Page 78 • April 13, 2022 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Skid Steers, Compact Track Loaders & Attachments Section • Construction Equipment Guide
Stand-On Skid Steer Attachments Helping Boost Efficiency By Brant Kukuk SPECIAL TO CEG
which enables new employees to start contributing to the jobsite immediately.
Hydraulic Power Fork Hardscape, landscape and tree care A hydraulic power fork is an essenprofessionals are feeling the heat, and it tial attachment for loading and unloadis not because of the warmer months ing material from a trailer or truck bed approaching. and moving it across tricky terrain. It’s The increased demand for work, useful when moving materials like sod, tighter deadlines and the industry’s bricks, trees and ornamental garden ongoing labor shortage are issues many boulders. contractors face. In fact, according to One key benefit of a hydraulic power the 2021 Green Industry Benchmark fork for smaller crews is that operators Report, attracting and retaining employcan adjust the tines with intuitive conees is the most frequently cited issue for trols on the machine, rather than having landscapers with 70 percent of responto adjust them manually. This eliminates dents reporting difficulties in finding the need for crews to get on and off the workers. machine to adjust the tines, helping While the labor shortage is enough to them save time and ultimately helping make any contractor sweat, many are contractors maximize staff productivity looking to their equipment to help them and move from one job to the next more do more with less workers. quickly. One machine that is alleviating some of the pressure is the stand-on Attachments Up, Running skid steer. With its increased power, Staying efficient with smaller crews easy maneuverability and maximum means having to increasingly rely on versatility, these machines are helping A grapple bucket is similar to the standard bucket, but with hydraulic clamps, so it can be your machines to help you stay producsmaller crews stay productive, meet used to hold unstable materials such as tree branches, stumps, large boulders, unstable tive. That’s why contractors are turning deadlines and boost jobsite efficiency. bricks and other landscape materials. to stand-on skid steer attachments to And, with the ability to effortlessly help them alleviate the challenges across a job site, a grapple attach- brought on by the labor shortage. switch out a variety of attachment equipped with a large standIn one example, Justin Moseley, project ments, contractors can ensure their on skid steer would allow the oper- manager of Nelson Landscaping, a landsmaller crews stay successful. ator to move the branch in one trip. scape company based in Oklahoma City, But with a plethora of attachWithout a grapple bucket and a Okla., attributes attachments as the reason ments to choose from, it can be large skid steer, the crew would why stand-on skid steers have become so hard for contractors to know which need to take time to cut the branch invaluable to their operation. In fact, every attachments will maximize their up into smaller pieces that could be Nelson Landscaping crew has a bucket, fork ROI. Here are three stand-on skid carried by hand or pieces that and/or a trencher attachment on the job site. steer attachments that will help con“That’s what we use on a daily basis,” would fit into a standard bucket. tractors mitigate the pressures of Moseley said. “It’s easy to use all different the industry’s labor shortage. attachments that we need to have. Most of Trencher While dedicated trenchers are our places that we go to, we’re installing the Grapple Bucket incredibly popular and certainly sprinkler system, we’re doing the landscapThe bucket attachment is the Trencher attachments for stand-on skid steers are typihave a place in underground con- ing, we’re installing these big boulders [and] bread and butter of attachments for cally available in 4-, 6- and 8-in. widths and are ideal struction, trencher attachments decent-sized trees.” most stand-on skid steer operators for installing everything from irrigation and drainage Additionally, when it comes to labor, offer an efficient alternative. and is the ideal attachment for systems to utilities and fiber. Moseley credits the stand-on skid steer for Trencher attachments for standsmaller crews. It helps operators making his crew much more productive and on skid steers are typically availsafely lift and carry large piles of able in 4-, 6- and 8-in. widths and why it feels like they have additional crew material that need to be relocated or are ideal for installing everything support on the job site. disposed of on a job site. “It’s doubling your work power, essentialfrom irrigation and drainage sysThere are a variety of bucket ly,” he said. “It takes our labor force needs, tems to utilities and fiber. types to choose from depending on and it almost cuts it in half.” The biggest benefit of a trencher the application, including a dirt Nelson Landscaping is just one example attachment is that it eliminates the of an operation that is leaning on their equipbucket, 4-in-1 bucket and grapple need for a second machine on a job ment to help boost jobsite efficiency and fill bucket. site, which benefits contractors staffing gaps. While the grapple bucket, A grapple bucket is similar to the dealing with a labor shortage in two trencher attachment and hydraulic fork are standard bucket, but with hydraulic ways. First, by eliminating time three of the most popular attachments to help clamps, so it can be used to hold needed for maintenance or trans- maximize productivity, there are a variety of unstable materials such as tree portation of a second machine and attachments that can help operators improve branches, stumps, large boulders, giving the crew valuable minutes the bottom line. From rakes and backhoes to unstable bricks and other landscape materials. The bucket attachment helps operators safely lift and back in their day. And second, by augers and microtrenchers, finding the right For example, if a contractor carry large piles of material that need to be relocated or cutting back on training time need- attachments will be imperative to keeping ed to learn multiple machines, smaller crews successful and efficient. needed to move a heavy tree branch disposed of on a job site.
