Capital Equipment News November 2020

ATTACHMENTS

The new Cat GB120 and GB124 smart grader blade attachments are available for Cat D3- Series skid steer loaders and compact track loaders.

The attachment revolution: turning tool carriers into versatile instruments

An ’attachment revolution‘ is helping capital equipment owners maximise the versatility of tool carriers such as TLBs, excavators, skid steers, telehandlers and loaders, with many new attachments coming to market in recent years. Traditional attachments, including hydraulic hammers and buckets, have also seen significant improvements. By Mark Botha.

T o remain competitive in a challenging eco- nomic environment, equipment owners are looking at ways to make the most of their mini-excavators, skid steers and backhoe loaders, among others. The focus is there- fore shifting to attachments as they can elevate these assets from one-dimensional equipment to multipur- pose, adaptable tools. When asked about this attachment revolution in which some companies offer up to 80 attachments from a single stable, Thabile Dube, product manager, Construction and Building: Southern Africa at Barloworld Equipment, says the development of attachments is a “customer cost solution” targeted at solving and improving machine versatility and utilisation.

“Attachments maximise customer productivity and growth by transforming or converting single-use units into many different types of machines that can perform in varied applications,” she says. Bobcat Equipment sales consultant Brad Freeman says the use for attachments has grown because of the numerous applications in which these machines are used. “Attachments are now more in demand than before, especially given the rising cost of labour.” Mishen Naidoo, engineering and solutions manager at Manitou Southern Africa, says the economic climate has been demanding on the business owner, with competitive markets and a variety of options for customers to choose from. “The typical business owner’s reaction is to search

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS NOVEMBER 2020 20