What Classifies as Heavy Equipment?

What Classifies as Heavy Equipment?

What Classifies as Heavy Equipment?

Determining which machinery counts as heavy equipment is more complex than simply separating them by size. Heavy equipment is a specific category of construction, forestry, mining and industrial machines.

What Is Heavy Equipment?

Heavy equipment is machinery that can do heavy-duty work. The equipment itself comprises numerous sizes. Heavy equipment performs large operations, such as earthwork.

13 Types of Heavy Equipment and Their Uses

Heavy equipment is used for many purposes and encompasses a broad range of machinery. Here are 13 types of heavy equipment and how you can use them on your job site.

Skid Steer Loaders

1. Skid Steer Loaders

Skid steer loaders are relatively small, and they can serve several purposes on a job site. You can use loaders to move logs, rocks and debris, demolition waste, excavated soil and other raw materials onto trucks and dumpers. Most skid steer loaders are compatible with several attachments, making them versatile machines. You can use skid steers for jobs including:

Because of their versatility, skid steers are useful for small and large-scale land jobs. Their ability to work well with many attachments is an added benefit that helps complete almost any type of project. Skid steers are also available in a few different sizes, so you can choose which one fits your needs. 

These loaders hold a large bucket on the front, contain a short moving arm and have wheeled or tracked options. Wheeled skid steer loaders are popular for most sites, while tracked loaders enable use on sites wheeled vehicles have trouble reaching.

Backhoe Loaders

2. Backhoe Loaders

Backhoe loaders, also known as a rear tractor or back tractor, have a bucket in the front and a backhoe on the back. You can both push and carry materials with this equipment. Backhoe loaders work as multifunctional machines — backhoes, loaders and tractors — at job sites involving:

This single piece of equipment can handle many tasks and purposes. The backhoe has a digging bucket attached to the end of a two-part arm, either located on the front or back of the tractor, which is the central operating machine. The part of the arm located closer to the vehicle — known as the boom — is usually attached to the loader through a king-post, a pivot that allows the arm to move left and right. 

A dipper or dipper-stick — a term derived from steam shovels — is the other part of the arm that holds the bucket. Together, these mechanisms act as one machine, useful for excavating trenches, unloading and loading and lifting and transporting materials.

Wheel Tractor-Scrapers

3. Wheel Tractor-Scrapers

wheel tractor-scraper allows you to loosen dirt at your project site. This machine will then use a conveyor belt to collect, scrape and move the loose material. You can move the earth to anywhere else on your job site. Wheel tractor-scrapers are helpful for projects where you need to level the land.

There are a few different types of wheel-tractor scrapers, including:

  • Open bowl scrapers: Often requires a bulldozer or similar equipment for load assistance. 
  • Push-pull scrapers: Uses the combined, concentrated horsepower of two machines, allowing individual scrapers to act as self-loading systems.
  • Elevating scrapers: Requires no other equipment and is self-loading because it uses an elevator for the material. 
  • Tandem scrapers: May require a push-cart other than when loading loose materials. The separate scraper and tractor engines offer much better traction, great for slippery or steep areas. 

Here's how they work:

  1. The operator raises and lowers the sharp, angled scraper to cut into the earth to loosen it.
  2. Using a conveyor belt system, the soil-collecting hopper collects and stores the loose earth to grade the land. 
  3. When the hopper is full, the operator raises the rear part from the ground and transports or dumps the dirt wherever necessary.
Blast Hole Drills

Determining which machinery counts as heavy equipment is more complex than simply separating them by size. Heavy equipment is a specific category of construction, forestry, mining and industrial machines.

What Is Heavy Equipment?

Heavy equipment is machinery that can do heavy-duty work. The equipment itself comprises numerous sizes. Heavy equipment performs large operations, such as earthwork.

12 Types of Heavy Equipment and Their Uses

Heavy equipment encompasses a broad range of machinery, each of which has a purpose. Here are 12 types of heavy equipment and how you can use them on your job site.

1. Skid Steer Loaders

Skid steer loaders are relatively small, and they can serve several purposes on a job site. You can use loaders to move materials like logs, rocks and debris. Most skid steer loaders are compatible with several attachments, making them versatile machines. You can use skid steers for jobs like road work, excavation and demolition.

2. Backhoe Loaders

Backhoe loaders have a bucket in the front and a backhoe on the back. You can both push and carry materials with this equipment. Backhoe loaders work as multifunctional machines at job sites involving construction, excavation, digging and more.

3. Wheel Tractor-Scrapers

A wheel tractor-scraper allows you to loosen dirt at your project site. This machine will then use a conveyor belt to collect the loose material. You can move the earth to anywhere else on your job site. Wheel tractor-scrapers are helpful for projects where you need to level the land.

4. Blast Hole Drills

You will commonly find these drills at mining sites. This piece of heavy equipment can drill a hole into rock. You would then fill the hole with explosive material. When the material detonates, it creates cracks in the rock, assisting mining activity or more drilling. 

5. Cranes

Cranes come in several sizes, ranging from smaller options to those as tall as a building. This equipment can lift heavy loads, including large material quantities or other machines, from one job site area to another. A crane will have either a telescopic or fixed boom.

6. Trenchers

You can use a trencher for digging ditches, holes and other trench-like areas. Workers often create these holes to lay cables or pipes. Much like other heavy equipment, trenchers come in multiple sizes.

7. Road Graders

Road graders flatten and smooth out the surface of roads. Often, you use road graders to prep an area for paving, though you can also use them for maintenance on dirt roads. Road graders are helpful when you need to lay a foundation for other structures, as well.

8. Excavators

Excavators are another type of multiuse tool used at construction sites. They can operate on either tracks or wheels and come in several sizes. While you will commonly use an excavator with a bucket attachment, they are also compatible with other tools. You can use an excavator for anything from digging to landscaping or snow removal.

9. All-Terrain Forklifts

Forklifts are a common choice when you need to move, load or unload heavy materials and packages. This type of heavy equipment works well for warehousing applications. There are also all-terrain forklifts that work outside and inside and are available in several types and sizes. Use this machinery to move items around your work site with ease.

10. Bulldozers

Bulldozers have three blade options, so you can push anything from rock or soil to snow. You can also carry loose materials or use the blades for breaking and loosening other items. Bulldozers are valuable pieces of heavy equipment for construction, forestry, mining and more.

11. Feller Buncher

Feller bunchers are used in the logging industry to harvest trees. The metal arms wrap around the tree and remove it from the base. You can then use the machine to carry the entire tree to your collection area.

12. Asphalt Pavers

Use a paver for laying and packing asphalt. A dump truck carries the asphalt while the paver follows behind, laying the material. Whether you need to make a public road, recreation area or driveway, an asphalt paver helps you create the final product.

Request a Quote From The Cat® Rental Store Today

Find a reputable rental dealer near you today to start using heavy equipment on your next job. To learn more about the machinery we offer or what classifies as heavy equipment, call 1-800-RENT-CAT and request a quote. You can also browse our equipment online to rent whatever you need from the people who do whatever it takes.

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