The Nature, Purposes, and Types of Ground Engaging Tools
While it does tend to sound rather like another example of the techno jargon with which we are bombarded on a regular basis today, the phrase “ground engaging tools” represents one of those rare instances where the words used means exactly what they say. In practice, if you have ever dug a trench in a vegetable garden with the intention of planting potatoes, then the spade, rake, and any other garden implements that you may have needed would conform precisely to this definition.
That said, however, this somewhat formal description would not normally be applied to the implements you might purchase from your local garden centre or hardware store, where it is not usual to refer to a spade as a digging implement. In practice, the term is generally reserved to describe the considerably larger items of equipment employed by a number of heavy industries such as mining and construction, and it is often abbreviated to the 3-letter acronym GET.
Basically, any form of wheeled or tracked vehicle that may be used to loosen, lift, remove, compress, or to otherwise modify the surface beneath it qualifies as a ground engaging tool. One of the more commonly encountered types is the bulldozer. Equipped with a front-mounted blade, this is used to push large quantities of earth, sand, or soil in order to produce a graded surface When fitted with a bucket rather than a blade, they are referred to as loaders and are used to lift the accumulated piles of material and transfer it to another nearby location or to a vehicle for transportation to a more distant site. Bulldozers with a variety of purpose-designed blades, as well as front-end loaders, are widely used on building sites, for quarrying operations, and on the mines, and are even employed by defence forces.
On sites where some form of excavation may be required, a backhoe loader will frequently be among the ground engaging tools of choice. So called because they dig by drawing the earth backwards rather than forwards, like a bulldozer, they also differ from dozers by being wheeled rather than tracked vehicles. In addition to the standard bucket in front, they are also equipped with a rear-mounted, hydraulically operated arm, to which a digging bucket is attached. Under the control of the operator, the latter can be driven into the earth in order to create a hole or a trench. These vehicles are useful for a wide range of tasks from excavating the footings for foundations to removing tree trunks. Dedicated excavators in the form of tracked vehicles also operate like a backhoe by drawing material backwards. However, the arms are longer, positioned at the front of the vehicle, and the bucket capacity is greater.
Durability and reliability are prime concerns of the potential purchaser when in the market for these and other ground engaging tools. These are precisely the qualities that most industries worldwide have come to regard as synonymous with the Caterpillar brand. Available throughout Africa from Kanu Equipment, the supplier also provides end-users with all the essential spares, accessories and technical support they need to ensure they can continue to enjoy the many benefits of these iconic yellow machines.
