Tilting & Rotating converts

Thu 10 Nov 2016

Tilting & Rotating converts

Our Scandinavian cousins have been using tiltrotator systems for over 25 years now, and in countries like Sweden, if you don’t have a unit fitted to your excavator, then it is very hard to get work, such is the value placed on the systems by most contractors. In the UK market it has taken a long time for the tiltrotator concept to catch on, but a growing number of converts are starting to spread the word about the game changing attachments, as many see past the initial cost and look towards the long term benefits that a tiltrotator can give you.

There are a good number of trailblazers of the tiltrotator systems in the UK, with many of them becoming almost legendary with their continued support and promotion of the concept. Names that spring to mind are Eddie Warrener with his Engcon equipped Kubota (Wideboy)specialist 8 ton machine, Calvin Fuller and Ben Miller, who use Steelwrist systems on their respective Volvo machines, and Ollie Kitchen, with his heavily Scandinavian influenced Komatsu PW160-8 wheeled excavator and Engcon unit.

Of course the key factor with these attachments is having the right man in the seat, they are a technical and challenging piece of kit to operate and they are definitely not for your average “stick puller”. Nor does the concept suit the self-drive rental sector, where abuse of kit can often take its toll. This is where the UK market differs so much from the Swedish market. In Sweden there are generally a lot more owner operators, who can clearly see the benefits of these systems and will treat them with the respect they deserve. One only has to take a look above at our list of tiltrotator trailblazers, with virtually every one of them being an owner operator. Having said that there are now a growing number of UK companies who are fitting tiltrotator’s to their machines and putting the cream of their operators on them.

Earthmovers caught up with two Engcon users who, since adopting the concept, have never looked back. Stuart Carlyon works for the family business G.A. Carlyon & Son, who are based in Mount Hawke near Truro in Cornwall. Stuart has long been a fan of the tiltrotator idea and hydraulic attachments in general and after a long period of research and watching videos on the internet, he took the plunge in December 2010 when he treated himself to an early Christmas present, a brand new Engcon EC05B, which was supplied by Tim Wood of Tiltrotators UK and fitted by K&W Mechanical Services Ltd. The unit was mounted on the companies Hitachi Zaxis 52U five tonne class mini excavator, which is generally operated by Stuart when he is not operating the companies 18 tonne Zaxis 180. 002

Talking about his time on the machine since fitting the Engcon Stuart said, “I can’t deny I’m loving it, I have now amassed over 1000 hours with the tiltrotator and as each day passes I find myself adopting the Swedish approach to work. I find I am able to do much more demanding work a lot easier. With the Engcon on I am never in the wrong place with my machine, which is great as it just gives me so much more flexibility on the job site, no matter how tight it is. In addition, all of our customers love it as well and it’s amazing just how many comments you get when they see the kit in action, with many of them getting the camera out to take some photos of it!” 010

Stuart continued “We often end up working in tight spots with this machine, and like on this job today, where we are working on this sewer connection job, I can work safely within the confines of the lane closure thanks to the added scope I get from the tiltrotator. Even when picking up material from the road surface things are so much easier, as you can rotate the bucket and side swipe the material from all angles, enabling you to keep a tidy and manageable heap. Back in the days before I had the “tilty” (which it has become affectionately known as) if I wanted to take a scoop of stone out of a dumper I would have to disconnect the bucket, turn it around and reconnect before I could continue, which is all time consuming! Now I just quickly rotate it with the flick of a roller thumb control and the” jobs a goodun”. 043

When we visited Stuart, he was working on a sewer main connection job for a new housing development in Falmouth. In a tight dig situation, Stuart was digging down to a depth of 2.5m, initially with a 600mm toothless bucket, but as the excavation progressed, the seam of the rock changed, making it harder to dig. To complete the dig, Stuart selected a smaller toothed bucket to reach the final depth, where once again the tiltrotator came into its own with its ability to rotate down in the trench to trim off the edges of the excavation. 051

Stuart said, “I simply cannot understand why anyone would not want a tiltrotator! It’s certainly made life a lot easier for me and we can get jobs done quicker and easier every day. It’s not until you go back on a “rigid” bucket machine set up that you realise just how much it improves your work ability, one thing is for sure, I will not be going back again!” Earthmovers headed north next to visit another tiltrotator convert Shaun Gratton, who is an owner/operator based in the Staffordshire Moorlands in the Peak District. Shaun is another forward thinking plant man, whose passion for tiltrotators was ignited in 2008 when he saw them being demonstrated at the old SED plant show. He went away from the stand thinking what a brilliant idea and started pondering about just how much a tiltrotator could improve his business. At the time thought Shaun figured it would be best to upgrade his existing machine, which was a 2000 model Komatsu PC27R-8, which was eventually replaced by his current machine, which is again from the Komatsu stable, a PC27MR-2. 001

