The Amazing piece of machinery called an Excavator
By: Dave Cole
The engineering vehicle called an excavator is built along the
same lines and purpose as the steam shovel or backhoe, but is a
more versatile piece of machinery. An excavator has a boom, stick
and bucket like a backhoe, the main difference being that the
entire cab, boom, stick and bucket are mounted on a pivot and can
rotate the entire machine left and right in any direction.
This makes the machine infinitely more capable that a backhoe of
getting done what needs to be done. For example, the excavator
can dig a hole and then place the dirt in the truck to the right
instead of being able to reach only directly in front of it and
so possibly obstructing another work area like a backhoe would.
The whole of the excavator is mounted on tracks or wheels so it
can then move from one place to another digging in any area and
in any direction at any time. An excavator can also do more than
just dig a hole; it can demolish a house, bring in equipment,
landscape, lift heavy materials, dredge rivers, etc. Excavators
are usually employed together with loaders and bulldozers.
Excavators come in many different sizes (mini, small, medium, and
large) for different uses and have different hydraulic
attachments that can be hooked on such as a grapple, auger or
breaker. The attachments are easily added with quick attach
mounts.
When using an excavator with attachments, however, you have to
keep in mind the size of the excavator versus the attachment or
bucket. You can not hook too much weight to your excavator or it
will damage the machine.
Some excavators are so compact that they can fit in a regular
doorway. This is because on the mini excavators their tracks can
be adjusted in to twenty-eight inches wide. This is an amazing
piece of machinery.
Excavators are also sometimes called 360-degree diggers or 360 to
shorten further. They are also called diggers. Excavators that
use tracks to get around are at times called trackhoes. They may
also be called fronthoes or the name abbreviated further to hoes.
Find out more on Heavy Equipment
