1. Forklifts

  • Function/Uses: Forklifts (or lift trucks) are primarily used for lifting, moving, and stacking palletized materials over relatively short distances. In construction, they are common in warehouses, laydown yards, and on prepared site areas for unloading trucks, distributing materials like bricks, blocks, bagged goods, and moving smaller equipment components.
  • Variations:
    • Warehouse Forklift (Counterbalanced): The standard type, typically with solid or cushion tires, designed for smooth, level surfaces like concrete floors in warehouses or factories. Power sources can be electric, propane, gasoline, or diesel.
    • Rough Terrain Forklift: Equipped with large, pneumatic tires, a more robust chassis, and often higher ground clearance to handle uneven, unpaved surfaces commonly found on construction sites. Essential for outdoor material handling where standard forklifts cannot operate.
    • Telehandler: (See Section III.B.2) A specialized type of forklift with a telescopic boom, offering significantly greater reach and height.
    • Side Loader: Forks are mounted sideways, allowing the machine to handle long loads like lumber or pipe in narrow aisles.
    • Pallet Jacks/Trucks: Simple manual or electric devices for moving pallets at ground level only; cannot lift to significant heights.
    • Stackers: Used primarily in warehouses to lift and stack pallets, often walk-behind or ride-on.

  • Components/Attachments: Consist of a mast (vertical assembly that raises/lowers forks), forks (lifting blades), carriage (mounts forks to mast), counterweight (balances the load), power source, wheels/tires, and operator controls. Attachments can include side shifters, fork positioners, clamps, rotators, and specialized forks. While vital for site logistics, the limitations of standard forklifts on typical construction terrain often necessitate the use of rough terrain models or the more versatile telehandler.

2. Telehandlers (Telescopic Handlers)

  • Function/Uses: Telehandlers, also known as telescopic handlers, teleporters, reach forklifts, or zoom booms, are highly versatile machines that bridge the gap between a forklift and a crane. They feature a telescopic boom that can extend forward and upward, allowing them to lift and place loads at significant heights and distances, reaching over obstacles or onto upper levels of buildings. They typically have rough terrain capabilities with large tires and often 4-wheel drive/steering, making them well-suited for construction sites. Common uses include lifting pallets of materials (bricks, blocks, roofing), placing trusses, moving lumber, loading/unloading trucks on uneven ground, and supporting various tasks with attachments.
  • Variations: Telehandlers vary considerably in lifting capacity (ranging from approx. 5,000 lbs to over 20,000 lbs) and maximum reach height (from under 20 ft to over 100 ft). Some models feature a rotating turret (rotating telehandlers), allowing the upper structure and boom to swing 360 degrees while the chassis remains stationary, increasing placement flexibility in confined areas.
  • Components/Attachments: Key components include the chassis with rough terrain tires, operator cab, and the telescopic boom. Their versatility is greatly enhanced by a wide range of available attachments, often connected via a quick-attach coupler :
    • Pallet Forks: Standard attachment for handling palletized goods.
    • Buckets: For handling loose materials like gravel, sand, or debris.
    • Work Platforms/Baskets: Allows the telehandler to function as an aerial work platform for personnel.
    • Jib/Hook Attachments: Provide a lifting hook for crane-like operations.
    • Grapples: For handling logs, brush, or irregular objects.
    • Truss Booms: Specialized jibs for lifting and placing roof trusses.
    • Augers: For drilling holes.
    • Sweepers/Brooms: For site cleanup. Telehandlers are a prime example of multi-functional equipment highly valued on construction sites for their reach, rough terrain capability, and adaptability through attachments, often reducing the need for separate forklifts and small cranes.

3. Conveyor Systems

  • Function/Uses: Conveyor systems provide a means of continuously transporting materials over a fixed path, horizontally, inclined, or declined. In construction and related industries (like mining or aggregate production), they are used for moving bulk materials (sand, gravel, crushed rock, excavated soil, wet concrete) or unit loads (bricks, blocks, packaged goods) efficiently over set distances. Applications include feeding crushers and screening plants, transporting materials from excavation points to stockpiles or loading areas (especially in tunneling or large earthworks), moving concrete from batch plants, and handling materials within prefabrication facilities.
  • Variations: Numerous types exist, tailored to the material being handled:
    • Belt Conveyors: Use a continuous belt moving over rollers or a slider bed. Flat belts handle unit loads; Troughed belts are used for bulk materials to increase carrying capacity and prevent spillage. Magnetic belts can transport ferrous materials. Portable and radial stacking conveyors are common in aggregate operations.
    • Roller Conveyors: Use rollers to move unit loads. Can be gravity-powered (sloped) or powered. Provide accumulation capability.
    • Screw Conveyors (Auger Conveyors): Use a rotating helical screw blade within a trough or tube to move bulk materials (powders, granules, semi-solids). Often used for cement or grain.
    • Bucket Conveyors/Elevators: Use buckets attached to a chain or belt to lift bulk materials vertically.
    • Chute Conveyors: Simple gravity-fed chutes for moving materials downwards.
    • Sortation Systems: Complex systems combining different conveyor types with diverters, scanners, etc., for sorting and directing items, primarily used in distribution/logistics.
  • Components: Typically include a frame structure, the transport medium (belt, rollers, screw, buckets), a drive mechanism (motor and gearbox for powered systems), pulleys or sprockets, tensioning devices, and loading/discharge points. Using conveyors on large construction projects can significantly enhance efficiency, reduce reliance on haul trucks within the site, minimize labor, and provide continuous material flow.

4. Hoists

  • Function/Uses: Hoists are mechanical devices used specifically for lifting or lowering loads through a rope, chain, or cable that winds onto a drum or passes over a lift-wheel. They are fundamental components in many lifting systems, including cranes, and are also used independently for vertical transport in construction, manufacturing, and maintenance. Construction hoists (often called personnel or material hoists, buck hoists, or construction elevators) are specifically designed to transport workers and materials vertically along the side of a building under construction, typically using a guided cage or platform moving along a tower structure.
  • Variations:
    • Mechanism: Chain Hoists use a chain as the lifting medium, often preferred for portability and lower capacity applications. Can be manual (hand chain operated), electric, or pneumatic. Wire Rope Hoists use steel wire rope, generally for higher capacities, higher speeds, and longer lifts, typically powered. Lever Hoists use a lever mechanism for lifting or pulling, often used for tensioning or short lifts.
    • Power Source: Manual, Electric, Pneumatic (air-powered), Hydraulic.
    • Mounting: Can be fixed, mounted on trolleys (beam trolleys) for horizontal movement along a beam, or integrated into cranes or other structures.
    • Construction Hoists: Specific type for vertical transport on buildings, single or twin cage configurations, varying capacities and speeds.
  • Components: Lifting medium (chain, wire rope), lift-wheel or drum, power source (motor, hand chain, lever), gearbox, brake system, hook or lifting attachment, controls. Construction hoists include a tower structure, cage/platform, drive mechanism, and safety systems. Hoists are critical for vertical logistics, especially in multi-story and high-rise construction, working in tandem with cranes to move materials and personnel efficiently.