TCM 427 Construction Equipment Management - Heavy Equipment 101

This set of flashcards covers the fundamentals of heavy equipment, classification by tires or tracks, specific machine types like excavators, backhoes, and scrapers, and historical milestones in construction machinery.

Tires

A mobility option that is generally simpler to operate, more fuel-efficient on certain terrain, provides smoother operation, and offers higher mobility.

Tracks

A mobility option offering greater stability through better weight distribution, more traction depending on the surface, and better control on slopes or unstable ground.

Excavator

A general-purpose machine used for excavation, heavy lifting, and demolition, featuring a long arm (Boom) and a cab capable of $360$-degree rotation.

Boom

The term used for the long arm found on an excavator.

Backhoe

A multi-purpose machine with a hoe arrangement on the back side of the cab and a loading bucket on the front; it typically has limited rotation to around $200$ degrees.

Bulldozer

A machine used primarily to remove topsoil and push material, most commonly equipped with blades such as straight, U-blade, SU blade, and angle blades.

Grader

Also known as a road grader or motor grader, it is used to level/flatten soil, create road bases, set building foundations, and finish grading.

Scrapers

Also known as wheel tractor scrapers, these machines are used to scrape and level surfaces and to relocate material by collecting it into a trailer bowl.

Bowl (Scraper Part)

The component of a scraper that stores the collected material.

Apron (Scraper Part)

The component that closes the bowl of a scraper once it is full.

Ejector (Scraper Part)

The component of a scraper that dumps and pushes the loaded material out of the machine.

Large Dozers (Economic Haul Distance)

Equipment suitable for short-haul material pushing up to $300\,\text{ft}$.

Push-loaded Scrapers (Economic Haul Distance)

Equipment suitable for medium-haul material transport between $300$ and $5,000\,\text{ft}$.

Trucks (Economic Haul Distance)

Equipment suitable for long-haul material transport greater than $5,000\,\text{ft}$.

William S. Otis

The individual from Canton, MA who built the original shovel-excavating machine in $1835$ while working for the Boston and Providence Railroad.

Benjamin Holt

The inventor who created his first combine harvester in $1886$ and a steam engine tractor in $1890$.

John Froelich

The individual credited with inventing the gas-powered tractor in $1892$.