Ideas and Strategies for Heavy Construction Equipment Repair and Maintenance

« Back to Home

Selecting an Excavator for Home Construction Projects

Posted on

The right earthmoving equipment is critical for home construction projects, including renovations and building of driveways. One of the crucial heavy machines for this type of undertaking is the excavator. This is favourable for your small home projects because it can perform diverse earthmoving tasks, depending on the attachment installed. These tasks include digging, trenching, grappling and drilling. Additionally, you can easily acquire a small compact excavator for your project in local equipment rental stores. There are diverse excavator choices in the market, so you should understand the selection process for earthmoving equipment to ensure that you are getting good value. Here are the critical factors to evaluate when choosing an excavator for hire.

General Exterior Condition

When choosing a construction excavator in rental shops, you should remember that the machines are essentially used. Therefore, it is important to check the exterior surfaces for signs of wear that could affect function. You should look for dents and even warping on important components such as the arm supporting the bucket or other attachments. These will cause poor performance since this distorted part will not move as intended by manufacturers. Cracks and other flaws on general excavator surfaces should also be considered during selection. These indicate general misuse and negligence by previous users and owners respectively. Additionally, most excavators are operated using hydraulic fluid, so check attached hoses and pipes for leaks.

Swing Radius

Excavators are designed and built to provide maximum movement in the construction site. This ensures that the attachments will easily access different areas when manipulated. Therefore, it is crucial to check this aspect of the earthmoving machinery before hire. Generally, the rental personnel can provide assistance with this assessment. Check the connection points between the bucket and supporting arm. Damage in these areas will compromise movement and performance. Also, ensure that there is no looseness in these connection points, because this often indicates degeneration of the equipment. In addition, the housing should rotate in smooth and tight motions; abnormal shakiness should not be tolerated.

Condition of Attachments

The excavator attachments make contact with the ground during earthmoving operations. Therefore, they are prone to wear, and significant damage will affect efficiency. Therefore, you should examine every individual accessory for your construction project before accepting rental. The bucket, which is the default attachment, should have teeth without excessive wear or bending. If you plan to drill, ensure that the auger attachment is not dented to promote efficiency. Furthermore, the tyres should be in good condition for ideal traction and general performance.


Share