MAXIMUM TORQUE

When civil engineering contractor Deane Public Works Ltd first encountered a Rototilt tiltrotator at the Plantworx Exhibition nine years ago, eyebrows were raised when they discovered the cost of the product. It took another four years before they decided to invest in one. Weeks later, they added a second. Just recently, they acquired a third, an RC9, the biggest in Rototilt’s range.

“Our operators wouldn’t use an excavator without a Rototilt, and they are delighted with the performance of this new RC9…

According to the company’s Plant Manager Stephen Deane, these versatile products are among the best investments they have made, with a host of benefits far outweighing the initial cost.

“They have more than paid for themselves many times over,” he says.

Having seen what has been accomplished by the Rototilt R4 and R6, the company had no hesitation in adding the RC9 to their fleet. Designed for excavators in the 32 tonne to 43 tonne range, the RC9 has been fitted to a 38 tonne Kobelco SK380, transforming the excavator into a more powerful and flexible machine that can undertake tasks that wouldn’t have been otherwise easily accomplished.

The RC9 has a powerful worm gear to cope with significant stresses and provide maximum torque, as well as extra hydraulics for a grapple module and other hydraulic tools. It can handle high hydraulic flows with an impressive 500 kNm breakout torque. The newly developed pressure-compensated hydraulics also lets you use the tiltrotator’s functions independently of each other for optimum precision.

In addition, thanks to the RC System proportional control system, you can control all the functions in one and the same excavation movement. You also gain access to Rototilt’s other features such as pulse function and return to home. Both offer improved productivity especially with material and fuel cost.

The Rototilt design incorporates a cast housing which holds the rotation unit. This is an oil-filled rotor housing cast in a single piece resulting in a strong design at minimum weight. All of the Rototilt units have this design. All are oil filled for ease of service and long life

It is that oil-filled cast rotor housing that sets Rototilt tiltrotators apart, making them robust and reliable as well as stronger and lighter. The advantages of oil are numerous, including continuous lubrication, better heat dissipation, a much longer service life, particle removal, all simplifying maintenance and reducing wear on the key components.

“The RC9 tiltrotator, which is one up on our RC8, is an easily serviceable product, like our other models in the range,” says Rototilt’s UK sales manager Andy Little. “With service intervals at 500 hours and then every 1,000 hours, you can simply flush out the old oil and replace it with fresh. Indeed, we have a number of units exceeding 6,000 hours, being used on a customer’s second or third machine.”

Adds Stephen Deane: “We have never had any issues with our Rototilt tiltrotators, and this new model is more than living up to our expectations. It is a perfect fit for our Kobelco SK380, one of three Kobelcos we have in our fleet. Initially, when we first looked at the Rototilts we were quite taken aback by the price, but that has paled into insignificance when considering what we have been able to accomplish. Truth be told, our operators wouldn’t use an excavator without a Rototilt, and they are delighted with the performance of this new RC9.”

Based at Irvinestown in County Fermanagh and established in 1967 by Stephen’s father George and mother Elizabeth, Deane Public Works remains a firm family business. Stephen’s wife Janet also works as the company’s Financial Controller. It specialises in civil engineering projects that include water and sewerage treatment works, road and bridge contracts, marine and river works, environmental improvements and structural and sheet piling, as well as public utility schemes on behalf of NI Water.

GEORGE BURLEIGH OPERATOR DEANE Public Works

Like many Rototilt users, Deane Public Works opted for the addition of a grapple module, an efficient picking and handling tool which makes the excavator even more versatile.

When you supplement your Rototilt with a grapple module, you have an efficient, integrated tool that neither affects height nor limits the bucket movements when it is not in use. It’s been described as an ‘extra’ hand by most operators, like Deane Public Works’ George Burleigh who drives the Kobelco SK380 with its Rototilt RC9.

“The Rototilt is so versatile. For example, it’s great for filling trucks as you can turn the bucket to fill out corners and easily scrape out material stuck in the sides of the body,” says George who has 33 years’ experience. “It is also brilliant for hooking up our Movax sheet pile machine. Without the Rototilt it would have taken maybe 20 minutes, now I can do it in just three minutes.”

“It is unreal what the Rototilt can do. We can accomplish a whole variety of tasks with just one man…”

Deane Public Works specified that they need a quick and safe way of swapping between the RC9 tiltrotator and the Movax piling unit. This has been accomplished by using the Rototilt QuickChange system. The Rototilt QuickChange system allows the operator to swap from one tool to another while remaining in the cab – the safest place on site! The changeover is fully automatic not only including the hydraulics but also the electrics for the Movax control panel. An efficient, safe and time saving system.

More than that, you can utilise the tiltrotator’s pulse action when back filling, for example, to spread material evenly and precisely, which eliminates the need for a banksman to rake or spread it out and it also contributes to a more economical use of material. Because the excavator doesn’t have to shift positions as much as a conventional machine, it saves on track wear and fuel, as well as preventing potentially damaging disturbance to the ground on which it is operating.

“It is unreal what the Rototilt can do,” comments Stephen Deane. “We can accomplish a whole variety of tasks with just one man, making our work more productive and cost effective. Once you are able to master the controls - which may take up to two or three months - it becomes second nature.

“As a progressive company we are constantly looking at developments in materials, methods of work, technology, and machinery to offer exceptional service and value – a promise to our customers. In the future Rototilt will always be an essential component to deliver on that promise.”