Contractors can extend the capabilities of their equipment range and improve productivity through the purchasing of attachments; like a Swiss Army knife, the tools allow one machine to perform a range of different tasks.
But with manufacturers having a large range of products, knowing which tools to invest in can be a tricky question. And in addition there are also innovative solutions provided by specialist companies.
JCB
Out of the box
JCB Attachments has a range of 31 different types of attachments that can be fitted to its new generation skid steer and compact track loaders, built at the company’s purpose-built $11 million factory in Staffordshire, UK.
The range extends the flexibility and versatility of carrier machines and enhances their earning potential, says Paul Ingram, aftermarket business manager for Middle East and Africa. One of the most popular products they sell are the sweeper collectors, based on the proven sweeper range launched in 2009.
“The sweeper collector is one of the most popular attachments we sell in the Middle-East region,” said Ingram. “The majority of these attachments are sold for cleaning-up road work and construction sites and keeping the roadsides clear of drifting sand.
“Due to the JCB skid steer’s excellent visibility and manoeuvrability in tight, confined areas, the demand is growing at a fast pace particularly in the farming and manufacturing sectors, where the sweepers are used to clean-up the cattle sheds and factory areas.”
Featuring a flow control valve to protect the brush motor if high flow is inadvertently selected, its high power direct drive motors delivering excellent torque for greater performance.
Its large hopper size allows for more sweeping time before emptying is required.
For excavators and breaking tasks, JCB Hammermaster has a range of master hydraulic breakers, which offer a wide selection to suit both JCB and competitor machines.
Used in utility work, building and construction, demolition and secondary breaking, quarrying or mining there is a choice of breaker to match the application. They have ‘sealed for life’ accumulators and matched piston to tool diameter giving maximum transfer of energy to the material and excellent power to weight ratio.
Montabert
Balanced breakers
Montabert now offers the Blue Line range of hydraulic breakers for applications in construction, demolition, quarrying, road building, utilities and trenching.
There are four models in the range and of particular interest for the Middle East market are the 1.62 tonne XL1700 and 2.55 tonne XL2600 breakers.
The XL1700 model provides a blow energy of 3400 J, a frequency of 600 blows/min and a tool diameter of 137 mm. The XL1700 can be used with excavators providing a minimum to maximum flow range of 100 to 150 l/min, and an operating pressure of 180 bar.
The XL2600 breaker is the largest model in the range, offering a blow energy of 6000 J, a frequency of 550 blows/min and a tool diameter of 156 mm. The XL2600 can be used with excavators providing a minimum to maximum flow range of 150 to 250 l/min, and an operating pressure of 180 bar.
The range of Blue Line breakers, which complements the existing family of breakers from Montabert, is designed as an entry level range of quality breakers with a simple, cost-effective design offering high performance and efficiency, durability and easy serviceability.
The high performance offered by the Blue Line breakers is based around a patented main valve and an energy recovery system. The patented main valve and the nitrogen chamber accumulator control the movements of the piston, increasing the overall performance and efficiency through the optimisation of the strike power of the breaker.
The energy recovery system increases the strike power by using the energy generated by the piston rebound. This system allows an automatic increase of the breaker’s frequency when used on hard materials (without any manual intervention on the breaker).
The lifespan of the breakers is extended by the hydraulic and mechanical auto stop system. This combination protects against blank firing from the first blow via a dampening system.
The blank fire protection and the hydraulic cycle management offered by the main valve reduce pressure peaks, resulting in excellent protection for the excavator.
The high manufacturing quality and the very tight tolerances on the Blue Line breakers guarantee full parts interchangeability.
Bobcat
Effective cutting and trenching
The WS32 wheel saw attachment is the largest model ever offered by Bobcat. Designed to cut efficiently through asphalt, rock and concrete, the WS32 wheel saw has a fixed trenching width of 250 mm while the depth can range from 450 to 800 mm.
This very powerful and efficient trenching tool weighs 1440 kg and is approved for use on the new generation Bobcat S850 skid-steer and T870 compact tracked loaders equipped with the high-flow option. The WS32 wheel saw has a height of 1802 mm, width of 1650 mm and is 2386 mm long. The maximum wheel rotation speed is 95 rpm.
Applications include fixed width trenching for the utilities covering water, gas, power, telecommunications and fibre optic networks. The WS32 can be used for creating excavation sites and for slot cutting.
The WS32 can also be used for maintenance work, including trenching vertical edges for road and pavement repairs.
The WS32 is always operated in reverse drive, with the trench spoil being evacuated through four side gates with spoil deflectors fitted as standard to push the milled material away from the trench.
Depth control as well as side-shift functions are hydraulically controlled from the comfort of the operator’s seat in the cab, from where they have a good view of the depth gauge on the wheel saw.
In addition to highly effective cutting through thick layers of asphalt, concrete and rock, the WS32 wheel saw can also cut through frozen ground and wire mesh.
