Turn a skid-steer loader into a compact grader. Equip a backhoe to break up old paving. Expand a riding trencher into a multipurpose construction package.
Rental centers can offer customers a huge range of attachments to expand the capabilities of construction equipment for many different jobs.
Take, for example, all the bucket options for loaders; or replace the bucket with a pallet fork, a hydraulic breaker, a broom, a vibratory roller, an industrial grapple, a trencher, or even a hydraulic snow blower - help keep that construction job going despite the weather.
Attachments allow a loader-backhoe to drive and pull signposts, cut asphalt or dig post holes.
For forklifts, there are attachments for special handling requirements and loader buckets that allow these widely used machines to be used as front-end loaders.
Attachments can equip one machine to handle several jobs.
Add a utility backhoe to a compact riding trencher, and it becomes two machines in one. Or convert the machine to a vibratory plow by replacing the trenching component with a plow attachment. A combination vibratory plow-trencher attachment, utility backhoe and the standard backfill blade gives one machine the capability of doing four different jobs.

Attachments make sense for rental customers and, therefore, rental businesses: they equip ma-chines to meet specific requirements; they help customers work more efficiently and control project costs - renting a machine with multiple functions often eliminates the need for other machines and can free other equipment for use elsewhere.
For rental centers, attachments contribute to customer satisfaction and increase income. Easy-to-change attachments allow rental store personnel to meet a broad spectrum of customer needs and develop a larger market base.
Because they are more versatile, multipurpose machines bring higher rental rates. Expanding equipment capabilities with attachments means more opportunities for rental. And because such equipment is more useful, multiple-use machines often are rented for longer periods. Also, the wide range of job functions offered by attachments can help rental store owners reduce overall equipment costs.

There are useful and profit-boosting accessories that do not strictly fit the definition of "attachment" if by that we mean "tool," but are very much part of this discussion because they expand a machine's capabilities and offer a rental center opportunities for developing its markets and generating additional revenues.
Optional tracks fit over tires and permit operation of equipment in wet and muddy weather, when rubber-tired equipment would become stuck or cause unacceptable surface damage. For excavators, dozers, pavers and other tracked equipment, polyurethane and rubber track pads protect surfaces from damage.
Rental counter personnel also should be alert to the rental potential of accessory hand tools that can be operated off a machine's hydraulic system - breakers, tampers, plate compactors and trash pumps, for example.
The selection and quantity of attachments a rental center should carry will vary with its customer base, demands of the local market and the equipment in its rental fleet. Buyers should consider the compatibility of an attachment with what equipment may be added in the future - many attachments last a very long time and can outlive the host machines for which they were purchased. Also consider the ease of mounting and removal - if it's easy to switch tools, you'll probably rent more of them.

Who rents attachments?
This article is targeted primarily to the construction, maintenance and demolition markets. Potential renters include most contractors, especially those engaged in road building, installation of utility lines, commercial and residential construction, plumbing and electrical work, building of industrial complexes, agricultural operations, plant maintenance departments, sports facilities and landscaping.
Utility companies, public street and highway departments, public works crews, park departments and military and government installations have daily needs for construction equipment and attachments.
Private individuals do rent equipment with attachments for do-it-yourself projects, but such business is limited by the lack of experience of most homeowners in operating construction machinery.

Operation and safety
Counter and yard staff members must provide complete operating instructions for individual attachments and equipment on which they are mounted. It is beyond the scope of this article to provide details of operating procedures or safety matters - there are hundreds of attachments out there, and by definition they are quite specialized. So use those manuals from the manufacturers to make sure each customer understands operating instructions, and always send manuals out with the equipment.
Safety procedures and cautions are likewise specific to the attachment in question, but some things that can be said pretty broadly are that repairs and adjustments should not be made while equipment is running; renters should not attempt to remove or change attachments without the correct tools and equipment (a quick-coupler device, as on an excavator, is one exception to the shut-off rule, of course); and tell renters to wear proper safety equipment and protective clothing for the work they plan to do. Hard hats, gloves, safety glasses and hearing protection are things customers need, so stock up on them, too. Don't send them down the street to the hardware store.
Set up a video instruction corner in your store, if you haven't already, and have the contractor sit down with a cup of coffee and watch a tape. The contractor may welcome a little break and will benefit from the video, even if it's only a reminder of things he or she already knows - and you may be able to save some money in the process, by avoiding a repair job, or even steering clear of a legal problem, for the little time it takes.

Comments from the industry
BLS Enterprises, Elk Grove Village, Ill., Barry Stoughton: "Track or street pads are a new item to most rental centers. They enable rental stores to increase rentals of tracked equipment by allowing them to work on more types of surfaces, including streets, sidewalks, curbs, grassy areas and floors inside buildings, where damage must be avoided."
Bradco Division of ATI Global, Delhi, Iowa, Mike Thorp: "Attachments allow rental centers to fully utilize their machines. Small contractors rent attachments frequently and large contractors rent machines and attachments when they need additional equipment on a job."
Gehl Co., West Bend, Wis., Kelly Moore: "We find the skid-steer loader attachments most suited to the rental industry are combination buckets, pallet forks, power landscape rakes, breakers, augers, brooms and backhoes."
Melroe Co., Fargo, N.D., Mike Henline: "Attachments can quickly change the capabilities of equipment to do a wide range of special jobs."
Sellick Equipment, Harrow, Ontario, Canada, David Sellick: "An easily attached hydraulic bucket quickly converts a forklift to a utility loader."
Sweepster, Dexter, Mich., Jim Koch: "Sweeper attachments are used on paving projects, for construction cleanup, backfilling, cleaning up debris and snow removal."