Understanding the Various Kinds of Vehicles You Can Use for Heavy Transport
Transporting construction equipment and machines is a challenging job that must be handled with lots of care and professionalism. Loads spanning many metres long and weighing several tonnes pose significant safety hazards for the handlers and other road users. By choosing the right truck for the load you are transporting, you maximise safety by matching the loading demands and the handling capabilities of the truck. This requires you to have a good understanding of the various kinds of vehicles available for your heavy transport need. The following is an evaluation that will help you to make the right decision:
The Flat Bed
Just as the name suggests, the truck's bodywork is made of a flat bed with no roof or rails on the sides. This configuration makes it easy to load goods from any side of the truck depending on the hoisting mechanism available on the site. The fact that they do not have any rails on either side means that you can transport equipment or machines as wide as three metres. Ideally, flat beds are suitable for wide construction equipment such as crawlers and backhoe loaders that cannot be driven on land. Before loading the heavy equipment on a flat bed, you must identify any parts that could be damaged by direct exposure to sunlight or rain and cover them appropriately.
The Box Trailer
A box trailer is another type of vehicle that you can use to transport your construction equipment. They are made of a truck and enclosed trailer that only opens at the rear end. Generally, most of them range between eight and a half to sixteen metres. They are ideal for transporting equipment such as standard concrete mixers. Without a doubt, an enclosed trailer optimises the security of the load you are transporting while reducing potential hazards for other road users. On the downside, they cannot be used for very wide loads such as crawlers, as the trailer has to be symmetrical with the front side of the truck.
Ballast Tractor
Ballast tractors are heavy transport vehicles designed to pull or push heavy and large loads. They have a drawbar used to attach the load to facilitate the pulling or pushing. Ballast tractors will come in handy when you need to move equipment that can't be driven around or pose too much risk when hoisted on a cranes. They are also useful for loads that cannot fit on a flatbed or box trailer.
