Choosing the right earthmoving equipment can be quite overwhelming and difficult if you don’t know exactly what you are looking for. Ensuring that you make an informed decision on the best machinery to choose for your next project is crucial to maintain safety, efficiency, and cost control. Picking the wrong diggers can ultimately lead to extensive damage, delays, and unnecessary hiring costs, creating an unpleasant experience on your next dig.
So, your decision should only come down to one final question: what task are you trying to complete? Most projects fall into one of these three categories – moving, levelling, or digging. Matching the correct earthmoving equipment or digging machine is key to getting the job done right, and as efficiently as possible.
What are the Core Types of Earthmoving Equipment?
When deciding on the right equipment for your next project, it is important to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of these three primary machine types: backhoes, skid steers, and excavators. Each of these serve a completely different purpose and excel at different things.
Skid Steers
A Skid Steer is a compact, versatile engine-powered machine that uses lift arms to attach labor-saving tools. It is the optimal choice for digging, landscaping, loading, and clearing debris, and it has the ability to pivot swiftly in place, making it especially ideal for tight, confined job sites. Skid Steers are most commonly used in roadworks, agriculture, and construction, and serve multiple purposes when used correctly.
Backhoes
Backhoes combine loading and excavation in one singular unit. Backhoes have a digging arm at the rear and a bucket at the front, allowing for efficient excavation, moving soil, breaking concrete, and lifting materials. This makes backhoes an incredibly versatile option and they are great for projects requiring flexibility.
Excavators
Everyone has heard of excavators for earthmoving projects, and there is a very good reason why. Excavators are the go-to digging machines as they are engineered for precision and depth. They are especially ideal for pipe installation, bulk excavation, and trenching, and mini excavators are highly effective for residential work and hard-to-access sites.
Which is the Best Equipment for Levelling Ground?
Levelling ground is an extremely important step, and is necessary for all projects, not just excavation. Whether you are preparing for construction, infrastructure, or landscaping works, it is crucial to choose the right machinery to ensure your leveling gets done properly.
The best equipment to level ground ultimately depends on the scale of the project – bigger projects are going to need more levelling. Bulldozers are great for large-scale rough grading, whilst skid steers with grading attachments are optimal for small scale projects that require more precision.
Ensuring that all levelling is completed correctly is vital – and not just for appearance! Proper grading ensures that water is drained away from structures, helping to mitigate long-term damage risks. Developing a gradual slope away from nearby buildings also helps to manage runoff more effectively, and this is the standard guideline for levelling projects.
Choosing the Right Size Excavator Matters More than you May Think
One of the most common mistakes that people make when deciding on a digging equipment is choosing the wrong size. Unfortunately, choosing a digger that is too big for your dig can restrict access on site, damage surfaces, and increase costs unnecessarily. This is exactly why it is so important to choose the right sized machine.
For an average dig, the general size categories are mini excavators (ideal for residential work and tight-access sites), midi excavators (ideal for medium scale construction – not too big, not too small), and large excavators (designed for commercial and heavy-duty projects that are large scale and require more equipment).
Ground pressure is also an important factor to consider. Heavier machines will exert more pressure into the ground, which has the potential to damage soft ground or underground services. Knowing the exact amount of weight your site can manage is crucial, and can help to avoid costly repairs that can be detrimental to your dig.
How to Avoid Common Machine Selection Mistakes?
Knowing what common mistakes to avoid will ensure an overall efficient and seamless process for your next excavation projection. Many cost overruns and project delays occur from choosing the wrong equipment choices, and some of the common mistakes to look out for include: using the wrong digging machine for trench depth, not factoring in attachments, hiring equipment that is too large for your site, and ignoring ground conditions (i.e. weight threshold, soil texture etc.).
As highlighted earlier, choosing the right machine is entirely dependent on your project. Ensuring that you match the right earthmoving equipment to your build will improve overall efficiency and safety of your build. This will lead to a more comfortable and straightforward experience.
Elevate your Next Excavation Project with Sunstate!
Choosing the right equipment for your next excavation is crucial, and the experts at Sunstate Pipelines are here to help! With our dedicated team of machine specialists, we will help you select the right choice upfront to ensure that everything flows effortlessly throughout your entire project! Whether you need advice on digging machines for trenching, a versatile digger machine for site preparation, or the best equipment to level ground, aligning your equipment with your project is our speciality.
Are you ready to take the next steps towards your next earthmoving project? Choose Sunstate for all of your excavation and digging needs! Give us a call today and we will help you to get on the right track.