The Right Attachment for the Job

by Mark Robins | 1 October 2020 12:00 am

Attachments generally fall into four categories: buckets, carriages, truss booms/lift hooks and specialty attachments.

Buckets and Loose Material

Buckets are a good choice when a job requires loose material to be loaded and moved. For example, a non-powered general purpose bucket can be used to load dirt, mulch, gravel or any other bulk material, while a powered grapple bucket is helpful for non-uniform loads that are awkward to capture in the bucket without grapple arms. These arms can maintain the load in the bucket during transporting and disposing of the contents.

Multipurpose buckets are suited for a variety of applications. With a split-bucket design, they can be used for loading, carrying and dumping. They can also be used as a grapple for handling odd-shaped objects or for dozing, leveling and spreading material with the clamshell open. It is important to note that all telehandler buckets are intended for non-excavating applications.

Carriage Attachments

Carriage attachments perform numerous tasks and come in a variety of widths with various functionality, making them a popular choice among telehandler attachments. Contractors who need to transport or place a load that requires no special features often choose a standard carriage to get the job done. With added features, the carriage can perform and provide positioning of the load to suit the end users’ needs. For example, the side-tilt carriage is able to position a load properly for transport across uneven terrain, and pick or place loads that are not on a level surface. Another option is the side-swing carriage, which provides offset placement of a load at angles from 50 to 90 degrees each side of the center point.

Contractors can also select a fork-positioning carriage, which provides a powered means to situate the forks at the correct spread for palletized loads without the operator having to leave the cab. Side-shifting carriages have the ability to shift the entire carriage and fork in either direction. This is useful if positioning the machine side-to-side is not possible when picking up a load, or if lateral placement of a load is necessary.

Truss Booms and Lift Hooks

Another attachment that enhances telehandler versatility is the truss boom, which can provide a multitude of solutions to job-site challenges. The truss boom can increase the capabilities of a vehicle by providing increased reach and, in some cases, increased height of the suspended load. The boom is available in various lengths, from a simple boom-mounted lift hook to a 15-foot truss boom. Most come in fixed lengths, but adjustable truss booms are also available to vary the reach of the load. Additional variations of coupler or fork-mounted truss booms and hooks expand the options available to contractors.

Specialty Attachments

Contractors also turn to a wide variety of specialty attachments to meet specific job-site applications. Some of the more popular specialty attachments available today include fork-mounted work platforms, pipe grapples, sweepers, augers, trash hoppers and (more recently) sheet material handlers.

The fork-mounted work platform can be installed on a carriage and used to lift personnel for those jobs that require hands-on work at heights. Contractors will also find sweeper attachments useful for job-site cleanup and collecting debris into a hopper for disposal. If a job requires an operator to punch holes for posts or poles, an auger is the ideal implement to accomplish the task. An auger bit is available in diameters ranging from 6 to 36 inches.

Fork-mounted trash hoppers are another specialty attachment for telehandlers. Equipped with a feature that allows the operator to empty the hopper’s contents without leaving the comfort of the telehandler cab, this accessory is a valuable addition to a telehandler that helps keep job sites clean and safe.

John Boehme is senior product manager of telehandlers, JLG Industries Inc., McConnellsburg, Pa. To learn more, visit www.jlg.com[1] or call (717) 485-5161.

Source URL: https://www.metalconstructionnews.com/articles/the-right-attachment-for-the-job/

---