The breath and width of accessories is enormous and they can convert an excavator into a screener, a loader into a trenching machine and a telehandler into an access platform.
At the lighter end of the market the same attachment may be powered by an excavator or a skid steer/tracked loader depending on the hydraulic pressure and flow requirements, and the mounting system. In many cases quick couplers are used to mount and de-mount the attachment and this can include the Tiltrotator (or similar) which can angle or rotate the implement it is used to attach.
The attachment most commonly associated with excavators is a breaker but they can also carry (amongst others) pulverisers, shears, sorting buckets, compaction plates, patch planers, ripper teeth and rock wheels. Most of the excavator manufacturers (see separate list) either make or market a range of attachments suited to their machines. Independent suppliers include NPK, Montabert, Indeco, Atlas Copco, Tammet, Anross, Labounty, Auger Torque, Mantovanibenne, Northerntrack, Digbits, Dig-A-Crusher, Allu, Kinshoffer and Probst.
A set of pallet forks are the most common attachment for loaders – which can also carry many of the above attachments and items like augers, sweepers, trenchers, chain wheels, snow blowers and stump grinders. Again many of these are marketed by the carrier manufacturer and, for instance, Bobcat has more than 25 different attachments types for its skid steer and tracked loaders.
Attachments for telehandlers include buckets, crane jibs, brushes, access platforms, panel handlers, hammers and concrete mixers.
