Editor's note: This story, which originally ran March 16, 2021, was updated May 22, 2024, with new products.
As spring emerges so does the need for landscaping work. To help you gear up for the new season, these 18 attachments are designed to boost your construction equipment’s performance in preparing the ground for new growth or mowing down the untamed brush.
Mulch and Cut
Fecon's new Blackhawk mulching attachmentFeconFecon's narrower version of its Blackhawk mulcher (shown at top of page) for skid steers and compact track loaders. The BK6218 has all of the features of the original Blackhawk on a more agile frame and is designed for precision mulching. It can fell standing trees and processes materials already on the ground. It can be used for right-of-way maintenance and lot clearing, among other tasks. It can mulch trees up to 8 inches in diameter and has a working width of 62 inches. It requires a hydraulic flow range of 30 to 50 gallons per minute. Its tools are reversible for additional life.
Bobcat’s 44- and 54-inch Brushcat rotary cutters are designed for compact utility loaders, also known as mini skid steers or mini track loaders, and for small articulated loaders. Their small size allows access to hard-to-reach areas of heavy overgrowth. Bobcat says the models feature a high-efficiency, direct-drive motor that maximizes hydraulic horsepower for cutting and mulching tall, thick vegetation in one pass. The blades can cut and mulch vegetation up to 2 inches in diameter. The open front-deck provides visibility to the cutting path, and the oscillating deck can maintain a clean cut, even on slopes and uneven terrain, according to Bobcat.
Bradco's Extreme-Duty Ground Shark Brush Cutter is designed to clear medium- to heavy-density brush and hardwoods up to 7 inches in diameter. When the patent-pending retractable forward shield comes in contact with a tree, it moves up and back to expose the entire cutting edge of each blade while protecting the operator from flying debris. It features a direct drive system for smoother, quieter operation. The quarter-inch steel deck design with powder coat is designed to be easier to clean and maintain. Blades are Âľ-inch steel and reversible. Cutting width is 6 feet. Hydraulic flow requirements are 30 to 45 gallons per minute.
John Deere’s ME36 and ME50 mulchers for 5- to 10-ton excavators are equipped with knife-style cutting teeth on a split ring rotor. The spiral, double helix tool pattern and tool shape allow for fast, efficient cutting for mulching up to 5-inch material, the company says. A controlled and metered cutting depth allows the operator to maintain high rotor rpms and a productive mulching rate. The teeth can be sharpened and reversed for a fresh cutting edge. The attachments are designed for right-of-way maintenance, clearing standing or felled trees, and brush along fences, roads, waterways, and other hard-to-reach places.
Diamond Mowers has introduced the Brush Cutter Pro for less demanding tasks with a skid steer or compact track loader. At 1,250 pounds, the attachment is lighter than the company’s Brush Cutter Pro X. It is designed to handle core land and vegetation management, such as cutting tall or thick grass, maintaining fence lines, clearing large-scale brush and small trees. It is compatible with both standard and high-flow machines. It features four hydraulic motor options. The exclusive oval blade carrier has two hardened steel blades. Cutting width is 6 feet and it can slice through trees up to 5 inches in diameter.
Loftness has updated its Bad Ax disc mulcher attachment for skid steers to be lighter and stronger. It weighs about 400 pounds less than the original model and is positioned about 5 inches closer to the power unit for improved balance, stability and flotation of the skid steer. For durability the steel housing has been upgraded and a larger diameter main shaft has been added. The new radial piston high-pressure motor delivers full torque capability at start-up for fast recovery time. It has a 60-inch-diameter disc for cutting trees up to 14 inches in diameter. The Bad Ax requires 70 to 120 hydraulic horsepower to operate.
Rake and Prepare
The JCB Landscape Power Rake (shown at the top of this story) can be used for a variety of tasks, including preparing ground for seeding and turfing. It can be operated in forward and reverse. It features a quick hitch, and it can be angled 20 degrees left or right for windrowing debris and clearing obstacles. It comes in raking widths of 60, 70, 84 and 90 inches. It can also be used for grading, shaping, reconditioning hard soil, drying out muddy sites and trench restoration. JCB also offers replacement wear parts for the rake.
Case’s Laser Grading Box is designed for fine grading tasks with skid steers and compact track loaders. It can create finish grades to with 1/10th of an inch, the company says. It is compatible with Case’s Site Control laser control panel, receivers and beacons and can be run with single- or dual-mast options. Features include a hydraulic valve system to adjust the grading box, greaseless bushings, reversible and replaceable cutting edge on all sides, large mirror to view spoil and material in front of the box and universal skid steer mount compatible.
