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A wide range of available attachments give excavators the versatility to accomplish virtually any task associated with a trenching application, including digging, lifting, placing and more. Following is a look at some of the different tools available to turn your excavators into multipurpose trenching machines. Additional attachments for trenching and other applications can be found starting on page 22.

More than just a bucket
An essential trench digging accessory, buckets are available in a number of different types to help you get the job done most efficiently and productively. General-purpose, heavy-duty and severe-service buckets are manufactured in various materials/abrasion resistance and widths/capacities to accommodate the soil conditions and trench sizing needs. Bucket teeth and other ground-engaging tools come in a variety of styles and spacings to further enhance the selection process.

Many manufacturers offer specialized buckets for trenching operations. For example, trapezoidal buckets can carve slopes as they dig, making them a suitable choice for irrigation ditches, canals and waterways, as well as trenches. Wide and shallow ditch cleaning buckets can remove sediment quickly, and often have drainage holes to allow water to drain through.

Sorting buckets allow you to separate different sizes of material as you dig. Larger debris is contained in the separator, while smaller debris sifts through to the bucket. Material in the bucket is dumped first, then material in the separator can be dumped by hydraulically retracting the separator.

"This type of bucket gives you the ability to sort for a particular size of material, such as what might be needed to fill a trench," says Bo Pratt, sales manager, Rockland Mfg. "Or if you're selling rock, you can easily separate the rock into piles based on the size required."