Picking the Right Equipment and Attachments for the Job
When planning for a construction job, it can be difficult to know exactly what equipment and attachments are needed. Depending on the weather, terrain or type of material you’re working with, each plays a factor into not only the equipment you rent but the attachments that you choose along with them.
With that being said, there are many other variables to keep in mind to ensure that the equipment you rent is right for the job you have planned. To make the best decision for your job, consider the following details:
- Different categories of equipment
- Scope and size of the job
- Type of material being used
- Capability of staff
- Budget limitations
Considering these 5 topics will allow you to correctly choose the most appropriate equipment and attachments for your project.
Categories of Equipment
There are many different types of heavy equipment that serve various jobsite purposes. Instead of looking at each piece of equipment individually, it is optimal to determine which category of equipment you will be choosing from first. The categories of equipment are:
Earth Moving Equipment
This includes equipment like excavators, bulldozers, crawler loaders, backhoes, trenches, and graders. Popular attachments for these machines are augers, buckets, hammers, grading blades, and grapples.
Construction Vehicles
Tippers, dumbers, trailers and tankers. Popular attachments include: fenders, lighting, hubs and spindles.
Material Handling Equipment
Crane, conveyer, hoists and forklifts. Popular attachments include: automatic vertical coil grabs, motorized coil tongs, side shifters and fork positioners.
Construction Equipment
Concrete mixture, compactors, pavers, road rollers. Popular attachments include: felco wheel compactors, felco roller compaction buckets and felco vibratory plate compactors.
Tunneling Equipment
Road headers, tunnel boring machines
Every job should fall into one or more of these categories which can narrow down the type of equipment that will be needed at the site. Once you know the equipment you need for the job, figuring out what attachments are necessary is the next step. Each attachment serves its own function and purpose depending on the environment of the job, which we will get into next.
Functions of Popular Attachments
Attachments allow equipment to be more versatile on the job site. The use of attachments can save time and money by allowing one piece of equipment to do multiple jobs. An example of this is by using a backhoe with different earth moving attachments. Instead of renting multiple pieces of equipment, a backhoe (or any earth moving equipment) can use the following attachments for versatility:
- Augers - Drill holes into the ground or other materials and surfaces
- Buckets - Handle and move materials in bulk (soil, rocks, sand and debris)
- Hammers - Used for demolition and excavation. Can break concrete and other materials
- Grading blades - Designed for precision scrapping and leveling surfaces
- Grapples - Perfect for clearing land, removing brush and cleaning a job site
- A backhoe that has access to all of these attachments can do just about anything you need.
Scope and Size of the Job
The size of the job is an important factor when determining the appropriate equipment to utilize on site. Small and medium-sized jobs may only need a couple of trucks and backhoes while a large job could require numerous heavy machines as well as 350 ton cranes. The larger the job, the more material handling equipment will be needed. Depending on the size of the materials you’re moving you might opt for different attachments that allow easier movement of materials.
Type of Material
Knowing the materials that you will be dealing with makes choosing equipment and attachments much easier. Moving dirt and rocks? A backhoe loader, excavator or bulldozer with a bucket attachment may be your best bet. Moving trees and boulders? A thumb attachment might be the better option for the job. Knowing ahead of time what terrain and materials you are working with on the job-site will help you better understand what equipment and attachments you need.
Capability of Staff
You may know what type of equipment you need to get a task done, but what good is that equipment if no one in your crew knows how to operate it? Make sure to effectively communicate with your team before bringing equipment on site so that time and money is not wasted. If your crew is young and inexperienced, try to focus on investing in their skills by getting them certified to use the type of equipment that will be on the site.
Budget Limitations
Equipment and attachments can get expensive especially as jobs get bigger. Being aware of the costs before buying or renting equipment can help you stay within budget on your job-site. Whether that’s determining with the project manager what the budget is or getting quotes from rental houses about equipment pricing, knowing exactly how much budget you have will help you find creative ways to get the most out of your machinery
Owning equipment, especially with all of their attachments, can get expensive. Renting equipment can be the optimal solution when trying to stay within budget. DOZR makes renting equipment and attachments quick and easy. Explore equipment today and experience the simplicity of online renting.
