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A few years ago a small-town
contractor and his friend were visiting a major city and standing
in awe of an excavator reaching way up to demolish a tall building.
The excavator had an extra-long reach for its boom, and the job
went most smoothly. “I bet you wish you could reach as high
as that with your equipment,” said the friend to the contractor.
“Of course, I do,” was the wry response. “But I don’t
have the right excavator or enough hydraulics. Nor do I have the
need for such height.” In those words lies the secret to successful
work with specialty attachments. You must have the right carrier
and you must have enough hydraulics available; you must also have
jobs that require the particular attachment or adaptation. Some
powerful attachments start with carrier machines that are only 5,000
pounds, so you don’t have to invest in only the largest models.
Your manufacturer or dealer will willingly guide you, so don’t
be shy about asking.
Most of the attachments
we mention in this article will come from independent manufacturers,
but the leading producers of machines also have a vast array of
attachments available. Most of them may not be considered “specialty,”
but all of them turn a single machine into a multiple-task worker.
One of the most frequently mentioned plaudits for attachments in
recent years has been that they enable a contractor to use one machine
(and one employee) for several tasks at the job site. When you invest
in a new machine, always ask about the attachments available. Your
favorite manufacturer has plenty to offer!
Ask Link-Belt, Komatsu,
Kobelco, Liebherr, Volvo, Caterpillar, Daewoo, John Deere, Bobcat,
Takeuchi, or any other industry leader what they have and what they
recommend for your model. Some of those have more 100 attachments
to offer. Most of us are not really specialist contractors, but
attachments can enable us to take on profitable projects we might
have ignored otherwise, and we can use our same employees and machines
to complete them. Contractors who have expanded successfully will
tell you that some of their success has been due to their disproving
that a loader just loads and carries, or that an excavator just
digs.
One aspect of attachments
that some contractors find helpful is that many of them have names.
Instead of asking for the MXT-TY-55431-T or the PYT-RAMB-352 you
will be seeking details about a Claw or a Cracker or a PowerGrip.
The names (apart from showing the great imaginations of their inventors)
often tell you what the attachment actually does. Allied-Gator’s
Claw Bucket turns a loader with an ordinary bucket into a machine
for tearing, grabbing, sifting, and sorting materials. This bucket
attachment is strong enough to withstand the tractive force of the
loader, and once clamped shut, the Claw will not be pried open.
Allied-Gator offers a proprietary two-pin installation and removal
system that makes any switch quick and easy at the job site. The
Cracker (officially the MT Series Multi-Tool Cracker/Crusher) comes
from the same manufacturer and uses a “power link and guide
system” that promises superior power for cracking and crushing.
There is 360-degree rotation of this attachment, and it is available
in 11 sizes for carriers from 5,000 pounds. A shear attachment could
partner the Cracker; it too offers the full-circle rotation and
damage-free cylinder appointment.
Those attachments are
complete in themselves, like everyday hydraulic breakers. The PowerTilt
attachment from Helac has achieved success by being a link between
a standard carrier and standard attachments to give productive versatility.
It gives the operator of a backhoe or excavator the advantages of
a 180-degree side-to-side swing, so the bucket can be positioned
even as unusually as perpendicular to the stick. The need to do
this is not so unusual, as anybody who has worked with ditches will
testify. The PowerTilt—it’s like an extra joint, isn’t
it?—can be supplied with two different built-in couplers. The
standard is a hook-style mechanical quick coupler intended for use
with OEM pin-on buckets; the optional universal coupler is for those
quick-hitch-style buckets. How would such a specialty attachment
improve productivity? “When you use this, you’ll find
you have to reposition your machine less frequently, because the
extra dexterity allows you to do more work from one position,”
explains Tom Krause with Helac. “We think a good comparison
would be to think of the backhoe dipper and boom as your own arm.
Imagine the problems you’d have doing even simple tasks if
you couldn’t turn your wrist.”
Buckets!
In the same family as the PowerTilt just mentioned is Helac’s
PowerGrip, a four-in-one bucket that has been used successfully
for grading and trenching and as a grapple, clamshell bucket, and
hydraulic thumb. All those actions with the one attachment.
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PHOTO: KENCO |
| Triple
Tine mechanical grapple |
Buckets come in an intriguing
variety of shapes and sizes. One manufacturer (IMAC) gives us a
good description of applications for some of the configurations.
