Maybe you’re a curious person, and you’re wondering about the names of those gigantic machines at a construction site nearby. Or perhaps construction in your neighborhood is disrupting your sleep, and you’re wondering about that loud, banging noise.
The construction market is among the most significant worldwide. In the United States alone, the total amount spent on construction was USD 1.29 trillion in 2018. The private sector is accountable for USD 974.7 billion in total value. As a result, the construction market is responsible for 7% of the country’s GDP. There’s a demand for heavy equipment repair in the country as the market grows by 3.1% in 2020.
One can only imagine how big this market is, and therefore, how many construction sites are present nationwide. So these massive machines near your area will not be gone anytime soon—maybe not ever. In case you’re wondering, the following is a few of them:
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Excavators
Excavators are versatile. Other than construction, they are used in forestry and mining. Their primary purpose is to dig holes and trenches, but they can also play significant roles in demolition and lifting debris. Excavators have a hydraulic system that allows a mechanical arm to function and a chain wheel system for mobility. Excavators also have attachments that can be changed to adapt to a wide range of construction needs.
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Bulldozers
Bulldozers are a piece of powerful equipment as they help in pushing and digging debris. A crawler bulldozer transports one heavy material to another in a dense and irregular work area. A wheel bulldozer can be manipulated more in terms of moving around on soft soil. A mini bulldozer is versatile as it can perform different tasks for smaller work sites.
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Graders
Graders are most commonly present in road construction, where leveling the soil is an integral part of the process. Aside from this, graders are also used to shove snow and dirt. This particular equipment utilizes a horizontal blade that levels and flattens the ground. These blades are situated between the front and back wheels.
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Tower cranes
In a city dense with skyscrapers, a tower crane is another typical sight. Tower cranes are used for placing materials on tall buildings. They lift blocks of concrete, steel, practically everything that the construction needs up to be up into the sky. They are securely mounted on a concrete pad on the ground, as them falling over could be a significant concern for the surrounding area. They can reach up to 230 feet and lift upto 19.8 tons.
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Compactors
Compactors have a massive roller in front of them to pack layers of soil into each other, often to achieve a flatter surface. A compact soil is essential to the longevity of a structure as it prevents erosion, slab cracks, and pipe damage. Compactors can work on ground for asphalt roads, graded sand, crushed rock, and gravel.
Now that you know a little more about construction equipment…
Each of these pieces of equipment is used for different stages of construction, so if you recognize one of them in the work site near you, you could infer what they’re doing, what stage they’re currently in, and how long until the construction’s finished.
