Are you familiar with road construction equipment? Can you differentiate the kinds of large-scale and small-scale types of construction equipment you see on the roads? If you said yes to these questions, then it's high time you tested your knowledge. Take this quiz and see for yourself as to where you'll end up!
You might think at first that this kind of quiz is strangely hard. But actually, you just need to recall the many times that you may have passed some kind of road construction going on. Whether they are fixing up a damaged road, cleaning up one, or maybe widening a very narrow one, chances are you may have seen the many kinds of road construction equipment that's displayed out there, in full view of the public. And many of these pieces of equipment have also been exposed or featured in various kinds of pop culture media, surely. Constant repetition of such things tends to stick with us for a longer time.
So, do you think you can finally distinguish these handy-dandy or heavy-duty road construction equipment? Drive away with the quiz! Good luck!
When cementing, what’s this circular equipment used to "cook up" things?
A concrete mixer is that vehicle you see with the big drum that revolves around at the back. That's where they mix water and cement to become concrete.
Advertisement
Which equipment prepares the surface before laying asphalt?
A motor grader has a long blade as part of its mechanism. That blade plays a very important role in road construction.
Advertisement
This equipment can dig dig dig continuously. What is it?
Trenchers can really dig down the earth, and in a continuous mechanical manner. So that saves a lot of time for workers.
Advertisement
Which equipment moves the earth in a horizontally parallel scratching way, hence its name?
Scrapers are generally used for earth moving purposes. They're useful in constructions, mining, and also in agriculture work.
Advertisement
What do you call this digger of a machine, also known as rear actor?
A backhoe is essentially a digger machine. It has a digging bucket and an articulated arm working to dig the ground.
Advertisement
This machine can flatten you out! What’s it called?
A road roller machine is the one that presses down asphalt on the road. It's a bit noisy during operation.
Advertisement
Which equipment is like an assembly line kind of technology?
A conveyor indeed looks like a huge assembly line delivery equipment. It has a huge conveyor belt that transports materials easily.
Advertisement
Which small equipment helps in illuminating big areas?
A light tower is a flexible lighting system that comes in very handy on the road. It's built to be sturdy and mobile.
Advertisement
This handy truck can tilt its back to pour the contents out. What’s it called?
A tipper is a kind of truck with a back platform that carries anything. And whatever it carries can be tilted out of the truck when a part of it is raised.
Advertisement
Perhaps the most recognizable road construction equipment is this huge imposing pusher of an equipment. What is it?
The bulldozer is probably the most recognized road construction equipment. That's because of its unique look and imposing structure.
Advertisement
While it sounds like it should be used for garbage hauling, this truck is most useful in road construction. What is it?
A dump truck is useful for hauling and moving bulk material. A backhoe could dump debris or dirt in here, and the truck will dump that somewhere else.
Advertisement
When carrying liquids, you need to have which kind of truck?
In a road construction site, sometimes some form of liquid load needs to be delivered. That's the use of a tank trunk, also called a tanker.
Advertisement
Which huge equipment is needed to transport or deliver big equipment to a construction site?
A trailer per se is not a vehicle. It's usually an attachment that gets driven to haul something to a construction site.
Advertisement
This can shovel smaller loads and bring the haul to an open pit. What is it?
A wheel loader is essentially a kind of tractor. It's also known as a skip loader, a bucket holder, or a front loader.
Advertisement
This cousin of the road roller contributes for compaction duty. What is it?
Roller type compactors come in three different kinds of machines depending on what kind of compacting job they need to do. The plate compactor comes in handy when the road needs to be level graded.
Advertisement
Where do you prepare the asphalt before it’s even delivered to the road?
The asphalt mixing plant needs to keep the asphalt hot before it gets poured out. That's why newly layered asphalt sometimes still feel hot to the touch.
Advertisement
When a fallen tree leaves a part, which equipment do you need to clear it?
A stump grinder is a specialized equipment designed to eliminate any tree stumps that might have been left prior to doing formal road work construction. These powerful tools can hack away whatever stump is left there on the ground.
Advertisement
For handling heavy materials to be lifted from here to there, what arm-like machinery is usually used?
A crane is very handy in any construction site. So you also see it during road constructions.
Advertisement
When you need extra power supply, what do you haul in?