The General Purpose (or Trenching) Standard Duty bucket for excavators
is excellent for soils where you don’t expect abrasion or shock
loading. Sometimes owners add teeth and corner bits to these, to
improve penetration and extend wear life. They are usually available
in standard or high-capacity models, with different widths. The
same buckets in a heavy-duty format are stronger and give more resistance
to wear. “If your excavator has only one tool, this is it,”
says Brian Wilson of IMAC. The customer would specify width to match
trenches being dug. Beyond the heavy-duty buckets are the Extreme
Service models. They are sometimes called Road Building or Pipe
Lining buckets and have a stronger basic structure with extra wear
materials (such as liners or hard surfacing). For cleaning up loose
material, you would get an extra-wide bucket that can handle granular
materials. They rarely have teeth, but they do sometimes have bolt-on
cutting edges. You can get heavy-duty models of this kind of bucket,
too.
We counted more than
80 different kinds of attachments and buckets from Werk-Brau, and
that’s not counting all the sizes available! What is your busiest
machine? A backhoe? Werk-Brau has buckets for backhoes, described
as standard, heavy-duty, extra-heavy-duty, and severe-duty (and
all those with Werk-Brau’s Spring Loaded Quick Coupler configuration,
too). If you are looking for a special bucket or attachment for
your backhoe, could it be a “V” ditch-forming bucket,
standard or heavy-duty pavement removal buckets, frost and rock
rippers, excavating rakes, ditch cleaning and grade buckets, a hydraulic
tilting grade bucket, or a trenching bucket? “The universal
heavy-duty backhoe bucket is specifically designed [a phrase that
describes many of Werk-Brau’s products] for digging in moderate
to heavy soil conditions, such as tough clay mixed with rock,”
notes Greg Smith, chief engineer. “It is not designed for digging
in solid rock. Before buying any attachment, ask the experts at
the company which style and size is best for your application.”
If the ground were always
easily scooped and rocks never rested where you want to dig, excavating
might be simpler. For excavators and backhoes over 11,000 pounds,
Leading Edge Attachments offers the SHARC Multi-Ripper bucket of
AR400 steel. This specialty attachment works rather like a trencher,
but it uses the rolling action of the backhoe to rip. The rip teeth
are staggered (with no two teeth aligned with each other, for maximum
force behind the one that is ripping) and fracture the substrate
in sequential order. The bucket scoops up the material after ripping
so there is little material left in the trench. Leading Edge says
this is a definite advantage over other ripper buckets. Further,
the bucket is wider than the excavator sticks, enabling the operator
to rip deeply while still being able to rip the sides of the trench.
It has been most successful in rocky or frosty ground. (Oh, that
SHARC stands for SHanks on an ARC, describing the staggered shanks.)
Some contractors, longtime users of hydraulic hammers for applications
in frozen ground or fragmented rock, have reported that the SHARC
is four times faster.
Among specialized attachments
from Rockland we found a Ditch Cleaning Bucket and a Super Sort
bucket for excavators. The ditch-cleaning model speaks for itself.
It has a wide, shallow design to make the removal of ditch sediment
easy, and you can also get drain holes and bolt-on edges of your
choice. Our reaction to the Super Sort bucket (“What will they
think of next?”) probably shows why we didn’t invent it.
It will sort any size material while you dig. You just dig, separate,
and dump. You can put the sorted material in one pile and residue
in another. Material left in the bucket is dumped first; then the
material in the separator is dumped by hydraulic retraction.
Clams, Lobsters,
and Orange Peel
The PowerClam is a clamshell from IMAC that uses the tool cylinder
to provide a “powered wrist function.” This type of bucket
can turn, grip, pull, and curl. Free-hanging clamshells (on the
end of the excavator’s stick) usually bale loose materials
from down below. Various extensions are available for the PowerClam,
depending on the depth you intend to reach. A trapezoidal bucket
(with sloped sides and a flat cutting edge) will give a specified
trench width and sidewall slope. They have been popular for deep,
wide trenches where a narrow bottom is required (such as those for
pipe where the narrower the pipe bedding, the less it costs). Similar
to the trapezoidal configuration is the Vee Bottom bucket. The shape
of the cutting edge lets the point of the V concentrate on difficult
materials (like frosted ground or shale), and as the cut deepens,
more teeth come into play. The Vee bucket has straight sides, and
the cutting edge is that V shape. It is clear that the shape of
a bucket matters; if it’s the right shape, it will do the job
more quickly and accurately. The dozens of different shapes and
configurations of buckets are the results of input from excavator
operators and owners. You can be sure that there has been somebody
somewhere who had the same challenge as you will have on that next
job, and you can be equally certain that there is a bucket designed
to solve that exact problem.
