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• Earthmoving Attachments
• Landscaping Attachments
• Roadwork Attachments
• Demolition Attachments
• Miscellaneous Attachments
• About Cat® Construction Equipment Attachments

When it comes to heavy construction equipment, some of the greatest innovations from manufacturers have come in the form of the utility of attachments. Construction equipment attachment manufacturers continue to produce multi-purpose and specialty work tools that transform machines into highly applicable solutions for virtually any type of project. 

Demand for compact equipment attachments continues to grow as more owner-operators invest in their own tools to help expand their offerings and scale their businesses.

This guide to construction equipment attachments covers the types of work tools available for earthmoving, landscaping, roadwork, demolition and various other applications, and some of the benefits of choosing Cat® attachments for your heavy equipment needs.

Earthmoving Attachments

Earthmoving is an essential stage in the construction process where heavy equipment moves soil, rock and other material in preparation for construction or other industrial activities. Whether it’s moving material for construction, mining or roadbuilding, earthmovers like excavators and loaders rely on a variety of attachments to get the job done.

Below are some of the top earthmoving work tools needed on-site:

• Augers: Drill precise and even holes through compacted earth with auger attachments. Whether you’re installing foundation footings, fence posts or trees, augers and auger bits are capable of penetrating tough earthen materials to create a variety of sizes and depths of holes. Augers are hydraulically powered and built to withstand repetitive, heavy use thanks to their spiral design and durable materials.
• Buckets: Buckets are standard attachments on earthmoving equipment, whether it’s an excavator, a wheel loader or a compact machine like a skid steer. You’ll find many bucket designs available for specific tasks, from multi-purpose material buckets with a straight edge to toothed buckets for grappling uneven materials.
• Grapples: When handling bulky, uneven and loose materials during site preparation, equipment operators use grapples to help secure loads and transport more material with greater efficiency. Compared to open buckets, grapples help operators pick up and hold large materials, like rock and tree debris for easier transportation.
• Rippers: When working with highly compacted earth or material, rippers offer high-impact digging capabilities. A ripper is essentially a heavy-duty steel-toothed claw used to penetrate hard material, like compacted or frozen soil, tearing it apart to make it easier for digging, trenching or installations. Choose rippers for demanding rip-and-load jobs.
• Thumbs: Increase load control on earthmoving projects with thumb attachments for excavator buckets. A thumb is an extra appendage added to the opposing side of the excavator bucket to clamp down on the loaded material and hold it in place while the machine or boom is in motion.
• Trenchers: When you need to cut through soil in a smooth and even slice, a trencher attachment will help you accomplish the job. Trenchers contain a series of heavy-duty teeth rotating from a chain, similar to a large chainsaw. Earthmoving projects that involve laying utility pipes, irrigation lines, power systems or drainage ditches need powerful trenchers to help cut through soil evenly.

Landscaping Attachments

Landscaping contractors come up against many unexpected challenges as they attempt to work, clean and organize landscapes. Having a selection of tools allows contractors to tackle projects with efficiency and productivity, maximizing their time spent working. From removing trees and brush to hauling landscape materials, landscapers need the right attachments for construction equipment.

Below are some of the top types of landscaping attachments:

