Heavy equipment is an indispensable asset of construction engineering. From building houses and roads, to renovating existing structures and more complex tasks such as mining operations. Workers rely heavily on this machinery as it lifts heavy objects for them more quickly and efficiently.

If you want to become a heavy equipment operator, it's vital that you obtain all of the appropriate certifications.

Cranes

Cranes are large machines designed to move heavy objects over long distances. Cranes can be found in shipping, construction and other applications that require mechanical advantage over human strength; cranes often employ multiple simple machines in tandem for this task.

Mobile cranes with wheels or crawlers, often called mobile cranes, are the most widely used cranes on job sites. They're frequently used to move containers or load and unload freight.

Wheeled carriers are among the most versatile mobile cranes, being capable of traveling on highways as well as graded jobsite roads. Equipped with outriggers that extend horizontally and vertically to help stabilize and level their position when stationary or hoisting loads, wheeled carriers make for convenient mobile solutions.

Trenchers

Trenchers are useful tools for digging deep trenches that would otherwise take too much time or labor to dig by hand or other machines. Trenchers make these trenches faster and require fewer crewmembers.

Construction contractors often enlist trench diggers for tasks such as laying pipes and cables, building aqueducts and digging long, narrow trenches. Trench diggers may also work to break pavement under roads so utility companies have access to underground pipes for utility service provisioning.

Attachments for skid loaders and tractor loaders that can trench in harsh terrain range from small walk-behind models to attachments with special attachments such as digging through roots or cutting pavement. Furthermore, various sizes of projects have them with easy controls that maximize operator comfort, safety and productivity.

Bulldozers

Bulldozers are essential tools in construction sites, mines, roadsides and large government projects; they're also a key element of military combat engineering units.

Bulldozers are essential when beginning any construction dig or build. Before any excavation or building can start, bulldozers clear away trees, brush, and any natural vegetation before digging and levelling the land to produce an even surface.

Heavy equipment carriers can tow tanks and heavy equipment while breaking up concrete or masonry and pushing boulders using powered down force. Some models come equipped with a rear attachment known as a "ripper," designed to split and shatter solid objects in place.

Bulldozer blades come in all sorts of shapes and styles. From straight ("S blade") short without any lateral curve or side wings allowing the vehicle to quickly navigate tight spaces; universal tall and very curved blades designed to maximize load size; to combinations thereof.

Motor Graders

Motor graders provide strength and precision for various projects. These machines are commonly employed during road construction projects, to establish final grades for new paved surfaces or as foundation work on large structural buildings.

A grader is a self-propelled machine equipped with an adjustable blade used for creating flat surfaces during grading. Additional attachments such as rippers can also be attached for trenching, ditching, and removal of material from hard surfaces; in addition, scarifiers may be added at the rear for breaking up compacted materials.

Manufacturers incorporate motor graders with frame articulation into them to increase flexibility and maneuverability. By moving it closer to the moldboard toe, motor grader manufacturers have improved turning in tight areas such as corners or cul-de-sacs - ultimately helping reduce washboard on roads surfaces.

Telehandlers

Telehandlers' ability to quickly switch attachments makes them ideal for construction and agriculture sites. Furthermore, their large rubber tires allow them to quickly transport trash from landfills while being perfect for maneuvering through highways, paved areas and soft or wet ground terrain.

Different telehandler models feature different lifting capacities. Small telehandlers may hold palletized cargo like forklifts while larger models feature crane hooks to lift materials up from ground levels to aerial heights.

Telehandlers stand out from other devices like forklifts with their distinctive single telescopic booms that extend forward and upward from their vehicles, offering greater flexibility than devices with fixed booms. Some models are capable of lifting loads up to 50 feet away.