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Construction projects can drag on far too long when you don’t have access to top-of-the-line machinery. People generally expect construction projects to take longer than projected, but it’s still an inconvenience. Even when you’re working on your own projects, time is of the essence.
While there are some amazing pneumatic machines out there, hydraulic machines are superior. Pressurized hydraulic systems are powerful, accurate, and easy to maintain. Compared to pneumatic equipment, hydraulic machines get projects completed faster. And you should look for the ideal hydrovac truck for sale, which is built to advanced, safe-digging technology, superior productivity and better performance.
When looking to boost productivity with hydraulic machines, it’s also valuable to know how to use ChatGPT at work. This can be a helpful resource to improve efficiency and get work done faster.
Here’s a list of six hydraulic machines you can use to speed up your next construction project.
- A road roller
Road rollers compact dirt, asphalt, and rock. If you do any kind of road work, you need a road roller. For example, if you live in the country and maintain gravel roads, you can use a tractor to carry, spread, and smooth loads of gravel over potholes. However, without compacting the rock into the road, the same potholes will reappear during the next rain.
Using a road roller to compact the gravel will eliminate the pothole and prevent it from reforming. You’ll still get potholes periodically, but they won’t be the same holes getting deeper with each rain.
Another benefit to using a road roller is compacting crushed asphalt. The same roads you repair with crushed rock will last five to ten times longer when you compact several inches of crushed asphalt into the road. Since it’s a recycled material, it’s usually cheaper than rock.
- An excavator
Hydraulic excavators (“ditch diggers”) are designed to excavate, move, load, mobilize, demobilize, and rotate objects. Most people use excavators to get access to the area where buried drains and cables will be installed.
Excavators are handy because you can’t always move something with a tractor attachment without risking damage to your tractor. For tight spaces, compact excavators are available.
Excavators can accept some incredibly useful attachments, including:
- Couplers
- Buckets
- Rakes and rippers
- Tiltrotators and tilt couplers
- Grapples
- Stump harvesters
- Chuck blades
If you regularly use an excavator, you may want to consider buying your own machine for convenience.
- A backhoe
Backhoes are extremely versatile, and can perform many of the same functions as an excavator. There are more backhoe attachments and they can be driven on the road. While an excavator digs by pushing dirt away from the cab, a backhoe digs by pulling the dirt toward the cab.
- A trencher
When you’re working with a pipeline, a trencher can get the job done 3 to 4 times faster than an excavator. Trenchers also create a cleaner trench than an excavator. For instance, when you dig a ditch with an excavator, the ditch is wider at the top, which makes it hard to compact after backfilling.
Trenchers create a clean ditch with straight sides and a flat bottom. When you’re going for speed, a trencher is often the better choice for digging ditches.
- A bulldozer
Cable bulldozers are mostly a thing of the past. Hydraulic bulldozers are faster, generally more efficient, and safer for rookie operators. While hydraulic hoses can snap periodically, it’s nothing compared to the breakdowns that can happen with a cable bulldozer.
There are a few instances where a cable bulldozer is better. For instance, when you need to lift higher to clear trees or push over a large tree in one pass.
- A grader
When you’re doing any kind of work that requires grading, a hydraulic grader will be your biggest asset. Manually grading is next to impossible, and cabled graders aren’t easy to operate.
A hydraulic grader will achieve greater accuracy, can be guided by a laser, and can even utilize GPS. When you need to flatten and smooth out loose materials like gravel, sand, or tanbark, you need a hydraulic grader.
Hydraulic machinery will get your jobs done faster
While some people love their cable machines, most have switched to hydraulics because they don’t have time to waste. On a construction project, every hour counts. Most work can be completed faster with hydraulic equipment, so it makes sense to them as much as possible.
