You’ve heard the saying, “kill two birds with one stone,” but when it comes to compact equipment attachments, much the same is true: knock out several jobs with one machine. In this day and age, it’s all about saving time and money, but not at the expense of losing productivity. That is where attachments come into play. By using attachments like buckets and backhoes, for example, landscapers do not necessarily have to eliminate manpower; they just make their current manpower more efficient.
“If you have just a machine, whether a skid loader or tractor, you can’t do anything with it without attachments,” says Sean Sundberg, strategic marketing manager, John Deere. “It’s just a slow ride to the mailbox.”
But not everyone holds that mindset. Sundberg says that some businesses may not know all the available options when it comes to attachments while others have a cost factor. To some landscapers, especially smaller businesses, buying several attachments is too large an investment upfront. Still, Sundberg feels attachments offer long-term production increases.
“The question is always going to come up, ‘Am I going to see product gain by purchasing attachments?’ The answer is yes.”
Glenn Danuser of Danuser Industrial says that pallet forks, buckets, augers and trenchers are normally the top four most popular attachments to buy or rent.
There have always been companies selling these basic attachments, but Sundberg says many companies are getting in the game through partnerships and creating more extensive lines for their machines. For many companies, this is basic common sense: They realize if they provide the needed attachments, they can create and lock-in a more loyal customer base. This is good news for landscapers who take advantage of all the attachment world has to offer.
“You want to have that broad portfolio so a customer can go to one place to buy all of their equipment,” Sundberg says. “They don’t have to go to five or six different places.”
With all of the attachments becoming available, you have to wonder what might be next in the way of the attachment market. Danuser believes that it has yet to peak.
“I think you’ll see the future of attachments broadening to where one attachment can do two or three different tasks,” he says.
A new way to work
Heavy-duty attachments may not be the only ones to receive makeovers. Smaller hand-held tools like concrete saws are already finding new ways to work as the attachment industry grows.
Sundberg says their function isn’t new, but how they are powered is.
Rather than lugging fuel back and forth to power small tools, many compact utility vehicles can now power them through an auxiliary hydraulic circuit. This cuts down on time spent moving equipment and makes jobsite operations that much more effective.
Attachments help landscapers work smarter by continuing to increase efficiency and productivity. With them, landscapers can prove to customers they have the necessary tools to fit the job.
Attachments available for Boxer compact loaders
Compact Power introduces more than 50 attachments for all Boxer compact utility loader models. The new attachments are useful for jobs from landscaping and irrigation to construction and other general work. User-friendly attachments include grapple fork, rubble bucket, tiller, auger head, cement bowl, hydraulic breaker and adjustable forks.
Rear discharge helps you mow faster
Venture Products introduces the latest in Ventrac’s line of deck mowers with its LK520 model. Designed for trimming on the left and right sides, the LK520 cuts down on mowing time. The LK520 features the combination of a 52-inch cutting width and 14 cutting positions.
Dethatcher/overseeder offers two modes of seed placement
Gandy’s dethatcher/overseeder is equipped with 2-inch seed spacing and 24 outlets to seed in 48-inche wide swaths. Two seed placement packages allow application versatility. Use disc openers to adjust the width of the slit, or use shoe openers to place seed directly into the slit.
Compact lawns with the PT Roller
Hoelscher Commercial Products’ PT Roller is a heavy weight unit suitable for compacting lawns with a 24-inch diameter the roller’s 3⁄8-inch thick drum can be filled with sand or fluid to increase weight. The roller is available in 4-, 5-, 6- and 8-foot widths.
Go for maximum traction with Grouser Bar Tracks
Grouser Bar Tracks use an open bar design providing both traction and flotation in soft, muddy and loose soil conditions. Crossbars permit maximum traction by allowing material to squeeze into the track for the machine to push against. Flotation is increased by as much as 50 percent.
Gain versatility in seeding with the Vari-Slice
Kasco introduces the Vari-Slice, a seeder equipped with front coulter blades to offer versatility in seed application. If left in the straight position, the blades cut through existing grass, but when angled, they work to till an area of ground before seeding.
Broadcast seed more accurately
JRCO’s electric broadcast spreader is available in three models to fit commercial riding and walk-behind mowers and utility vehicles. The 503 model uses a foot-operated gate for mid-mount ZTRs and the 504 model has a push-pull cable for walk-behinds and utility vehicles.
Move obstacles with new excavator rotator
EZ Spot UR introduces a new excavator rotator that will make moving obstacles easy. Able to rotate 240 degrees, the rotor can pick up a variety of materials like rocks, poles and pipes, move them and set them down without needing to stop and re-adjust.
Mix, transport and dispense with auger bucket
Capable of mixing, transporting and dispensing, Danuser’s auger bucket carries materials such as concrete, sand and washed gravel. Materials are dispensed with accuracy and complete control, covering a half-yard in 50 seconds.
Renovate soil faster
RotaDairon’s Turf Magician is designed to do a combination of functions in one pass to restore soil faster and more efficiently. The Turf Magician cultivates, grades, seeds and rolls while also burying stone, sod and debris. It features V-body blades that dig with the blade point to provide better drainage.
