An excavator is one of the most commonly used pieces of heavy construction equipment, regularly seen on sites everywhere. Because they make it such an easy task to dig holes and move earth, excavators are pretty essential.

They're not always used to their full potential, though, which means people are really missing out on the efficiency front. The way to increase an excavator's capabilities is simple: attachments. You may have only seen them with the standard bucket attached, but there's a whole world of other possibilities out there to help you get the most out of your equipment.

Breaker

Concrete or rocky ground stopping your digging efforts? Leave the hand-held breakers in storage and attach one to an excavator instead. Not only will it make the job quicker and easier, it's also a lot safer when the operator isn't holding the tool directly.

Lifting forks

There's normally a lot of heavy equipment and materials on a site, and they need to be moved regularly. A forklift truck is a great way to lift and carry pallets and other suitable items, but there's no need to buy or hire a separate one. With fork attachments, you can turn an excavator into a working forklift for as long as you need to.

Auger

These giant drill attachments are as useful and versatile as smaller drills. From agriculture and construction to maintenance, any time you need a deep, precisely-drilled hole, an auger makes the task easy.

Tree lopper

Tree lopping involves removing large sections of a tree to encourage it to grow in a certain way, help it recover from damage or get rid of hazardous branches. There are a lot of ways it can be done, including manually with a chainsaw, but using a purpose-built lopping attachment on an excavator is both safer and simpler.

Snow plough

Bad weather can cause havoc on a site, delaying work and making the ground hazardous for drivers and equipment operators. Using an excavator as a temporary snow plough by adding an attachment to it means you can clear any snow quickly, creating safe roads and pathways for work to continue as normal without obstruction.

Brush

If you need to clear debris and rubbish quickly, you could get everyone on your site to pick up a broom and start sweeping. Alternatively, you could just attach one big broom to an excavator and do the job that way. It's particularly useful if you need to sweep away larger, heavier stones.

If you need excavator hire, keep in mind all the uses an excavator can bring you.