Excavator facts for kids
An Excavator (sometimes called a backhoe or digger) is a powerful machine. It is a type of heavy construction equipment. Excavators are used to dig into the ground. They can also move very large objects.
Most excavators have two tracks at their base. These tracks help the machine move around. Above the tracks is a platform that can spin all the way around (360 degrees). The person driving the machine, called the operator, sits in a special cab. They use controls to make the excavator move. Other controls work the long arm and the digging bucket. Special hydraulic fluid, hydraulic cylinders, and hydraulic motors make the machine's parts move.
Excavators come in many sizes. Their size depends on the job they need to do. Some older excavators use cables to move their parts. Also, some excavators have wheels instead of tracks.
What Excavators Do
Excavators are used for many important tasks. They help build things and change landscapes. Here are some common uses:
- Digging trenches for pipes or cables.
- Making holes for new buildings or foundations.
- Moving materials like dirt, sand, or rocks.
- Cutting down bushes and small trees with special tools.
- Working in forests, like clearing land.
- Forestry mulching, which grinds up trees and brush.
- Helping with all kinds of Construction projects.
- Shaping land for gardens or roads (general grading).
- Working in Mining areas, especially in open-pit mines.
- Cleaning out Rivers and harbors (called dredging).
- Driving piles into the ground with a pile driver.
- Drilling deep holes for building supports or rock blasting. This is done with a special auger or drill.
- Removing snow using snowplow or snow blower tools.
Images for kids
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A cable-operated excavator from the Northwest company.
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An excavator tearing down a house. Notice the hydraulic thumb.
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A Link-Belt excavator digging a trench.
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A CAT 5230 excavator working in a coal mine.
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A L&T Komatsu excavator seen in India.
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A New Holland E215 excavator in Hamburg, Germany.
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The principle of how a hydraulic excavator works.
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A house being demolished by an excavator in Invermere, British Columbia.
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An illustration showing hydraulic excavator controls.
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A Liebherr 314 wheeled excavator.
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A Caterpillar 350L excavator in Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 2001. It has a hydraulic thumb.
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A Waterways Ireland Daewoo Solar 150LC-V crawler excavator. It is used for canal maintenance.
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A crawler excavator.
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The chassis (base) of a crawler excavator.
See also
In Spanish: Pala excavadora para niños