• Brushcutters: Clear brush and overgrowth quickly with brushcutting attachments for compact loaders. Use a brushcutter to tackle trees up to 8 inches in diameter or clean up tall overgrowth that extends beyond property lines. Brushcutters use a rotary blade to slice through thick and uneven brush, providing a precise way to contour around structures.
• Mulchers: Mulch is a useful and valuable material for landscaping, providing a nourishing ground covering for vegetation, trees and plantings. Mulchers allow landscape contractors to chop up unwanted brush and vegetative debris into fine, even material for repurposing. Mulchers contain multiple layers of heavy-duty teeth that rip and shred material evenly.
• Rakes: In landscape finishing, you need the right tools to help you smooth and level out soil. Rake attachments comb through topsoil, breaking up large chunks of dirt and debris, leaving an even layer of surface material in their wake. Rakes can also be used on other ground coverings, including gravel, mulch or sand.
• Stump grinders: Whether you’re clearing a lot for new construction or cleaning up an existing landscape, you may come across the need to remove tree stumps. Stump grinding attachments give contractors a powerful sawing tool that grinds down stubborn tree stumps into mulch. A stump grinder is a rotary saw blade that moves back and forth and up and down to reduce tree stumps to below surface level.
• Tillers: One of the most useful work tool attachments in the landscaping arsenal is the tiller attachment. Tillers are used to break up and churn soil to aerate it ahead of planting seedbeds or laying down turf. Tillers can also be used to mix and add materials to soil, including fertilizer or compost. Use tillers when fallow earth has been untouched and hardened over time and needs extra force to break it apart.

Roadwork Attachments

Road construction relies on heavy-duty equipment that’s powerful enough to rip up old pavement, reclaim road materials, grade out new roadways and lay down new asphalt or concrete. Leveraging a combination of loaders, dozers, motor graders and pavers, road workers benefit from machines and tools to build solid, long-lasting roads and highways. With various attachments available, crews can maximize their machines' productivity with the right work tools.

Below are the top equipment attachments for road construction:

• Blades: Blade attachments are essential dozing, land clearing and debris removal tools used in road construction. Attaching to bulldozers, wheel loaders and compact loaders, blades come in numerous configurations. Angle blades allow for precise maneuvering of material, while box blades are applied for grading and leveling ground in preparation for paving. Work with your trusted Cat dealer to choose the right type of blade attachment for your heavy construction equipment.
• Brooms: Road construction and maintenance require an efficient cleanup stage with broom attachments that help clear away debris and dirt. Caterpillar is one of the top construction equipment attachment manufacturers, offering three types of broom tools. Angle brooms offer precision attachments for clearing roadways and parking lots, while pick-up brooms provide a way to contain and dispose of debris. Utility brooms are an everyday attachment for ongoing light cleanup and debris containment.

• Cold planers: Cold planers are work tool attachments that are vital to the road resurfacing and paving process. Delivering a high-impact drum application, cold planers are used for milling road material, smoothing out asphalt and stripping paint. Cold planers are compatible with compact loaders like skid steers and full-size equipment, including wheel loaders.
• Compactors: Successful road construction requires heavy-duty tools to compact earth and create a solid foundation for a durable roadway. Compactor attachments compress road materials to remove air pockets and strengthen the layers beneath the road surface to ensure maximum durability and longevity. Compactors are also used for backfilling embankments and slopes or pipeline construction.

Demolition Attachments

Demolition is a fact of development, offering a way to remove, reuse, recycle and dispose of old structures and products that can make way for new purposes.

Primary demolition and processing consist of breaking down decommissioned structures, buildings or bridges that are no longer needed or safe to use. Secondary demolition is the act of processing previously demolished materials for salvaging, recycling or reuse. Whether you’re involved in primary or secondary demolition, you need powerful attachments that are compatible with heavy-duty construction equipment that can withstand this tough work.

Below are some of the most useful heavy equipment attachments for demolition work:

• Hammers: When you need to break up hard surfaces like concrete, pavement or rock, a hammer attachment for your excavator, loader or skid steer is an essential demolition tool. Hammers are hydraulically powered, delivering the vertical impact force and performance needed to cut through hard surfaces. Hammers come in different sizes depending on the type and size of the project at hand.
• Multi-processors: Multi-processors are powerful demolition and concrete cutting tools capable of tackling the toughest jobs. Acting as heavy-duty cutting jaws, multi-processors can reduce even the toughest materials, like steel beams and iron pipes, to ruin. Multi-processors are versatile and useful work tools for excavators running on construction projects, industrial sites, junkyards and more. As the name suggests, multi-processors perform the jobs of several tools combined, including shearing, crushing and pulverizing.
• Pulverizers: For heavy-duty crushing power, employ a pulverizer attachment for your excavator or loader. Built like a jaw, pulverizers have a fixed jaw and a moving one, allowing operators to crush material and move it easily into piles, making it useful in demolition settings where you need to separate material types, such as removing metal scraps from concrete rubble.
• Shears: Shears are high-performance demolition attachments used in steel processing and recycling. Whether you’re dismantling buildings, automobiles or aircraft, shears are a necessary attachment to help cut through and sort solid metals. Shears are also used in secondary capacities, allowing operators to cut metal scraps down to specific sizes for transportation and reuse.

