ForConstructionPros.com

The types of attachments available for construction equipment continues to achieve ever greater diversity. This wide assortment gives you the ability to perform multiple tasks using a single carrier (with the help of a quick coupler for easy attachment changeout), or to complete a single job using one carrier equipped with a tool precisely matched to the project and conditions. In some situations, an attachment can even make it possible to do a task using a smaller carrier rather than a larger, dedicated machine.

There are literally hundreds of attachments available — through both original equipment manufacturers and aftermarket suppliers — for carriers ranging from skid-steer loaders to wheel loaders, excavators to telehandlers, trucks to cranes. An assortment of these tools are featured in the pages of our 2007 Attachment Guide. To make it easier to locate the particular attachment you need, we have also broken them into categories based on the application.

Buckets continue to be one of the most common and frequently used attachments on any construction jobsite. Given the diversity of bucket types available, you can match yours to the task at hand based on capacity and width required. We offer suggestions on how to best match the bucket to the task in the article starting on page 34A.

Buckets are so popular, in part, due to the many accessories available. Various styles of couplers make switching between buckets and other attachments a one-person job that can be done quickly and easily, often without ever leaving the cab.

Bucket thumbs can also make it easier to grab bulky material that can otherwise be cumbersome to handle. Plus, with a variety of ground engaging tools (GET) to select from (see page 35A), you can easily pick through sand, clay or even rock.