Demolition is a necessary step in construction, but also in scrap yards and recycling facilities. While our ancestors handled demolishing projects by hand, today we use heavy equipment such as excavators, back hoes, and skid steers because it’s much more efficient. Though heavy machinery isn’t quite enough for our daily operations, we also require several attachments for various uses, one of those being demolition. Unfortunately, in the past, many companies either didn’t have the right demolition attachments or didn’t know what to look for in a quality attachment––until now. In the following guide, RSBM break down several tips for choosing an excavator demolition attachment.

Not all attachments are created equally, have a variety

Depending on your company and the type of demolition you perform, you might need all of the following attachments or you might only need just one or two. In construction and structural demolition, many companies merely demolish buildings with the standard excavator bucket. While the bucket is fine for that application, it’s not the only useful attachment. Some of the other important demolition attachments include grapples and magnets as well. Grapples are a vital attachment for more than demolition, they’re also common in shipbuilding, railroad maintenance, and construction. Every company should have a grapple because they give the machine operator the option to lift items with a reliable and more secure grip.

Far too many companies forget to have a magnet in their attachment arsenal which is a mistake for three reasons. First, after the demolition project, how do you plan on cleaning up the worksite? Additionally, most industries (some more than others) have ferrous materials to clean up and a magnet will make that process much easier. Moreover, unless your company handles ferrous materials, you could sell the materials to scrap yard and earn a profit that you otherwise would’ve thrown out.

In the demolition project, the reinforced concrete blocks need to be broken and the steel bars need to be recycled to make the components easier to load and transport. Compared with the crusher, the crushing tongs are more efficient and easy to operate. Only one driver is needed to operate, which saves high cost of manual crushing and improves efficiency.

Consider the material you’re working with

Much like our previous point, knowing the material you handle primarily will help guide your purchase towards the appropriate attachments. If you’re a scrap yard or recycling facility for example, you’ll certainly benefit from a scrap magnet for a couple reasons. First and foremost, you need to sort materials with like materials, and a magnet will help you perform that task efficiently. Moreover, your facility may receive a vehicle that’s still intact. The easiest and most efficient way to handle a complete vehicle is with the aid of a magnet.

We recognize that not all of you run recycling facilities and scrap yards, though. For those of you working in construction, for example, you might only need the excavator’s hydraulic shears. Though, we’d encourage you to invest in a magnet as well, because it’s better to have the attachment as an option rather than wishing you had one.

Know your excavator’s specifications

While many attachments are universal and fit on most excavators, that doesn’t mean it will fit for sure. Every excavator has different specifications, so it’s important that you know your specifications prior to investing in attachments. Probably the most important specification know is the excavator’s weight limit. Some attachments are heavier than others and you must ensure your excavator can handle such an attachment. If your attachment exceeds the weight capacity of your excavator, you’re asking for machine trouble. Some of the troubles you’ll experience is your excavator being unstable and performing poorly. Ultimately, if you’re overloading the machine’s weight capacity, the machine might not operate at all if you’re well above the weight limit. Furthermore, an attachment that exceeds the excavator’s specifications requires more work from the machine, which can lead to long term damage, expensive repairs, and more frequent maintenance.

Don’t forget to consider to your power source

Similar to the excavator’s specifications, you must take the attachment’s power source into consideration. Are you planning for hydraulic attachments? If so, you’ll need to know your excavator’s circuit requirements and hydraulic flow rating. If the attachment doesn’t receive adequate oil, it won’t operate at peak performance. Alternatively, those of you interested in magnets might opt for a permanent or electromagnet because it doesn’t require a hydraulic power source, although you might need a generator or battery. Without the appropriate power source, excavator demolition attachments won’t perform as well as they should, and poor performance leads to inefficiencies. Few metrics are more important in demolition than efficiency and productivity, and an inadequate power source will force your attachments to operate poorly and cost your company time and money.

Don’t skimp on quality

As with any company, you’re probably trying to keep expenses low by searching for the best deal possible, and there’s nothing wrong with that. The problem with looking for the best deal is that people often settle for lower quality, and your excavator attachment is no place for mediocre quality. Whether you work in construction, metal recycling, or scrap yards, you know that your equipment is the lifeline of your business, so why would you want unreliable attachments? Your company and your workers deserve to work with high-quality equipment, so invest in quality and invest in your business’s future.