A Dingwall-based tarmac and civil contractor has reportedly saved time and money after splashing out on a product that first came to the firm’s attention at ScotPlant last year.
CD McNeill, which was founded almost 50 years ago by Danny McNeill, provides a range of services including site clearance, drainage works and fencing. Clients include Highland Council, Scottish Water and NHS Highland.
Danny’s son Grant saw Hill Engineering’s Tefra Tilt hitch at ScotPlant 2018 and decided to buy one for use with the firm’s Volvo ECR58 five-tonne compact excavator, which they were ordering for tarmac surfacing work on rural roads.
The fully-automatic product combines the Tefra coupler with the HKS Extra Tilt Power Actuator for excavators from three to 20-tonnes. The hitch has been so valuable that the business has now purchased a second one, for use with an EC27C three-tonne mini-digger on drainage and engineering projects.
Grant said, “We used the Tefra hitches because they give us more flexibility. They are very versatile, allowing our machines to carry out more tasks, from ditching to levelling without having to reposition them. We can’t do with moving them around all the time in confined areas. Our clients think the Tefra hitch is a great benefit as well because if we are working on a school site with restricted access, we don’t need to move machines around as much which is also a health and safety benefit.
“We believe the Tefra tilt is 25% faster to use, which all comes off the bottom line. That might enable us to finish a project a day earlier which not only makes the client happy but means we can move onto other projects more quickly.”
Ross Fairweather, Hill Engineering’s sales manager for Scotland added, “As a company we strive to ensure we offer the best possible solutions for our client’s requirements. CD McNeill have been a loyal customer for a long time and we are extremely thankful to Danny, Grant and their team for their continued support and positive feedback.”
