Hello all! I'm new to the forum, I've stumbled across it a few months ago and enjoy reading through it especially the excavator posts. I operate track machines mainly 7,13 and 20 ton machines. Reason for signing up is I need some advice. I am looking to take the plunge and buy my own machine, ideally I would like a 13 ton zero swing machine with a tiltrotator fitted but getting a decent used 13t zts machine would take up most of my budget (about £30k) before buying a tiltrotator for it. What I'd like to know from you guys (especially the ones who use tiltrotators) is, given the choice, would you go for a 13t machine without a tiltrotator or a 7/8 ton machine (zaxis 80/ cat 307c) with a tiltrotator? I've never used a tiltrotator but I see on a daily basis how useful it would be, but some of the jobs I'd be doing would be a bit big for a 7/8 ton machine, but on the other hand I would also be doing quite a bit of landscaping which the 7 ton machine with the tiltrotator would be perfect for. I've been thinking this one over for a good few months now but just can't decide which way to go, any advice to help point me in the right direction would be great!! Cheers!
Welcome to the forum Zaxismac! If you search tiltrotator on this site a few good threads will come up! Also check out Eddiebackblades thread ''sneak preview'' he also took the plunge and fitted one to his special new 8 ton kubota! He should be able to give you a better idea! CPS
I would buy an 8 tonne machine to start out with , less overhead, cheaper to transport, less fuel, you can access tighter spots.
Thanks for the replies guys. I was following Eddiebackblades thread, thats a cracking machine that he got, and I hope that its proving for him. Most of the work I do could be done with a 13t zts machine, but I really want a tiltrotator!! A 7/8 ton machine with a tiltrotator would work out at roughly the same price as the 13t machine alone. At the moment I am swaying towards the tiltrotator because I've been doing quite a bit of landscaping lately, but the next time I have to shift a few hundred tons of spoil with a smaller machine I know I'll sway back to a 13t machine!! Another plus to the tiltrotator is I'll be the first in my area to have one, so I'd be hoping that would encourage more work to come my way!
Welcome to you ZaxisMac. If you chose that name from a love of a certain Orange excavator, and have got the tiltrotator bug then me and you are going to need a forum of our own! I hear your dilema loud and clear, and indeed am a few yards further down this path and it's proving to be a very long one! As to the choice, most people will expect me to come down firmly on the side of the 8 tonner with a tiltrotator over a 13 tonner without but realistically it's a hard choice. Just out of interest, you are talking a very realistic £30,000 for your machine and should get a very nice 13 tonne unit for this. The question is just how much will be left out of the £30,000 to buy the 8 tonner after you purchase the Tiltrotator? Remember that to get the most out of it you will need the Fully Proportional Controls (rollers in the joysticks instead of buttons), a Quick Hitch top and bottom (so you can take it off for heavy duty work) All the buckets converting if you go with Engcon's Hitch and finally can you afford to be the one who left out the Integral Grab? If you are not already aware of what it will all cost, then firmly make this your starting point along with a list of the machines you would propose to convert as quotes will vary depending on models. You are blessed up there with the UK's undisputed expert on all things Engcon with John Craig and a call to Oliver at JCC Engcon will get you started with a price guide. I would make the next step after that a call around any companies up there already running Tiltrotators to get some hire rates. You may find the rates are higher for a fully kitted machine, and this may enable you to review you budget slightly higher also. Best of luck and I'd be happy to speak to you anytime. Eddie.
