Know Your Machine: Excavators

Go back to basics with Orange Hire (now United Rentals) and find out all about excavators. With a range of high quality, low hour machines ranging from 0.8T to 35T we’ve got the digger you need to get the job done right.

What is an excavator?

Excavators come in all shapes and sizes and they are a critical piece of equipment for all kinds of earthwork jobs.

Used for everything from construction to demolition, they’re the workhorse of your site, shifting large amounts of material quickly.

They are one of the most used pieces of machinery in the construction sector and are essential for building, landscaping, digging, sifting, drilling, dredging and placing specialist equipment like sheet piles.

Whether you’re building something new or ripping down something old it’s important to understand the basic ins and outs of excavators before you hire one for your next project.

How an excavator works

Hydraulic excavators are useful additions to the construction site, combining power with precision controls to ensure the operator can complete the job efficiently.

They are made up of a cab that’s mounted to a rotating chassis or house, combined with a boom arm, a dipper and a bucket (or any other attachment you can think of!). Typically sitting on tough caterpillar tracks, they can move easily over tough terrain.

Powered by a hydraulic engine, the excavator’s boom and dipper work together to perform articulated movements that make light work of lifting, digging, drilling and other common workplace tasks. The cab and house slew (or turn on its axis) up to 360 degrees, providing the left and right rotation to move material from one spot to another.

There are different boom styles as well; the most common being mono booms. These purely move up and down, whereas knuckle boom machines can also move left and right in line with the machine. There are also more complex articulated booms with an additional joint in the middle for specialist applications where access is difficult.

Looking at the interior, many excavators also use modern technology to assist with GPS enabled movements, precision contouring and optimum power allocation.

All of these features all add up to make things more efficient on-site and more intuitive for the operator.

Excavator sizes

Excavators come in different weight classes and configurations ranging from compact 1t diggers right through to massive 1000 tonne mining machines that dwarf the equipment around them. (If you like big machines, take a look at this beast!)

For the civil construction industry, the most common excavator sizes sit around the 5t to 35t mark. These are ideally suited to many common construction, landscaping, pipeline and demolition tasks.

Getting the right size excavator for your job can be the key to an efficient project. For small residential and council jobs like digging driveways, footpaths or maintenance of public areas, a small excavator would usually be a good choice. Ranging from 0.8t through to around 5t, these compact machines have zero tail swing meaning they can rotate in very small spaces.

Moving up a notch, medium-sized excavators in the 8t to 20t range are great for civil projects, pipeline work and demolition, as well as bulk earthworks.

At the big end of town, excavators up to 35t are well suited to heavy-duty infrastructure work, bulk earthworks, major pipeline construction and large scale demolition work.

How to choose the right excavator

As well as size differences, there are a number of excavator brands to choose from, and everyone has their favourites.

Whether you choose CAT, Kobelco, Komatsu, JCB, Sumitomo, Hyundai, Yanmar or any other brand, the important thing is to not get too hung up on a favourite brand. Instead, you should take an unbiased view and thoroughly check that the machine is well suited to your job. It should be reliable, safe, and ideally come with a guarantee so if something goes wrong on site, you’re covered for a replacement machine.

Keep reading: how to choose the right mini excavator for your project

Choosing an excavator for hire

There are a few key points to consider when looking at rental excavators. Along with choosing the size, selecting the right attachments and understanding the limitations of the machine, it’s good to know how old the machine is and get some information around its service history.

Your hire company should also provide safe operating procedures and manuals so that your team on site understands how to get the best out of your rental excavator.

Take a look at our article on the top 5 questions you should ask before hiring an excavator.

Used excavators for sale

If you need something long-term, buying a second-hand excavator can be a great way to save money.

However, it’s important to double-check the condition of the machine, how it runs, and get records of its service history. There’s always a risk that you’ll run into problems with older excavators, but if you narrow your search to low-hour machines that have a perfectly documented service history, it’s likely you’ll end up with a high-quality machine at a good price.

We’ve put together a checklist of the key things to look out for when you’re assessing used machines – take a look here.

You can also view our range of ex-rental excavators for sale online or call our team for more details or to arrange an inspection.

Need help choosing an excavator for hire?

Contact our friendly team who can answer all your excavator questions. Our trained and experienced staff understand the needs of construction, civil and infrastructure professionals like you, and we can offer advice on the best machine for your project.

For more information about our complete range of shoring services and equipment, visit your nearest branch, email [email protected], or call our friendly team of experts at 1800 UR HIRE.