Moving excavators is not easy. You want to do whatever you can to make it as safe and smooth as possible. You can increase your probabilities of a safer and smoother job by following these guidelines.
1) Preparing Excavators for Transport
Preparation is key. When nearly half of all injuries occur during loading and unloading heavy equipment, safety measures need to be taken from the beginning.
1. Perform a Documented Risk Assessment
Set up a checklist of all the factors you want to check before the uploading the machine.
These factors include:
a) the terrain where the machine is located
b) accessibility of the low bed or recovery vehicle
c) whether special permits are required to transport the machine
d) whether the machine is a runner or not and how it will be loaded
e) structures along the route that may serve as obstacles in the transportation process (such as low hanging bridges, telephone or electricity lines, etc)
f) the correct size winch on the lowbed in the event the machine is not a runner
g) adequate chains and fastening equipment to ensure the machine is correctly secured for transport.
2. Outfit Sites With PPE
The importance of PPE cannot be overemphasized. It should be part of your everyday modus operandi and should be worn at all times. PPE includes:
Protective Eyewear - Your eyes make it possible to identify potential hazards. Wearing safety glasses will help you maintain clear visibility.
Ear Protection - Running machines are loud. The use of earplugs helps prevent hearing loss caused by prolonged exposure to loud noise.
Hard Hat - occupational health and safety regulations require everyone working around heavy machinery to wear hard hats at all times.
Gloves - A snug-fitting pair of heavy-duty work gloves will help protect your hands from the elements and other worksite dangers.
Boots - Much like gloves protect your hands at the construction site, a good pair of steel-toed work boots will protect your feet. The specialty toe helps prevent your toes from getting crushed.
Reflective vests – while these vests are not PPE per se because they operate as a warning signal rather than provide actual protection against a hazard, they are also vitally important in this operation.
3. Inspect the Hauling Capacities of the Lowbed or Recovery Truck
A complete inspection of your vehicle includes the following:
Tyres: Assess the condition of your trailer and truck tires, notably for tire pressure. Multi-ton machines take a toll on tire air pressure and will quickly deflate any that are already weak.
Lights: Front and brake lights should work flawlessly.
Brakes: Similar to tyres, your oversized load affects your vehicle's braking abilities. Assure all brake functions and components are in good shape.
Tie-Down Points: Check your load's required point number, their securement condition, and spacing.
Weight: Confirm your tie-down working load limits add up to equal at least half the weight of your load.
How to Load Excavators Safely
Loading an excavator is more than just walking it up the ramps, tying it down and sending it on its way. You want to look at following:
1. Designate Duties
Before actual loading occurs, the team should have a clear understanding of who's in charge of what. You'll need someone to drive the equipment onto the deck, but you'll also need a spotter to deliver hand signals and direct the driver up the ramp and onto the trailer bed.
2. Clean the Ramp and Trailer
Ramps and trailer decks should be as dirt-, oil-, and debris-free as possible, especially if they are metal.
3. Clear and Level the Loading Area
Pick an open and even space to set up the ramp. You want to ensure the ground in the loading area is compact enough to bear the full weight of your loaded trailer. If rain has fallen overnight and you are loading off a dirt surface, check for soft spots.
4. Begin the Machine/Ramp Line-Up
Slow and steady is the name of the game here. With the driver in the cab and a spotter positioned in plain view, begin driving the heavy equipment up the cleared ramp and onto the transportation vehicle's deck.
5. Chaining Down Heavy Equipment
There are three predominant concerns with chaining down:
Tight, Secure Chains: There should be no wiggle room or movement with your chain.
Properly Located Tie-Down Points: Most manufacturers label the appropriate tie-down points on their machines. Be especially careful if these land near a machine's cylinders, hydraulic hoses, or brake components, though. Tying down heavy equipment at appropriate points prevents equipment damage plus ensures the tightest, most compliant links.
All chains fastened linearly, with downward force, with no horizontal twists, bends, or angles. There must be no slack in the chains.
At least four chains in use. Use two connecting to the trailer's front corners and two connecting to the trailer's back corners. The tension from these opposing forces should keep the equipment in place.
How to Transport Excavators Safety
1. Map the Most Linear Transport Route Ahead of Time – watch out for narrow roads, sharp turns and bridges.
2. Apply for a Transportation Permit – if necessary.
3. Immobilize Equipment Wheel Components – apply the parking brake and consider using wedges.
4. Outfit Transport Vehicles With Signs and Flashing Lights
5. Do en-route inspections – the recommendation is every 80km.
How to Safely Unload an Excavator
1. Clear and Level the Unloading Site
The same measures you took at the loading site should be taken at the offloading site.
2. Do a Walk Through
Guide the transport vehicle to its unloading area. Once the vehicle is parked, have the ramp clean and ready for deployment. Line it up with the rear of the trailer bed as methodically as possible, taking time to match joints and eliminate any gaps between the trailer and the ramp. Once the machinery begins backing up, there will be no time to reposition.
3. Free the Load
Unlease chains and tie bounds one at a time, beginning with the rear corners. Do so carefully, as chains and binders have been wound and should still be tight and pressurized. You don't want a metal chain unexpectedly snapping up because joints and tension weren't adequately reduced with the ratchet boomer.
4. Slowly Back the Heavy Equipment Down the Ramp
Maintain a safe distance between the piece of equipment and its spotter. The equipment operator's visibility may become hindered, so position the spotter in a way where they're accessible but out of harm's way. Keep the rest of personnel away from the unloading site while the heavy machinery is in reverse. All attention should remain on safely ushering it down the ramp.
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