Proper Planning for Large-Scale Earthmoving

Successful earthmoving requires more than just earthmoving equipment and a driver. There are a number of other considerations you must take into account, to ensure that the job is done properly. How many trucks and earthmovers do you need? How are all vehicles going to access the dig site? How much time should you allocate?

These are all questions that must be answered before digging begins. Here are a few tips to help you organize your next large-scale earth moving project.

Plan Your Approach

Looking at a patch of untouched ground presents a massive temptation to just start digging, but the more you time you spend measuring and plotting exactly where and when you plan to dig is vital to doing the job quickly, safely, and efficiently.

It’s not enough to just figure out where you’re going to dig or how deep, but also map out the stages of how you are going to dig. Often, you won’t have a great deal of extra space and if you start digging without considering the phases of your process, you might end up ‘painting yourself into a corner’ as the old saying goes.

Avoid Bottlenecks

Working with massive machines like earthmovers, excavators, bobcats, and trucks is just like planning a rugby match. Everyone needs to know where to go and when to go. If you don’t coordinate a traffic plan onsite, then you’ll inevitably end up with bottlenecks. A massive machine will be stuck in the midst of the dig while other essential vehicles are waiting for their turn before entering.

When planning your access to the job site, pay close attention to the size of the equipment you need and their manoeuvrability within these spaces. Obviously, a mini-excavator has limitations to how quickly and how deeply it can dig, but it can turn on a dime without taking up much space.

Which leads us to …

The Right Tool for the Job

There are a number of different ways you can choose to execute your earthmoving project. From mini-excavators to a 15 tonne excavator to the truly massive 40+ tonne large excavators, make sure that you’ve got the right tool for the job. You must balance between how quickly you can get the job done, how much money it costs to get that machine on site and properly operated, as well as the scope of work to be completed.

Again, the game plan analogy from above is apt here. Each machine is like a different position on the field and you need to let each of them play their part to ensure that you get the best result.

Ensure a Stable Base

Safety must be the first concern of every site manager. Earthmovers, particularly the larger machines, can often be put into risky positions with a great deal of weight on the load arm. That can create perilous situations if the earth mover is not on a firm base.

Avoid using your earth movers on soft ground, slopes, uneven ground, embankments, or holes.

By Robert Curtis

Allclass Construction Equipment is one of the most trusted names in Australia when it comes to servicing earthmovers, or spare parts. They are also a distributor and carry all of the major brands. Contact them today to speak to an equipment specialist to learn more.