I should have done this six years ago

“Everything’s so much easier now – I should’ve bought a tiltrotator for my machine a long time ago,” says Mark Olson when we met him around one month after fitting his engcon tiltrotator to the machine. “It took a few days to get used to, but I would absolutely not go without the tilt and rotation function now," says Mark.

Mark is currently busy digging a sewer trench for an elegant home in the village of Sloatsburg, about an hour north of New York city. The work proceeds smoothly and easily, and when Mark needs gravel to fill around the sewer pipe, he backs his gleaming truck toward the excavator. He tilts the truck bed until he can see the material, before replacing the narrow bucket he's been using to dig the pipe trench with a broader grading bucket. Thanks to the quick hitch built into the tiltrotator there’s no need to get out of the excavator, so he can remain in the cab while quickly and easily changing buckets. Next, Mark swings the grading bucket to face forward, scoops out the gravel from the truck bed and then tips it into the bucket on the little skid steer loader his employee Dave drives. “You see, thanks to the tiltrotator, I don't need to dump any of the gravel onto the lawn, I just take what I need as I proceed with the pipe laying" says Mark.

Mark also points out the advantages of being able to do so much more with his excavator these days. "Thanks to the tiltrotator, I've cut down on the need for manual labor, my digging is much more accurate, I have better access in tight situations and most importantly, I can backfill much more precisely these days," says Mark. “I also get more hours out of the machine because I’m not so dependent on manual labor. Even if my helper is out sick for a day, I can carry on digging.”

Mark is very happy with engcon's MIG2 joysticks, which are adapted for use with the engcon tiltrotator. The tilt and rotation functions are easily operated using the two rollers, and connecting the other functions such as the signal, boom swing and whatever else is necessary to additional rollers or buttons is simple. "Not only are the joysticks extremely comfortable, but the wrist supports are an absolute boon as they take the weight off my hands and arms," says a contented Mark.

Mark tells us that his industry "colleagues" have already been to take a good look at his excavator and tiltrotator. “I’ve tried to keep it a secret, but whenever something really interesting comes along, the news spreads like lightning,” says Mark with a knowing smile. "But seriously, they're welcome to come and take a look and try it out if they want," concludes Mark before he carries on digging.