Hanging Tough

In addition to working in a challenging industry, C&D contractors and recyclers are also known for operating some of the most powerful machines on the market. Fitted with specialized attachments, these machines are also among the most versatile tools in a C&D professional’s arsenal.

C&D recyclers use attachments such as grapples, buckets and thumbs for various tasks, including material unloading, sorting and transferring as well as loading trucks, crushers, shredders and other processing equipment.

Demolition contractors also use buckets and thumbs affixed to excavators for many of the same kinds of tasks at job sites. They may need to move debris and dirt in bulk quantities or may have processing machinery such as a crusher on site that needs to be fed.

When it comes to purchasing these attachments, many contractors and C&D recyclers hit a roadblock. From spade-nose edged and straight nose buckets to mechanical and hydraulic thumbs, it’s easy to understand how someone could purchase a less than ideal attachment. Fortunately, equipment providers are there to help users match the right attachment to suit their business needs.

When shopping for material handling attachments, users should keep in mind the material they are trying to move and the machines they are trying to move it with, says Tracy Black, operations manager at Kenco Corp., Petersburg, Va. "Once we know the answers, we can put that customer with the attachment that best suits his needs," Black says.

"In today’s competitive economy, you want to pick the tool that’s going to make you the most versatile at what you do," says Al Gorick, president of Gorick Construction Co. Inc., Binghamton, N.Y. Gorick’s primary work is in heavy excavation and demolition, but he also does some highway and sports facility work.

Chris Nichols, general manager of Grove City, Ohio-based AIM Attachments, agrees that the customer’s decision should be based on what he is planning to do with the attachment. For example, "If they know they’ll be digging in the morning and moving brush in the afternoon, they would benefit from having a bucket with a thumb," Nichols says.

Additionally, he says most recycling facilities do not have a need for digging attachments. "They want an attachment that can move piles of [material]," Nichols says. "For this application the grapple is great. It has the width and size they need and can pick up more material than a bucket with a thumb."

Tom Pinchuk, global market manager of DII Attachments, Charlotte, N.C., says equipment users should also plan for the future. "Many contractors fall into the trap of purchasing an attachment they only use once," Pinchuk says. "[When buying attachments] contractors must also consider where they want to go with their business and pick the right attachment for their business model."

Another common mistake equipment users make is purchasing oversized attachments. "If an excavator has a lift capacity of 5,000 pounds, the bucket and material [weight] cannot exceed that," Black says. "The oversized attachment will only slow the machine down and will not give you the peak performance you need."

Fred Phillips, sales engineer for Canadian-based Bateman Manufacturing, adds that a grapple with too much capacity or overall weight is unsafe and limits the performance of the machine and operator.

Along with matching attachments to the right machines, equipment users must also match attachments to the appropriate tasks.

Each material handling attachment is designed to fulfill a certain role on the job site or around the recycling facility.

For instance, Mike Duffy, sales manager of Pemberton Inc., Longwood, Fla., says grapple buckets for loaders are great for handling bulk materials and loading trucks and hoppers as well as moving materials in and out of sorting bins.

Nichols says AIM Attachments offers two grapple types—one for the standard excavator and one for a recycling-type handler. The standard grapple is 42 inches wide with a two-over-three tine configuration, and the recycling-type grapple is 54 inches wide with a three-over-four tine configuration. "The increased width helps with capacity and also works well for moving material around," he says.

Phillips says that most standard grapples feature a four-over-three or three-over-two bypass tip pattern, with the stick-side tine assembly attached to the stick with an adjustable line or hydraulic cylinder to work with the outboard movable tine assembly.

For digging applications, equipment providers suggest a thumb attachment. Nichols recommends a mechanical or hydraulic thumb vs. a grapple because "they enable users to dig, clamp and grab." Equipment users can also select a progressive link thumb, but Nichols cautions that it can be more expensive.

However, Pinchuk says the progressive link thumb’s versatility can offset the extra cost. "When working in tight quarters or urban environments, the progressive link thumb gives you more motion, so you can work in closer radius to the carrier," Pinchuk says.

Gorick uses excavators with thumbs exclusively because it enables him to demolish, sort and load and then turn around and dig. "Thumbs allow us the most flexibility with our machines as we do both demolition and excavating," Gorick explains.

Gorick’s thumb arsenal is made up of seven hydraulic and one mechanical thumb. "Mechanical thumbs are fine for loading wood and debris, but as far as picking and sorting they are limited," Gorick says. "Hydraulic thumbs give you more flexibility as far as grabbing and are nice for moving dirt."

For moving smaller material, such as dirt and debris, equipment providers suggest a bucket attachment. The type of material that needs to be moved will determine whether the equipment user needs a heavy-duty or severe-duty bucket, Black says. He recommends a severe-duty bucket for concrete applications and a heavy-duty bucket for digging applications.

Along with standard buckets, thumbs and grapples, equipment providers also offer customized attachments. "It’s not uncommon for customers to call with a particular request or job situation that may require something out of the norm," Black says.

"For example, if a customer wants to pick up large debris they may request a grapple with 6-inch tine spacing vs. 12 inch," Black says. "This way they can pick up anything 6 inches or larger and the rest of the material can fall through the rake."

Bateman Manufacturing has recently introduced a grapple configuration that enables users to move and sort material without switching attachments.

"Operators usually sort through the pile, pull out what they can with the grapple and then [for steel scrap] hang a magnet from the grapple and drag the pile, attempting to remove the steel," Phillips says. Bateman’s grapple has an electro magnet permanently attached to the moving tine assembly, Phillips says.

It’s imperative for demolition contractors and C&D recyclers to find attachments that match the lift capacities of their excavators and loaders. Equipment providers have simplified this process by designing attachments for every standard machine’s weight class.

The challenge for contactors and C&D recyclers is finding the right balance of equipment. For example, "If you have a grapple built for a 15-ton excavator on a 20-ton excavator, you’re probably going to rip up that grapple like a piece of tin foil," Pinchuk says. "On the same note, if you put a grapple designed for a 30-ton excavator on a 20-ton excavator, the weight is going to impede your productivity."

The only factor that would throw off the weight classification is a quick coupler, equipment providers say. "This [a quick coupler] would extend the distance between the linkage and say, the tip of a bucket," Nichols says. To rectify this problem, equipment providers offer in between sizes along with their standard-sized attachments. "For a standard 20,000- to-30,000-pound machine, we recommend an 18-inch wide, 46-inch long thumb," Nichols says. But if the customer has a quick coupler, Nichols suggests the 56-inch long thumb.

Quick couplers entail a learning curve at the beginning, but some sources say it is worth it in the long run. "With the way fuel prices are right now, quick couplers come in handy when your carriers are doing a couple of different applications," Pinchuk says. "It can cut your attachment switching time in half."

Commonality is an advantage of quick couplers, Phillips says. "The use of a quick coupler provides fleet operators with the ability to adapt one attachment to several types of machines in his fleet. In addition, several attachments can be adapted to fit one machine type."

Gorick has three quick couplers, which he says makes it easier to change from a regular digging bucket to a ditching or trenching bucket as they easily fold up out of the way.

But equipment providers caution that only some quick couplers can be used interchangeably. "Keep in mind, not all quick couplers are designed for demo applications," Pinchuk says. "So if you’re using a quick coupler with a grapple, make sure it can withstand the additional forces not encountered in a digging application." C&DR