A small floating excavator fitted with pontoon track units at Hillhead 2010
Floating excavators date back to the mid 1800s when early steam shovels were mounted on pontoons/barges for excavating canals, docks and other marine projects as well as in large gravel pits. These are also known as Dredgers in some cases (but dredgers also include suction and draglines based machines built on ships as well as barges).
Modern machines vary from mini excavators mounted on a small barge for canal and pond cleaning, up to 600 ton+ hydraulic excavators mounted on jack leg pontoons for building harbours and excavating trenches for pipelines and outfall pipes for large installations.
Finish Dredger - A JCB 812 excavator body mounted on a barge with spud legs
See also[]
- Dredger
- Long reach excavator