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Bobcat Service
Machine-with-Operator Service
Description and Function:
Frost/shale ripper. Attaches like a bucket to the mini-excavator, but in place of one instead. Its purpose is to loosen up the ground in preparation for digging or trenching with a regular bucket. Used in the winter to break through the frost; and can also be of good use in shale, caliche and some dense clay soils.
Available for some models.
Frost rippers for mini-excavators; allowing for year-round digging. Through hard clay, rock, shale too
Various styles of frost rippers
Price:
$ 50 per day - rental rate
(additional to hourly charge for the basic bobcat that it needs to run it, with operator)
Comment on Pricing:
If you have hard material to dig through - particularly clays and shale - this attachment will absolutely save you money - far more than its rental fee - in time saved, and hourly-charges reduced. In the winter, digging in the frost maybe impossible entirely without it - so ordering it in advance and having it on site with your excavator can make the difference between getting the work done or nothing at all. Another option may be ordering the more expensive hydraulic breaker (meant for breaking concrete, but works on frost and clay too, usually, to some degree). It is always your responsibility to assess your jobsite ground conditions and order the appropriate tools - including rippers or breakers - at any time of the year, before the arrival of your operator and machinery.
Applications & Purpose:
The ripper's purpose is singular - to loosen up hard-to-dig-in soil.
In the winter, that means frost. By using this first, before the trenching bucket, the mini-excavator can dig 12-months a year.
In the rest of the year, the use of a ripper is for hard soils - such as compacted clay, caliche, shale and rock.
Compatibility:
Only certain models of mini-excavators are compatible with the frost rippers we stock - and those are primarily the larger class units - the maximum-mini-ex class ones. That makes sense, as it requires a heavier machine (so as not to slide) and one with plenty of power to break through the hard stuff. Check with dispatch when ordering as to model compatibility and local
Availability:
At present we stock only a very few rippers due to the limited frequency of use, at some branches only.
Play the video below to see it in action:
An amateur video showing a mini-excavator digging a trench in frozen ground, first by breaking through the frost with a frost ripper. Admittedly, not a very good video, but it does give some idea of what the attachment can do. We are making a series of our own videos and when production is complete they will be posted,
Attachments
(for mini-excavators)
Ripper (frost pick)
Frost ripper attachment
Breaking through the frost
The frost is mostly broken through now, so now its time to switch back over to the trenching bucket and start digging!
