When you have a major construction project ahead of you, you will be figuring out your approach and trying to determine how many individual pieces of equipment you need in order to achieve your goals. You might have to move material from one point to another, and you also have a fair amount of excavation to do, as the project continues. You can probably save some resources by getting an excavator machine to do both the digging and some of the lifting, as long as you remember certain important safeguards. What should you bear in mind?
Where to Start
When you start looking at machinery, the first thing to consider is the equipment rating. Individual machines are designed to work within certain parameters, and you should never overload them, as this could risk damage or injury. In addition, if machinery goes down, you will have additional expense due to project run-on and repair cost.
Where Experience Counts
The rating chart is one thing, but you still have to work within the capabilities of the machine, and this is where an experienced operator is important. He'll be able to look at the lift charts and determine just how much can be safely raised when the equipment is under stress and the boom is at its maximum range. It's important to calculate the numbers based on the weight that will be carried during rotation and when it is being raised through the complete arc of any lift. All of these factors will change the capabilities of the machine and require a lot of care and attention from the operator.
The lift charts will also be able to tell you where to place a machine and give you some warning, when interpreted correctly, about its least capable positions. You should always build in some leeway here, so that the capacity at any given point is never more than the equipment can handle safely. If you think that this is still going to be marginal, then you need to go back to the supplier of the equipment and get a machine with greater capacity.
Weight Calculation
Furthermore, you should never guess the anticipated weight of the load. Obviously, many components of a construction site do not come labelled with their weight, such as a premade concrete pipe. However, you will know the overall size and can get the weight quite readily by referring to online websites and industry sources. In the worst-case scenario, you should have a dynamometer on site that can help you to calculate the weight of anything unknown. Simply attach the weight together with the scale to the hook of the machine and lift it slightly off the ground to get your reading.
Action Steps
If you have any doubt about the procedure ahead, it may be better to get an expert operator in at the same time as you rent the machine.
For more information, contact excavation services.
