In the construction industry today, it’s not just the backhoe, telehandler, wheel loader, excavator, or compact product alone that makes the difference to contractors. They are demanding more from the equipment they purchase, and being able to fit the application with the combination of the right attachment to the right machine is critical. The variety of attachments increases machine utilization and value, increasing the contractor’s productivity and profitability.
Wheel loaders typically have been viewed as machines for stockpiling material, leading their lives, their lives with only a bucket. But now industry requirements for higher utilization have led to the tool-carrier concept, which allows the loader to easily change over and use a variety of productive attachments. Today, wheel loaders are capable of using a wide range of buckets to broaden their application. Another popular attachment is forks; all job sites have the need to move and lift supplies and other equipment. And increasing versatility even more are further specialized pallet forks with top grabs, as well as hydraulic attachments such as booms and side-dump buckets.
Excavators have also enjoyed increased popularity and higher utilization through available attachments. Buckets, hydraulic breakers, and shears are most popular for demolition sites. Combined with dipper-mounted thumbs and clam buckets, the excavator can be used for more than deep trenching and lifting operations. And dipper-mounted quick-hitch couplers improve the convenience of changing these attachments.
Backhoe loaders have long been achieving new levels of versatility through a wide range of attachments. Typically used for trenching, backfilling, and loading, today’s backhoe can be used for many diverse applications because of its refined operating controls and attachments, such as hydraulic breakers, bucket rotators, thumbs, grab buckets, pallet forks, hydraulic brooms, earth augers, truss booms, and the quick-hitch couplers that make the use of attachments so much more convenient.
For these prime movers, the list of useful attachments goes on. In fact, new attachments designed to increase productivity and versatility continue to be developed to meet the ever-growing needs of contractors today.
