Page 8 - W M Donald Newsletter - Edition Thirteen

8 FROM THE GROUND UP
Coming soon to a site near you: the tiltrotator
Initially a time-served bricklayer, Steve Williamson has been driving diggers for over 20 years. His Grandad had his own machine, so you could say it’s in his blood.
TILTROTATOR MEDIA GROUP
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/ groups/848611708620172
Instagram:
tiltorotator_operators_media
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve- williamson-01585b137/
The Steelwrist tiltrotator is a hydraulic attachment mounted on the end of Steve’s Volvo excavator arm such that the excavator bucket can be rotated though 360° and tilt at +/- 45°. It can be described as a ‘wrist’ between the arm of the excavator and the bucket. This flexibility means that, for example, ponds and swales can be completed in half the time as
the excavator can sit at any angle. Working together, the tiltrotator and GPS combination enables the excavator to deliver excellent precision in all planes whilst remaining stationary.
A quick hitch coupler – GEOfit - is an integral part of the Steelwrist system: GEO stands
for ‘Gas Electric Oil’. The GEOfit coupler, with integrated hydraulics, enables the excavator operator to control other tool attachments such as breakers, grapples or augers. The GEOfit ‘four-fingered’ gripper cassette, for example, enables kerbing to be lifted into position. It
can also lift manholes and shuttering and was recently used on a drainage project to lift 300mm to 600mm concrete and plastic pipe into place; no extra attachment or manual handling was needed.
Due to the GEOfit, the tiltrotator can be released in minutes when deep digging is needed, or when loading dumpers and trucks. According to Steve, the set-up is a groundworker’s dream!:
‘I’ve been using the Steelwrist tiltrotator for about 9 years now. It does take some time to get your head round the physics when you first start using it, particularly if you’ve been using a traditional bucket set-up for many years. Depending on the model you are using, the controls could include multiple rollers,
joysticks and up to fifteen buttons. It’s definitely one for the younger generation that has grown up playing computer games.’
About five years ago, Steve created Tiltrotators Media Group (TMG) and uses the brand across multiple social media platforms to publicise
all things tiltrotator. The TMG Facebook page alone has over 37,000 followers:
‘It’s a hobby really. I use a GoPro camera to capture videos of the Steelwrist tiltrotator in action. I’m frequently approached by clothing manufacturers, attachment distributors and other suppliers with free samples to publicise their products on the TMG social media platforms.’
Steelwrist has recognised Steve’s skills and often ask him to demonstrate their equipment at national and international exhibitions:
Exhibitions and shows this year have included ScotPlant and Bauma in Germany. In March next year Steve is hoping to be doing demonstrations at ConExpo in Las Vegas:
‘Tiltrotators come in all shapes and sizes. For a typical digger, a tiltrotator could cost anywhere between £5,000 and £30,000. Tiltrotators are common across Scandinavia and are sometimes referred to as the ‘Swedish labourer’. I run
the only tiltrotator across the W M Donald fleet at the moment but I am sure they will grow in popularity as contracts managers and site engineers recognise their flexibility and versatility. For example, a couple of weeks ago I unloaded an artic delivering soakaway crates to site. It took eight minutes to unload the fully loaded artic truck and, thanks to the tiltrotator, the excavator was able to stay in one place.’