Sharing One Attachment Between Two Machines - Adapter, Combi Mount or Two Separate Mounts?

In short: If two machines use different quick couplers, one attachment can be shared between them in three ways: with an adapter, with a combi mount, or by keeping two separate attachments. Each solution has its own cost and trade-off.

Why this problem comes up

Companies that have two machines - for example one smaller and one larger excavator, or an excavator and a wheel loader - often have different quick couplers. If an attachment needs to be used on both, it can't simply be moved from one machine's mount to the other's if the mounts don't match.

Option 1: Adapter

• What it is: a connecting piece that joins an attachment with one mount to a machine with a different mount.
• Advantage: a quick and cheap solution if you mainly use the attachment on one machine and only occasionally on the other.
• Disadvantage: makes the attachment longer and heavier, pushes the load further from the machine and so slightly reduces lifting capacity.

Option 2: Combi mount

• What it is: a mount fitted on the attachment that works directly with two different quick coupler sizes, for example S40-S45 or S45-S60.
• Advantage: doesn't add a separate connecting piece, so the attachment stays more compact than with an adapter solution.
• Disadvantage: doesn't work for every combination - if the size difference between the mounts is too large, a combi mount isn't possible.

Option 3: Two separate attachments

• What it is: each machine gets its own attachment with its own mount, without using an adapter or a combi solution.
• Advantage: the attachment is always ready to use immediately, at the exact size for the machine and with full lifting power, rather than reduced power from an adapter.
• When it's worth it: when the attachment is needed on both machines often and at the same time, so swapping it from one machine to the other would take too long.

How to decide

If the attachment is used rarely and mainly on one machine, an adapter makes the most sense. If the two machines are similar in size with different quick couplers, it's worth looking into a combi mount. If both machines need the attachment constantly and at the same time, two separate attachments are cheaper in the long run than constant lost time and reduced lifting power. See more examples on our all attachments page.

Tell us the make, model and quick coupler of both machines, and how often each machine needs the attachment, and we'll recommend the most suitable solution. Get in touch via our contact page.