Bulldozers are large and powerful tracked vehicles. The tracks give them incredible mobility as well as a sturdy ‘foot’ through some of the toughest terrain. Wide tracks help to distribute the weight of the dozer over large areas and therefore prevent the dozer from sinking into sandy or muddy excavation sites. 

Bulldozers have more than great mobility however. They also employ a torque divider, designed to convert the power of the engine into a dragging ability. This power conversion allows the bulldozer to use its own weight while pushing or removing heavy objects.

Take, for instance, the Caterpillar D9. It easily tows tanks weighing more than 70 tons.  Due to these attributes,
bulldozers are used to clear obstacles, shrubbery, and remains of structures and buildings – especially helpful for excavation work after a house or building fire.

The bulldozer’s blade is the heavy piece of metal plate found on the front of the machine. The blade comes in a few common varieties. The straight blade – short and without lateral curve, no side wings, and is often used for fine grading. The universal blade, or U blade – tall and curved, and featuring large side wings to carry more material around. And the combination blade – a shorter, less curvatious blade with smaller side wings.

Throughout the years, bulldozers have been modified to evolve into new machines, capable of so much more than the original dozers. One fine example of the progression of this excavation equipment is the loader tractors. Created by removing the
blade and substituting a large volume bucket with hydraulic arms. The arms raise and lower the bucket, therefore making it useful for scooping up earth or debris and loading it into dump trucks for removal.

Other modifications to the original bulldozer include making it smaller to where it can operate in small working areas where movement is restricted such as smaller lots, mining caves, and tunnels. Very small bulldozers are tagged as calfdozers.

Functions and capabilities for compact excavators have expanded today far beyond the general tasks of excavation. With hydraulic powered attachments such as breakers, clamps, compactors and augers, this equipment is used for many applications.

A mini or compact hydraulic excavator is different from other types of heavy machinery. Usually this excavator includes a standard backfill blade and features an independent boom swing. All movement and functions of the machine are accomplished through the transfer of hydraulic fluid. The work group and blade are activated by the hydraulic fluid acting upon hydraulic cylinders. The rotation and travel functions are also activated by hydraulic fluid.

Most types of compact hydraulic excavators have three assemblies – house, undercarriage, and the work group.

The house structure is attached to the top of the undercarriage via a swing bearing. It contains the compartment for the operator, engine compartment, hydraulic pump and also the distribution components. Along with the work group, the house is able to rotate upon the undercarriage without limit due to a hydraulic distribution valve that supplies oil to the undercarriage components.

The undercarriage of mini excavators may have rubber or steel tracks, idlers, drive sprockets, rollers, and associated components and structures. The work group contains the boom, dipper (arm), and attachment. The work group is connected to the front of the house structure via a swinging frame – allowing the work group to be hydraulically pivoted left or right, facilitating offset digging. (Offset digging is most common for trenching that is parallel with the tracks.)

An independent boom swing is also designed for offset digging and is most commonly engaged during excavation around obstacles or along foundations, walls, and forms – cycling in areas that are too narrow for cab rotation. The independent boom swing is one of the features that makes a mini excavator invaluable on many job sites.

Finally, the backfill blade is used for leveling, backfilling, grading, trenching, and general dozer work. The backfill blade is also used to increase both or either the dumping height and digging depth.

The most common place you’ll find, need or use compact excavators is at existing residential dwellings. For this reason great caution must be employed and should only be operated by a skilled operator. Phone and hydro lines, foundations, weeping tiles or sewage pipes are considerations to be taken into account when working in a residential area, especially in older neighborhoods where houses are close together. Due to a mini excavator’s small frame, they can fit almost anywhere – but they still have potential for damage especially if not being used with common sense or training.

Excavation is also useful for digging out houses and trenches. When clearing dirt out for roads or sub divisions, excavation the first step in preparaton for the build. Even though there are a few means, the term excavation is used anytime that the earth or dirt is disturbed.

Anytime you are taking part in excavation, safety is of the utmost concern and common sense is one of the most necessary of skills. If you plan to get down into a hole or trench you should never do so when you are alone on the site, and you should always use a trench box. Even though the hole may not be that deep, excavation sites can always cave in and at that point they become very dangerous – possibly even deadly.

There is a lot to learn with excavation, as you’ll need to know how to run machinery, shoot grade, and how to properly dig holes and trenches so they won’t cave in. This is why you’ll always want to call in the Excavation Experts for your basement, driveway, or other custom work.

Although the process and tasks differ for each job there are many similarities in all excavating assignments. Excavation involves the removal of topsoil on the site. If your job site has specific restrictions or building regulations to deal with there may be more to this process. For instance, the top soil may be examined by a metal detector or analyzed.

