Excavators are stalwarts of the construction industry, doing what most refer to as the ‘dirty work on-site’. They are multi-purpose machines with high power, able to carry many functions during the construction process:
- Digging
- Grading
- Demolition
- And Landscaping…
Yet, for the best results, you should pick the right attachment for your excavator, specifically the bucket. As far as construction equipment goes; they are invaluable.
The Bucket
The bucket is the typical part of the excavator that:
- Scoops
- Lifts
- And Transports the Material
Bucket types come in varied shapes, sizes, and types depending on the application and material. Selection of the wrong bucket will lower your productivity, efficiency, and quality and increase your costs, risks, and downtime.
So, by the end of this article, when it comes to construction equipment, what we look to achieve is for you to have a full understanding of what bucket types are available, what they do and what application they can assist.
Construction Equipment – Issues to Take Into Account When Selecting an Excavator Bucket
When choosing an excavator bucket, there are several factors to consider, such as:
- The Type and Density of the Material – Some materials need special bucket types to suit their hardness, abrasiveness, and weight. It is such that soil, clay, and sand are soft and light materials that can be managed by general-purpose or digging buckets, whereas rock, concrete, and metal are hard and heavy materials that need specialised buckets, like rock or heavy-duty buckets.
The weight of the material also influences the bucket size and capacity because heavier materials need smaller buckets to prevent the excavator from being overloaded.
- The Task and Site Specifications – Different tasks and sites dictate various bucket types based on the required result and site conditions.
For instance, trenching or V buckets are fitted on narrow but deep bases for digging trenches, foundations, or holes, while grading or ditch cleaning buckets are mounted on wide but shallow bases for grading, levelling, or cleaning.
The site conditions also determine the bucket that is going to be chosen, for example, how much electricity, fuel, or water is available and at what costs, the environmental and emission regulations, and the site’s accessibility and terrain.
- The Compatibility and Ease of Use of the Bucket – The bucket should match the excavator in size, weight, horsepower, type of coupler, and linkage.
The coupler is the element that links the arm of the excavator to the bucket, and it might be mechanical or hydraulic based on the frequency and ease of bucket changes. The link is the portion linking the coupler to the bucket, and based on the bucket options’ flexibility and versatility, it could either be pin-on or quick-attach.
Bucket types should be user-friendly and include productivity, operation, maintenance, availability, and cost of spare parts and service.
Construction Equipment – Typical Kinds of Excavator Buckets and Their Application
There are many types of excavator buckets available in the market, but some of the most common ones are:
- General-purpose or Digging Buckets – They are the most popular and universal buckets, and they are employed in digging, loading, and hauling different materials, like soil, clay, sand, gravel, and loam, among others. They are of standard shape and size, and they have teeth around the rim of the bucket which serves to break and scoop the material. They are appropriate in most excavation activities and sites; however, they may not be productive or effective in hard or abrasive materials or in specialised tasks like grading or trenching.
- Rock Buckets – These are specialised bucket types that are designed for handling hard and heavy materials, including rock, concrete, and metal. They exhibit a V-shape cutting edge and long, sharp teeth that are capable of penetrating and destroying the material, together with reinforced construction and wear-protection elements that can resist the impact and abrasion of the material. They are ideal for quarrying, mining, demolition, and recycling activities but may not be very flexible or efficient in other applications or sites and may have a higher rate of fuel and energy consumption compared to other buckets.
- Utility Buckets – These are buckets designed to work with material close to pipes and cables, for example, in utility projects or pipeline projects. These have a rounded edge and no teeth so that the pipes and cables are not cut, and a double-reinforced structure to prevent breakages. They are good for activities like digging, trenching, and backfilling, but they will not be very productive or profitable for other materials or works like grading or crushing.
- Grading Buckets – These are levelling, finishing, and smoothing buckets for landscaping as well as road works projects. The buckets are wide and shallow with no teeth to provide uniform coverage of the surface, flat-edge and the tilt mechanism that adjusts the angle of the bucket to the slope of the surface. They are apt for operations like grading, cleaning, and ditching, but they may not be as effective or efficient for other tasks or materials, like digging or loading.
- Tilt Ditch Cleaning Buckets – These buckets are designed for cleaning and maintaining ditches, canals, and other waterways that occur, for instance, in drainage or irrigation projects. They are wide and low profile and have no teeth for a wider and even coverage of the ditch and a tilt mechanism for the part that can be adjusted, the bucket is aligned to the shape of the ditch. They are good for activities like ditch cleaning, clearing, and shaping but may not perform or function very well or much as intended on others, including digging or loading.
- V Buckets – They are narrow and deep trench-digging buckets that are used for special purposes and projects, such as pipeline or cable laying. They are a scriber type with V-shaped edges and teeth that can cut material to make a clear trench, as well as have a conical shape and narrow width to get in compact space and minimise material to be removed. They can perform tasks such as trenching, digging, and backfilling, but they could be more versatile and adaptable in other tasks or sites, and they are also more fuel- or energy-consuming than other buckets.
- Frost Buckets are frost or hard ground digging buckets for winter or cold areas. The sharp and pointed edge, along with teeth, as well as the reinforced structure and wear-protection components, can resist rebound and abrasion. They are not the best solution for some activities, such as grading, cleaning, and loading loose material; however, when it comes to digging, loading, and shifting frozen or hard materials, they are perfect machines.
- Micro Trenching Buckets – These are trenching buckets designed for digging narrow and shallow trenches, for example, in fibre optic or cable installation works. They have thin and flat cutting edge and teeth that can penetrate the pavement and produce a small and invisible trench as well as a compact and lightweight design that can be used in small and urban areas and reduce the disturbance and damage to the pavement. They are appropriate in tasks like micro-trenching, digging, and backfilling, but they may not be of much use or effective in other jobs or materials such as loading or grading.
- Skeleton Buckets – These are specific buckets for segregating and separating materials in recycling or waste management projects. They are perforated or slotted types that can enable the fine or unwanted material to pass through the holes or slots, leaving the coarse or desired material in the bucket. They work well on activities like sorting, screening, and recycling but could be ineffective and inefficient on other activities or materials like loading or digging.
- Rake Riddle Buckets – They are raking and clearing buckets and are used to collect the material from the ground for later removal. Their structure is rake-like with long and curved tines which enable them to rake and collect the material, for instance, branches, roots, or debris, along with a perforated or slotted structure that can let the fine or unwanted material fall through the holes or slots while retaining the course or desired material in the bucket. They are most appropriate for tasks such as raking, clearing, and loading, but they may not be very helpful or efficient for other tasks or materials, such as digging or grading.
- Clean-up Buckets – These are the specialised buckets for washing and dumping materials that might be used for demolitions or renovations. They are wide and flat in shape and do not have teeth to make collection of the material, like rubble, dust, or waste, easy, as well as a spout or a tilt mechanism that may assist in disposing of the material. They are good for removing, cleaning, and disposing, but for other tasks or materials, such as digging and loading, they may not be that good or efficient.
Read also: Exploring Diverse Steel Constructions for Farming
SUMMARY
As you can see, one bucket does not fit all! When it comes to construction equipment and excavator buckets there are many diverse options for what are always diverse and challenging projects. The size and scale of which bucket types to choose inevitably vary, and unforeseen findings can pop up out of the ground at any stage. However, through due diligence, you can be ahead of the curve if you know what will suit a particular part of your project and what you are looking to achieve, and you can save time and money during the process.
