When a piece of equipment is hardly ever mentioned, some people might assume that it means the equipment isn’t important. What it means is that the equipment is often used for a niche purpose. Below are some pieces of machinery that you might have never heard of, but that has almost certainly been used to impact your life for the better.
Valve Turner/Valve Exerciser
First up is a valve turner, sometimes also called a valve exerciser (the term valve exerciser is becoming increasingly used in the utility community, as environmental activists who use valve exercisers to sabotage oil pipelines call themselves valve turners). These tools work to make sure that fire hydrants and similar waterlines are running properly. Without them, fire hoses may not connect to the hydrants correctly. Needless to say, the world is a better place for having valve exercisers around.
Chipper Attachment
Adding a variety of attachments to compact loaders (utility vehicles often used in farming, construction, and foresty) can help save money when it comes to buying new equipment. In this instance, people who are already using a compact loader for their jobs can buy a chipper attachment, rather than buy a wood chipper separately.
These chippers work in the same way as wood chippers. Even better, the compact loader itself can be driven right up to the debris, rather than the sticks or brush needing to be carried to a chipper. Another great bonus is that the chips can be used for other things, so they do not go to waste.
Telehandler
One piece of equipment that no modern-day farmer or rail construction worker can live without is a telehandler, or similar tractor attachment. While it may not seem like these tools do much, using them helps to save a lot of time. That means saving a lot of money. Without hi-rail telehandlers, and other types, much of the construction and agricultural work would likely be more expensive because they would take more time and effort to be completed.
While we may not see these tools used in our own everyday lives, they are constantly being used “behind the scenes” to make all of our lives a little easier. Learning more about these tools can help us to appreciate them more.