Welcome to you ZaxisMac. If you chose that name from a love of a certain Orange excavator, and have got the tiltrotator bug then me and you are going to need a forum of our own! I hear your dilema loud and clear, and indeed am a few yards further down this path and it's proving to be a very long one! As to the choice, most people will expect me to come down firmly on the side of the 8 tonner with a tiltrotator over a 13 tonner without but realistically it's a hard choice. Just out of interest, you are talking a very realistic £30,000 for your machine and should get a very nice 13 tonne unit for this. The question is just how much will be left out of the £30,000 to buy the 8 tonner after you purchase the Tiltrotator? Remember that to get the most out of it you will need the Fully Proportional Controls (rollers in the joysticks instead of buttons), a Quick Hitch top and bottom (so you can take it off for heavy duty work) All the buckets converting if you go with Engcon's Hitch and finally can you afford to be the one who left out the Integral Grab? If you are not already aware of what it will all cost, then firmly make this your starting point along with a list of the machines you would propose to convert as quotes will vary depending on models. You are blessed up there with the UK's undisputed expert on all things Engcon with John Craig and a call to Oliver at JCC Engcon will get you started with a price guide. I would make the next step after that a call around any companies up there already running Tiltrotators to get some hire rates. You may find the rates are higher for a fully kitted machine, and this may enable you to review you budget slightly higher also. Best of luck and I'd be happy to speak to you anytime. Eddie.
Welcome to you ZaxisMac. If you chose that name from a love of a certain Orange excavator, and have got the tiltrotator bug then me and you are going to need a forum of our own! I hear your dilema loud and clear, and indeed am a few yards further down this path and it's proving to be a very long one!:Banghead (should have bought Engcon's buckets!) As to the choice, most people will expect me to come down firmly on the side of the 8 tonner with a tiltrotator over a 13 tonner without but realistically it's a hard choice. Just out of interest, you are talking a very realistic £30,000 for your machine and should get a very nice 13 tonne unit for this. The question is just how much will be left out of the £30,000 to buy the 8 tonner after you purchase the Tiltrotator? Remember that to get the most out of it you will need the Fully Proportional Controls (rollers in the joysticks instead of buttons), a Quick Hitch top and bottom (so you can take it off for heavy duty work) All the buckets converting if you go with Engcon's Hitch and finally can you afford to be the one who left out the Integral Grab? If you are not already aware of what it will all cost, then firmly make this your starting point along with a list of the machines you would propose to convert as quotes will vary depending on models. You are blessed up there with the UK's undisputed expert on all things Engcon with John Craig and a call to Oliver at JCC Engcon will get you started with a price guide. I would make the next step after that a call around any companies up there already running Tiltrotators to get some hire rates. You may find the rates are higher for a fully kitted machine, and this may enable you to review your own budget slightly higher also. Best of luck and I'd be happy to speak to you anytime. Eddie.
Don't know why it's posted 3 times Sorry!!:beatsme :bash
Eddie you been celebrating? same post 3 times,or do I have triple vision?
Thanks for that Eddie, I was hoping you would see this thread and offer some words of wisdom! You're right about the machine colour, hitachi all the way! How are you getting on with the new Kubota? I have already spoken to JCC and must admit the equipment was a bit more than I first expected. What I had considered doing was to spend about £20K on an 8 tonner and then add a tiltrotator (without the grab and without the fully proportional controls) and i would just have to stretch my budget to approx £33-35K, that was until you (Eddie) mentioned that I would be better off with the proportional controls! Why would you go for the Engcon buckets, whats wrong with changing the ones that come with the machine? Think you might be swaying back towards a 13 tonner with a tilting ditcher!!
