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What Is Heavy Equipment?

Simply put, heavy equipment is any self-propelled, self-powered, or pull-type machinery or vehicle, including farming or diesel engine vehicles or equipment that weighs 1,500 pounds or more. Heavy equipment is used in various industries and earthmoving applications, including mining, construction, agriculture, industrial, and forestry. Some also refer to heavy equipment as heavy machinery, heavy trucks, construction equipment, etc. Whatever you call it, heavy equipment can help transform your business and help you accomplish numerous challenging tasks. Heavy machinery gives your company an edge and enables you to expand your business, but it doesn’t come cheap.

What Are All The Types of Heavy Equipment, And What Do They Do?

An estimated 27 different types of heavy equipment are used to accomplish a specific group of tasks and objectives. Millions of hardworking folks and companies around the globe use heavy equipment every day to achieve the impossible, from excavators to backhoes. 

Here’s a Short List:

Articulated Trucks

Articulated trucks have a bend point or a permanent or semi-permanent pivot point that allows them to execute sharp turns, thus making them great vehicles for construction. An articulated truck, like a dump truck, can cost anywhere from $15,000.00 to $200,000.00. 

Asphalt Pavers

An asphalt paver’s primary purpose is to distribute layers of asphalt over road surfaces, including highways and roads. Most of this heavy equipment is self-propelled. The average gravity-fed paver costs from $35,000.00-$60,000.00. Larger models can run into the six figures.

Backhoe

A backhoe is a popular excavating machine with an attached bucket, and a rigid bar hinged to a boom. Some refer to a backhoe as a digger, a rear actor, or a back actor. Whatever you call it, it’s a versatile and great machine for accomplishing numerous excavation tasks in various settings. There are also some very useful attachments for backhoes, including augers, a breaker, a grapple, or a tilt rotator. Some of the most popular brands are manufactured by Caterpillar, Deere and Company, Kubota, Ford, and more. A new backhoe can cost you between $15,000.00 and $80,000.00. Some top models can go for more.

Boom Lifts

A boom lift is a piece of heavy equipment outfitted with a platform or bucket, attached to a hydraulic arm, and grounded by a stable, movable base. Boom lifts can extend the vertical or horizontal reach to difficult workspaces and allow workers to attain heights of between 30-210 feet. They are widely used in outdoor, aerial, and industrial tasks, from window replacement to tuckpointing to electrical work, new construction and maintenance, and beyond. They’re also known as cherry pickers. There are two types of boom lifts–telescopic boom lifts and articulating boom lifts. A new boom lift is an investment of between $25,000.00 and $75,000. Larger boom lifts are as much as $200,000.00 brand new.

Bulldozer

A bulldozer, or crawler, is a larger piece of heavy equipment equipped with a metal blade to excavate, transfer, and remove soil, sand, building debris, or rubble. It’s one of the most common heavy equipment used on construction, mining, and industrial job sites and projects. Some of the most popular brands of bulldozers are Caterpillar, Komatsu, John Deere, and Shantui. Prices for a new dozer start at $30,000.00 and can go as high as $200,000.00.

Cold Planers

A cold planer is a piece of heavy equipment used to tear out roads and sidewalks. Cold planers have heads that act like drills and can bore down to specific debts to remove asphalt. Cold planers are suitable for attachments and are also referred to as pavement recyclers, milling machines, and pavement recyclers. Cold planers typically start at approximately $15,000.00 and can go into the six figures. Some popular brands of cold planers include models from Caterpillar, Bomag, Volvo, and Dynapac. 

Compactors

A compactor is any piece of heavy machinery or mechanism that helps reduce the size of waste or bio mass through compaction. You will find them in everything from road building to construction and landscaping. Compactors can start at a low of $18,000.00 and reach six figures. 

Dragline Excavator

A dragline excavator is a piece of heavy machinery primarily used in civil engineering and mining. A dragline uses a bucket and a drag rope/chain to remove materials and drop them into a dump truck or other receptacle. Dragline excavators can cost millions of dollars, especially for large mining operations. 

Drumrollers

A drum roller is a compactor-type heavy machinery vehicle used to compact or compress concrete, asphalt, gravel, or soil when constructing new foundations and roads. Drummrollers start as low as $5,000.00 and can go as high as the six figures. Costs are based on size, features, weight, etc.

Dump Trucks

A dump truck is one of the most common and widely-used pieces of heavy equipment used by various industries. A dump truck has an open-box truck bed with hinges in the back that is lifted and dropped by hydraulics. Dump trucks are used to load, transport, and dump coal, gravel, dirt, or rubble from construction or demolition sites. New dump trucks can cost as much as $180,000.00. Used dump trucks cost between $30,000.00-$40,000.00. Popular brands of dump trucks include Cat, Peterbilt, Mack, Kenworth, and more.

Electric Rope Shovels

An electric rope shovel or a front shovel is a piece of heavy machinery equipped with a bucket primarily used to excavate dirt or rock for mineral extraction. To obtain a price for an electric rope shovel, it’s typically necessary to make an inquiry and request a quote. The top machines are in the six figures and are manufactured by Caterpillar and Komatsu.

