Excavator Attachments: Which One Is Best for the Job
When you have a job for an excavator, the first thing to figure out is which attachment is built for it. A bucket digs. A thumb closes against the bucket so the machine can pick up a stump, a length of pipe, or a boulder and set it where you want it. A breaker breaks up concrete and rock, a compactor packs the bottom of a trench from the end of the arm, and a grapple bucket digs and then clamps onto the load to carry it off. A shear or a demolition tool takes down steel and concrete. Once you know the attachment, the machine has to be big enough to carry it. We sell Geith buckets, thumbs, couplers, rippers, and grapples, FRD/Kent breakers and compactors, and Genesis shears and concrete processors. We rent breakers, compactors, grapple buckets, and three Genesis demolition tools.
Buckets, thumbs, and couplers
We sell Geith buckets, thumbs, and couplers. Digging buckets come in different widths, a narrow one for a trench and a wider one for cleanup. A tilting bucket swings up to 45 degrees to either side, so you can finish a slope or a ditch from where the machine sits. A hydraulic thumb closes against the teeth of the bucket, and with it the machine handles rock, brush, stumps, and pipe that a bucket alone can’t hold. A ripper tooth puts all of the machine’s force on one point, so it breaks up hard ground that a bucket can’t get into. A quick coupler lets you change from one attachment to the next without knocking out pins. Before you hang a breaker on one, make sure the coupler’s maker approves it for breakers, because some don’t.
Grapple buckets for rent
A grapple bucket digs like a regular one and has a hydraulic clamp on top. You dig, then close the clamp on a chunk of concrete, a stump, or a pile of brush and carry it to the truck. If you’re renting the excavator from us, we put the grapple bucket on it. If you own the excavator, the grapple bucket rents on its own and goes on your machine. They come in two sizes. The smaller one goes on 80 to 245 size excavators, like our Link-Belt 80X3 up through our Hitachi/Landcros ZX245USLC-7H, and the larger one on 300 to 350 size machines, like our ZX300LC-7H and ZX350LC-7H. Tell us your model and we’ll send the size that fits.
Demolition tools for rent
For taking down concrete and steel, we rent three Genesis tools, each for a 350 size excavator with combination hydraulics, and each with a one week minimum. The GXT 335R is the shear, and it cuts steel in demolition and scrap work. The GDT 290 is the demo tool: its jaws crush concrete and cut the rebar inside it, so it’s the one for bringing a structure down. The GDR 300 is the recycler: it works through the rubble after the structure is down, breaking the concrete small and cutting the steel out so the concrete can be recycled. Tell us which of those three jobs you have, and we’ll send the tool for it. If you’re buying, we sell Genesis concrete processors, grapples, and mobile shears new.
Breakers and compactors
We rent eleven Kent breakers and four sizes of Kent compactor, and each one is listed for a range of excavator weights. Find your machine’s weight, take the breaker whose range covers it, and if your machine falls between two ranges, call us first. Our guide to hydraulic breaker sizing has every range and the rental excavators that fit each one. A compactor is listed the same way, and it packs the bottom of a trench, a slope, or the backfill around a foundation from the end of the arm, so nobody climbs into the trench with a walk-behind compactor.
Bucket and breaker maintenance
Grease the bucket pins. It’s the cheapest maintenance there is, and worn pins and bushings put more stress on the machine and lead to bigger repairs. Rotate the bucket teeth so they wear evenly, and move the corner teeth to the center, since the corners go first. Never dig with a tooth missing, because the bare adapter nose gets eaten away and new teeth won’t seat on it. Check the mounting hinges for cracks and the leading edges and corners for thinning. On a breaker, keep the hose ends out of the dirt and the ports closed on the job site, pull and inspect the retaining pin and tool every 10 hours, check the shank and bushings every 50, and have it serviced every 600 hours or once a year. Our Best Practices article on attachment maintenance has the full list.
Renting and buying
Breakers, compactors, grapple buckets, and the Genesis tools rent. Rentals don’t include an operator. Our guide to how renting works covers hours, fuel, insurance, and returns. If you’re buying, we sell Geith, FRD/Kent, and Genesis attachments new at all three locations, and our parts and service departments support them.
What to tell us when you reserve
Tell us the job, the make and model of the excavator, its weight if it isn’t one of ours, and whether it has a coupler. With that, we can send the attachment that fits.
Talk to a location near you
Call or text, or send us the question through our contact page.