Eddie was keen to get his point across
I'll try and post this only once!!! It really is a no brainer regarding the proportional controls, I knew nothing of them until the SED show and I met John Craig himself on the stand. I had originally intended to convert my Zaxis 160lc and this had only a hammer pipe and an electric switch type pedal on the floor. John sat me in their demo Volvo 140bl and demonstrated how he would replace the levers for the one's seen on my thread and invited me to try them. A word of warning if you seriously don't want to buy them then keep well away from them!! They are beyond compare, and how he has set the Kubota up is simply stunning. It is all slightly alien yet, but basically there is a control box with several programmes on that will alter what each buttons controls depending on applications. I always have my 'tilt' set a certain way, and will even cross the pipes if possible on machines to stay the same but John changed it over with the push of a few buttons in seconds. They have that demo Volvo around and are happy to get Operators into the seat to try for themselves. Buckets! don't mention them to me!! :Banghead :Banghead Basically I discounted the Engcon items from the start, they are good but expensive so I bought the shaped grading bucket (considered essential by all I have spoken to) from them and had all the others done by the supplying dealer. They dealer was excellent and allowed me to speak directly to the bucket manufacturer who agreed to fit me genuine CAT tips and adaptors instead of bolt on's, and source genuine Engcon adaptors to finish them off. They looked good, but upon fitting in the dealers yard proved to be completely hopeless with the new geometry of the Engcon. It would be impossible to retain any material whilst loading so required a modification. I shall leave it at that for now, but if it's not resolved soon you'll all know who they are! Yes I agree it would be easy to convert your own and you'll probably do a better job! We have been batting this question about for quite a while now, and I'll stick my neck out and say I'd go 13 tonne With Engcon! For general work it would be unbeatable, and the 13 tonner is the tool of choice for many UK applications. I think the fact that they are incredible with pallet forks (something the 8 tonner will struggle with) is a big bonus, and will outperform a telehandler in many applications. The 8 tonner was my choice for sensitive sites that require smaller works with minimal impact, coupled with the ability covert to LGP and keep a reasonable transport width. Just a thought, but what about getting the 13 tonner you want and then getting just the proportional controls fitted and investing in a good 'Tilt' Bucket. This will get you up and working with superb 'Tilt' set up, ready to invest in the actual Tiltrotator as soon as a suitable job comes along to warrant it. You would also be well prepared to pick up any used or ex-demo units that become available. I honestly think you could get away with a direct mount unit on a good strong 13 tonner and this would get the cost down a little more. Final consideration is this whole 'Quick Hitch' debate, and you could have a 'twin lock' hitch fitted to the bottom of a direct mount unit to cover all aspects. In fact I'll go the whole hog an some may be suprised but for me I'd opt for an immaculate low hour CAT 312cl with the proportional set up, a Direct mount Engcon with a Miller/Geith or Hill twinlock hitch fitted to the base giving no need to convert buckets and the Integral Grabber. (sorry no Hitachi but Cat 312c is faultless apart from a little heavier on fuel and no need for zero swing with an Engcon, you'll tackle it from another angle!) Hopefully a few things to think about Zaxismac. Eddie
Now there is a man who has gained some first hand experience very quickly. :notworthy Really sorry to hear about the bucket problem :Banghead I wont :stirthepot that is too frustrating to even contemplate. I am really intrested in your comments about direct mount and having a Miller/Geith/Hill underneath. It is an option I was offered and I was/am sorely tempted as I still have the old Miller to put back on and send the Geith to be adapted but I dont have the bottle at the moment :Banghead The M1 job has just been suspended until the New Year so things are going to be a bit tricky up until Christmas. Were still waiting for some pictures with a muddy buc............. sorry I'll leave that alone. I've got my fingers crossed for the site demo for you. :beerchug
Thanks again Eddie, definately giving me something to think about there! I had thought about direct mount before, but after seeing another thread on here with a reply from one of the guys from QTS (they used to get direct mount but now go for QH mounted all the time) I thought I'd be as well going the whole hog and getting the top and bottom hitch. I'm going to have to get in touch with JCC again to try and clear things up a bit. Keep us updated with your own progress with the Kubota, some pictures of it in action would be great!!