A generator is needed in any kind of road construction work. It powers some machinery and equipment needed on the job.
Advertisement
When you need to dig, what’s the basic equipment for that?
An excavator is much like a backhoe, only it's not exactly the whole machinery with wheels. An excavator is a hydraulic-powered excavating mechanism attached to a track, while a backhoe has its own wheels as a stand-alone vehicle.
Advertisement
If you need a vehicle with a pivot joint, you need to use which equipment?
An articulated truck has a special pivot joint in its mechanism, making it very flexible for travel. This comes in handy when doing road construction works, and materials need to be delivered in areas where there are very, very sharp turns.
Advertisement
Which machine actually lays down the asphalt on the road?
The paver is the special machine designed to lay down the asphalt on the road. It is also called asphalt finisher or simply the paving machine.
Advertisement
To alert the public of an ongoing road construction ahead, these markers could be placed at the edges of the work area. What are they called?
Traffic cones are usually placed in certain areas to alert incoming vehicles of ongoing road construction work in a specific section of the road. They're usually colored orange so they are easier to see.
Advertisement
When you need to evenly clear a surface without digging too deep into it, what do you need?
A landscape rake is an attachment to a tractor that does specialized kind of rake jobs. It's specifically designed to clear fields from dirt and debris.
Advertisement
To really grind materials very well, what do you need to have in the construction site?
A pulverizer powerfully grinds materials into finer grade, sometimes even in powder form. That's why it's also called a grinder.
Advertisement
When you need to clear the road during winter time, which equipment do you use?
A snow pusher is also called a box plow. Before even getting to do road construction work, one needs to push all that snow away on the surface if it's wintertime.
Advertisement
Can you tell the name of another kind of cleaning or surface maintenance equipment?
A road sweeper is a special vehicle that has attached circular spinning brushes with water sprays which sweeps through a road when needed. It's useful for cleaning the road construction site after the job is done, or it's used to finish off the job.
Advertisement
When you need to slice down a section of the road, what do you need to use?
An asphalt cutter comes in handy during road repair works. It's specially designed to cut through specific portions of the asphalt road when it needs to be analyzed for repairs.
Advertisement
Which kind of usual cutting equipment is used as an attachment during construction?
A wheel saw can easily cut through concrete. It's really useful in road repair works, and is usually powered through a form of hydraulics system attachment.
Advertisement
To clean up a site, what heavy-duty version of a cleaner do you need?
A heavy-duty broom looks like a wheeled drum rolling machine, but with brush-like material for the drum roll. This brush contraption looks like it's attached to the front end of a small vehicle that operates it.
Advertisement
If you need to remove a road’s partial surface, what do you use?
A cold planer is used to remove partial parts of the road only, either for repair or other purpose. This process is also called pavement milling or cold planing.
Advertisement
When you need some air and some pressure with it, what equipment provides that in a heavy-duty way?
A construction compressor is basically an air compressor that road construction workers use if they need the services of pressurized air. These are usually portable in design, so they will be easy to transport on the road.
Advertisement
What is this small but terrible hoisting truck they use for construction purposes?
A forklift truck has many other terms. It's also called a fork hoist, a jitney, or simply a lift truck.
Advertisement
When you need to cut some tough rock, this gun-looking machinery is needed. What is it?
A road header is banged onto a huge rock formation in order to create a cave opening at first. They are excellent tools for heavy-duty rock cutting tasks.
Advertisement
When digging through massive land - through and through - you need this huge equipment. What is it?
A tunnel boring machine could literally bore a hole through massive land masses. So it will really produce a tunnel, not just a cave opening.
How much do you know about dinosaurs? What is an octane rating? And how do you use a proper noun? Lucky for you, HowStuffWorks Play is here to help. Our award-winning website offers reliable, easy-to-understand explanations about how the world works. From fun quizzes that bring joy to your day, to compelling photography and fascinating lists, HowStuffWorks Play offers something for everyone. Sometimes we explain how stuff works, other times, we ask you, but we’re always exploring in the name of fun! Because learning is fun, so stick with us!
Get smarter every day! Subscribe & get 1 quiz every week.
Playing quizzes is free! We send trivia questions and personality tests every week to your inbox. By clicking "Sign Up" you are agreeing to our
privacy policy
and confirming that you are 13 years old or over.