Heavy Equipment Technology Creates Some Strange Beasts

As heavy equipment technology develops, the types of equipment available to operate grows. In the beginning there was the humble dozer, and that was just a tractor with a blade attached. Over time we have developed graders, backhoes, excavators, I could go on. If you like at road and rail construction, some of the equipment used is simply mind boggling.

One good example is the huge machines used to cut holes through mountains. We drive through these road tunnels and think nothing of them. The machine used virtually eats its way through the rock, no matter how tough it is.

Other heavy equipment that looks quite different are some of the specialist fork lifts like the all terrain fork lifts and the store picker fork lifts. As the name suggests, store picker fork lifts move up and down the aisles of warehouses picking items that are required. Picture a standard forklift. Now raise the upright arms 10 to 15 feet and extend the forks by a few feet. To counter balance the forks at f feet or more, the rear end of the fork lift can be huge. To navigate the warehouse aisles, it needs to be narrow. So you end up with a huge grass hopper like creature. A large heavy rear with these two arms sticking out way above your head.

All terrain forklifts on the other hand at least look a little more normal. The heavy equipment technology that ensures their safe use comes in the form of suspension, four wheel drive and a heavy counterweight to ensure the load doesn’t rock dangerously going over rough terrain.

Undertaking all-terrain fork lift training is a must if you want to successfully operate one. This training is sometimes offered as part of a heavy equipment training program. If you get the opportunity to have fork lift training included as part of your heavy equipment training, grab it. They are skills that always in demand across a wide range of industries and as heavy equipment technology expands, the ability to acquire skills across a range of equipment may become harder.