Muddy pic's very soon it's finally landing Monday minus the buckets though Rob!:Banghead If I had a spare hour to relate the tale of the wasted day I spent at the dealers yard with the bucket engineer, it would bring you to tears! The saddest aspect was I found out he was on this commitee set up to sort out this whole quick hitch job, and he couldn't even drive a machine! I opened his eyes somewhat when I pointed out that all this focus on retaining the front pin was moving away from the main problem of poor operators. He was of the opinion that it will prevent operators moving buckets unsafely without them fully connected to the hitch as the front pin will be fully retained, I simply pointed out that was rubbish as an operator will simply hook up the front pin with a tooth and swing the bucket where they want it rather than messing with a twin lock performance every time. I asked him how he will stop that? I also pointed out a few shameful practices I have utilised over the years with Quick hitches and his eyes nearly popped out of his head! Especially the cable tie on the pendulum weight of a Miller Bug hitch, so you can use it as a Scrap grab easier! I was pointing out that he hasn't a clue what goes on in the real world and they should get a few Operators on this Quick Hitch debate. I still maintain most incidents occur from poor Operators taking chances on sites with people around them, and poor Banksmen letting them do it. You would only swing a bucket or load over me once on a site, and the warning you would receive will live longer in your memory than any little sticker in the cab ever will! Back to the Engcon, and yes I will stick with the Twin lock hitch welded to the base of a direct mount unit as the way to go It will be a cost effective way in to the job and a good 13 tonner will cope with anything with the unit on. If it has to come off for the odd job it wouldn't be the end of the world. Probably cheaper to hire a non Engcon 13 tonner than get the sledge hammer out at present! Specifically for your Duck Rob I would go as you describe and have the Geith grafted onto a Direct mount unit. Speak to John himself to get the build height down to tha absolute minimum and stick with your own buckets. Sell your original 'tilt' bucket and empty the piggy bank for the Integral Grab as this will have many applications on your work. Sorry to hear of the shut down, but I'm certain you'll get sorted out with enough to see you through to the re start. If you get a spare day and fancy a run up country, you are very welcome to give the Kubota a couple of hours to see how you get on!
Hey there Mac, gotta love the orange man, I run a ZX120 with standard big rear end ( love my women that way lol ) There are pro's and Con's with both those set ups and the only thing I can suggest is maybe go without the tiltrotor for a wee while, get set up with ya ZX130 with a grab and a tiltbucket and you be rockin, at least this way you can get working and make some money then further down the track set up ya rotor.
Just curious Eddiebackblade as to your choice of tilts? I've only seen the Helac power-tilts and they are purported to be quite reliable and I know that in Europe they are used quite a bit (yes I know it's debatable whether the UK is part of Europe ) Granted they don't rotate, but I'm just curious as to how often you would need that extra degree of freedom? BTW, that’s quite the machine you’ve built there.
ZaxisMac, I have a used Engcon EC10 that I have no use for. The unit was only used for a short peroid of time and I could provide 2 digging buckets and a ditching bucket. As I said the unit was only used for a short time but some pipes and a solinoid are robbed off it for another EC10. With this said the main guts are all there and it would probably only cost a few hundred quid to get it back to new. If you are intrested email me [email protected] . It cost a small fortune and then the buckets but I would be willing to let it go at a fraction of the price as I don't need it. I also have a nearly new EC15 but you would have to make me a really good offer on that one. They are both in Dublin about 3 miles from the airport. Sorry to everyone for sounding like a sales man
Thanks for the offer Naomhan but I haven't bought a machine yet! I think I'm going to be going for a 13t machine and get it set up for a tilt bucket for now. There are some big jobs coming of next summer that are hopefully going to provide 12-18 months of steady work, I'm hoping that will justify a tiltrotator so I'm going to wait until before investing in one, unless a big job comes up before then! Naomhan, do you mind me asking why you're selling these tilrotators? (Just hoping that you haven't found out that they aren't as useful as you expected when you first got them!)
