Abstract: An attachment is provided for us on an articulated boom of an excavator in order to excavate earth from beneath a buried pipeline or other utility. The attachment features at least one working arm pivotally mounted to a base plate for movement relative to the base plate about an axis passing therethrough. A working end of the arm is thereby movable between a retracted position overlying the base plate and a deployed position reaching laterally outward from an edge of the base plate. With the excavator facing in a longitudinal direction of the utility, and the attachment carried beside the utility at a short depth therebelow by the boom of the excavator, the arm can be deployed and retracted in order to sweep material out from under the pipeline and onto the base plate. The material is then lifted to the surface by raising of the excavator boom.

Abstract: An attachment is provided for us on an articulated boom of an excavator in order to excavate earth from beneath a buried pipeline or other utility. The attachment features at least one working arm pivotally mounted to a base plate for movement relative to the base plate about an axis passing therethrough. A working end of the arm is thereby movable between a retracted position overlying the base plate and a deployed position reaching laterally outward from an edge of the base plate. With the excavator facing in a longitudinal direction of the utility, and the attachment carried beside the utility at a short depth therebelow by the boom of the excavator, the arm can be deployed and retracted in order to sweep material out from under the pipeline and onto the base plate. The material is then lifted to the surface by raising of the excavator boom.