When Can You Use an Excavator Pile Driving Arm for Pile Driving?

In modern construction, roadwork, river maintenance, and temporary structures, pile driving has become an essential task. Traditionally, contractors rely on dedicated pile drivers. However, as job sites become more diverse and budgets more flexible, more companies are choosing to equip their excavators with an excavator pile driving arm(also called pile driver arm or excavator pile hammer boom).So the key question is:When is it suitable to use an excavator pile driving arm for pile driving?

Narrow construction site and urban interior construction: more flexible driving arm of excavator

Traditional large piling machines are difficult to access during construction on urban roads, shed reconstruction areas, community construction or narrow areas:

Narrow site and limited gyration

Inadequate ground bearing to support large equipment

High altitude obstacles (wire, beam, bridge bottom structure)

In these cases, the flexibility advantage of the excavator's driving arm is great:

Small turning radius

Shorter operating body

Low site requirements

Flexible loading and unloading and self-moving

Therefore, a digger arm is a more advantageous option when working in narrow areas or confined spaces

Temporary works and small-scale works: short construction period and lower cost

Special piling rigs are generally expensive and not suitable for:

Small works

Temporary works (such as site enclosure and river slope protection)

Works with scattered construction points

Pile foundation task with small construction amount

The excavator+pile driving arm can:

Arranged at any time, no need to hire large equipment

Can be retrofitted using existing excavators

Quick mobility and flexible scheduling

For projects with short construction period, small pile quantity and limited budget, it is most economical to drive the pile arm with excavator.

Complicated terrain and poor ground conditions: stronger adaptability of the driving arm of the excavator

Special piling rigs often do not work well in the following terrain conditions:

River channel slope

Roads in mountainous areas

Swamp and soft foundation

Narrow and uneven construction road

River beach, dike and fishpond

The excavator has strong chassis stability, good trafficability and adjustable posture, so the pile driving arm of excavator performs better in these complex working conditions:

Can be constructed on slopes

Water-waterable construction

Stable on uneven ground

High level operation with telescopic or extended arms

Therefore, in non-standard construction areas, a digger arm is a more suitable option

Driving light pile and small and medium-sized pile

Excavator drive arms are generally suitable for the following pile types:

Steel sheet pile, H-shaped steel pile, cement square pile, plastic pile/PVC pile (for river regulation), sheet pile, slope protection pile

Enclosure pile (steel pipe for site enclosure), wood pile and bamboo pile

For light to medium pile foundation tasks, the efficiency of the excavator's pile arm can even be comparable to that of a large pile driver.

In the case of high-rise buildings or deep foundation works, the arm of the excavator is usually fully competent.

More flexible and convenient when the requirements for construction efficiency are not extreme

Special equipment shall be used for large projects (such as viaduct and ultra-deep pile foundation). However, for most projects, "sufficient efficiency" is sufficient, without the high cost and difficult operation of large pile drivers.

The digger arm has the following efficiency advantages:

Quick access to site

Quick positioning of pile position

Fast turnaround speed

Short downtime

Short driver learning curve

In medium strength construction, it is often the best balance point between efficiency and cost.

Digger arms are not all-purpose, but are the most practical option in most projects. In summary, the following conditions are most suitable for driving piles by using the driving arm of the excavator:

Narrow and limited site, small quantities, short construction period, complex terrain not suitable for large equipment, multiple process mixed construction, light or medium-sized pile foundation task, limited project budget.

For most municipal, river, road, temporary and ordinary pile foundation projects, the installation of pile arm by excavator has become a trend in the industry.