engcon raises safety and lowers costs

One of Balfour Beattys numerous road projects is under way on the M621 motorway outside Leeds, where the central barrier is being replaced along a 16 km stretch. K Rouse, a contractor that also sells and rents out machinery, has rented out 13 excavators for this project. These excavators are currently all working a few hundred metres apart.

One of them, a New Holland NH215, has been fitted with an engcon EC20 tiltrotator. The idea is to test what benefits a tiltrotator can offer on this type of delicate road job.

“It’ll be interesting to see how we can make this type of job safer and more efficient,” says Jim McGibbon, a foreman at K Rouse.

He speaks about the problem of closing off all or parts of roads during roadworks.

“My boss and I have been discussing for a long time how we can reduce the need for road close-offs, since closing off long stretches of road can cause big problems,” he says. “The slightest disruption results in long tailbacks and significantly higher accident risk.”

Safety highly prioritised

Kevin Rouse, founder and owner of K Rouse Civil Engineers Ltd, and Jim McGibbon both have prior experience of engcon tiltrotators. In recent years they have fitted tiltrotators on some of their hire machines.

“I’ve seen huge benefits from fitting tiltrotators on my own machines and the hire machines,” says Kevin.

He speaks at length about the high priority given to safety in the UK, and points out that engcon tiltrotators make work sites safer by reducing the need to change the machine’s position. “They make machines safer and more efficient,” he says.