FROM MINI DIGGER TO HEAVY LIFTER

Contractors working on small projects often need multiple machines to perform different tasks. These take up space, cost money and break up operators’ productivity. After frequently coming across this problem on-site himself, chartered civil engineer James Russell was convinced that the industry was missing a trick. After many man hours of design work and calculations, his new Excavator Forklift (EFL)* attachment designs are being launched to help teams on sites everywhere do more with their mini diggers.

*Patent applied for

Based in Larne, Northern Ireland, James built his own materials handling and foundation piling contracting business which operated throughout Ireland for more than 30 years. Working on many tight-space foundations projects, he came up with the idea for the EFL attachments. Rather than bringing another machine onto site, contractors can use the equipment to adapt diggers into lifting machines.

Alongside his daughter, Heather Russell, James has worked hard at the Larne site to make his initial concept a marketable product. “We have a yard that we run the foundations business from. Here, we have lots of equipment and facilities, including a plasma cutter,” Heather explains. “Using this kit, Dad has spent the last four or five years turning his EFL idea into reality. There have been many, many hours with lots of trial and error, calculations and design work. It has been a labour of love.”

*Patent applied for

Now, with three products ready to take to market, James and Heather wanted to get some expert feedback. Taking their “Lorry Loading EFL” and “Jib Attachment” to the site of operator and social media influencer Amy Underwood, near Oban in Scotland, they asked Digger Girl to put the attachments through their paces.

MULTI-TASKING EXCAVATORS

Fork attachments are not new but, before the EFL’s launch, they could only be used on large excavators of five tonnes or more. Small sites require small diggers but these are unable to lift large loads safely. This means contractors often have to bring a forklift or telehandler onto site or handball loads from A to B, leading to extra difficulties and costs. James’ three attachment products make it possible for even small excavators to manage heavy loads.

The three attachments include an “Economy Low Lift EFL” which can be used to move loads around a site, a “Lorry Loading EFL” that can lift up to two tonnes to a height of 1.6 metres and a “Jib Attachment” which is ideal for raising bags of materials. Easy and quick to set up (with fitting in as little as 60 seconds), mini excavators of between 0.8 and 3.5 tonnes can use these attachments to lift and move loads.

James explains, “As an excavator lifts, the boom goes out and the distance between the load and the centre of the machine increases. This can lead it to overturn. Failure to lift is not from lack of power, but stability. With our attachment, all of the load is carried on the wheels of the attachment and the load moves vertically. It’s the attachment, not the excavator, that lifts the load. The excavator just provides counterbalancing, power for the hydraulics, traction and steering.”

The high lift attachment can raise a load up to 100% of the digger weight, while the low lift equipment can manage 125%. Attached to the dipper and connected to the hammer service, the wheel-mounted product can lift 2 tonnes up to a height of 1.6 metres on a 2.7-tonne machine. Extra adaptor kits are also available, meaning EFL attachments can work on many different excavator models, including Digger Girl’s.

TONNES OF BENEFITS

To test out the attachments, Amy used them to move a one-tonne bag of sand around the yard, onto and off the lorry. She also lifted and manoeuvred a pallet of building blocks across the site. Having built a social media following of more than 500,000 followers with her machine operating skills, Digger Girl was more than happy to put the equipment through its paces.

“Even with a little machine of 1.8 tonnes, I can lift these materials around the site without a forklift, no bother,” she says. “Initially I thought using both the slew and tracking quite a lot was going to be difficult. But you just have to work out what weights go where. It’s actually very easy to operate.”

With the EFL on the digger, the sand bag and blocks could be easily lifted and moved, even around obstacles on site. Amy also tested moving the loads on different terrains, including across soft ground and up hills.

“Nothing seems to be an issue for it,” Amy says. “They’re perfect for working on building sites, for groundworks or landscapers where you’ve got tight spaces that bigger machines can’t get into.”

Heather was equally pleased with Amy’s feedback on the attachments’ performance, “We’re thrilled with how well she got on with it. We’ve never worked with influencers like Amy before but we want more people to see the attachment in action. As a small firm in equipment manufacturing, it’s extremely difficult to compete. We just want to spend our time getting the product in front of people so they can understand how it could make their lives a lot easier.”

NEW CAPABILITIES, BIG OPPORTUNITIES

EFL attachments make it possible for mini excavators to do more. This makes them particularly useful for small contractors who want to complete projects more efficiently, at a lower cost and without purchasing or hiring alternative lifting equipment. It also means contractors who have the attachment don’t need to worry about the hire availability of machinery, particularly if they’re working in remote areas.

As Heather explains, “Diggers are one of the first pieces of equipment people in small building firms or landscapers and gardeners might purchase. With our attachments, you can redirect that hydraulic pressure and create a vertical lift. We think that, in time, lots of digger owners will find themselves wishing they had brought one sooner.”

Amy agrees, “I’m surprised I’ve not seen anything like this on sites before. It’s very practical, you don’t need to have another machine sitting there doing nothing. Instead, you can easily lift and move a tonne of materials with a 1.8-tonne machine.” As well as sharing the product with as many people as possible, including influencers like Amy, Heather and James are also on hand to speak with businesses about their specific needs.

Heather explains, “Dad is available at all times to talk about the attachments and how you’re thinking of using them. We have machines in our yard in Northern Ireland that people can see in action. We also have happy customers in the UK who will demonstrate the equipment to you. So just reach out to us and we’ll find a way to get it in front of you.”