CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT: Get Attached

James Holt has never met a skid-steer attachment he didn’t like.
 
Holt’s company, All Around Town of the Davenport/Quad Cities areas of Iowa, maintains the grounds of three hospitals through exclusive contracts. The hospitals’ modern campus-like settings, complete with patios, retaining walls and heavy snowfall, necessitates that Holt have myriad attachments, all at the ready for their site-specific tasks. 

Craig Wendt, though, likes to keep it simple. “Our primary attachments are obviously the bucket, pallet forks and we also use the planer bars for grading,” says the co-owner of Valley Landscaping in Fargo, N.D., “We pretty much do just about everything from the installation of sod, trees and shrubs to basically everything else on new construction.”
 
Most contractors see the value in skid-steer attachments. According to Lawn & Landscape’s 2006 State of the Industry research, more than 10 percent of readers bought skid-steer attachments last year, while more than 15 percent intend to buy them in the next 12 months. The average reader spends $6,800 annually on attachments. But not all contractors can afford every attachment on the market.

So it pays to shop smart, says Rob Otterson, market segmentation manager for West Fargo, N.D.-based Bobcat. “Almost every landscaper can use a combination bucket and pallet forks on landscape construction jobs,” he says. “They also might find several uses for a soil conditioner, which can be used to clear rock, unwanted weeds, existing turf and create a final grade in preparation for landscaping, planting seed or laying sod.”
 
The combination bucket, for example, increases a contractor’s versatility by giving him five functions – doze, dig, dump, grapple and grade – in a single attachment. With the combination bucket, contractors can complete many of their day-to-day tasks, such as cutting an edge along a back wall, grading, ripping out brush and backfilling, Otterson says, adding it may be the only attachment a contractor needs to get started in the landscaping industry.
 
Pallet forks are also versatile attachments. With a pallet fork attachment, a contractor can easily unload and carry palletized materials, such as sod and paving stone. “This attachment saves time and backbreaking labor because it eliminates the materials from having to be transported by hand,” Otterson says. The time and labor saved with attachments such as pallet forks and combination buckets means increased productivity and profitability.

THE RIGHT COMBINATION. The correct assortment of attachments can solve contractors’ problems and save them time. “Landscapers can choose the attachments they need to take them from start to finish on a job site, from grading and prepping an area to installing irrigation and laying sod,” Otterson says.
 
For example, Holt’s hospital clients present him with many on-site challenges. “They’re constantly asking for landscaping, such as adding patios, transplanting trees and retaining walls,” he says. “I have six guys who stay very busy five days a week.”
 
And contractors can use attachments to reverse what Mother Nature might bring. “Landscapers working in a wet environment during the spring and early summer months might find they’re sidelined waiting for standing water on job sites to dry out,” Otterson says. “But with a soil conditioner attachment, they can turn over and even out the soil so that it dries and they can start work.”

Likewise, a sweeper attachment and bucket have become an invaluable combination for Holt. One minute, his crews can clean curbs of dirt, sand and other debris. After a quick exchange for a bucket, crews can dump debris into a truck. “It’s really convenient for me,” he says. “I can go from the sweeper to hooking up the bucket unit and start dumping again into our dump truck.”
 
Buying the sweeper attachment was an easy decision. He compared the attachment's costs against buying and maintaining a full-size streetsweeper machine. And for about $3,500, the attachment made the most financial sense. “The attachment might not operate quite as quickly as a full-size machine, but as far as maneuverability, it gets around very nicely,” Holt says. “And I can switch out the sweeper unit for the bucket very efficiently.”

BEYOND THE BASICS. Beyond  buckets and pallet forks, five other attachments stand out as the most popular with landscape contractors: augers, trenchers, landscape rakes, sweeper buckets and soil conditioners.
 
“Soil conditioners excel at clearing rock, unwanted weeds, existing turf and creating a final grade in preparation for landscaping, planting seed or laying sod,” Otterson says. “Trencher attachments are particularly useful for contractors installing irrigation lines and drain tile.”
 
Augers, landscape rakes and sweepers have been used in the industry for many years as productive attachment. Augers efficiently dig holes for planting trees, shrubs and installing fence posts. For removing small rocks or stones, landscape rakes are  ideal.
 
Skid-steers range in price from about $15,000 to $50,000, depending on operating weight and capacities. Attachments, though, begin at $700 and can cost more than $10,000.
 
“A landscape contractor who  needs a machine to transport light materials might opt for a lighter machine,” says Mike Fitzgerald, loader product specialist for Bobcat. Smaller machines can offer a more compact wheelbase and lower profile. In addition, a tighter radius lift path are good when tight quarters restrict the use of other, larger equipment, he says.
 
“On the other hand, large-frame skid-steer loaders are designed for handling heavy palletized materials and operating attachments that require more hydraulic flow.”
 
The attachments used will dictate the amount of auxiliary hydraulic flow needed from the loader. “A customer who needs enhanced performance with attachments such as a stump grinder, trencher, chipper or snowblower, may need a high-flow machine,” Fitzgerald says. Most attachments with a primary or single hydraulic function, such as an auger,  start at $1,400. Attachments with multiple hydraulic functions, such as soil conditioners or landscape rakes,  start at $5,300.

GREAT PRODUCTIVITY. Holt found other practical uses for his skid-steer.       “Instead of going out and buying a truck and a $5,000 snow plow, I have the investment already made in the skid-steer,” he says. “I went out and bought a $3,000 snow plow attachment.”
    
During winter, Holt keeps a salt pile and three different attachments on-hand. “The skid-steer is always on-hand, whether we’re using the plow to clear sidewalks or moving rocks,” he says. “We have a salt truck on-hand as well. If the salt truck runs out, we just undo that snow plow in a matter of seconds, hook our bucket back up, put some salt in the truck, then go back and put the snowplow back on.”

The addition on a snow blower attachment allows crews to easily clear sidewalks. “I’m getting more bang for my buck with the skid-steer. It can load salt, clear sidewalks and plow. It’s really a three-in-one,” he says. “It’s super convenient with these attachments.”
 
Contractors should research all of the attachment possibilities out there, Otterson says.
 
“Many of these can be used on different types and brands of carriers further increasing their utilization,” he says. “The contractor who researches and is aware of these additions will be presented with more opportunities to grow his business.”