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By Keith Gribbins

Attachments often make the machine. Nowhere does that ring truer than with a compact utility loader. As one of the smallest tool carriers on the equipment market, compact utility loaders (also called mini skid steers and compact skid steers) are designed to run 60 or 70 different implements — hydraulic attachments like trenchers and augers and non-hydraulic implements such as buckets and pallet forks.

The entire idea behind the compact utility loader is offering versatility in a small package. With the right set of attachments, this little tool carrier can replace a whole crew of manpower, working in confined residential areas and other constrained, machine-demanding jobsites. Contractors can drop all of those “one-job-only” work tools (such as dedicated augers, trenchers and wheelbarrows) and start using one machine for a multitude of tasks.

In order to properly outfit your mini tool carrier correctly, you will need to find and select the right collection of attachments. Without the right tools, a compact utility loader is just a slow way to get to work. Attachment size, hydraulic output, lifting capacity, added features and of course cost will all play in the purchasing formula. To help, CE gathered some of the most popular options for attachments in the compact utility loader industry.

Augers
An auger can be a landscaper’s or fence installer’s best friend. You can take the backbreaking work out of planting trees, boring postholes and digging by hand in hard-packed soils. Compact utility loader auger attachments come in two configurations — direct hydraulic drive and planetary auger drive. Customers should choose the best drive for the soil conditions. If you’re digging in hard clay or rock, a planetary drive with a lower speed and higher torque should work best. A direct hydraulic drive is often used in most other soil types at less of a purchase price.

“Planetaries are preferred by the customer,” says Mike Lumbers, senior product manager with Ditch Witch. “Auger sizes go all the way up to 30 or 36 inches. That’s the diameter. For the depth, you can actually get extensions. Without extensions, I think you can go up to about 4 feet in depth. Those are mainly used for planting trees — where you can make a quick hole, drop it in and not have to do a lot of digging.”

Most auger diameters of flighting range from 4 to 36 in. at a 4 ft depth. Extensions can be added to go deeper if the job requires. Some augers are sold with a universal swivel, which allows operators to auger on a hillside, getting a level hole while working on an incline. Further versatility is provided through customizing the auger with replaceable dirt or tungsten teeth to suit your ground conditions or specialized bits such as rock bits or a soil spade. Price: $1,500-$4,000, depending on drive and diameters.

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Buckets
Dozing, grappling, leveling, digging, loading and dumping — buckets have many applications. Take the typical construction or industrial bucket for instance. It’s the strongest bucket for compact utility loaders, good for everything from material handling to excellent bucket breakout force. It’s heavy-duty and more expensive. Designed for less strenuous applications, the light material bucket moves large capacities of mulch, snow and other light materials. These are large capacity buckets for loading and handling light products. They also have high backs to help push snow and penetrate mulch piles.

Other bucket options include the 4-in-1 bucket and extended dump and rock buckets. The 4-in-1 bucket replaces the wheelbarrow, leveler and much of the
hand labor that can cause injuries around the jobsite. Pulling stumps, spreading topsoil, raking and lifting railroad ties or rocks is made easy with this attachment.
It’s excellent for landscaping or even construction as the opening bucket jaw often provides an extra 18-in. dump height. For all of these applications, the 4-in-1 bucket pays for itself at a nice price (usually around $2,000).

Before purchasing a bucket of any sort, be sure to double-check the operating capacity and tipping load specifications on your compact utility loader. Carrying too much in a small loader can hurt your bucket and your machine. Price: Buckets vary from $200-$3,500, depending on the gauge of steel used, extra hydraulics required and bucket-edge style (teeth, rippers, smooth, rock, etc.).

Carryall Leveler
Owning a compact utility loader is all about added flexibility. Sometimes even the attachments have dual usage — like the carryall leveler. As the name suggests, the carryall leveler attachment can either assist in leveling landscape surfaces or in carrying work tools and other items.

“Some people use it as a carryall, if they’re bringing or carrying stuff back and forth to their jobsites from their trucks,” says Greg Lawrence, product manager for Toro’s Dingo line of compact utility loaders. “And you can also use it for leveling. If you’re filling a trench, you can use it to level an area for grading.”

For a cheap price, professionals can pick up this dual-use, non-hydraulic attachment and carry fertilizer, nursery plants, garden bed borders, pallets of flowers and other landscape or general construction tools and supplies.

This simple, L-shaped attachment with bars (usually made of heavy-duty steel construction) is also ideal for preparing and leveling topsoil for turf or paving. The carryall leveler’s low cost and ability to haul more than quadruple the amount a person can carry has made it a popular implement.

“A leveler is a non-hydraulic, inexpensive attachment and it really has a lot of functions,” says Lisa McCarley, dealer support manager at Compact Power. Price: $400-$600, depending on size and configuration.

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Trenchers
Getting down and dirty in a trench with a shovel can make for a long, hot summer day. Instead, why not try hooking up a trencher attachment to your compact utility loader? You can dig trenches in a variety of soil conditions with many choices in digging chains — rock, frost, cup, shark tooth and more. Typical trenchers can dig down to 36 in. deep, which is good for trenching irrigation, fiber optics and landscape lighting. Compact Power makes one of the industry’s largest compact utility loader trenchers at 42 in. in length. Most trencher attachments range in width from 4 to 12 in., with the most popular size being 6 in. Like augers, trenchers also have drive options.

“As far as trenchers, we offer both high-speed and a high-torque options,” says Lawrence. “Obviously with high-speed, depending on your conditions, you’re going to be able to trench a lot faster. High-torque is for rougher conditions — when you’re going to see more rocks and it’s going to give you a little bit more force.”

Besides drive and size, professionals can also select an offset trenching attachment, which allows the boom to offset for odd digging applications. Dual augers and a trench cleaners are also available, as well as under-road borers and vibrating plows (for pulling irrigation pipes or wiring). Price: $3,000-$6,000, depending on size and configuration.

Quick-fit attachments designed to enhance the efficiency and productivity of your compact utility loader is the name of the game. The OEMs and independent, third-party manufacturers are creating more innovative and sturdy attachments each year. These attachments are geared toward the compact utility loader’s versatile hydraulic systems, running in the neighborhood of 12 to 15 gpm (2,500 to 3,250 psi). Today’s professionals have more versatility in a smaller package than ever before.

“Attachments continue to grow,” says Lawrence. “As far as the machines, they are still in their infancy stage. They’ve been around for only seven years and there’s a lot of growth and change. They’re evolving — whether it’s increased flexibility as far as what they can do or ease of use with control patterns. And it’s going to continue to grow.”

Keith Gribbins is managing editor of Compact Equipment.

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