Working Outside the Trenches

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Bolstered with impressive bucket breakout forces, the fastest cycle time in their classes and soft-touch joysticks for effortless control of the work group, Bobcat® compact excavators are ideal for digging trenches where space is limited and time is short. Most of the 12 models offer a selection of buckets in various widths from 9 to 36 in. to match your specific digging needs. However, working quickly and efficiently in the trenches is
just one of the many time-and labor-saving traits of these amazingly
versatile machines.

Except for the smallest Bobcat excavator, the ultra-compact 316, the remaining models in the Bobcat lineup—from the compact 323 to the big and powerful 442—can be equipped with a wide array of Bobcat attachments to tackle jobs ranging from drilling holes for fence posts and loading brush to compacting fill material.

“These tough, rugged attachments convert your excavator into a multi-purpose machine adding to their value on many different jobsites,” says Tom Connor, Bobcat excavator product specialist. “And, the exclusive X-Change™ mounting system (available on 325-435 models) makes changing attachments fast and simple.”

Here are some ideas on how you can profit from the many performance-proven Bobcat attachments:

Auger
Choose from three models of augers to drill holes for posts, poles
and piers. From the seat of your excavator you enjoy a great view of
your work area. Plus, you can reach over obstacles, such as a fence or a
patio, to dig the holes.

Breaker
From breaking up concrete sidewalks and garage floors to tearing down concrete walls and piers, the hydraulic breaker handles all kinds of demolition chores. It’s also the smart way to break up asphalt paving or large buried rocks when digging.

“There’s no better tool for demolishing the walls of swimming pools,” says Connor. “Simply reach over the edge of the pool with the work group of your excavator, curl the breaker to point it back at the wall and start hammering.”

Choose from four models, depending on size and hydraulic flow of your excavator.

Clamp
Mount the hydraulic clamp onto your excavator to improve the grip of your trenching bucket or grapple when lifting and loading odd-shaped materials such as chunks of concrete or tree stumps.

Grading Bucket
Whether it’s the 59-in.-wide model for the 442 excavator or the 39-in.-or 52-in.-wide bucket for the other size machines, a smooth edge grading bucket mounted on a Bobcat excavator can eliminate the need to bring in a skid-steer loader for many ground-shaping applications. Use it to rough grade lawns, spread base material inside small spaces of home foundations or contour banks and drainage ditches.

“It’s also great for sidewalk construction,” says Connor. “Depending
on the size of bucket, you may even be able to cut the width of the sidewalk
in one pass.”

Grapple
Typically used with the clamp, the three tines of this handy attachment
save time and labor when handling bulky material, such as logs and
landscaping stones. Two models are available and they’re great for grabbing
piles of brush or a load of concrete debris and shaking to remove
any dirt or gravel.

Hydra-Tilt™ Swing Accessory
This nifty tool lets you angle a trenching or grading bucket to minimize
repositioning of the machine for all kinds of special digging and
grading work. A hydraulic cylinder tilts the bucket up to 60 degrees from
one side to the other for cutting or cleaning ditches, contouring slopes
or shaping swales.

Packer Wheel
The 11-in.-wide packer wheel is designed for compacting backfilled trenches and smaller areas such as around new fire hydrants. Featuring a double-spike sheep’s foot, this attachment can be used with Bobcat 325-435 excavators.

Plate Compactor
Mounted at the end of the excavator boom, the plate compactor can be used to reach the bottom of trenches, to compact for footings and slab areas. It’s an alternative to a walkbehind unit or remote-controlled roller compactors. This attachment can also drive piles when building retaining walls. Three models fit various sizes of Bobcat excavators.

Power-Tilt® Swing Accessory
Similar to the Hydra-Tilt™, but offering a wider range of motion, it works like a wrist to tilt a trenching or grading bucket without moving the entire excavator. With a 178-or 180-degree range of motion, depending on model, the Power-Tilt accessory makes easy work of tricky jobs such as digging around and under culverts, sewer lines, tree roots and foundations.

Ripper
Frozen or hard-packed ground is no match for this attachment. It penetrates
and loosens soil for much faster and easier removal with a bucket.

Rotating Clam Shell
Available for the Bobcat 442 excavator, this versatile tool takes the time and work out of both material handling and digging jobs. Use it to pick up boulders or timbers, then rotate them to the correct position before placing them. It also allows you to dig a perfectly vertical hole.

“On a foundation or utility repair job, it can dig straight down to minimize
the amount of dirt you need to remove and backfill compared to using a trenching bucket,” Connor says. “If there’s no place to stockpile spoil, the rotating clam shell is ideal for loading dirt into a Bobcat dumping
hopper mounted on a Bobcat skid-steer loader or a truck. Then you can use it to remove the spoil from the hopper or truck when backfilling.”

Rotating Grapple
Two models of this useful attachment are available for Bobcat 331-435
excavators. Among its many applications: You can use it to pick up a post
that’s lying flat on the ground, rotate the post to a vertical position and
then place it in a hole. Or use it to place landscape boulders with pecision, eliminating hard, manual labor when positioning rocks in beds or
retaining walls (see page 28).

Trencher
Featuring a 2-ft. digging depth, this attachment offers a faster alternative
to a bucket for light to medium trenching jobs.

Learn more about making the most of your Bobcat excavator: Visit your Bobcat dealer today to get all the details about sturdy, durable
Bobcat attachments.