Attachment Roundup: Blue Diamond Augers, John Deere Material Boom, and a Vermeer Microtrencher

Key takeaways: 

• New attachments continue expanding what compact equipment can do. The latest launches from John Deere, Blue Diamond, and Vermeer target lifting, drilling, and fiber installation work without requiring larger machines.
• Attachment durability and serviceability are becoming bigger selling points. Faster blade changes, extended warranties, stronger shaft designs, and easier maintenance can directly impact uptime and long-term ownership costs.
• Fleet managers need to manage attachments more strategically. Better visibility, storage, and utilization can reduce downtime, avoid duplicate rentals, and get more value from equipment already in the yard.

Attachment options continue to grow for construction equipment. Buckets, brooms, breakers, box blades, bale spears, backhoes, brush cutters — and that’s just the Bs. There are more categories of attachments today than actual host machine categories, and each implement can send a tool carrier into new applications and opportunities. In the past few weeks, John Deere, Blue Diamond Attachments, and Vermeer rolled out three very different tools aimed at improving precision, productivity, and versatility on jobsites. Some are built to drill deeper. Some are designed to place loads more precisely. Others help contractors squeeze more work out of the same machine already sitting in the yard. That flexibility is becoming the entire game in modern fleet management. Let’s take a closer look at these three new tools.

John Deere adds a new material boom

John Deere recently introduced the MB60 Material Boom for skid steers, compact track loaders, and compact wheel loaders. The attachment targets contractors moving heavy or awkward materials in tight spaces. The MB60 offers a rated lifting capacity of 6,000 pounds. It features dual hook points for different rigging setups depending on load shape and balance requirements. Believe you me, that flexibility is important when handling pipe, trees, pallets, concrete products, or bundled materials. Deere says the boom works well for landscaping, nursery operations, and general construction applications. Serrated access steps also improve operator ingress and egress around the machine — always a concern for skid steers and CTLs. From the press release:

“The MB60 Material Boom is designed to make difficult lifts feel more manageable,” said Emily Pagura, marketing manager, John Deere. “It offers versatility and delivers precise placement with greater confidence.”

Material booms are not necessarily flashy attachments. They do not chew stumps or launch debris into orbit, but they solve real handling problems on jobsites where forks or buckets simply cannot position loads accurately enough. That makes them valuable tools for contractors working around buildings, retaining walls, utilities, or crowded urban projects.

Blue Diamond goes big on augers

Blue Diamond Attachments expanded its drilling lineup with the new Extreme Duty Series 2 Augers. These augers are available for skid steers, compact track loaders, excavators, tractors, and mini skid steers (also called compact utility loaders or mini track loaders). The focus here is torque. I mean, lots of it. The six-model lineup ranges from 2,630 to 7,189 feet-pounds of torque depending on configuration. Models include the EX2, EX3, EX4HF, EX5HF, EX6HF, and EX7HF. Each auger uses an Eaton drive motor and comes standard with either 2- or 2.5-inch hex shafts. Blue Diamond designed the augers for rocky soil, utility work, municipalities, and heavy-duty landscaping applications. The compact drive system allows the auger to extend deeper into the hole while maintaining productivity.

The design includes several durability-focused features:

• A two-piece shaft design that ensures maximum side load ratings.
• A universal skid steer mount with welded cradle and dual-pin design that allows for natural hanging and stable drilling (skid steer, mini skid steer, and tractor models).
• An 18 x 19 adapter plate that provides compatibility with pin-on, pin-grabber or wedge-lock excavator mounts (excavator models).
• An available telescopic skid steer mount for extended reach and drilling depth.

The warranty package is notable too. Blue Diamond backs the lineup with a 5-year gearbox warranty, 3-year motor warranty, and lifetime shaft pull-out warranty. That makes for a more confident purchase.

Vermeer digs deeper into fiber work

Fiber installation continues to drive equipment demand across North America. Vermeer is heavily vested in the sector — even more so with the launch of the MTR726 microtrencher attachment for its RTX750 ride-on tractor platform. The new attachment cuts trenches up to 27 inches deep and 3 inches wide. That extra depth separates the MTR726 from Vermeer’s existing MTR516, which handles installations up to 17 inches deep. Contractors dealing with stricter depth-of-cover requirements now have another option without jumping into larger trenching equipment. From the press release:

“We designed the MTR726 for contractors whose projects require them to go deeper,” said Nick Olsen, product manager at Vermeer. “When regulations call for greater depth of cover, the MTR726 delivers the cutting performance contractors need while maintaining the features that make our microtrenching solutions productive.”

The attachment includes welded polycrystalline diamond cutter teeth designed for fast asphalt cutting. A fully shrouded cutting wheel helps contain debris and improve vacuum suction during trenching operations. Operators also get single-lever depth control and up to 24 inches of right offset capability for cutting near curbs. Serviceability received attention too. Crews can reportedly change blades in as little as 25 minutes thanks to a dual-hinged access panel design. Multiple bolt-in wear plates are field-serviceable, and the spoil outlet works with either 4- or 6-inch vacuum hoses.

Treat attachments like assets

While we’re hanging, fleet managers should also check out our recent feature on smarter attachment management strategies. The article explores a simple reality: many contractors waste serious time searching for attachments they already own. Others rent tools sitting unused in another yard. Some leave attachments baking in mud, snow, or weeds until repairs become inevitable. Now, I’ll admit: Buying or renting new iron is fun. But realizing you already have that iron, that’s not fun at all. It’s waste.