The WS32 has a new attachment control system valve with a built-in hourmeter and a new hydraulic valve for increased performance.
The high-torque direct-drive piston motor also ensures top performance and minimum heat generation. Also available is the WS24, a 20cm wheel saw attachment.
Volvo CE
Volvo extends Steelwrist
Volvo Construction Equipment has announced the extension of a business relationship with Steelwrist for the supply of factory-fitted Tiltrotators for excavators to include the supply of innovative excavator quick couplers.
Steelwrist, a Swedish company in which Volvo Group’s venture capital arm has a minority shareholding, has developed new quick coupler technology, designed to always maintain the attachment in a safe position even if an operator should fail in the connection procedure.
The development of this new quick coupler technology is based on the increasing quality and safety demands in standards and from markets.
“The Volvo CE quick coupler strategy is based on the Symmetrical Quick Coupler standard and Steelwrist’s patented front pin lock coupler technology,” said Karl Serneberg, Volvo CE’s global director of attachments.
“Our strategic partnership with Steelwrist gives us a competitive advantage in this area.”
Robi and salamah group
Demolishing and recycling
Salamah Group has announced it will distribute the Robi hydraulic attachment range in the UAE, with a view to expanding in the wider GCC-region.
The range of products, including breakers, crushers, grapples and screening buckets, is produced by Ramtec Oy.
Ramtec, a Finnish company, was founded in 1970’s, and founded the Rammer brand in 1978, before eventually becoming part of Sandvik Mining and Construction. Its factory, built in 1996, was sold to Ramtec in 2002 following a management buy-out.
From its factory, Ramtec produces a range of attachments that can be used in demolition projects, screening and recycling construction waste on-site.
Last year Salamah Group began distributing Sleipner. The Sleipner technology is a set of wheels that clamps on excavator tracks, and allows them to be transported by being ‘towed’ behind trucks, using their boom, typically used in quarries and mines to speed up the transportation of heavy excavators.
Group managing director Sherif Selim said that 2013 was starting with the strategic alliance with Ramtec. “This cooperation will introduce high quality attachments to help heavy equipment and construction companies optimise the utilisation of their equipment in a safer and more economical and efficient sustainable way.”
One use of the Robi range is to make it easier for contractors to recycle on site, taking advantage of the trend in the Middle East towards recycling.
“Recycling is a new trend of sustainable development. By separating iron from concrete both iron and crushed concrete can be utilized. Then extra transportation of material can be avoided,” said Benjami Pitkäsalo, sales and marketing for Ramtec Oy.
“The crusher-grapple is a demolition tool which is a three in one attachment. It offers benefit for customers by allowing pulverising and sorting been done after demolishing. Also screening bucket and demolition grapple offer tools for recycling.”
Robi crusher grapples has been designed to replace cutter-crusher / grapple / pulveriser combination. It can crush concrete up to 30-50 cm, after that it can be used for loading and separating material and finally with pulveriser plates it can be used as a pulveriser.
The CG is a good choice for smaller contractors who need all-in-one attachments said Pitkäsalo.
Atlas Copco
Immediate crushing
With a history of innovation in the mining and construction sectors, Atlas Copco has a number of attachment families, including the bucket crusher, used for crushing material on-site without the need to transport it to a large crusher on site or elsewhere.
The attachment has been developed in part due to recycling requirements in Europe, where the EU directive on waste management sets a recycling quota of 70% for construction and demolition waste by year 2020. Targeted recycling machines and equipment turn mechanised recycling into a fast, cost effective and precision process, and aids contractors in reaching targets.
A bucket crusher can handle all types of inert material such as asphalt, stone and concrete debris as well as mine and quarry material. The use of a traditional crusher can also be hindered by its size. Bucket crushers can be an alternative at urban worksites and in confined spaces.
Atlas Copco’s bucket crushers feature a wide aperture bucket with large capacity, and the bucket jaws can be inverted. Top and bottom jaws can be exchanged or single jaws can be rotated by 180 degrees to also use the rear part.
The bucket will fits to any excavator larger than 12 tonnes, output size can be easily adjusted from 20-120 mm.
The attachment has been designed with total cost of ownership in mind, including a robust design and a long service life even under extreme stresses, with a 30 hour greasing interval and only two grease points.
Caterpillar
Designed to drill
Caterpillar has a range of augers that can be used in its machines from skid steers to mini excavators.
Used on construction sites and designed for drilling holes for footings, fencing, signs, trees and shrubs, the range begins at the 1105 Nm A7B with a gerotor motor direct drive, designed for mini-excavators, up to the A26B, with a double planetary reduction gear motor, with 6826 Nm, with a mounting bracket design for skid steer loader and compact wheel loader.
The three different drive systems are all designed with the right amount of speed and torque for working in a broad range of soil types, with the direct drive for light – to moderate-duty work, single reduction planetary drive for moderate – to heavy-duty applications, and double reduction planetary drive for moderate – to heavy-duty, high performance drilling requirements.