Welcome to you Mxridernth, may I just take the opportunity to say I have visited Victoria and you really live in a beautiful place. However if you ever visit the UK I will personally take you to a Tea Shop for a real Cream Tea! I have much experience with Tilt buckets, and have used a Helac on a Rubber Duck and 210 Komatsu. Nothing at all wrong with them and seem very strong, but the units I used were early versions and lacked a full quick hitch instead you hooked up on one pin and pushed the other in manually. I will say this unit seems to be fitted to most 'Spider' excavators and these are mighty strong tools capable of dishing out some punishment As for the 'Extra Dimension' that a tiltrotator gives, it really is beyond compare. Some will say I'm biased, but they really are the future now and anyone who doubts it better get on board soon. However I will be the first to admit that they certainly aren't for every application or machine, but others it is virtually essential. I would say that no Rubber Duck should be without one and 13 tonners are a good bet. That leads me to Zaxismac, and going for a 13 tonne with a 'Tilt' bucket. Mac I would check out who is paying what for a 'Tilt' set up and if it's anything like down here it's perhaps £20 per day extra. You will pay for your 'Tiltrotator', but check out what's being paid for them. A simple example would be a set of pallet forks that could put a Telehandler and Operator off a smaller site and £250 on your rate per week. Worth a few calls. I would be interested to know your 13 tonne shortlist, and would you go for a zero/reduced tailswing?
Thanks Eddiebackblade! Victoria's not a bad place to call home but we do lack the history that makes the UK such great place. My British father-in-law goes on about it all the time. Makes you wonder why he left? He's actually there right now, as a matter of fact. I do like it there myself - except for the killer exchange rate. I don't suppose that the next time I'm there I could persuade you take me out for a pint rather than a cup of tea could I?:drinkup I'm actually planning on purchasing a spider excavator early in the new year and hope to make a go of it. Certainly a niche market so I'm crossing my fingers. The machine I'm looking at comes with a Helac, so we'll see how well it holds up. I'm also planning on immediately purchasing a roto grapple for the machine as I plan on doing a fair bit of rock work. It'd be nice to be able to run both implements at the same time, however the torsion is hard on the boom and stick pivots.
ZaxisMac, they are a great tool in the right hands. Personally I love using them but we were also running a hire company alongside our construction company which meant the machines were going to inexperienced drivers who were constantly breaking pipes and complaining about them because they could not use them. All breakages have been due to operator error. I would echo Eddie’s sentiments that no rubber-duck should be without one. Until you use the forks and the grab you cannot comprehend how useful the tilt-rotator is. Unfortunately not all site managers and foremen can see how much savings a machine with this tool can make in terms of reduced machine hire and reduced personnel. I will say that I find that on the smaller machines the weight of the unit is too much for them and also the width will cause problems. But on the right job they could well become indispensible. To sum up, they are only as good as the man using it and to unlock the full potential requires a good driver. Anyway you can keep my email address in case you need it in the future as the units have been sitting unused for a while so I could still very well have them. Best of luck when you get your Hitachi and I think you are making the right choice going for a 13T over a 6T.
Mxridernrth, any man who is talking of buying a 'Spider Hoe' is welcome to have a few pints with me.:beerchug Have a dig about on her to find Brian Hay, he runs one already with I believe a Helac powertilt and their very useful looking jaw bucket. I think it's a Kaiser unit, but I could be wrong however. One thing is certain he seems to know how to handle it and is somewhere in your teritory. I have finally got my Engcon selector grab fully functioning, and the facility to 'Tilt' the grab appears extremely useful. I am very pleased how the Kubota is handling all this weight, with a very respectable capacity still retained despite 2 quick hitches, Tiltrotator, Integral Grab and the Selector grab hanging off the end! No stability problems with the big pads on though! I doubt any 'Spider' unit will worry about a bit of weight on the end as they are massively strong to take all the forces exerted during walking/climbing etc. Glad to hear of you planning to have a go at a niche, as I can fully relate to that and I wish you every success. It should be me moaning about the Exchange rate as it's boom time for you at the moment. I'm over to Whistler in January and we'll certainly have to watch it compared with other years. Finally I tried to ignore the jibe about the UK and Europe, all I can say is with the latest Treaty finally in place then Yes we finally are definately 'IN'. However if anyone had bothered to ask the UK public then who knows?:beatsme Too late now though and no politics allowed on here.
