What attachments can you put on a mini excavator?

Common mini excavator attachments include digging, grading and ditching buckets, hydraulic thumbs, breakers, augers, grapples, compaction plates and rippers. Mechanical attachments like rippers need no auxiliary hydraulic circuit, which is why they are often the first add-on an owner buys. This collection carries one ripper, the Amulet Excavator Ripper - Severe-Duty, in configurations starting at the 1-3 ton class.

Will this ripper fit my excavator?

Fitment is determined by the Amulet fitment chart, which lists covered excavator makes and models. The ripper is built in 15 configurations across 11 weight classes, from 1-3 ton machines up to 40-50 ton machines, and in four mounts: blank weld-on plate, wedge-style coupler, pin-on / pin-grabber-style coupler, and Wain-Roy / cross-pin-style coupler. Have your make, model and coupler type ready.

Should I buy a ripper or a hydraulic breaker?

Choose a ripper for material that fractures when pried: frost, hardpan, shale, compacted fill, root mats and thin asphalt. Choose a breaker for solid rock, reinforced concrete and demolition, where material has to be pulverized rather than levered apart. A ripper also runs without auxiliary hydraulics, so it suits machines without a working circuit or owners who want lower running cost.

What are the common problems with mini excavator attachments?

Most problems trace to three things: a coupler that does not match the machine, an attachment sized for a heavier carrier than the one running it, and operator technique. Side-loading a ripper by swinging the house is the usual cause of bent or cracked shanks. Buying by weight class and confirming the mount style against the manufacturer's fitment chart prevents most of it.

Do I need auxiliary hydraulics to run a ripper?

No. A ripper is a mechanical attachment with no cylinders, hoses or valves, so it works on machines with no auxiliary circuit at all. The only compatibility questions are weight class and mounting. The Amulet ripper is available with a blank weld-on plate or with wedge, pin-on / pin-grabber, and Wain-Roy / cross-pin coupler mounts.

Mini Excavator Ripper Attachments

A mini excavator ripper attachment concentrates your machine's breakout force into one shank, so it gets into frost, hardpan, caliche, shale, root mats and thin asphalt that a bucket only scrapes. This collection carries one unit: the Amulet Excavator Ripper - Severe-Duty at $1,095, built in 15 configurations across 11 excavator weight classes, with weld-on plate or coupler mounting.

Sort by

View as

Amulet Excavator Ripper - Severe-Duty

$1,095.00 - $8,795.00

$1,095.00

$1,095.00 - $8,795.00

$1,095.00

Available to order

Buy Now, Pay Later

Amulet Excavator Ripper - Severe-Duty The Amulet Excavator Ripper – Severe Duty is engineered to operate effectively in the most difficult terrain,...

View full details

$1,095.00 - $8,795.00

$1,095.00

$1,095.00 - $8,795.00

$1,095.00

Top Picks

Amulet Excavator Ripper - Severe-Duty

Single-shank severe-duty tooth that breaks frost, rock, and roots.

$1,095.00

What an excavator ripper is for

A ripper is a single-shank tine that puts the machine's full pulling force through one point instead of spreading it along a bucket's cutting edge. That point loading is what lets a small carrier work frozen ground, hardpan, caliche, shale, compacted fill, root balls and thin asphalt or slab. Typical jobs are trenching through material a bucket skates over, cutting roots and stumps, scarifying a subgrade before regrading, and fracturing material loose so the bucket can move it on the next pass. Compared with a hydraulic breaker, a ripper costs less, needs no auxiliary hydraulic circuit, and adds almost nothing to your maintenance list. It is the better tool for material that splits when pried; solid rock and reinforced concrete remain breaker work.

Sizing and mounting a mini excavator ripper

The Amulet Excavator Ripper - Severe-Duty is offered in 15 configurations spanning 11 excavator weight classes, from 1-3 ton mini excavators through 40-50 ton machines, so the tool is matched to the carrier rather than sold as one universal part. Mount options are a blank weld-on plate, a wedge-style coupler, a pin-on / pin-grabber-style coupler, and a Wain-Roy / cross-pin-style coupler. Fitment follows the Amulet fitment chart by excavator make and model, so have your make, model, operating weight and coupler type in hand before ordering. If you choose the blank weld-on plate, budget for a qualified welder to fit it to your existing ears or coupler.

Operating and wear considerations

Rip with the stick pulling toward the machine and in line with the tracks. Side-loading the shank by swinging is the most common way owners bend or crack a ripper, since the tool is built for pull, not torsion. Take shallow passes and let the machine set the tooth rather than dropping onto the point. Check the tooth and its retaining hardware at the start of each shift and replace a worn point before the shank body begins taking wear, because the shank is the expensive part. Excavators on US construction sites fall under OSHA's material handling and earthmoving equipment standard, 29 CFR 1926.602, and attachment changes should follow your excavator manufacturer's procedure for the coupler you run.