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PHOTO: LEADING EDGE |
| SHARC
Multi-Ripper |
How does a Pavement Lobster
grab you? It’s an excavator bucket from Rockland Manufacturing
that grabs the pavement, getting under the surface and lifting whole
slabs out easily. It’s not as heavy as you’d expect, either,
being made of alloy steel. Rockland was a pioneer in the development
of thumbs for excavators. For backhoes, the Rockland Smart Thumb
gives quick, positive, hydraulic action, and without the extra expense
of stick plumbing or another control valve. What do thumbs do? In
the olden days (I remember them well!) it could take one or two
extra workers to hook and unhook chains for material handling. Sometimes
the excavators were parked while a loader did the handling. Now,
with thumbs, excavators don’t need that second machine. Nor
do they need the awkward chains and extra workers. “Thumb weight
is critical,” Rockland reminds us. “If your thumb is too
heavy, you’ll affect your digging performance. If it’s
too light, it just won’t stand up to the use.”
The weight of the load
provides the gripping power for Kenco’s Triple Tine mechanical
grapple, so you don’t need hydraulics to power it. This attachment
has three points of contact to lift irregular-shaped objects safely,
with a broad range of size capability. The patented actuator allows
for hands-free operation in the lifting, moving, and setting of
your loads. So far, models available can handle capacities from
3,000 to 20,000 pounds.
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PHOTO: ALLIED-GATOR |
| Claw Bucket |
Young Corp. in Seattle,
WA, specializes in manufacturing booms and custom machine modifications
for construction equipment, but the one that may be most applicable
is the Orange Peel Grapple. There are two models of the Orange Peel
Grapple, one with four tines, the other with five. The larger model
is for big material handling situations, with machines of 175,000
pounds or more. One of the key advantages of the four-tine attachment
is its ability to rotate 360 degrees; this high-torque rotation
is continuous and bidirectional, so you can position the grapple
and load. All bearing bolts are accessible from the top of the grapple.
One of the problems faced by those using grapples is the onslaught
of dirt; you expect it because it is usually dirty work. The four-tine
model has sealed pin joints that retain grease and keep the dirt
out. It also offers replaceable, abrasion-resistant tips and hydraulic
cylinders with heavy cylinder walls, oversized rods, heavy rod shrouds,
and hydraulic cushions for shock absorption. It has been by attention
to such (practical, on-the-job) details that independent manufacturers
of attachments have succeeded so well in a competitive sector.
Compaction With the
Carrier You Already Have
Hydraulic breakers are probably the best known of the Allied
Construction Products range of attachments—now linked with
world-famous Rammer models—but there is one type that is quite
specialized. The Ho-Pac was born in 1965, and it is used for compacting
trenches and driving sheets. In its 40 years of success, the Ho-Pac
has improved considerably, especially in the force it provides.
Today’s Model 500 offers 3,940 pounds of force (540 pounds
more than its predecessor); the Model 1000 offers 8,000 pounds (1,660
pounds more than its predecessor). Two other Ho-Pac compacting attachments,
the 1600 and 2300, give 16,000 pounds and 24,000 pounds respectively.
As mentioned above, you must have enough power in your excavator
to work these attachments. When you are considering a Ho-Pac, you
should ask yourself which machine you wish to use, and how you want
to attach it to the carrier (by quick-attach or pin-on). Does your
machine have an auxiliary hydraulic circuit? Are there other products
that will be attached? If you work these out and tell your dealer
for Allied Construction Products what you need, you can expect expert
and straightforward recommendations. There are four mounting configurations
available: swivel, flat top, direct pin-on, and VMS (Variable Mounting
System).
In a similar vein, BSP
offers a Rapid Impact Compactor (RIC). It’s something like
a piling hammer. The foot (almost 5 feet across) stays in contact
with the ground while a weight descends about 5 feet at the rate
of 40 to 60 blows per minute. That speed makes up the energy difference
between the RIC and that of dropping a heavy weight from a crane’s
jib. And there is no flying debris! This compaction method with
this specialized attachment has been successful at construction
sites (with compaction depths usually in the 1- to 5-yard range)
where the ground is not ready for building, where there is granular
fill, silt, fine sand, and old landfill ground filled with rubble,
wood, and brick.
