Combination buckets increase productivity
When a combination bucket is used on a mini track loader, it creates a valuable and efficient team.
Mini track loaders have been called the “Swiss Army knife of machines.” The many attachments used on loaders allow the machines to perform an endless variety of tasks. Of these attachments, the combination bucket itself is like a Swiss Army knife because it is several attachments in one. It acts as a standard bucket — with a twist, as a dozer and as a grapple.
Combination bucket uses
When used as a bucket, the combination bucket digs, carries, loads and dumps material. However, the combination bucket differs from an ordinary bucket when it comes to dumping material. The combination bucket has a clamshell that opens, releasing the material without having to tip the bucket, which means that material can be dumped more easily. “Dumping by opening the clamshell is a useful feature when working with mini track loaders,” says Greg Rostberg, marketing manager for Bobcat Company. “Mini track loaders have shorter dumping heights than other compact loaders, and the extra room provided by the combination bucket gives the mini track loader a little more room to dump.”
Like other buckets, the bottom of the combination bucket can be used to level material. However, the combination bucket also performs the related task of dozing. Opening the clamshell and using the backplate allows the operator to use the combination bucket to move and grade material.
The clamshell also makes it possible to use the combination bucket as a grapple, grabbing broken concrete, brush, or other hard-to-handle materials.
Often, contractors encounter jobsites where all of these tasks are performed. A landscaper may need to move mulch or dirt to an area; a traditional bucket task. Then, the landscaper can spread the material by opening the combination bucket to doze or level. Finally, the landscaper can place decorative objects, such as rocks, by using the combination bucket as a grapple.
On a construction project at a residence, a contractor may need to replace concrete. After using a hydraulic breaker, the old concrete is removed by using the combination bucket as a grapple. If there is a problem with the sub-base, the problem can be fixed by grading and leveling the area by using the combination bucket as a dozer and as a traditional bucket.
“With the combination bucket, there’s no need to change attachments to do different tasks,” says Rostberg.
Combination buckets and mini track loaders
When a combination bucket is used on a mini track loader, it is a valuable and efficient team. While the combination bucket provides the benefit of doing many tasks, the mini track loader has been growing in popularity because the machine mechanizes work in areas that larger equipment can’t access. This work used to be done by hand.
In residential areas, many houses are close together, and other equipment is too big to reach the area where the work will be done. Often the mini track loader is the only machine that can fit through these narrow passageways. Because the machine has tracks, it doesn’t damage turf when getting to the jobsite, a concern among many contractors because damaged turf needs to be repaired.
“A mini track loader makes a business more productive,” says Rostberg. “Instead of dedicating five crew members to one job to do work by hand, a three-person crew with a mini track loader can be at one job and a two-person crew with a mini track loader can be at a second job.”
That’s what combination buckets and mini track loaders are all about — doing more work with one tool. When a machine and an attachment can save a contractor on labor, productivity and profits increase, which is a winning combination for any business owner.