A crane is a tower or derrick that is equipped with cables and pulleys that are used to lift and lower material. They are commonly used in the construction industry and in the manufacturing of heavy equipment. Cranes for construction are normally temporary
structures, either fixed to the ground or mounted on a purpose built vehicle.

They can either be controlled from an operator in a cab that travels along with the crane, by a push button pendant control station, or by radio type controls. The crane operator is ultimately responsible for the safety of the crews and the crane.

Mobile Cranes

The most basic type of crane consists of a steel truss or telescopic boom mounted on a mobile platform, which could be a rail, wheeled, or even on a cat truck. The boom is hinged at the bottom and can be either raised or lowered by cables or hydraulic cylinders.

Telescopic Crane
This type of crane offers a boom that consists of a number of tubes fitted one inside of the other. A hydraulic mechanism extends or retracts the tubes to increase or decrease the length of the boom.

Tower Crane
The tower crane is a modern form of a balance crane. When fixed to the ground, tower cranes will often give the best combination of height and lifting capacity and are also used when constructing tall buildings.

Truck Mounted Crane
Cranes mounted on a rubber tire truck will provide great mobility. Outriggers that extend vertically or horizontally are used to level and stabilize the crane during hoisting.

Rough Terrain Crane
A crane that is mounted on an undercarriage with four rubber tires, designed for operations off road. The outriggers extend vertically and horizontally to level and stabilize the crane when hoisting. These types of cranes are single engine machines where the same engine is used for powering the undercarriage as it is for powering the crane. In these types of cranes, the engine is normally mounted in the undercarriage rather than
in the upper portion.

Loader Crane
A loader crane is a hydraulically powered articulated arm fitted to a trailer, used to load equipment onto a trailer. The numerous sections can be folded into a small space when the crane isn’t in use.

Overhead Crane
Also refered to as a suspended crane, this type is normally used in a factory, with some of them being able to lift very heavy loads. The hoist is set on a trolley which will move in one direction along one or two beams, which move at angles to that direction along elevated or ground level tracks, often mounted along the side of an assembly area.

In the excavation world, cranes are used to move equipment or machinery. Cranes can quickly and easily move machinery into trenches or down steep hills, or even pipe. There are many types of cranes available, serving everything from excavation to road work.

Cranes are also beneficial to building bridges or construction. For many years, cranes have proven to be an asset to the industry of construction and excavating. Crane operators make really good money, no matter what type of crane they are operating.

This article was submitted by Er. Vikrant

The compact hydraulic excavator can be a tracked or wheeled vehicle with an approximate operating weight of 13,300 pounds.Normally, it includes a standard backfill blade and features an independent boom swing. The compact hydraulic excavator is also known as a mini excavator.

A compact hydraulic excavator is different from other types of heavy machinery in the sense that all movement and functions of the machine are accomplished through the transfer of hydraulic fluid.The work group and blade are activated by hydraulic fluid acting upon hydraulic cylinders.The rotation and travel functions are also activated by hydraulic fluid powering hydraulic motors.

Most types of compact hydraulic excavators have three assemblies – house, undercarriage, and the work group.

House
The house structure contains the compartment for the operator, engine compartment, hydraulic pump and also the distribution components. The house structure is attached to the top of the undercarriage via swing bearing. Along with the work group, them house is able to rotate upon the undercarriage without limit due to a hydraulic distribution valve that supplies oil to the undercarriage components.

Undercarriage
The undercarriage of compact excavators consists of rubber or steel tracks, drive sprockets, rollers,idlers, and associated components and structures.The undercarriage is also home to the house structure and the work group.

Work group
The work group consists of the boom, dipper or arm, and attachment. It is connected to the front of the house structure via a swinging frame that allows the work group to be hydraulically pivoted left or right in order to achieve offset digging for trenching parallel with the tracks.

Independent boom swing
The purpose of the boom swing is for offset digging around obstacles or along foundations,
walls, and forms. Another use is for cycling in areas that are too narrow for cab rotation. Another major advantage of the compact excavator is the independent boom swing.

Backfill blade
The backfill blade on compact excavators are used for grading, leveling, backfilling, trenching, and general dozer work. The blade can also be used to increase the dumping height and digging depth depending on it’s position in relation to the workgroup.

The most common place you’ll find compact excavators is in residential dwellings. When digging phone lines or other things, these pieces of equipment are very common for getting between houses. Due to their small size, they can fit almost anywhere.Over the years, the capabilities for compact excavators have expanded far beyond the tasks of excavation. With hydraulic powered attachments such as breakers, clamps, compactors and augers, the compact excavator is used with many other applications and serves as an effective attachment tool as well. Serving many purposes, the compact excavator is a great addition to any job that requires the use of machinery.

