Excavator

Several blocks away from my house a major construction project has been quietly and efficiently taken place. A small tractor loader and backhoe was backfilling along the rows of newly constructed student housing modules. Another was landscaping.

The tractor loader is a farm tractor equipped with a front loader. This loader is a 3 to 5 cubic yard capacity bucket loader which can be used to dig shallow holes, scrap and move earth.

They come in several sizes the two larger versions can be used to handle heavy construction tasks and the smaller two versions can be used to adequately handle all landscape jobs.

The farm tractor is the basic unit of the tractor loader and backhoe combination. It can accommodate other attachments such as a large grass cutter attachment, rip saw and log loader.

The initial concept was to build a tractor that could plow and harrow and which could be used with the proper attachments for other tasks. Their success in these areas and economy brought them into popularity in the housing, city utility maintenance and landscaping.

The tractor loader today is a remarkable piece of farming and earth moving equipment. It comes with a more powerful power plant, either gasoline or diesel powered, an adaptable hydraulic system and a wide array of subsystems.

A new loader subassembly for most farming tractors costs between $2,600 and $3,200. This includes a 48" or a 60" loader bucket, the hydraulic subassembly and lift forks.

A used heavy duty industrial front loader of ten can cost as much as $38,000. The cost savings are very apparent if you can purchase an attachment to a currently owned piece of equipment for a tenth of the price then the savings will out every time.

This explains the rise in popularity for the tractor loader outside agriculture; and its' wide usage in construction and landscaping. Last month I saw the tractor loader in another wide spread use.

Several of the large farm tractors were outfitted with mower attachments. They were traveling up and down the interstate highway that runs beside my house.

The state highway departments have found that the tractor loader is a great solution for maintaining the roadways. City utility departments have been adding the tractor loader to water and sewer maintenance departments whenever possible.

They appear with familiar frequency at any of the many street and roadway repair sites. The tractor loader still remains the workhorse of farming operations.

It prepares the field for planting, cleans the barns of refuse and assists in fence repair operation in most farms. What the ox did for early American farming is being accomplished with the tractor, a capable, valuable and versatile piece of earth moving equipment.

Its' versatility is seen in housing construction, in landscaping, road maintenance and city utility maintenance. Furthermore, the cost savings are a primary reason for it's' popularity, ruggedness and versatility.

Excavator |