Technology drives D2D Excavations

“At first, the business was involved in doing a lot of work with trees and vegetation. For that work I had acquired an hydraulic grab, however I soon realised that with the right equipment, I could perform many different types of work and take on more diverse jobs”, said Nathan.

“As a technology based business, it didn’t take long to understand the benefits of using an engcon tiltrotator. When I priced having a tilt hitch and rotating system, the investment added up to the same as an engcon tiltrotator and EC-Oil which is a major efficiency tool.“

Rapid tool changes protect equipment

“When I was running my original excavator, it would take at least ten minutes to change from the hydraulic bucket to a grab and vice versa. If you perform that task six times a day, you are already losing one hour! When I was building a rock wall, for example, I was changing between www.engcon.com 5 a grading bucket and a grab fifteen times an hour. With the right machine and an engcon tiltrotator, basically you don’t stop because it takes just fifteen to twenty seconds for a tool change.

“As owner operators, we all have a tendency to be a bit lazy, often resenting the time it takes to change the hitch and there is a danger you can end up pushing tools beyond their limits by taking the line of least resistance. When you are an owner operator who wants the job done quickly, the engcon system removes the potential for misuse of attachments.

“For example, when I need to work with a hydraulic vibration plate I can easily pick it up and hook it in. Within seconds I can easily change to forks and then switch to a grab.

“Further attachments that I am planning to acquire to leverage productivity include a grading beam and fork. Tools such as these are particularly effective on sites where we excavate for sewer pits, where you can use an excavator to lift pipes and move large concrete precast items.

“Having the right equipment means I don't need additional machines or additional operators. The way I approached my business model was to quote fixed price work using a Kobelco 225 excavator, because the name of the game is to get the largest excavator as possible onto the job site.

“The engcon tiltrotator system has enabled me to increase the number of jobs I can complete per year, as efficiency has increased dramatically. The engcon system also optimises use of a bigger excavator with greater reach with the benefit of getting in and out of a construction site quickly because you don’t need to move the machine.

Safe and efficient

“When using the engcon system it is safer, and the efficiency and versatility delivered by the engcon EC-Oil is amazing. My plan is to grow the business by having more excavators of a standard weight range enabling multiple excavators the ability to share a tilt rotator, as not all jobs will require one at the same time.

Using the engcon EC-Oil means that in the event of a maintenance issue such as a blown hydraulic hose, you can simply take the hitch off and replace it with a conventional hitch so there is no downtime despite having a temporary reduction in efficiency. There is no time wasted in removing hitches. It's all set up and ready for you all the time.

What do I think of the engcon tiltrotator, EC-Oil and the complete management system? It is absolutely critical to my business. Once I took the step to acquire the engcon, there is no way I could ever go back to operating without it. Instead of having more machines and more operators, I want one versatile machine with the tools that will let me do all the tasks I need to perform.