What is a bulldozer?
A bulldozer, sometimes called an excavator or a dozer, is a machine used to push and dig soil, especially in the field of construction and mining.
It has a steel blade or pusher blade attached to the front of the truck, and it is used to mobilize and move land, materials, or construction waste with that blade. A bulldozer has a productive phase: during that phase, it digs and pushes; during the non-productive phase, it returns to its starting position.
What are the characteristics of a bulldozer?
- The pusher blade has steel blades that can break stones and other solid materials present in some soils.
- In addition to facilitating the movement of soil, bulldozers also enable the transportation of material over short distances. If the machine tractor runs on continuous tracks, its perimeter of movement is 100 meters; if the tractor is on tires, it’s 150 meters.
- Whether on tracks or tires, bulldozers distribute the weight of the load throughout the vehicle, preventing it from losing its balance on whatever terrain it is navigating.
What are bulldozers used for?
This type of machine stands out for its versatility, so its uses range widely. Some of them are:
- Tilling soils and terrains.
- Hauling rocks and trenching.
- Pushing materials.
- Leveling.
- Digging in a straight line.
- Making piles.
- Towing large loads.
- Exploring sites.
- Handling materials on construction sites.
What are the parts of a bulldozer?
A bulldozer consists of:
- A tractor that moves on a tracked system or on tires.
- A rigid or articulated chassis; inside it is a hydraulic control system , and these control the wiring system that operates the machine blade.
- A front blade, which moves vertically over a short trajectory. This can be:
- Straight: only cuts the terrain.
- Concave: in addition to cutting the ground, it can turn and move the soil it drags.
- U-shaped: can drag more material than the previous type.
- Semi universal (SU): combines the characteristics of straight and U-blade. It has a higher capacity since it has built-in short wings, which can moreover withstand greater load.
Many bulldozers have a rake as an accessory tool for clearing ground, and these have a high capacity to penetrate the ground to remove logs, rocks, and roots. This rake is usually replaced periodically since its tips will lose their sharpness.
What types of bulldozers are there?
- Bulldozer planer or bulldozer: its pusher blade is fixed to the tractor chassis and is operated by hydraulic cylinders that move it perpendicularly to the machine. The blade’s movements are usually referred to as tilt, or lateral inclination, and pitch, or inclination with respect to the vertical axis.
- Adjustable blade dozer or angledozer: the blade is set at an angle relative to the direction of working movement. It is usually shorter and wider so it can expand the working range, despite being tilted.
- Tilting blade dozer or tiltdozer: the blade rotates around the longitudinal axis of the tractor and can also lie flat around a horizontal axis. Depending on the turn and movement, it will have either more cutting capacity or more dragging capacity. This is one of the most commonly used types, given its versatility in terms of blade movement.
