An excavator is a self-propelled earthmoving machine with a boom, arm and bucket (or other attachment) used to dig, load and move soil and material. It is one of the most widely used machines on a construction site.
Application
Excavators are used in almost every phase of earthworks:
- Excavating — building pits, trenches for foundations and services, and basements.
- Loading — soil, sand and rubble into trucks or dumpers.
- Demolition — with a breaker, shear or grab instead of the bucket.
- Profiling — bringing slopes, ditches and watercourses to the right fall.
There are crawler excavators (on tracks, stable on soft ground) and wheeled excavators (on tyres, quick to relocate). Small versions are called mini-diggers. The boom with a backhoe bucket digs toward the body below ground level. By swapping the bucket for other attachments the machine is highly versatile. Care and a utility-location check are required when digging near buried services.
Related terms
- Earthworks
- Building pit
- Backhoe
- Foundation
- Dragline
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