I'll keep that in mind Naomhan, and I'll be sure to get in touch with you when I'm go to get a tiltrotator. You mention the tiltrotator is too wide for smaller machines, by that do you mean when you are digging a deep trench when the rotator is wider than the bucket? Do you find there is any other applications that the tiltrotator is not suited to? Also can you tell me what set up you found most useful (e.g. direct or QH mounted, engcon buckets etc) Eddie, I have tried getting prices for hiring a machine with a tiltrotator but I can't find any nearby companies that actually have them! As for the tilt bucket I know that the company I used to work for used to charge an extra £2.50 an hour when the bucket was used (company I work for now has no tilt bucket). If I get the choice I would definately prefer to go for a zero swing machine - Zaxis 135 or New Holland E135sr. For a conventional swing machine I would go for Hitachi, Cat, Volvo or Komatsu. (Hitachi top of the list of course!!)
Hey Eddie thanks for the heads up on Brian Hay. He's only a few hours from where I live and I've been meaning to head up and chat with him but alas, this has been one busy spring, summer, and fall. I spent some time checking out videos on the Engcon units and they do seem to be pretty sweet. I wouldn't dare ask the price of a complete setup. Though perhaps one day, if everything goes well, I can entertain the thought of adding one to the setup. Perhaps you can post a video of your machine in action now that you've got everything working? Have a great time skiing in Whistler! I grew up on those mountains. Fond memories... Give me shout if you're heading to the Island and I'll buy you that pint. ZAxisMac - Good luck and keep us posted on your decisions.
Found Info on this unit! I found some info on this unit made by kinshofer-aponox, personally i like the build set-up, and the general compactness of it! I'm not talking anything away from engcon or any tilt rotator manufacturer, as i have no experience of any type of tilt rotator! The kinshofer-aponox has no tilt rams, it uses a hydraulic device inside to tilt it, this would leave it easier to dig trenches up aganist walls etc. Il let you all see for yourself
I too have seen this unit CPS and I was extremely impressed.:thumbsup Kinshofer have an excellent reputation for their products such as clamshell buckets and brick grabs utilised on lorry loader cranes. I think this unit with it's worm drives similar to a Helac Powetilt, represents a major advancement in tiltrotators and a much needed general tidy up of the concept. However in my very short and limited experience and the feedback from everyone who has managed to blag a go in the Kubota, it's the proportional controls and joysticks coupled to a professional installation that really make the difference. I would be interested to see which UK company has a go at distributing this unit or if a manufacturer takes it under licence. Whatever i'd like a closer look at one and given their other products would expect to see some quality. Just a note to Zaxismac, and the fact that he couldn't find anyone around him with a tiltrotator to find out what they charge! I would take that as a great situation to be in and an open opportunity for someone to take the plunge. Oliver at JCC will fill you in with companies running units up there, and is usually aware of machines coming onto the market already kitted out with an Engcon. I never posted pics but actually turned down an as new 150hour CAT 312cl with a direct mount Engcon to buy the Kubota, it was a little over £40,000 and great value if I was heading that direction. Just demonstrates what can come up if you dig around hard enough.
Tilt Rotators Hi Guys Just started reading this forum and I am finding it great. you might want to look at this. www.contractjournal.com/blogs/digger-blog/2009/11/steelwrist_launch_in_the_uk.html#more This is the next generation of tilt rotators, I have been working in sweden for the past 4 months and this is all they are talking about. the guys i was working with reckon it is miles ahead of the others. anyway i am getting back to my reading. Harry
Hi ZaxisMac, I run a few machines here in Scotland all zero tail swing and all with tiltrotators, what area are you in? I hope you understand I don't want to give my competition a heads upon my rates. I read in your previous post you spoke to JCC, these guys just sold my last JZ70 machine and wanted the Engcon with it. They may have offered you it to you, where you there customer? On the dilema of tiltrotator or no tiltrotator, alls I can say is anyone can dig a hole but to do the fancy jobs you need to look ahead and at the better paid work! Good Luck!!
