The 7 Most Powerful Road Construction Equipment

Road construction is a highly technical undertaking that requires meticulous planning and the deployment of various specialized road construction equipment.

Quite often, the construction of a road involves blasting rocks and conducting deep excavations. These tasks require a wide range of construction vehicles.

Here are 7 powerful types of equipment for road construction.

1.) Motor Grader

Commonly referred to as road grader or maintainer, motor grader is an equipment used to create flat surfaces for asphalt to be placed on

Common models typically have three axles, with the engine and cab positioned above the rear axles at the back, and a third axle at the front—all connected by a blade.

Motor graders are classified into two types based on their frame arrangements: rigid frame motor graders and articulated frame motor graders.

Rigid frame motor graders consist of a single axle and are unable to turn right or left about a point on the axle. On the other hand, articulated frame motor graders, are fitted with a hinge in between the front and the rear axle – enabling them to operate in small spaces.

2.) Asphalt Plant

An asphalt plant is a vital piece of equipment for road construction, used in the manufacture of asphalt concrete and other coated road stones for construction projects.

The plant combines mineral aggregates, sand, and a filler in correct proportions. It then heats the mixture and coats it with a binder.

The plant maintains the product’s heat to prevent setting before it is laid down in layers.

3.) Asphalt Paver

Also known as asphalt finisher, paver finisher, or paving machinery, the asphalt paver is a road-making machine. It is used to lay asphalt on the surface of a road, parking lot, bridge, or other facilities and performs minor compaction before a roller takes over.

The asphalt is added from a dump truck into the paver’s hopper. The conveyor then moves the asphalt from the hopper to the auger, which places a heap of asphalt in front of a screed. The screed then spreads the asphalt across the road and provides initial compaction.

4.) Road Roller Machine

Also known as roller compactor, a road roller is a crucial piece of machinery for road construction, making it a common feature on construction sites.

A roller is a compactor-type engineering vehicle that is mainly used to press down soil, gravel, concrete, or asphalt in the construction of highways and foundations.

Rollers can be rubber tire rollers, double-drum asphalt rollers or combination rollers and the type of roller used is determined by the mixture used in a road project.

There are various types of rollers used in compaction works with the choice depending on the job and material to be compressed. They include smooth wheeled roller, vibratory roller, sheepsfoot roller, and pneumatic tyred roller types.

5.) Excavator

Also referred to as diggers, excavators are heavy construction equipment used for excavating earth and rocks and loading them onto dump trucks.

Excavators have a boom, bucket, and cab on a rotating platform above an undercarriage with wheels or tracks. They are among the most popular pieces of road construction equipment.

6.) Wheel Loader

A wheel loader, also known as a front loader, skip loader or bucket loader, is a type of tractor used to move a pile of material from the ground and load it onto a truck or into a pit.

It consists of a front-mounted square-wide bucket joined to the end of two arms used to scoop up materials from the ground without spreading them out.

7.) Truck Crane

Truck cranes are important equipment in road construction. These cranes are usually mounted on the back of a lorry to assist with lifting requirements within a road construction site.

They consist of the carrier (called the lower) and lifting component (called the upper), which are joined through a turntable allowing the lifting component to swing from side to side.

Truck cranes are usually compact, fold up, and require negligible mounting space.

Bonus #8. Forklift

Also known as fork truck, a forklift is an industrial vehicle with an attached platform that can be lowered to pick an object on or below the ground and raised to move the object.

Initially designed for moving objects in factories, a forklift’s design has evolved over the years, expanding its use as essential road construction equipment.

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