Excavators are a sight to behold. When you see them in action, they look like behemoths that could destroy anything in their paths. They can get a quick hitch here in Australia that can hold various heavy attachments. But give credit where credit is due.
The operators are responsible for making the magic happen. These people have insane hand-eye coordination. They make these hulking machines move like living creatures. The main feature of an excavator is its arm.
It can produce tremendous force, enabling it to do many heavy-duty tasks, and these are possible using various attachments. Here are some of them.
Bucket
This may be the most familiar attachment of them all. Buckets are shaped like the half of a barrel or a drum with teeth on one side. This is used to dig up soil or debris and have them hauled somewhere else. The bucket itself has a large volume capacity. You can fill a crater or an empty lot with this in no time.
This can be attached to the arm in two ways. One would be where the teeth are facing the operator, more suited for digging purposes where it will look as if it is clawing or scooping up dirt. The other is where the teeth are facing the other side, making them look like the excavator’s front bumper.
This is useful in pushing a large pile of debris.
Ripper
Resembling a hook or a downward-pointing scythe, the ripper is used to bore holes on the ground or through concrete walls. It is made to break the hardest surfaces imaginable. This is perfect for demolition jobs.
Hammer
The hammer is also a remarkable attachment that can be used to break down concrete structures. This basically gives the excavator a jackhammer for its hand. This is also useful for mining, where it can easily break down large boulders and soil formations.
Grapples, Multi-Processors and Thumbs
These three are clumped together because they give the excavator functions that are similar to your hands.
- The grapple resembles something like that prize catcher machines you see in the arcades. This is mainly used for quick transporting of heavy materials.
- Multi-processors look like crab claws. This is yet another demolition tool, where the claws can break down structures or concrete walls via pinching action. This can also be used to lift thin but heavy objects like steel bars.
- Thumbs work in tandem with buckets. This helps in scooping and keeping the contents in.
Compactors
These are mainly used in compaction of the soil. It can come in three kinds: drum, wheel, and plate.
- A drum compactor is basically a giant roller that flattens the surface.
- The wheel features a set of flat spikes that breaks down and compacts the soil as it rolls over.
- The plate uses powerful vibration to shake away the air pockets under the earth and at the same time compacting it.
Who knew that something as big and heavy as the excavator could be this versatile? With this many attachments, it can accomplish a lot of things. For large-scale projects, nothing can beat their power. But you have to admit that they look like cyborg dinosaurs when at work.
