If you’re planning a reasonably sized landscaping project, sooner or later, you’ll need excavation machinery. Excavation machinery can massively reduce the time you spend clearing your yard, creating foundations, digging trenches, creating terracing, or digging drainage channels. An excavation project may require bulldozers, backhoes, tip trucks, excavators, and loaders. Plus, each machine will need a licenced and skilled operator. For some, getting involved in an excavation project can seem daunting. However, there’s no need to worry. Start by talking to your local structural landscaping firm. They’ll tell you precisely which machines (and why) you need to hire. So, let’s look at the kinds of machinery you might need and what to expect from them.
What Equipment Do I Need For My Excavation Project?
Excavation and landscaping companies have a wide range of equipment on hand. They will advise you and choose what to use based on the size and scope of your job. Machinery could include:
- Backhoes – Essentially a lighter, smaller excavator.
- Compactors – Used to compress soil in preparation for foundations— for example, a driveway, slab, or other concrete.
- Mini excavators – Great for general work in tight spaces or where access is narrow.
- Tip trucks and mini dumpers – Used for moving and dumping soil and waste
- Track excavators – The all-purpose excavator. It runs on caterpillar tracks rather than wheels. So, more stable and efficient than wheeled models.
- Trenchers – Specialised machines used to dig trenches to lay cables and pipes.
Excavators and backhoes require specialised attachments to perform specific tasks. These include:
- Augers – Augers are essentially large drills for creating holes in the ground for post holes, footings, and other purposes
- Buckets – Different kinds are available depending on the task and the materials being worked. So, there are different buckets for digging holes, ditches, trenches, plus grading and transporting materials.
- Compactors – various size compactors are used for compacting and compressing soil and other loose materials such as road base.
- Hammers – for breaking rocks and other materials
- Rakes – for site preparation and land clearing.
