WHEN civil engineering contractor Deane Public Works Ltd first encountered a Rototilt tiltrotator at the Plantworx Exhibition nine years ago, eyebrows were raised at the cost of the product.
It took another four years before the business decided to invest in one. Weeks later, a second one was added the fleet. And now, the RC9 – the largest in Rototilt’s range – has been acquired too.
According to the company’s plant manager Stephen Deane, these versatile products are among the best investments the firm has made, with a host of benefits far outweighing the initial cost. “They have more than paid for themselves many times over,” he stated.
The RC9 has a ‘powerful’ worm gear to cope with stresses and provide ‘maximum’ torque, as well as extra hydraulics for a grapple module and other hydraulic tools. Rototilt explained that the model can handle high hydraulic flows with a 500 kNm breakout torque. The newly developed pressure-compensated hydraulics also enables operators to use the tiltrotator’s functions independently of each other for optimum precision.
Thanks to the RC proportional control system, all functions can be controlled in one and the same excavation movement. Users can also gain access to Rototilt’s other features such as pulse function and return to home.
The design incorporates a cast housing which holds the rotation unit. This is an oil-filled rotor housing cast in a single piece, intended to result in a strong design at minimum weight. All of the Rototilt units have this design, and all are oil filled for ‘ease of service and long life’.
Rototilt added that it is the oil-filled cast rotor housing that sets the manufacturer’s tiltrotators apart, making them ‘robust and reliable as well as stronger and lighter’. The advantages of oil include continuous lubrication, better heat dissipation, longer service life, and particle removal.
Stephen Deane added, “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.”
