Top 11 Types of Excavators And Its Uses

Excavators are heavy construction equipment that are used for many tasks and functions including digging and material handling, mining, river dredging, construction, forestry, demolition, and any other jobs that require the digging and moving of soil and other types of materials.

Excavators are the workhouse of industry and one of the most common pieces of heavy equipment on construction sites around the globe. These machines are incredibly versatile and can be operated in many different types of environments ranging from the typical construction site, to environments that require the scaling of extremely steep slopes and hillsides.

Excavators are designed with either wheels or tracks that allow the machine to move across a job site. They are also constructed with a boom and stick assembly that can be affixed with many different types of attachments that can perform many tasks. Excavator attachments include buckets, shears for demolition, augers for drilling holes, hammer, rippers, and dredge pumps. Different types of couplers are also used for quickly switching attachments when the excavator is used for different tasks.

Most excavators use a hydraulic system to power the movement of the boom/stick/bucket assembly to perform the specific jobs required such as digging, trenching, debris removal, demolition, dredging, and many other tasks. The hydraulic system is powered by the diesel motor, but when a larger quantity of power is required, a separate Hydraulic Power Unit (HPU) can be used. An HPU can be a stand-alone unit or be affixed to the backside of the excavator.

Excavators are available in four sizes: mini (less than 7 tons), mid-size (7 to 10 tons), standard size (10 to 45 tons), and large size (greater than 45 tons).

Excavators are critical in many industries and vary in type and build depending on what specific uses they are expected to perform.