Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZPKqMiCEYE (5 min)

Mike from Rippa USA Sales shows a small part that makes the Rippa breaker hammer for mini skid steers much easier to service: a nitrogen fill extension.

THE PROBLEM

On the skid steer breaker hammer, you had to take the side covers off the hammer just to connect the nitrogen bottle and fill it.

THE FIX

- Rippa turned a picture of the problem into a solution within about 24 hours.

- The extension threads on, comes with a plastic cap, and has an O-ring and a second cap on the other end.

- With it installed, you can connect the nitrogen line without removing the sides of the hammer.

- A customer in Oklahoma tested the hammer on an RS03 and it worked great.

PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

The extension was priced at about $25 when the video was made. Call us to confirm current price and stock.

Questions? Call Rippa USA Sales at 817-382-3201 or visit RippaUSASales.com. We deliver nationwide with flat rate shipping, and you get 50% off attachments when you buy a machine from us.

Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM054ldOQOA (7 min)

Mike walks through the Rippa 4-in-1 bucket on an RS03 at the Boyd dealership. It is a bigger bucket than the standard one, and he says he would personally rather have it, because it holds more and the quarter-inch plate handles heavy loads without bending.

WHAT IT DOES

- The clamshell opens and closes, so you can dump from the bucket, grade, level and grab.

- It is great for finish grading and is one of the top attachments for many skid steers. Pallet forks are number one.

- The hydraulic lines plug in just like other powered attachments.

TIPS FOR MOUNTING IT

- The biggest problem new skid steer owners have is the attachment plate not being angled enough. Tilt the plate well forward before backing into the bucket, or the lower edge hits and it won't seat.

- Lock the pins in every time. Never leave an attachment unlatched.

- Grease all the fittings, including those on the other side of the cylinders.

- Because the lines and cylinders hold hydraulic oil, watch your machine's hydraulic oil level whenever you swap attachments.

We only sell Rippa, so every attachment we offer will fit your machine.

Questions? Call Rippa USA Sales at 817-382-3201 or visit RippaUSASales.com. We deliver nationwide with flat rate shipping, and you get 50% off attachments when you buy a machine from us.

Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X1K6yl__pU (6 min)

Mike and Dakota unbox a new Rippa auger (about 12 inches in diameter, 11.87" by 31") and use it on an RS06-1.

ASSEMBLY

- It comes out of the box ready to go. The auger shaft is held on by a retaining bolt and nut.

- Grease it, connect the hydraulic lines, make sure everything is tight, start it and check for leaks.

DIGGING TIPS

- As you go deeper, drive the machine forward slightly to keep the shaft vertical.

- Every so often raise the auger to clear dirt out of the hole, then lower it again.

- A cone of dirt about 8 inches wide builds up around the hole. Clear it away or kick it aside, because the plate should be flat on the ground, especially for a 36-inch-deep hole.

- In this soil (not many rocks) the auger plowed right through, and the RS06 has more power than needed for this size hole.

Questions? Call Rippa USA Sales at 817-382-3201 or visit RippaUSASales.com. We deliver nationwide with flat rate shipping, and you get 50% off attachments when you buy a machine from us.

Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUbNlJHg5yk (5 min)

Mike shows the hydraulic log grapple and how to hook it up to an RS03.

HOOKUP TIPS

- Tilt the attachment plate forward well before you drive into the grapple, then lock it down. Check that both sides latched all the way.

- Wipe off dust and debris from the couplers on every attachment, new or not. Never let dirt into the hydraulic system.

- Each attachment and cylinder holds hydraulic oil, so if you keep swapping attachments, check your hydraulic oil level.

- Mike would add a bung or zip ties to keep the grapple's hydraulic lines more secure. It's an easy fix.

WHAT IT CAN HANDLE

- It grabs big rocks, limbs and trees. The plate is heavy, roughly 1/2 inch thick by his estimate.

- Grapple weight is about 250 lb on an RS03. An RS06-2 or -3 has counterweights and can handle north of 400 lb.

This is part one. Part two will put the grapple, trencher and tiller in the ground on the RS03, RS04 and RS06.

Questions? Call Rippa USA Sales at 817-382-3201 or visit RippaUSASales.com. We deliver nationwide with flat rate shipping, and you get 50% off attachments when you buy a machine from us.

Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cy-c_V1owlw (16 min)

Mike walks through how to use and troubleshoot a hydraulic thumb on a Rippa excavator, and the habits that cause most problems.

HOW IT WORKS

The foot pedal opens and closes the thumb after you raise the safety lever. Press it gently, since you don't want the thumb flopping all the way open or closed.

DO AND DON'T

- Don't side-load the thumb or use it to push or back-drag things. The thumb body, especially out near the ears, is heavy-duty steel (roughly half an inch) but it can bend under side loads.

- Don't use the thumb on its own to shove a log back a few feet. Use the bucket with the thumb to grip the load.

