Tom’s Top 5 Construction Attachments for Excavating

Because Tom has so much experience working with different attachments on the job, I asked him to narrow it down to his top five that he can’t live without.

1. Tilt Rotator

   Tom's top attachment that he couldn't live without is the tilt rotator.

   “We use the tilt rotator on pretty much every project we work on,” he says. “When you run a machine that doesn’t have one, you wish you had one!”

   Tom and his team have a variety of different attachments they can use with their tilt rotators, including plate compactors, compaction wheels, frost rippers and root rakes.

   “One of the best attachments we have for the tilt rotator is the plate compactor,” he states. “It saves us an unbelievable amount of time and helps us deliver faster and better results for our customers.”

2. Grade Control Systems

   Whether you use a 3D or 2D grade control system for your skid steer loader or excavator, Tom finds them to be an extremely useful tool.

   “My parents own a Cat® 305.5 for their landscaping business and I work with them a few days a week,” says Tom. “The 2D grade control system their mini excavator uses has the same efficiencies as what you’d get with big machines – nobody has to check grade, nobody has to hop in and out of the machine.”

   He also finds that grade control systems are crucial for accurately pricing your work.

   “Say you quoted the job for six inches of gravel and you dig out to six inches of gravel, you’ll use exactly what you quoted,” Tom notes.  “Without grade control, you could dig two inches too deep and you now have to haul in extra material that you didn’t quote.”

3. Regular Tilt Bucket for Excavators

   Tom and his team use a regular tilt bucket for grading ditches, swales and yards and they find that it’s a huge step up from a standard bucket.

   “It’s better than not using a tilt bucket because if your machine is on an angle but you’re trying to grade something level, you can angle the bucket back to level to achieve the grade you’re looking for,” he says.

4. Power Box Rake for Skid Steer Loaders

   The power box rake is another handy and versatile attachment for skid steers.

   “We use them to prepare lawns for seeding, but you can also tear out old lawns, rip up grass and can use them on gravel driveways to resurface them,” Tom notes.

5. Box Blade Attachment for Skid Steer Loaders

   Tom finds the box blade attachment a simple one that is pretty versatile, especially for things like spreading gravel and loam or grading yards.

   “It does a great job of leveling out material and smoothing things off,” he says. “It’s kind of one of those dummy-proof attachments, so it’s great for less experienced operators who are still looking to put out a good product.”

Construction attachments can help make you much more efficient and versatile on the job, but the best part is that they can open you up to new types of work, especially when it comes to seasonal work such as snow and ice removal.

“You already have the machine, so getting some attachments will prevent you from having to get another machine on site,” says Tom. “You’ve already spent the money on the machine, so why don’t you add versatility through an attachment so the extra machine you used to use on-site can do another job?”