Get to Know the Tools Used in Civil Construction

This article details the tools and equipment used to effectively complete civil construction work, serving as a resource for those who are new to the industry and want to understand how this type of work comes together.

Tools Used in Civil Construction

Contractors use a wide variety of tools, instruments and machines. Some of this equipment plays a role in the planning process and other tools are used for the implementation.

Civil engineers rely on a variety of instruments to map out and plot each site. An example of this might be a high-tech Global Positioning System (GPS) specifically designed for surveying and plotting.

While there are numerous other programs, software and tools that may be used on a civil engineering project, there are two different categories of equipment that we are going to focus on:

• Surveying equipment
• Heavy machinery and earthmoving equipment

Surveying Equipment

A surveyor looks at a plot of land to determine the length and direction of the boundary lines, as well as its contours. The main purpose of this, in civil construction, is for mapping and construction layout purposes.

The following are the primary tools and instruments used in surveying:

• Total station: an electronic optical instrument used for measuring angles, distance and coordinates
  Drones or unmanned aerial vehicles: to capture images and collect data from above.
• Global positioning system (GPS) or global navigation satellite system (GNSS): used to determine exact position, coordinates and more.

Heavy Machinery and Earthmoving Equipment

As the names suggest, heavy machinery and earthmoving equipment do the heavy lifting. They can be used to level or remove earth, clear land by removing trees and rocks, pave roads and lift or lower heavy construction materials. For large projects, a fleet of heavy machinery is required.

The following is a list of machinery and equipment used in civil construction:

Bulldozer: Equipped with a wide blade, these powerful machines push massive amounts of dirt and earth.

Backhoe: Equipped with a small bucket in the back for digging and a versatile shovel in the front for pushing, lifting and moving, backhoes are great for smaller jobs and can perform a variety of tasks.

Excavator: Including a long arm with a bucket attachment, these machines perform tasks such as digging, demolition, dredging, heavy lifting and rough grading.

Dump truck: Equipped with a hydraulic dumping bed, they move, transport and dump many types of materials.

Skid-steer loader: Small and versatile, these machines come with many types of attachments to perform a variety of tasks such as digging, compacting and drilling.

Loader: Typically equipped with tracks instead of wheels, they have a large bucket in the front for loading dirt and materials into a dump truck.

Paver: A large paving machine used to lay asphalt.

Grader: Equipped with a long, adjustable blade under the machine, they grade and level areas and can move small amounts of dirt.

Trencher: These machines dig trenches for pipes and cables and are capable of cutting through pavement.

Scraper: Used for moving earth over sizable pieces of land, scrapers are equipped with a blade that scrapes up the earth and places it in an attached wagon.

Everything You Need in Civil Construction

For any civil construction project, Castle Contracting brings expertise and years of experience. We offer services to assist throughout the entire time frame of your project. We also have our own fleet of heavy machinery and earthmoving equipment! Learn more about Castle Contracting’s Civil Construction Services.