Demolition—But
Not Just Buildings
Sometimes the demolition required is the ground itself. It
could be an asphalt roadway or trees to clear the path for right-of-way
work and maintenance. The Timber Ax from Loftness/US Attachments
explains itself. Don’t you love products whose names tell you
what they do? This attachment for a skid-steer loader can cut and
mulch unwanted brush and trees. It has reverse rotation. That means
that the knives are rotating upward on the front side of the rotor,
using rigid, sharpened blades together with an adjustable shear
bar. This reverse rotation lifts the material off the ground (reducing
horsepower requirements and minimizing knife wear) where similar
attachments using rotors that rotate forward with fixed or swinging
hammers can drive uncut material into the ground. The Loftness design
makes excellent use of hydraulic power. The Timber Ax leaves a clean
job site by mowing grass and weeds while mulching brush and trees
more finely than conventional rotary cutters or shredders. This
attachment can cut trees up to 6 inches in diameter—with a
reserve capacity that will handle even bigger ones.
“Our project for
Black Hills Power and Light in South Dakota called for clearing
a power line right of way, a little over 9 miles long and 60 feet
wide,” says Bob Baker, owner of Baker Timber Products. Baker
had bid the project assuming it would take a typical three-man crew
with feller bunchers and skidders. But that equipment was tied up
on another project. The contractor started the project with a Fecon
FTX. “I figured we’d put a one-man crew to start with
and bring in the heavy guns later as deadline approached.”
The FTX is a small steel-tracked machine that can take multiple
attachments, powered by the loader’s hydraulics. “We used
a 14-inch bunching shear and a Fecon Bull Hog grinder,” explains
Baker. “With the shear, the operator cut everything up to 12
inches, laying the timber down parallel to the power lines. That
covered about 90% of the cutting. The rest was cut with a chainsaw.
Then the same operator came in with the Bull Hog grinder and mulched
the remaining materials.” What was expected to be a 30-day
project for a three-person crew ended up being completed successfully
by one person in 17 days.
The Genesis Cyclone Processor
from Genesis Attachments (one of the Paladin group) has been successful
in mine and tunnel work, but also in soil remediation and residential
and commercial construction. It processes the concrete found in
slabs, walls, footings, and bridge abutments. The Cyclone GC 550
is for excavators in the 70,000- to 100,000-pound range, and there
is a larger model (GC 950) for larger excavators. You can remove
and replace the pin-on carbide-tipped processing teeth, mounted
to a 24-inch drum. The number and size of the teeth can be adjusted
to directly control the size of the end product. A protective rock
shield for onsite safety is standard.
Most manufacturers of
large excavators can provide special booms, especially longer-than-usual
versions for applications like demolition. If the longer boom and
its attachment are stretching 20 feet or more than usual—upward
or outward—the inclination to tip over would be like you holding
a 25-foot steel pole out across a river. Manufacturers offer reinforcement
to allow the adaptation and keep the machine stable. If you’re
not sure about that provision, ask.
The first challenge,
if you want to expand your equipment’s reach, is to make sure
you have enough power and hydraulics to achieve that. Of equal importance
is the challenge for the operator. If he’s doing demolition,
he should know exactly where his attachment is. Hydraulic breakers
are meant to break, and they should strike only what you want them
to. Liebherr reminds us of another aspect of demolition work. It
provides a cab with a protective shield against falling debris,
and you can also request a cab that tilts up as much as 30 degrees
to improve the operator’s view of the work envelope. Extending
the boom is not just welding a bit more metal on a standard piece.
Caterpillar’s Ultra High Demolition excavators (which can go
to a working height of more than 120 feet) have a variable-gauge
undercarriage for stability. Other features are acoustic warning
devices that warn the operator if the long boom works outside its
recommended working range. One of Volvo’s configurations is
a two-piece adjustable boom for work in confined spaces.
A company that specializes
in adaptations of standard machinery is Paul Wever Construction
Equipment (PWCE). To this company, each application is a separate
challenge. Its Extendavator adds an extra 8 to 50 feet, but it does
not require an extra counterweight. Other products from PWCE give
you an idea of what can be acquired from experts: an extendable
paw and a third stick. One advantage of extra reach for your excavator
is that you can collect dirt from a wider radius. The same manufacturer
also offers an attachment that turns a backhoe into a crane, with
a lifting capacity of 1,000 pounds. That could be practical for
lifting and hoisting everyday materials like plywood, shingles,
trusses, wall panels, shingles, and forms. PWCE also makes a Swamp
Thing. Ask about it.
The list seems endless,
and we have not included all the specialized attachments available.
Our conclusion, after talking to manufacturers and contractors,
is that you can probably find an attachment to do that special job
that will expand your business and give you profitable results.
It is quite possible that the attachment will not be made by a leading
carrier manufacturer but by a company that specializes in attachments.
Some of them have been making attachments for many years. They specialize,
and they are good at what they do.
Paul Hull writes on
construction topics for several international magazines.
GEC
- November/December 2005
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