IronCraft’s 4-N-1 Bucket and Power Rake for mini and full-size skid steers can dig, load, grab and back drag as well as prepare the soil without changing attachments. The Power Rake has carbide tips and a smooth-edge bucket; a bolt-on edge or welded teeth are optional. Users who opt for bolt-on teeth for more aggressive digging can raise the grapple and use the back side of the bucket as a smooth edge. Power Rakes are available in widths of 66, 72, 78 or 84 inches. The rake requires a hydraulic flow rate of 15 to 25 gallons per minute.
The Toro Power Box Rake for the company’s Dingo compact utility loader is designed to transform rough terrain into seed bed. The 4-foot-wide rake can also be used for sod preparation and rock removal. Features include triple-sealed, shielded roller bearings and proprietary carbide teeth. An adjustable Rhino-Hide barrier allows the operator to choose the size of material to be left on the seed bed. Raising the barrier enables faster soil drying. The end plates can be removed for windrowing or attached to the back side of the rake for reverse box raking and spreading fill piles. It also has dual independently adjustable gauge wheels.
Beyond just mixing and loosening soil, Virnig’s new V20 Mini Skid Steer Tiller attachment can help with grading, leveling, fertilizing and weeding, the company says. With 24 heat-treated, dual-edge tines, the tiller can quickly prepare soil and cover tracks. It can be used in either direction, but it is designed to till away from the operator. The tiller is 48 inches wide. Adjustable skid shoes allow the digging depth to be adjusted to 4, 5 or 6 inches deep. The tiller shaft is supported by 2-inch-diameter bearings on each side.
ASVASV has soil conditioners for its skid steers and compact track loaders. The attachments feature power angling of plus and minus 25 degrees, floating connection leveling and removable box end and wing plates. Models come in widths of 48, 60, 72 or 84 inches. Depending on the model, they come with solid urethane tires or solid urethane wheels. Required hydraulic flows range from 9 to 33 gallons per minute. They are compatible with ASV RT25, RT40, RT50, RT-65, VT-70, RT-75, RS-75, VS-75 and RT135 loaders.
Stinger AttachmentsStinger Attachments says its Mini Soil Conditioner grades, levels, rakes and removes debris, pulverizing and preparing the ground for new seedbed or turf. It can also dethatch or remove old lawn and weeds. It is designed for compact utility loaders and small skid steers with recommended flow of 9 to 20 gallons per minute. It features a fully hydraulic 48-inch-wide bi-directional drum to work soil in both directions. Hydraulic angling is enabled up to 25 degrees in either direction. A manual slew option is also available. Spoil plates are removable for windrowing. Legs are foldable and jockey wheels are removable for transport and storage.
QuickAttach Attachments’ Quick Power Scape skid steer soil conditioner operates in both standard and high flow and delivers automatic leveling as it follows the contour of the ground, the company says. It is designed to rake stones and debris to either side or straight ahead for pickup. The large-diameter rotor and teeth pulverize the soil on the go. The counter-rotating rotor action moves soil ahead while tilling. This allows you to fill in low spots and cut down high spots in one pass. Rake and till as deep as 4 inches.
Ignite Attachments’ auger line for skid steers and compact track loaders, the 75DDH and 165DDH, feature a classic-drive system, which provides productive torque at any rpm and easy maintenance, the company says. The models are intended for digging deep holes in lighter conditions, such as clay, rock and frozen surfaces. The 75DDH has a hydraulic flow range of 8-20 gallons per minute, and the 165DDH has a hydraulic flow range of 14-25 gallons per minute. The models have a digging depth of 50 inches when using the standard bit.
Removing and Moving
The Werk-Brau Grubber slices roots and extracts brush in one motion. The attachments fit most excavator sizes and classes, including minis. They are constructed with a heavy-duty upper channel, AR400 steel cutting edges and triple pass welds on the high stress areas. A replaceable bolt-on edge V-edge or straight edge are options. They are designed for the select extraction of brush and nuisance vegetation causing less ground disturbance and erosion, while promoting grass growth, the company says. It can eradicate infestations of mesquite and salt cedar by removing the root ball.
The Danuser Intimidator is designed for eliminating trees, saplings, shrubs, bushes and other obstructions. The attachment is compatible with skid steers, compact track loaders and tractors. Its synchronized jaws can handle stumps, posts, rocks and fence rows. Its replaceable excavator bucket teeth and vertical jaw saw teeth work together to remove the complete tree stump by digging and cutting roots. The Intimidator can maneuver in tight spaces. The company says it has lower operating costs than a dozer and requires less work than a chain saw.
Develon – formerly known as Doosan Infracore – designed its thumb for use with a compact excavator bucket for grabbing, lifting and placing items, such as debris in site preparation or hardscape materials for a landscaping project. The thumb can be opened and closed hydraulically. Serrated edges hold material secure to the bucket for loading and material handling.
