Best Practices

How to Choose the Right Excavator Attachments

Excavators are extremely versatile pieces of equipment that can complete a wide variety of tasks on every project. When your machine is equipped with the right excavator attachment, you can handle many other tasks besides digging: demolition, material handling, mulching, grading, compacting, and more. The challenge is how to choose the right attachment for your particular equipment and specific job.

In this article, we cover some key tips and best practices for determining the best excavator attachments for your needs.

The different types of available excavator attachments

There is a large range of attachment options that can greatly increase your machine’s capabilities. Here are some of the most popular attachments:

Excavator buckets – A bucket is the most popular excavator attachment. Buckets allow your machine to dig, carry material, and perform grading, leveling, and backfilling work. There is a wide variety of excavator buckets available, including digging, rock, grading, ditch cleaning, trenching, and others.

Multiprocessors – A multiprocessor acts as powerful jaws that cut and break apart hard material on demolition jobs.

Excavator grapples – These attachments let you grab and place scrap, wood, brush, piping, and more. Grapples transform your excavator into a material handler on jobsites of all shapes and sizes.

Hydraulic breakers – Also called hammers, hydraulic breakers smash through solid material like concrete, rock, and even steel, helping you take down structures on demolition projects.

Excavator shears – When you equip your machine with excavator shears, you can cut and shred structural steel, rebar, scrap metals, and other building materials.

Excavator thumbs – Thumb attachments give operators precise control when it comes to loading and moving debris, rock, and other loose material.

In addition to these popular excavator attachments, there is a wide range of others, including plate compactors, pulverizers, trenchers, and more.

Check your machine’s specifications

Whether you’re working with hydraulic breakers, grapples, multiprocessors, or another excavator attachment, they are all powered by your machine’s hydraulic circuit. Although excavators are typically described as “high flow” or “standard flow”, these labels may differ from one manufacturer to another. Typically, high flow circuits exceed 26 gallons per minute of hydraulic flow, while standard flow circuits provide 22 gallons per minute. Ensure the attachment you choose does not exceed your machine’s hydraulic capabilities.

Determine if it’s compatible

After you decide on the type of excavator attachment you need and make sure it’s within the hydraulic capabilities of your machine, next you need to see if it’s compatible with your mounting system. Most excavator attachments have a universal mount, but there may be variations depending on your make and model.

Test out the attachment

Before purchasing an excavator attachment, we recommend scheduling a demo. By having your operators test it out, you will see firsthand how simple they are to install, how easy they are to maneuver, and how well they complete the jobs you need them to.

Talk with our team

There are a lot of excavator attachments out there, so we recommend speaking with our equipment experts before making a purchase. We’ll need to understand what your typical projects include and which excavator you are using. Then, we will help you determine which size and type of attachments will work best.

Meet with our team to find the best excavator attachments for you.