When you are talking to an earthmoving company you will be venturing into their world, and like any specialised area, there is vocabulary to learn, technical terms and jargon. In this case, much of it concerns the names of the machines/vehicles and what they do. As a customer you are not expected to know all these terms, but there is no harm in learning some of the main ones, to have a better understanding of what you are agreeing to and being billed for.
First of all, understand the difference between earthmoving and excavating. The former is a general term for everything to do with knocking a site into shape so that construction can begin, while excavating specifically means digging things out.
Excavators are for Digging Out
Often called a digger, this is a tough vehicle with a flexible arm and a bucket on the end, which is used to dig into the surface of the soil and then perhaps further down. It has a rotating cab so the operator can face the action at all times, controlling what is being dug and then swivelling to place the bucketload onto a heap or into the back of a truck. Caterpillar tracks are used to give greater traction than wheels.
Typically, an excavator is used for bigger projects where there is a large area to be dug out, while a digger can be a smaller unit used for digging trenches etc. They have even revolutionised the unique world of gravedigging.
Dozers are for Pushing
A dozer, AKA bulldozer, is for pushing rather than dragging, although it may have a ripper on the back, a tool for penetrating the surface of the ground to make digging easier. The results of a dozer’s efforts can be quite neat and smooth; it’s the excavating that makes a mess. Dozers usually have tracks rather than conventional wheels, ensuring good grip on terrain that is often both rough and unstable.
Long Reach and Suction Excavators
When a particular excavation job is beyond the scope of a standard machine of whatever size, there are special options. The self-explanatory long-reach excavator can do a job across a gap caused by a hole or protruding obstacle. A suction excavator uses high-pressure water and suction and can be extremely effective in the case of a blockage caused by mud or loose debris.
Backhoe loaders feature a loader at the front for pushing, lifting, carrying and dumping, and an excavator on the rear. If running on tractor-style wheels rather than tracks, they can achieve good traction by having 4 x 4 capability.
Chippers and Mulchers
When a site needs to be cleared of trees and bushes before the serious excavating can be done, you end up with a big pile of tough vegetation, and rather than dumping this, it can often be put to good purpose by making woodchips or mulch to use in gardens and parks.
Both of these substances provide cover and protection for flower beds, keeping moisture in the soil while allowing fresh rainfall through at a gentle rate, which can be helpful in areas prone to being battered by storms.
While chippers and mulchers don’t do any digging or clearing, they are often found in an earthmoving company’s equipment list for follow-up work, which is in keeping with modern attitudes of sensitive development and the avoidance of waste.
Miscellaneous Trucks
Any excavation company will have an assortment of lorries to carry out the unspectacular tasks and tipper trucks are among them. As the name suggests, these are capable of raising the front end of the cargo bed so that the contents slide out the back.
Check out the Fraser Earthworks wide-ranging fleet here.
