal transportation of materials on and off construction sites generally by means of an integral tipping skip. Highway dumpers are of a similar but larger design and can be used to carry materials such as excavated spoil along the roads. A wide range of dumpers are available of various carrying capacities and options for gravity or hydraulic discharge control with front tipping, side tipping or elevated tipping facilities.

Special format dumpers fitted with flat platforms, rigs to carry materials skips and rigs for concrete skips for crane hoisting are also obtainable. These machines are designed to traverse rough terrain but they are not designed to carry passengers and this misuse is the cause of many accidents involving dumpers.

Multi-purpose Excavators - Construction Machinery

These machines are usually based on the agricultural tractor with 2 or 4 wheel drive and are intended mainly for use in conjunction with small excavation works such as those encountered by the small to medium sized building contractor. Most multi-purpose excavators are fitted with a loading/excavating front bucket and a rear backacter bucket both being hydraulically controlled. When in operation using the backacter bucket the machine is raised off its axles by rear mounted hydraulic outriggers or jacks and in some models by placing the front bucket on the ground. Most machines can be fitted with a variety of bucket widths and various attachments such as bulldozer blades, scarifiers, grab buckets and post hole auger borers.

Typical Multi-purpose Excavators Details

Draglines - Construction Machinery

These machines are based on the universal power unit with basic crane rigging to which is attached a drag bucket. The machine is primarily designed for bulk excavation in loose soils up to 3000 below its own track level by swinging the bucket out to the excavation position and hauling or dragging it back towards the power unit. Dragline machines can also be fitted with a grab or clamshell bucket for excavating in very loose soils.

Typical Dragline Details

Backacters - Construction Machinery

These machines are suitable for trench, foundation and basement excavations and are available as a universal power unit base machine or as a purpose designed hydraulic unit. They can be used with or without attendant haulage vehicles since the spoil can be placed alongside the excavation for use in backfilling. These machines will require a low loader transport vehicle for travel between sites. Backacters used in trenching operations with a bucket width equal to the trench width can be very accurate with a high output rating.

Typical Backacter Details

Face Shovels - Construction Machinery

The primary function of this piece of plant is to excavate above its own track or wheel level. They are available as a universal power unit based machine or as a hydraulic purpose designed unit. These machines can usually excavate any type of soil except rock which needs to be loosened, usually by blasting, prior to excavation. Face shovels generally require attendant haulage vehicles for the removal of spoil and a low loader transport lorry for travel between sites. Most of these machines have a limited capacity of between 300 and 400 mm for excavation below their own track or wheel level.

Typical Face Shovel Details

Skimmers - Construction Machinery

These excavators are rigged using a universal power unit for surface stripping and shallow excavation work up to 300 mm deep where a high degree of accuracy is required. They usually require attendant haulage vehicles to remove the spoil and need to be transported between sites on a low-loader. Because of their limitations and the alternative machines available they are seldom used today.

Excavating Machines - Construction Machinery

These are one of the major items of builders plant and are used primarily to excavate and load most types of soil. Excavating machines come in a wide variety of designs and sizes but all of them can be placed within one of three categories:

1. Universal Excavators - this category covers most forms of excavators all of which have a common factor the power unit. The universal power unit is a tracked based machine with a slewing capacity of 360 and by altering the boom arrangement and bucket type different excavating functions can be obtained. These machines are selected for high output requirements and are rope controlled.

2. Purpose Designed Excavators - these are machines which have been designed specifically to carry out one mode of excavation and they usually have smaller bucket capacities than universal excavators; they are hydraulically controlled with a shorter cycle time.

3. Multi-purpose Excavators - these machines can perform several excavating functions having both front and rear attachments. They are designed to carry out small excavation operations of low output quickly and efficiently. Multi-purpose excavators can be obtained with a wheeled or tracked base and are ideally suited for a small building firm with low excavation plant utilisation requirements.

Tractor Shovels - Construction Machinery

These machines are sometimes called loaders or loader shovels and primary function is to scoop up loose materials in the front mounted bucket, elevate the bucket and manoeuvre into a position to deposit the loose material into an attendant transport vehicle. Tractor shovels are driven towards the pile of loose material with the bucket lowered, the speed and power of the machine will enable the bucket to be filled. Both tracked and wheeled versions are available, the tracked format being more suitable for wet and uneven ground conditions than the wheeled tractor shovel which has greater speed and manoeuvring capabilities. To increase their versatility tractor shovels can be fitted with a 4 in 1 bucket enabling them to carry out bulldozing, excavating, clam lifting and loading activities.

Typical Tractor Shovel Details

Graders - Construction Machinery

These machines are similar in concept to bulldozers in that they have a long slender adjustable mould blade, which is usually slung under the centre of the machine. A grader's main function is to finish or grade the upper surface of a large area usually as a follow up operation to scraping or bulldozing. They can produce a fine and accurate finish but do not have the power of a bulldozer therefore they are not suitable for oversite excavation work. The mould blade can be adjusted in both the horizontal and vertical planes through an angle of 300 the latter enabling it to be used for grading sloping banks.

Two basic formats of grader are available:-

1. Four Wheeled † all wheels are driven and steered which gives the machine the ability to offset and crab along its direction of travel.

2. Six Wheeled † this machine has 4 wheels in tandem drive at the rear and 2 front tilting idler wheels giving it the ability to counteract side thrust.

Typical Grader Details

Scrapers - Construction Machinery

these machines consist of a scraper bowl which is lowered to cut and collect soil where site stripping and levelling operations are required involving large volume of earth. When the scraper bowl is full the apron at the cutting edge is closed to retain the earth and the bowl is raised for travelling to the disposal area. On arrival the bowl is lowered, the apron opened and the spoil pushed out by the tailgate as the machine moves
forwards. Scrapers are available in three basic formats:-

1. Towed Scrapers † these consist of a four wheeled scraper bowl which is towed behind a power unit such as a crawler tractor. They tend to be slower than other forms of scraper but are useful for small capacities with haul distances up to 300 00.

2. Two Axle Scrapers † these have a two wheeled scraper bowl with an attached two wheeled power unit. They are very manoeuvrable with a low rolling resistance and very good traction.

3. Three Axle Scrapers † these consist of a two wheeled scraper bowl which may have a rear engine to assist the four wheeled traction engine which makes up the complement. Generally these machines have a greater capacity potential than their counterparts, are easier to control and have a faster cycle time.

To obtain maximum efficiency scrapers should operate downhill if possible, have smooth haul roads, hard surfaces broken up before scraping and be assisted over the last few metres by a pushing vehicle such as a bulldozer.

Typical Scraper Details

Bulldozers - Construction Machinery

These machines consist of a track or wheel mounted power unit with a mould blade at the front which is controlled by hydraulic rams. Many bulldozers have the capacity to adjust the mould blade to form an angledozer and the capacity to tilt the mould blade about a central swivel point. Some bulldozers can also be fitted with rear attachments such as rollers and scarifiers.

The main functions of a bulldozer are:-

1 . Shallow excavations up to 300 m deep either on level ground or sidehill cutting.
2. Clearance of shrubs and small trees.
3. Clearance of trees by using raised mould blade as a pusher arm.
4. Acting as a towing tractor.
5. Acting as a pusher to scraper machines.

NB. Bulldozers push earth in front of the mould blade with some side spillage whereas angledozers push and cast the spoil to one side of the mould blade.

Typical Bulldozer Details