PRODUCT FOCUS
DIG THOSE
ATTACHMENTS!
By Kim Kemp
In the search to maximise uptime while
increasing productivity and ROI, OEMs are
designing adaptable attachments to ensure
multiple use for their equipment.
Attachments are the backbone to earth moving equipment, speeding up projects and affording productivity.
I
t is not uncommon for excavation
equipment to be used with a
hydraulic jackhammer, a bucket
(including different sizes), and a
hydraulic tamper (used for backfill
compression), all in the course of one
day, thanks to attachments. OEMs
across the spectrum offer a range of
multipurpose working tools for their
specific machines.
HPE Africa has specially designed
attachments, like trenchers, augers, and
forks, to add versatility to its machines.
By selecting the appropriate attachment,
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OCTOBER 2018
agile mini excavators perform tasks
efficiently that would otherwise be
achieved with great difficulty. Typical
applications include digging holes, creating
trenches, demolishing small structures,
repairing sewer lines, and landscaping.
Mini excavators are also used to remove
stumps, for digging irrigation ditches, and
creating garden ponds, as well as general
maintenance work, often in cramped
spaces where bigger machines would
struggle.
That said, no one OEM can be
everything to everyone, catering for every
need. Therefore, it is not uncommon to
see ‘mismatched’ machinery in the field,
for example a JCB excavator with an MB
Crusher bucket attached.
Mix-n-match
Speaking to Jaco Rudolph, dealer support
technical manager EMT at Liebherr-Africa,
he, along with the majority of companies
interviewed for this feature, maintains
that the practice to ‘cross-pollinate’ across
the OEMs is “quite common,” and adds,
“We do not offer the majority of working
tools that the customer may require, even