Hi ZTS Don't worry, I pretty sure I won't be in competition with you , I'm based up in the north west, and I have yet to see a company running tiltrotators up here! I only got prices from JCC, they told me about a few used tiltrotators they have in stock but they didn't mention any used machines. At the moment I'm going to look out for a 13t machine (preferably zero swing) and get it set up for a tilt bucket and get the tiltrotator next year. Thanks to everyone for the links to the other manufacturers, I have been in touch with Kinshofer and Steelwrist and hopefully will have a rough idea of prices next week. Eddie, do you know if that 312 is still for sale? I doubt it because it was a cracking deal!!
I looked at the Kinshoffer unit a few months back and ask the salesmen where would go to see one working. Correct me if i'm wrong, but they didn't have one in the UK they could show me! I looked at the price to repair the tilt unit and it was about £3500 if it went wrong and to replace two rams on a tiltrotator is about £700 - £800. The initial cost of the Kinshoffer was about 20% more than an Engcon. If something goes wrong with my tiltrotators I like to try to fix the thing before I call anyone in, but in the Kinshoffer everything is sealed in the top of the unit. Hard to get to. Steelwrist looks like a good machine, but you must consider service on kit like this!:IMO:my2c I am based near Inverness are you close by?
I have you sent you a PM ZTS
Zaxismac the 312cl is long gone I believe, however I had it from a good source that it came direct out of a large CAT dealer for around £36,000 and was truly as new. I would of chearfully paid over 40,000 for it. I was absolutely torn between buying it or going with the Kubota, and the simple fact of the size of an LGP converted 312 was simply too big for my intended market. Stupid thing was I had a CAT 311c on hire for over 3 months straight after I chose the Kubota!
Found this Kobelco Sk135 on Mascus It's for sale in france for £22,250 has a Engcon EC15 10500 Hrs, Year 2000 80% undercarrage, You may not be intersted but i thought i'd post it let you see whats out there!
Anyone can dig a hole Hey ZTS, You are right about the dilema of tiltrotator VS no tiltrotator, I had heard about tiltrotators for a couple of years but never had seen one up-close here in the US. I always assumed i'd be able to get the same amount of work done with or without it. My buddy out in the Salt Lake City, UT area told me he attended an engcon tiltrotator demonstartion put on by a local dealer, he showed me some video footage and I was amazed! Being able to dig in and around vertical object all while keeping the excavator stationary, trenching is virtually no effort at all, and all the jobs you can perform with the grab are awesome. I spoke to an engcon dealer here in Southern California and I think they have a demostration coming up some time soon, I will definitely be attending. Demo Footage from Salt Lake: http://www.youtube.com/user/DigProUSA
Hi ZaxisMac, Hows things, Did you ever make the jump and go it alone yet?
Hi cps I've been away from the forum for a while, sorry for the late reply! I haven't yet got a machine, work is a bit slow up here just now - almost everyone is on 4 day weeks at the moment. It shouldn't be too long though, there is quite a few big jobs going to come off in a few months, so I'm aiming for around april/may. I've been making a few enquiries though and I've spoken to Steelwrist and I must admit that I feel that they seem to have the edge on Engcon. It is slightly more expensive but from what I've been told I think you get a lot more for your money. Unless Engcon make some changes to bring their tiltrotator in line with the Steelwrist product I'll be going to steelwrist for a tiltrotator when I get one fitted.
Take a good look at all aspects of the Engcon or the Steelwrist. Engcon have superior proportional valves and they have upgraded their product for a different line up of machines. They outperforms Steelwrist in terms of building height, weight and build quality.