IF THE THUMB ISN'T WORKING RIGHT

- Check that both sides of the diverter valve are open the correct way, and that all hydraulic connections are fully plugged in.

- Check for leaks. One customer had a pinhole leak in a steel hydraulic line, which was replaced under warranty, and he bought a local part to avoid waiting.

Questions? Call Rippa USA Sales at 817-382-3201 or visit RippaUSASales.com. We deliver nationwide with flat rate shipping, and you get 50% off attachments when you buy a machine from us.

Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PI_z-cEWDEA (4 min)

Mike shows how quick it is to switch attachments on the Rippa RS06 mini skid steer.

STEPS

1. With the bucket already detached, turn the locking pins and lift them slightly. They come right out.

2. Put the pallet forks on the same way.

3. Lock the pins back in. The machine is ready to pick up a load.

Mike says it really is that simple. Part two shows the forks picking up a load.

Questions? Call Rippa USA Sales at 817-382-3201 or visit RippaUSASales.com. We deliver nationwide with flat rate shipping, and you get 50% off attachments when you buy a machine from us.

Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBX0hgZb2yE (17 min)

Mike takes you through the Powston factory to show how attachments are made. He explains that Rippa no longer stocks mini skid attachments in the US, so he reached an agreement with Powston to adjust their mini skid steer plate to a Dingo style and to sell their attachments.

WHAT YOU'LL SEE

- Robotic welders and finishing stations making buckets, trenching buckets and grid buckets (a 900 mm grid bucket, about 36 inches).

- Sheet steel being cut and formed into parts, augers and angle blades.

- Excavator buckets with half-inch-thick steel, quick attaches, and rakes. Mike says rakes have been backordered in the US for about three months.

- A wood chipper he describes as best for branches up to three or four inches, depending on wood type.

Mike films in one take to show the scale of production is real. Watch the video for the full walk-through.

Questions? Call Rippa USA Sales at 817-382-3201 or visit RippaUSASales.com. We deliver nationwide with flat rate shipping, and you get 50% off attachments when you buy a machine from us.

Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2pNIXm2ZKQ (6 min)

In part two of his attachment tour, Mike walks the finished-goods side of the Powston factory floor, where attachments are waiting to ship.

WHAT HE SEES

- Augers, including very long ones of roughly 65 to 68 inches overall with the drive motor and screw.

- A large grapple bucket, rippers made of multiple welded plate-steel pieces (not cast), hydraulic breakers, log splitters ready to plug into any hydraulic source, and dozens of pallet forks.

- A flail-type mower for a mini skid steer built with a case drain, a third hydraulic line that improves performance. Mike points out Rippa added one to a similar attachment after starting with two lines.

- Tiller blades that Mike says need to be redone, which he flagged to the factory.

He wraps up by saying he's impressed by the build quality and that more is coming.

Questions? Call Rippa USA Sales at 817-382-3201 or visit RippaUSASales.com. We deliver nationwide with flat rate shipping, and you get 50% off attachments when you buy a machine from us.

Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0YUmDLmIRY (7 min)

Mike gives an update on mini skid steer attachments after Rippa changed how it ships them. He points out that Rippa did not build the attachments itself and sourced them from another company, and that he found a manufacturer whose attachments look to be a little higher quality.

THE PLAN

- Place an order with the manufacturer, covering about 33 attachments already requested by customers, with a quick turnaround since attachments are all this company does.

- Visit the factory on his China trip and show the process on video.

- The attachments are listed on the website under mini skid steers.

He also mentions two attachments he's curious about: a vertical grapple that grabs a tree or moves concrete, and a vibratory roller, which suits the RS06 because it weighs roughly 450 to 500 lb. Questions? Call or email us from the site.

Questions? Call Rippa USA Sales at 817-382-3201 or visit RippaUSASales.com. We deliver nationwide with flat rate shipping, and you get 50% off attachments when you buy a machine from us.

Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s6T3iT2AFc (14 min)

Mike walks through the Rippa stump grinder attachment, the only stump grinder we sell. It's a side-to-side swing model, and this video covers how it hooks up and how to run it.

HOOKUP AND SETUP

- Two hydraulic lines plus an electrical connection.

- Route the lines through the machine's tie-down points to keep them out of the way.

- A continuous-flow setting keeps the cutter wheel spinning. It runs in one direction only, so don't use it in reverse.

- A winch-style controller swings the head side to side.

- The wheel brake stops the blade in about 1.5 seconds.

CARE AND USE

- The grinder is greasable, including the swing cylinder. Keep it greased.

- Lower the head onto the stump and sweep side to side.

- It weighs roughly 275 to 300 lb, so use caution when moving it.

Questions? Call Rippa USA Sales at 817-382-3201 or visit RippaUSASales.com. We deliver nationwide with flat rate shipping, and you get 50% off attachments when you buy a machine from us.