During the following years Shaun continued to think about adding a tiltrotator to his machine and his interest was raised further when he went to work for a couple of days with his good friend, the aforementioned Eddie Warrener, who has been a long term tiltrotator user with his Kubota KX080-3 LGP machine and Engcon unit, which has since been upgraded to a new dash-4 model. It was during this spell of work, helping out Eddie, that Shaun managed to gain a bit of stick time on Eddie’s Kubota, enabling him to see first-hand just what could be accomplished with a tiltrotator. Shaun said “It quickly became apparent to me that a tiltrotator is a massive game changer, in terms of how you can approach a job, it’s all about less movement of the base machine and increased flexibility which can only lead to one thing; more productivity” It was this period of time at the controls of a tiltrotator equipped machine that was the catalyst for Shaun’s decision to purchase an Engcon. 003

It was during a visit to the Hillhead mining and quarrying exhibition in 2012 that Shaun stopped by the Engcon stand to take a closer look, with the ultimate aim of striking up a deal for a unit. After a discussion with Tim Wood on the stand, a deal was done and the order for an EC02B tilt rotator, with an S30 top and S30 bottom quick hitch set up, and fully proportional controls was completed. Once the unit was fitted Shaun decided to add an original Swedish style Engcon grading bucket, which he describes as one of the best buckets he has ever owned, due to the fact that the contoured shape of the buckets work perfectly with the tiltrotator at all times. Since purchasing his Engcon unit Shaun has really embraced the Swedish style of working and his customers are seeing the benefits too. Shaun said, “I think it’s a marvellous piece of kit, and I can relate to what many say about it changing the way you work with your machine.” 015

Shaun has big plans for the future as he continues to add new attachments to his arsenal. So far he has invested in a genuine Engcon kerb grab and an Intermercato timber grab, which are proving to be very useful on his job sites, offering him and his customers more options on how to tackle jobs. Shaun is not one to rest on his laurels though, and is already planning on adding a set of pallet forks and he told us about his plans to purchase a plate compactor and to construct a grading beam which is another Swedish concept that many in the UK can’t seem to get their heads around. I suspect there will be many other attachments that Shaun will add to his portfolio over the coming years too, as it’s clear to see the man has an eye for labour saving kit. 004

Summarising his “tilty” experience so far Shaun said, “The Engcon has been brilliant for me, I am totally convinced it’s the way to go. The unit continues to win me more work and gives me an edge over competitors who are not tiltrotator equipped. For me the best bit is when a customer see’s me using the tiltrotator for the first time and they stand there mouths open wide in shock at just what can be achieved”. 079

There is without doubt a growing acceptance of tiltrotators systems here, and having used one myself for a seven month period in the past, I can fully understand why. When I finished with the company I was working for and had to go back to the conventional UK set up of, of hydraulic hitch and rigid buckets it was like only having half a machine, so many of tasks that I could perform with a tiltrotator became impossible overnight. Even simple tasks like distributing concrete for edging stones etc became more difficult, meaning more movement of the base machine to get the bucket at the right angle to tip. In amongst house’s the tool was invaluable giving me more scope to work without moving the base machine. sam_0144

The ground crew loved it too, as it always meant less use of the shovel no matter what job you were doing. On footing work, they were excellent provided the trenches were no too deep, as once again there was less movement of the machine itself when cleaning up in the corners. Admittedly on deeper trench work I feel the new ram-less option would prove beneficial, but according to the Swedes with those systems you tend to lose a lot of tilting power, this is one reason the Swedes still prefer the hydraulic cylinder type models. sam_0142

Another question that is always raised in the UK is the weight of the unit and the affect it has on the machine. In my experience yes you certainly know you have it on, but you just adapt your style of driving to compensate. The machine I was using was a Doosan DX140LC, which was equipped with a 3 metre dipper arm, I personally feel that a 2.5 metre dipper would be better suited in a tiltrotator scenario as it would make the machine better balanced and there would not be so much loss of breakout power in the dig. sam_0147

Of course we are always going to have the old school operators who don’t like change and simply don’t like modern ideas. I hear this on sites all the time from other operators, “We have done it like this for the past 30 years why change now!” but I feel as more much needed young blood comes into the industry in future years, more will become aware of just what these clever attachments can achieve.

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