Close popup

We have detected that you are visiting from United States.

Please click here if you would prefer to visit our United States website.

Closed: We reopen Monday 5 January. If you have an urgent query before we reopen, please email sales@cqegroup.com.

Image
icon Technical Library icon Request Brochure Archive-Books

0

 Archive-Books My Quote

0
☰ Menu
Search Archive-Books

0
Close search
X

My Quote

X

No products in the Quote.

Excavator Drag Skip: The Story of the Stone Saver

26th, January 2026

DRAG SKIP

Back to articles

In the early 2010s, it was common to tip shingle onto the ground from trucks when the materials were delivered, which resulted in significant amounts of waste. On average, around one-eighth of each truckload was lost due to contamination from wet ground and general material loss. This approach also impacted productivity, as operators were required to repeatedly travel between stockpiles. In addition, moving material with dumpers increased labour costs, fuel consumption, and CO₂ emissions.

This very challenge was brought to us when a plant manager from a large groundworks contractor asked us to design and build a new solution to address the issue. This raised an important question…

Was there a way to reduce material wastage from deliveries and stockpiles?

From a rough sketching on a piece of paper, later became the Excavator Drag Skip.

Excavator drag skip

Where the Idea Began…

After the initial meeting, we began developing a solution that would:

  • Match the capacity of an 8-wheel tipper.
  • Be used without the need for a dumper or driver going to and from the stockpile.
  • Reduce the amount of material loss.

The concept began as a heavy-duty skip featuring angled ends and a large, robust pull bar, allowing an excavator to drag the skip with it directly to the work area. Through multiple site trials and several design iterations, the first prototype was refined and ultimately developed into the final, optimised product.

The Result: Efficient Material Handling

Our first Excavator Drag Skip was developed with a 7,500-litre capacity, matching that of an 8-wheel tipper, allowing it to be dragged around the site by an excavator without material loss. This delivered clear improvements in efficiency, cost savings, and reduced emissions.

The contractor helped design, trial and bought the first unit. They were so impressed with the product’s performance and quality that they quickly ordered a second. Shortly afterwards, they expanded their fleet further, adding seven more units across their sites.

Following strong demand from other groundworkers, our Excavator Drag Skip became a catalogue item, and the range has been expanded with different sizes.

Improving an Industry Practice

What began as a simple hand-drawn sketch, driven by a customer challenge, has evolved into a highly efficient, durable, and widely adopted material-handling solution.

Along the way, customers have highlighted several additional benefits of the Excavator Drag Skip, including that it:

  • Stops the need for a dumper truck and therefore, reduce the frequent damage to dumper trucks, as excavators commonly dig into the dumper’s front bucket, scooping out materials, which can lead to costly repairs, like new handbrakes.
  • Reduces the impact of the ground churn, as excavators and dumpers don’t need to travel back and forth.
  • Enables faster, cleaner, and more controlled backfill operations as the skip stays with the excavator operator.
  • Cuts the need for space for having a stockpile.

Excavator discharging into Drag Skip

Learn more about the Excavator Drag Skip…

Q1: Could I get my Excavator Drag Skip repaired and inspected?

A: Yes, with our range of after-sales services from Conquip Covered. We can provide inspection, repairs and refurbishment.

Q2: Is the Excavator Drag Skip durable?

A: Yes, the Excavator Drag Skip is designed with a reinforced drag bar and a thick plate on the base that provides strength and durability.

Q3: How does the Excavator Drag Skip improve efficiency on-site?

A: The Excavator Drag Skip improves efficiency for contractors in these ways:

  • Less machinery on-site, improving emissions and additional costs.
  • No need to track back and forth from stockpiles.
  • No wastage of materials.

Q4: How much money could I save by using the Drag Skip?

A: On average, 10% of materials are lost per load due to waste. Here’s a short video that explains our cost calculations in more detail, based on a project of building 100 houses with 800 tonnes of material used for drainage.