Certainly in rural areas where the earth and topsoil may not have been touched for decades or centuries, any type of interesting archaeological finds would be visible just beneath the surface – under the topsoil. In urban areas, there will be thick layers of civilization waste and deposits.

With either case, the first task is drawing a scaled site plan that will show the edges of the excavation.

This plan can be created using tape measures, or an electronic total station. A grid is normally set up, to divide the site.

Heavy machinery is very common with excavation and we’ll go into each and their uses on this website over time. Common machinery for excavating jobs are front-end loaders, excavators or backhoes. Excavators are the most used machinery, as they can move a lot of dirt in a little bit of time. Excavating crews run the equipment and dig up soil and rocks for whatever the purpose may be.

Is one brand better than another for any particular excavation or job site?

I’ll let you be the judge.

Over the coming weeks I’ll add some information and facts about some of the most popular excavation equipment brands. Today, I have CAT equipment on my mind…

Caterpillar Incorporated (recognized by all for their distinctive yellow and black logo) this corporation produces a wide range of heavy equipment for all types of jobs, including the well trusted Caterpillar bulldozer. CAT has one of the strongest brands in excavation and other heavy equipment.

CAT is a worldwide recognized brand for being the largest manufacturer of construction and excavating equipment as well as diesel and natural gas engines to power heavy machines. Also known for industrial gas turbines.

Caterpillar Incorporated is a USA based corporation with a head office in Peoria, Illinois. Caterpillar Inc. dates back to the late 19th century, when Benjamin Holt and Daniel Best were working on ways to use steam tractors for farm work. Up until 1925 the Holts worked on creating track tractors and gasoline powered engines.

Once Best and Holt merged the industry took off. At the end of World War 2 the company grew at an enormous rate and launched the first venture outside of the USA in 1950. This was the beginning of CAT as we now know it – a massive, lucrative corporation. This was only the beginning for CAT as today over 50% of CAT’s sales are to customers overseas.

CAT products are sold in nearly 200 countries today. The company has a worldwide network with 63 dealers in the United States and over 150 in other countries. Their equipment and components are manufactured in 42 plants in the United States as well as 58 plants in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, England, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, and others.

CAT equipment is used on farms large and small, as well as construction sites, excavation jobs, road work, forestry, material handling and more. Their product line ranges from track-tractors to hydraulic excavators, backhoes to motor graders, off-road trucks to wheel loaders, regular tractors to diesel and gas engines, and finally, gas turbines.

For cottage driveways in northern Ontario, new homes being built needing basement excavation or topsoil removal and relocation – our excavation experts are ready to get to work on your project.

If you’ve never seen a backhoe loader at a construction site, I’ll try to explain it (later I’ll post a photo to make recognition easier). These excavation machines are part tractor – with both a front shovel and bucket and a small backhoe in the rear end – it is the most common machine variation of a farm tractor.

Backhoe Loaders were originally invented in Iowa in the 1800s.

Backhoe loaders are common and can be used for many tasks in excavation and construction including light transportation of organic matter and powering building equipment, digging holes and excavating, breaking asphalt and even paving driveways and roads.

As explained above, loader assembly on the front and backhoe attachment on the back. When both loader and backhoe are attached this machine is no longer referred to as a tractor. When a backhoe is permanently attached, the excavation machine usually has a swivel seat so the operator can face the backhoe controls easily.

In some cases and with some removable backhoe attachments, a seperate seat will exist on the attachment. Replacements for the backhoe bucket might be a breaker for concrete and rock. Some loader buckets offer a retractable bottom enabling easier and efficient removal of materials. Most commonly used for grading or scratching off sand and topsoil.

The front assembly on a backhoe might also offer alternatives. The bucket can be replaced with other tools with the assistance of a tool coupler. The coupler consists of two hydraulic cylinders on the end of the arm assembly. These cylinders expand and retract for various tools.

Some offer cabs for comfort (great for long days in the seat) that may or may not have air conditioning, radios, and other luxuries.

Although backhoe loaders are very versatile, their common uses in excavation are to haul equipment and supplies in the loader bucket, filling in trench lines, covering up freshly laid pipe as well as digging water pipes and sewer pipes.

As for best brands and models, opinions differ. Some of the most common are the New Holland, John Deere, and Case brands.

‘Digging’ for lack of a better word, into some internet traffic and drumming up some business for the best, most efficient, and experienced, excavation experts in your area.

Stay tuned as we unearth all the information you’ll need for your excavation job.

As we dust off the newness of our website, we’re eager to uncover how you found us. For that reason, and for a limited time, we are offering discounts to our internet discovered projects. If you need a well dug at the cottage, a driveway created for your planned home, a basement dug out for a new home project – give Eager Beaver Excavating a call. Let us know you found us online and we’ll discount your estimate by 5-10%.

Great service, best prices, fast turnarounds and discount too! You just can’t beat it!