Graders

A grader, or motor grader, uses a long blade to create a flat surface when leveling a surface (fine grading) before applying asphalt. They are primarily used in civil engineering construction projects for roads and highways. Graders are also used in mining operations. Graders range from $60,000.00 to $500,000.00. Caterpillar, John Deere, Volvo, and Kamatsu are some of the most popular grader brands.

Feller Bunchers

Feller bunchers are used in the logging industry. It grabs a tree, cuts it, and bunches it. Prices range in the mid thousands range all the way up to six figures. 

Fork Lifts

A forklift is a self-propelled machine for moving and transporting heavy objects by inserting metal “fingers” below the load. You will see forklifts used mainly at warehouses and on construction sites. They are used to move goods or materials from one place to another. Typically, they are between $20,000.00-$50,000.00 new, and some models are more. Popular forklift manufacturers include Toyota, Komatsu, Mitsubishi, Kion, and Clark. 

Hydraulic Mining Shovel

This piece of heavy equipment is a hydraulic shovel, a track-driven machine primarily used in mining operations. The machine digs up the material and loads it onto a truck. It’s used in coal mining, and mineral extraction and typically costs between $80,000.00-$200,000.00. The largest ones can cost nearly half a million. 

Pile Driving Machine

A pile driver is another type of heavy machinery used to drive piles into soil. The piling provides the foundation for buildings or other structures. Pilings are made of steel, tubular steel, or wood and are driven underground by the pile-driving machine. Types of pile drives include diesel hammer, vertical travel lead system, hydraulic hammer, hydraulic press-in, and vibratory pile drivers. The average price of a pile-driving machine is approximately $40,000.00, but some models can be as much as $400,000.00.

Scissor Lifts

This heavy machinery is designed to move materials, equipment, or workers in a vertical direction and is often used in place of traditional scaffolding or ladders. On the low end, scissor lifts can cost as little as $10,000.00, but most average between $25,000.00 and $70,000.00. Popular brands include Skyjack, Genie, MEC, and Superlift.

Skid Steer Loaders

A compact, multipurpose skid loader is used for excavation and construction projects. Skid steer loaders are typically lighter than many other types of heavy machinery and are maneuverable, making them the favorites of folks in the landscaping and construction industries. Bobcat, Caterpillar, Kubota, John Deere, and New Holland are some of the top brands. 

Telehandlers

Known as a telehandler, a teleporter, a reach forklift, or a zoom boom, it is a piece of heavy equipment used mainly in agriculture or heavy industries. The telescopic boom can extend forwards and upwards from the vehicle and is suitable for various attachments, including a pallet, a winch, or a bucket.

Trenchers

A piece of heavy equipment is used to dig trenches, typically for laying pipes, electric cables, or drainage. 

Towable Light Towers

A piece of heavy mobile equipment that includes heavy-duty lighting and a mast. The powerful lights allow construction and other projects to continue without interruption and after the sun sets. 

Tower Crane

A tower crane is a fixed crane capable of hauling loads of up to several tons to heights. A tower crane is a piece of heavy equipment that acts as a “self-building” and can allow a structure to be constructed adjacent to or even around it. They are used almost exclusively in construction to lift and move building materials where they are needed, often to heights. Tower cranes are some of the most expensive types of heavy machinery out there and can run from $300,000.00 to $1.5 million. Top tower crane manufacturers include Uperio, Morrow Equipment, Maxim Crane Works, and Liebherr. 

Underground Mining Loaders

Underground mining loaders are pieces of heavy equipment used in the mining industry. These loaders are low-car bodies designed for working surfaces and feature front-end loading and unloading.

Wheel Tractor Scrapers

A piece of heavy machinery used for earthmoving in construction, mining, and agriculture. It uses a pan/hopper to load and transport material. The pan cuts into and levels soil like a carpenter’s plane and then fills the hopper with a movable ejection system. Caterpillar, Evers Agro, Terra Cat, WesTrac, and Fontana are some of the best-known manufacturers. 

Coastal Kapital Helps People Like You Buy the Heavy Equipment You Need

You want to grow your business, but you need financing for a new excavator, forklift, or bulldozer, but how can you make it work when money is tight? We have the heavy equipment financing solutions you need from $5,000.00 to $500,000.00; new or used, we offer EFA, 10% put options, FMV leases, and more. 

We are Coastal Kapital, the heavy machinery financing pros you need. Whether financing a heavy equipment loan for a commercial truck, dump truck, bulldozer, or a scissor lift lease, we’re your financing pros. Coastal Kapital, a WBE, has been saying yes when others say no. Bad credit is not a deal breaker for us. We can find innovative financing solutions to help you get the heavy equipment financing you need and grow your business by adding a new excavator, pile driving machine, grader, and more. We offer competitive rates, flexible repayment terms, and personalized, caring service. We are small business owners, too, so we understand your challenges and objectives and deliver. 

Now is the time to lease or buy the used or new heavy equipment you need to take your business to the next level. Coastal Kapital can help you achieve your dreams. Contact one of our heavy equipment financing experts today, and let’s get you approved!

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