Dig, Lift and Place With One Machine

by Kim Berndtson
Created: June 11, 2008

Attachments turn your excavator into a trenching tool.

Pipe lifting attachments can provide a safer, less time-consuming alternative for lifting and placing pipe into a trench.
Pipe lifting attachments can provide a safer, less time-consuming alternative for lifting and placing pipe into a trench.
Specialized buckets, such as Rockland's EZ Dig system, adapt the excavator to the specific requirements of the trenching application.
Specialized buckets, such as Rockland's EZ Dig system, adapt the excavator to the specific requirements of the trenching application.
Trenching attachment for excavators.
Trenching attachment for excavators.

A dedicated coupler that is an integral part of the machine minimizes the effect of using a coupler, maintaining the highest possible machine power. A hydraulic pin grabber coupler could move the bucket further away from the stick, adding to the tip radius. This could reduce the breakout force of the machine, depending on the bucket and machine configuration.

Your attachment manufacturer can help calculate the affect that a particular coupler may have on breakout force, enabling you to determine which coupler provides the optimum versatility without sacrificing too much power from the carrier.

Convert Excavators Into True Trenchers
For extremely narrow trenching applications, Paladin Light actually offers a trencher attachment that can be adapted to mount onto compact excavators. Such an attachment has traditionally been found only on skid steers, compact track loaders and compact utility loaders.

Both a traditional and an offset model are available. "The offset model is unique in its capabilities because it can trench close to footings," says Melani Moorman, Paladin Light. "It can dig up to 36 in. deep and has two motor options for accommodating hydraulic flows up to 16 gpm at 3,000 psi."