Home Improvement

How does an excavator work?

A construction site is one of the best places to get a close look at excavators, which are large hydraulic machines. These machines are mainly different from other equipment because of their large size.For example, an excavator or shovel of medium size will weigh slightly over 28 tons, yet it is fairly quick in its actions.

The shovel can remove one cubic meter of dirt, whose weight will vary between one to 1.5 tons and move it to another place within a few minutes. Moving a person is very simple using these machines.

Also called a digger, a hydraulic excavator is a vehicle which is specifically designed for demolition, excavation purposes and is large in size. The excavator will have wheels or a track for moving, a boom, bucket, mounted on the chassis.

There is a wide range of excavators which are available in various sizes ranging from micro excavators with a limited capacity to large size excavators.

All the excavators are designed for similar applications. They weigh between 3000 and two million pounds and their power rating varies between 19 HP and 4500 HP.

Many excavators are available from plant hire companies offering short or long term contracts of the vehicles.

Hydraulic Excavator controls

Hydraulic excavators are designed using hydraulic systems. The track or wheeled platform at the base or undercarriage of the hydraulic excavator helps in transporting the vehicle while also supporting the chassis.

The driver of the excavator can control the vehicle using the levers on the chassis which are used for driving the vehicle, changing the position of the boom and the bucket.

Since the chassis is located above the undercarriage, it can be rotated in all direction through an angle of 360 degrees. The bucket and boom are together used for moving materials. They are both attached to the chassis body, yet they are controlled independently.


Hydraulic excavators are designed so that they can be used for a wide range of applications, though they are mainly used for excavation work. They may also be used for demolition, and even the smaller models may be used for building demolition.

The excavators are also used extensively for transporting large quantities of materials, especially minerals from one place to another. At construction sites, the excavators are often used with other equipment like loaders and bulldozers.


The Hydraulic excavators have a large number of advantages when compared to other equipment. For example, when required they can be used to complete specific tasks for a project.

After the project is over, the compact excavators can be easily transported to the next project by being towed or transported on a large truck.

The excavators can also be used with different attachments for various applications: a mallet is attached for demolition work, a blade attachment will help in scraping, or a grapple attachment may be used for picking up objects.

Many companies are manufacturing hydraulic excavators of different sizes, features. Depending on the budget, businesses may purchase either new or used excavators.


Companies who wish to purchase hydraulic excavators should be aware of their limitations. Since the hydraulic excavators are heavy, they cannot be driven over long distances or on roads which are not reinforced.

They usually require large amounts of fuel when used. Most excavators are a very expensive investment for a business, though the investment is usually justified since the excavators can be used for many decades.

Additionally, it may be difficult to get the hydraulic excavators repaired, because of their large size as well as the higher number of moving parts.

About the author