Grading and site preparation contractors might be surprised to learn that laser-guided attachments are growing in popularity in the compact equipment market, especially for concrete flatwork or applications that require a single slope grade. Contractors should consider using a laser-guided box blade or grader attachment with a compact loader for grading accuracy as precise as plus or minus 0.25 inch.

"This equipment allows us to produce a consistent grade, with no high or low spots, and get within 1/8-inch of final grade," says Wade Peska, Peska Construction. Peska is a South Dakota flatwork contractor who uses a laser-guided grader attachment for commercial projects up to 60,000 square feet or more. The company recently replaced a non-laser-equipped motor grader with the laser-guided grader attachment for their compact loader.

Before we dig into the types of grading attachments, you might be thinking that compact loaders — skid-steer, compact track or all-wheel steer — are too small for grading applications when actually they are well-suited. First, a compact loader with a grading attachment can do just as good of a job as a dedicated grading machine, especially when equipped with a laser control package. Compact equipment is easier to haul with a light truck and small trailer. Remember, no commercial driver's license is needed. When they aren't needed for grading, compact loaders can use other attachments to remain productive. While dedicated machines might sit idle, compact loaders can backfill around footings and foundations with a bucket, transport building supplies with a pallet fork attachment, or clean nearby sidewalks and streets with an angle broom or sweeper attachment.

A leading compact equipment manufacturer, for example, offers two grading attachments for compact loaders — the box blade and the grader. The 84-inch box blade attachment may be used for rough grading and landscaping applications to fill in low spots and carry material to bring the surface close to grade. The attachment is operated with a switch built into the loader's steering levers. This fingertip control of the blade raise-and-lower function provides smoother controls for precise grading. Other features include a reversible cutting edge and foam-filled bolster tires for added flotation.

A second grading attachment is a 7-foot grader with a six-way hydraulically controlled moldboard. Like the box blade attachment, the grader attachment is operated by fingertip controls with switches mounted on the loader's steering levers. The attachment manually adjusts sideways up to 12 inches in both directions and angles hydraulically 25 degrees right or left for precise control. With its compact size, the grader attachment can work closer to walls, columns and other obstacles than dedicated grading machines, reducing the amount of hand finish work.

Both of these grading attachments may be used with an optional laser control package, which includes a rotating laser beacon and tripod, and a laser receiver with one receiver pole for the box blade and two receiver poles for the grader. How the system works is quite simple. The laser receiver mounted on the box blade or grader receives a signal from the laser transmitter. The receiver can indicate, by lights on it, the orientation of the beam as being on grade, low or high. If the box blade or grader is too high or too low, the receiver will send a signal to the valve, which in turn raises or lowers the bolster of the box blade or grader. Operators can follow the indicator lights for a rough grade before activating the automatic laser-control feature with either attachment. Note, not all compact loaders are compatible with these attachments and may require an attachment control kit. Some attachments are proprietary to a specific machine manufacture. When looking at these types of attachments, make certain that they fit and will work on your equipment.

Attaining a more precise final grade than they could achieve without the system, as much as plus or minus 1/4-inch, and the material cost savings are two simple reasons why contractors should consider using a laser-guided system.

"Even experienced operators cannot be accurate to plus or minus 1/4-inch over the entire grade," says Mark Teckenburg, Bobcat marketing manager. "If a flatwork contractor was off by 1/2-inch on a 300-foot-by-300-foot slab, the extra 138 yards of concrete needed could easily cost more than $13,000." The formula assumes the price per yard of concrete is $95. "The cost savings could pay for the laser control system based on this example, and over time could pay for the compact loader, too," he adds.

"Laser-precise grades in one pass minimize errors, lower labor costs and build profits for compact equipment owners," Teckenburg says.

"On a typical 40,000-square-foot job, our laser-guided attachment and compact loader save us about 25 man-hours of hand labor," Peska says. "With one loader placing gravel in front of the grader, we can grade out a project in one day or less."

Contractors Colin and Basil Rissolo agree with Peska. They build and repair tennis courts in New York with a compact loader and laser-guided grader attachment. "Before we had this system, it would take eight man-days to grade a tennis court. Now we can do it in two man-days, and it produces a flatter, more uniform surface for the courts," says Basil Rissolo of Basil Rissolo Company, Inc.

Rissolo quickly found many other uses for his compact loader in addition to the grading applications. He uses the loader with a utility bucket to spread crushed, blended stone as base material prior to grading it, an auger for digging fence postholes and a pallet fork attachment for transporting construction supplies.

Fort Myers, Fla.-based builder Mike Monahan was skeptical of the box blade attachment and laser-guided system before he tried one on a commercial grading project. He says at first he thought he could do a better job with a bucket, but quickly learned after using the laser-guided box blade that his production levels jumped significantly, saving time and labor. "On the larger pads, our labor costs were cut in half. Using the box blade is a one-man operation that delivers accurate grade every time, and we don't have to constantly check grade as we go along," Monahan says.

Monahan says another reason he likes the laser-controlled box blade is because he doesn't have to worry as much about his operators and their abilities. "I can take a less-experienced operator, and if the equipment is set up properly, he will deliver a good job, usually within 1/4-inch of grade," Monahan says.

Choosing a laser-guided attachment system with a compact loader over a dedicated machine has other cost savings in addition to materials. Compact loaders and attachments are much cheaper to buy and maintain than larger construction machines, and they often work where others can't — like on slopes and in aggregates, mud, clay, and sand.

Transportation is another cost factor, especially with the high diesel prices these days. Transporting a motor grader requires a larger truck and trailer and an operator with a commercial driver's license. Peska says his company saves money because his Bobcat loader and three attachments can be hauled on a trailer behind one of his company's utility work trucks. "This eliminates the cost of a semi-truck and allows our foreman to be more mobile," Peska says. Basil Rissolo concurs, saying his crew can tow the equipment using lighter trucks because his compact loader and grader attachment weigh less than 10,000 pounds.

While many grading contractors are still using large equipment, like dozers and motor graders in the initial stages of a project, it might be time to consider downsizing to a compact loader with a box blade or grader attachment to accomplish the same tasks. More and more contractors are finding that replacing their larger, dedicated machines with a compact loader and attachments provides a better overall return on investment and more flexibility in their business, according to Teckenburg. "Although larger equipment may provide more productivity on a couple of large tasks, compact equipment can perform more tasks, is easier to haul, exerts less ground disturbance, and is cheaper to purchase," Teckenburg explains.

Information resource: Bobcat North Fargo, N.D.