by Nick Drew | Mon 23 Jun 2014
Hill Engineering enter the tiltrotator market
Incredibly just a couple of weeks ago I mentioned on the Digger Man Blog that I wondered how long it would be before Hill Engineering produced their own version of a tiltrotator, now in the past couple of days news reaches me that they will be displaying a new tiltrotator model at this week’s Hillhead show, in addition to a tilting only coupler model.
The new Hill TiltRotate, will be making its World Debut at Hillhead. Of course those of us who are already tiltrotator savvy, are well aware of the benefits of such systems, but for those not so aware here is the official information on the product from Hill Engineering. The system supports hydraulic excavators with two new functions: The bucket is able to rotate continually and can tilt up to 110°, 55° in both directions - this enables the operator to open up new areas of operation. The operator does not have to move the base excavator as often because the flexibility of the TiltRotate. These operations are likely to increase productivity and save time and money, say Hill! Maximum benefit can be derived from this new attachment, particularly in track laying, because the freedom of movement of 2-way excavators is very limited. Photo below. The new Hill Tilting coupler.
Hill also report that a major technical advantage which the TiltRotate offers, compared to other manufacturers, is its cylinder-less construction, the compact XtraTilt Power Actuator replaces the wider cylinder variant, liable to faults, with a maximum of +45° tilt angle. Because of the slightly higher structure of the TiltRotate the excavator loses relatively little in terms of breakout and ripping power. The new TEFRA Tilt Coupler and TiltRotate units boast advanced technology from German manufacturers HKS, Hill Engineering will purchase all its parts from HKS (with the exception of the Coupler of course!). Power Actuator XtraTilt is the magic behind Hill’s new attachment. The robust design of the individual components of the Xtra Tilt, made from high strength, surface hardened materials, allows rotation without play, even after prolonged operation. The swivel mechanism of the Power Actuators is based on the coarse thread principle. The linear movement of the piston, when pressure is applied, is converted by multiple opposing coarse threads on the housing, piston and shaft to a powerful rotary movement. If the hydraulic circuit is closed by the adjusting valve, which at the same time prevents movement of the piston and shaft, the attached coupler remains in any required working position!
Photo below. Hill Engineering's TiltRotate will feature the well proven German HKS Tiltrotator system,
For normal use in the garden and landscaping sector, road building etc the breakout power is not as important, however, if very high breakout and ripping forces are required, TiltRotate can be broken down into individual modules or can also be used as a sandwich solution.
Ian Hill – managing director, Hill Engineering said, “Hill Engineering is pleased to have the opportunity to launch this product on our 20th anniversary at the Hillhead show. This gives us the perfect setting to introduce this versatile product to our UK customer base. These trade shows are a key part of our growth strategy, as it provides the perfect opportunity to listen to our customer’s feedback so we can add even greater value to their businesses moving forward. The TEFRA has led to 30% year on year growth for Hill and with further significant growth projected we expect an additional 30 jobs to be created this year.”
As a massive fan of the tiltrotator concept myself, this move by Hill Engineering is very exciting news indeed and I look forward to following the progress of the UK manufacturer’s latest product.