This article is submitted by – Er. Vikrant

The bulldozer is a very powerful crawler that is equipped with a blade. The term bulldozer is often used to mean any type of heavy machinery, although the term actually refers to a tractor that is fitted with a dozer blade. Often times, bulldozers are large and extremely powerful tracked vehicles. The tracks give them amazing ground mobility and hold through very rough terrain. Wide tracks on the other hand, help to distribute the weight of the dozer over large areas, therefore preventing it from sinking into sandy or muddy ground.
Bulldozers have great ground hold and a torque divider that’s designed to convert the power of the engine into dragging ability, which allows it to use its own weight to push heavy objects and even remove things from the ground. Take the Caterpillar D9 for example, it can easily tow tanks that weight more than 70 tons. Due to these attributes,bulldozers are used to clear obstacles, shrubbery and remains of structures and buildings.

The blade on a bulldozer is the heavy piece of metal plate that is installed on the front. The
blade pushes things around. Normally, the blade comes in 3 varieties:

1. A straight blade that is short and has no lateral curve, no side wings, and can be used
only for fine grading.
2. A universal blade, or U blade, which is tall and very curved, and features large side wings to carry more material around.
3. A combination blade that is shorter,offers less curvature, and smaller side wings.

Modifications
Over time, bulldozers have been modified to evolve into new machines that are capable of things the original bulldozers weren’t. A good example is that loader tractors were created by removing the blade and substituting a large volume bucket and hydraulic arms which will raise and lower the bucket, therefore making it useful for scooping up the earth and loading it into trucks.Other modifications to the original bulldozer include making it smaller to where it can operate in small working areas where movement is very limited, such as mining caves and tunnels. Very small bulldozers are known as calfdozers.
History
The first types of bulldozers were adapted from farm tractors that were used to plough fields. In order to dig canals, raise earth dams, and partake in earthmoving jobs, the tractors were equipped with a thick metal plate in the front. Later on, this thick metal plate earned the name blade.

The blade of the bulldozer peels layers of soil and pushes it forward as the tractor advances.The blade is the heart and soul of the bulldozer, as it was the first accessory to make full use for excavation type jobs. As the years went by, when engineers needed equipment to complete larger jobs, companies such as CAT, Komatsu, John Deere, Case, and JCB started to manufacture large tracked earthmoving equipment.They were very loud, very large, and very powerful and therefore earned the nickname “bulldozer”.Over the years, the bulldozers got bigger, more powerful, and even more sophisticated. The important improvements include better engines,more reliable drive trains, better tracks, and even hydraulic arms that will enable more precise manipulation of the blade and automated controls.As an added option, bulldozers can come equipped with a rear ripping claw to break up pavement or loosen rocky soil.The best known manufacturer of bulldozer is CAT,which has earned a vast reputation for making
tough and durable, yet reliable machines.Even though the bulldozer started off a modified farmtractor, it rapidly became one of the most useful pieces of equipment with excavating and construction.

Submitted By : Er. Vikrant

Also referred to as a loader backhoe, the backhoe loader is an engineering and excavation vehicle that consists of a tractor, front shovel and bucket and a small backhoe in the rear end. Due to the small size and versatility, backhoe loaders are common with small construction projects and excavation type work.Originally invented in Burlington Iowa back in 1857, the backhoe loader is the most common variation of the classic farm tractor.As the name implies, it has a loader assembly on the front and a backhoe attachment on the back.

Anytime the loader and backhoe are attached it is never referred to as a tractor, as it is not normally used for towing and doesn’t normally have a PTO.When the backhoe is permanently attached, the machine will normally have a seat that can swivel to the rear to face the backhoe controls.Any type of removable backhoe attachments will normally have a seperate seat on the attachment itself.Backhoe loaders are common and can be used for many tasks, which include construction, light transportation of materials, powering building equipment, digging holes and excavating, breaking asphalt, and even paving roads.You can often replace the backhoe bucket with other tools such as a breaker for breaking and smashing concrete and rock. There are some loader buckets that offer a retractable bottom, which enable it to empty the load more quickly and efficiently.

The retractable bottom loader buckets are often times used for grading and scratching off sand.The front assembly on a backhoe may be either removable or permanently attached. Often times,the bucket can be replaced with other tools or devices. In order to mount different attachments to the loader, it must be equipped with a tool coupler. The coupler consists of two hydraulic cylinders on the end of the arm assembly, which can expand and retract to allow different tools to be attached to the unit. There are several types of backhoe loader brands,including New Holland, John Deere, and Case. Some will offer you cabs, while others won’t. The newer types of backhoe loaders even offer you air conditioning, radios, and other accessories that make you feel like you are working with luxury.Common with excavating jobs, the backhoe can serve many purposes. It can haul equipment and supplies in the loader bucket.Another great use is to cover up dirt when filling in trench lines or covering up pipe that was just put in the ground.The backhoe attachment at the rear is ideal for digging water pipes and sewer pipes.The best thing about the backhoe loader is the fact that they are easy to operate. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to fully operate this nifty piece of equipment.

Submitted By : Er. Vikrant