HEAVY MACHINERY: CHARACTERISTICS, TYPES AND USES - TECHNOLOGY - 2026

The heavy machinery is the set of large machines run Profiled primarily to work much weight or volume operations involving large extent major tasks or considerable force.

For at least two thousand years this type of machinery has been used, when the engineer Vitruvius supplied representations of heavy machinery and cranes in his treatise "De architectura", when everything worked only with human or animal force.

Source: pixabay.com

Heavy machinery is useful in large projects to be able to perform different tasks. The type of heavy machinery that is going to be required must take into account the project budget and the size of the work to be carried out, because this machinery will make the process faster and easier.

Mainly the following industries are related to heavy machinery: construction, mining and quarrying, forestry, recycling, concrete, paving and asphalt, demolition, manufacturing, agriculture and public works.

Among the most popular heavy machinery brands on the international market are Caterpillar, Volvo, JCB, John Deere, Hitachi and New Holland.

characteristics

Heavy machinery works through the mechanical use of a simple machine, in which the relationship between the input force that is applied and the resulting force that is exerted is multiplied.

Ease of maintenance

One of the most frequent problems of heavy machinery is the delay in its maintenance.

Therefore, it is important to demand that the machinery offer all kinds of facilities regarding its set-up and review of controls.

Restricted mobility

A heavy machinery is characterized by a more or less restricted mobility and a great capacity to carry out heavy tasks.

The free circulation of this type of machinery is prohibited on public roads due to its physical and technical characteristics.

Power and strength

These are very heavy machines, which can deploy a set of special applications. On the other hand, they can handle large volumes of work day after day.

This makes tasks that could require hundreds of people and weeks of work much less intensive. Some teams use hydraulic drives as the main source of movement.

This feature will thus considerably reduce the time required to carry out the work. At the same time it will make the result obtained much more accurate.

Operator's cabin

It is one of the most important components in the types of heavy machinery that have it.

It must offer comfort so that the operator can develop his work perfectly. In addition, the operator must have a broad view of her work area from it.

High power consumption

This may be one of the issues that companies take into account when they want to buy heavy machinery.

At present, heavy machinery is being manufactured that consumes less and less energy, despite their large tonnages and dimensions.

Types

According to its function and degree of specialization, heavy machinery can be classified into one of the following main groups.

- Specialized

It is mainly used in a single particular industry: agriculture, asphalt and concrete, forestry processing, recycling, infrastructure maintenance.

Machines for the manufacture of consumer products can also be classified in this type of heavy machinery.

- Universal

It can be used for different types of industry. This is the case of the following heavy machinery:

Excavators

They are used extensively in the construction industry. They contain a long arm and also a cockpit. A large digging shovel is provided at the end of the long arm. The cab is the place provided for the operator of the machine.

The cab layout can be rotated up to 360 degrees, thus facilitating operation.

Graders

They are basically used to build roads. A horizontal blade is located at the bottom of the machinery. This blade is lowered to the ground when you are working on leveling. Furthermore, the operator's cab is located on top of the rear axle.

Compactors

There are different types of compactors available for different compaction purposes.

Smooth wheel rollers are used to compact shallow layers of dirt or asphalt. Sheepsfoot rollers are used for deep compaction. On the other hand, pneumatic rollers are used to compact fine-grained soils, asphalt layers, etc.

Telescopic handlers

They are lifting equipment used in construction. It contains a long telescopic arm that can be raised, lowered or extended.

Different types of arrangements can be attached to the end of the telescopic boom according to job requirements, such as forklift trucks, buckets, cab, lift arms, etc.

Tower crane

It is a fixed crane that consists of a mast, which is the vertical support tower, an arm that operates the crane arm, the arm that carries the counterweight at the rear of the crane and also a cabin from which you can operate the crane.

Applications

Excavator

Their general purpose is excavation, but other than that, they are also used for many purposes such as heavy lifting, demolition, river dredging, tree felling, etc.

Grader

It is mainly used to level the surface of the ground. It is also used to clean roads of snow or dirt, to flatten the ground before laying the asphalt layer, to remove any unnecessary layer of the ground, etc.

Compactor

Compactors or rollers are used to compact a material or the earth's surface.

Telescopic handle

It is used to lift heavy materials to the required height or also to provide a construction platform for workers at higher heights.

Pile drilling equipment

It is used to drill holes in the construction site in order to install precast piles.

Pile driving equipment

In the case of pile foundation construction, this equipment lifts the pile and keeps it in the proper position, directing it to the ground to the required depth.

The pile is driven into the ground by hammering the top of the pile. This is done hydraulically or by dropping it.

Dump truck

They are used on construction sites to transport material in large quantities from one site to another or to the landfill.

Tower crane

It is used for the purpose of lifting in the construction of tall structures. Using this type of equipment, heavy materials such as prestressed concrete blocks, steel reinforcement, frames, etc. can be easily lifted to the required height.

References

1. Publiquip (2019). Heavy Machinery Definition. Taken from: publiquip.com.
2. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (2019). Heavy equipment. Taken from: en.wikipedia.org.
3. Infoguide (2018). What is heavy machinery? Taken from: infoguia.com.
4. Sadanandam Anupoju (2019). 16 Types of Heavy Equipment Used in Construction. The Constructor. Taken from: theconstructor.org.
5. San Juan Recycled and Demolition (2019). Main characteristics of backhoe loaders. Taken from: rdsanjuan.com.