Miscellaneous Attachments

Equipment manufacturers are constantly inventing and refining the types of work tools available for specialty applications and scenarios. The following miscellaneous attachments for construction equipment are useful tools to help increase worksite productivity and tackle specific duties on the job:

• Backhoes: When you want to turn your existing equipment into a multi-purpose unit, choose a backhoe attachment for your loader. Backhoes are one of the most convenient compact construction equipment attachments, allowing you to transform your skid steer into a powerful digging machine. Backhoe attachments allow you to perform tasks like digging foundations, trenching irrigation lines and backfilling and material moving.
• Couplers: When you want to leverage the diverse suite of attachments for construction equipment, you need a coupler attachment to act as the bridge between your existing equipment and the desired work tool. Couplers are available for backhoes, excavators and loaders, allowing you to quickly change between different work tools to save time and maximize productivity.
• Material handling arms: Run a smooth and organized worksite with material handling arm attachments for your heavy construction equipment. Material handling arms come in several lengths and load ratings suitable for different applications. Whether you’re moving building supplies in a lumber yard, lowering pipes into the ground or moving steel beams, material handling arms give you the lifting and carrying capacity you need to operate a productive job site.
• Skid steer adapters: Skid steers are often referred to as the Swiss army knife of construction equipment, as they're compatible with many tools. A skid steer adapter allows these machines to further leverage additional tools that are designed for other types of equipment.

About Cat® Construction Equipment Attachments

Caterpillar is an industry-leading construction equipment attachment manufacturer, providing total system solutions that enhance existing machines’ capabilities. With the right Cat work tools, contractors can expand their service offerings, take on projects year-round and get more work done in less time.

Cat construction equipment attachments offer the following advantages:

• Maximizing existing equipment’s hydraulic systems
• Improving job site safety with the right tools for the task at hand
• Increasing return on investment in heavy equipment
• Optimizing productivity and minimizing downtime

Whether you own Cat equipment or equipment from another manufacturer, you’ll find that Cat attachments are compatible with most machines. For example, Cat attachments designed for compact equipment will perform no matter which machine you use.

When selecting the right Cat attachments, consider the machine size and the size of the work tool. For instance, compact equipment performs best when equipped with smaller attachments to maintain the maneuverability and speed that’s desirable from a smaller machine.

As an owner of equipment attachments, it’s important to know how to adequately store and maintain your tools to maximize their longevity and performance:

1. Keep your attachments out of the elements while not in use, securing them in a dry or covered location to prevent corrosion and damage.
2. Conduct routine inspections of your attachments, and invest in regular servicing and repairs as needed.
3. Perform a pre- and post-operating checklist before and after each use to help ensure safety and protect your investment in your equipment.

Choose Holt of California for Construction Equipment Attachments

When you need reliable, durable and high-performing construction equipment attachments, choose Caterpillar as your trusted manufacturer. Holt of California is a leading provider of new and used Cat equipment attachments. Browse our inventory of work tools to learn more, and discover our wide range of Cat construction equipment for sale.

Get help selecting the right construction equipment attachment for your application. Contact Holt of California today to speak with an equipment representative who can help you choose the right type and size of attachment for your needs. Call us today at 800-452-5888 or visit one of our convenient locations throughout California.