Eiffel 101: Foundation Equipment Overview

Here at Eiffel Trading, we sell a wide range of used foundation equipment including augers, casing oscillators, clean out buckets, drill rigs, drilling buckets, hammer grabs, impact hammers, pile breakers, pile drivers and vibratory hammers. In this article, we take a look at each.

Augers

An auger is a tool used for drilling holes in the ground. They include a rotating helical screw blade called a flighting, which acts as a kind of conveyor belt to siphon out the drilled material. Typically, they’re used to install things like decks, telephone poles and solar posts. In construction, augers are used on drilling rigs to dig holes for things like deep foundation piles or retaining walls. Augurs are especially useful in instances where many holes of the same depth and width must be dug for a single project, as they allow for continuity and save on time and labor.

Casing Oscillators

A casing oscillator is a tool used to drive and extract large steel casings from the earth. Steel casings are commonly installed underground to protect things like utility lines from being damaged, either from natural elements or from human activity.

Additionally, casing oscillators can also be used to drive cased drilled shafts into the earth. Drilled shafts are required when ground conditions are too unstable for drilled holes to be stabilized on their own, and ground loss must be controlled. The steel pipe drill casings can be temporary or permanent.

Clean Out Buckets

A clean out bucket is a specialized drilling tool used to remove spoil from holes during foundation drilling to create a clean base for the piling. Clean out buckets can also be used to flatten the soil at the bottom of a hole so that when the pile is inserted, the tip of the pile has a firm, flat surface on which to rest. Unlike drilling buckets, clean out buckets don’t have cutting teeth, but they’re similar to drilling buckets in other ways. Specialized clean out buckets called “muckout” buckets can be used to remove loose materials when drilling slurry is present, allowing liquids to pass through while holding onto the loose materials at the bottom of a drilled hole.

Drill Rigs

A drill rig is a construction system that serves a variety of purposes, all of which involve drilling into the earth’s surface. Drill rigs can be large, such as those used to create oil or water wells, or small and mobile. Drill rigs can sample subsurface mineral deposits, test rock properties, install underground utilities, and more. The term “rig” generally refers to the complex system of equipment used to penetrate the surface of the earth’s crust for this variety of purposes.

Drilling Buckets

A drilling bucket is a piece of equipment used to drill into cohesive and non-cohesive soil below groundwater level. Drill buckets come in a range of styles and are suitable for breaking and ripping hard soil and medium-hard rock.

Hammer Grabs

A hammer grab is a piece of equipment used for boring piles. The main function of the hammer grab is to excavate bored piles of soil, gravel and soft rock layers so that the pile can be filled with poured concrete and made permanent. A hammer grab consists of the grab body, body extensions (also called guides), slide box, pulleys, crown, catcher, wire socket, rods for the shovel, and the shovel. Each of these components works together to excavate bored piles of soil and gravel.

Impact Hammers

When installing foundation piles, they must be forced into the ground. This can be done by driving the piles using an impact hammer, of which there are three main types: diesel impact hammers, steam hammers, and hydraulic impact hammers. All three of these impact hammers have different power sources (as can be noted in their names), but they work in a similar manner, which is to place a weight above a pile that releases, slides down vertically, and hits the pile, thereby hammering it into the ground.

Pile Breakers

A pile breaker is a piece of construction equipment used to cut foundation piles. Pile breakers are commonly used in pillar construction and demolition projects to crush the concrete part of a pillar without damaging the steel reinforcements encased within. The advantage of pile breakers is that they create a perfectly horizontal pile cutting finish without damaging the reinforcement or leaving cracks below the cutoff level.

Pile Drivers

Pile drivers are a broad term that includes impact hammers and vibratory hammers, and they are used to install foundation piles. In order to install foundation piles, they must be forced into the ground. This can be done in one of two ways: either by driving the piles or by drilling the piles. There are four main types of pile drivers: diesel impact hammers, steam hammers, hydraulic impact hammers, and vibratory hammers.

Vibratory Hammers

Unlike traditional pile drivers that use large weights to strike piles into the earth, vibratory hammers use vibrations to drive piles. Employing this technique, new piles can be driven quickly and quietly, and old piles can be extracted efficiently. Vibratory hammers create their vibrations using spinning weights and counterweights, and these vibrations reduce the earth’s resistance, which reduces the friction between the pile and the ground. This lessening in friction is what allows the pile to be driven or extracted with ease.

Buy and Sell with Eiffel Trading

Eiffel Trading’s online marketplace was designed to help contractors purchase and sell heavy civil assets, and foundation projects are our bread-and-butter! This includes the foundation equipment mentioned above, including used drill rigs, used impact hammers, used vibratory hammers, and more. Additionally, we have a wide-reaching structural steel inventory including used steel sheet pile, used pipe pile, brand new wide flange beams, and much more.

All of our listings are constantly being updated, but if you don’t see what you’re looking for, create a wanted listing for free.

Ready to sell your used heavy equipment or construction material? List your products today for free on Eiffel Trading’s online marketplace.

If you have any questions or would like additional information, please call us at 1-800-541-7998 or email sales@eiffeltrading.com.