ForConstructionPros.com

Compact track loaders and attachments are the perfect match - provided you choose the right attachments.

CTLs are designed to do everything skid steers can do, but are able to do it on delicate terrain. In most cases, they can use the same attachments that skid steers do, but there are some that are uniquely suited to CTLs and some that are not.

"Operators using grading attachments will see the biggest bump in productivity with compact track loaders," says Bob Meyer, loader product specialist, Bobcat. "Attachments such as dozer blades, graders, box blades, landplanes, soil conditioners and landscape rakes are great choices for compact loader users."

He adds, "One attachment that really excels with a compact track loader is the six-way dozer blade. Track loaders add pushing forces that allow the dozer blade to power through complex grades. The track loader is less apt to spin out as it pushes through the material as it grades, and it can handle the heavy dozer blade with ease."

That being said, there are some attachments that are simply not suited for use on CTLs. "Typical standard-duty attachments that are fine on rubber-tired machines won't do well on a CTL," says Wendell Moss, vice president of OEM national accounts for Paladin. "Buckets and blades, particularly, need to be heavy-duty on CTLs."