Engcon ec02 £3250

[doobin]

After chatting to the sales guy I got a quote from engcon for a ec02 with dc2 and it was £14,094.10 plus vat and that's with me already having a S30 180 hydraulic hitch and buckets

Control system is a waste of money on the little machines.

 

[Gunners]

Control system is a waste of money on the little machines.

Depends what you want to do with it. Its certainly not as good money as the larger machines as you cant use all of its features, but being able to run a grab under the tilty might be hugely advantageous to you if you need one, especially if you only have a single aux on the machine you own. You also gain a hydraulic hitch under the tilty which is worth something with a control system.
Don't forget, whilst a 4 pipe setup is cheaper, you still need to spec the machine with 4 pipes which costs more, albeit not as much as a control system, but it does need to be factored in. And yes I know you can make a grab work on a 4 pipe setup, but it does have some compromises.
That tilty doesn't look right to me. The stickers are in the wrong place, suggesting its been painted, and they don't do S40 under an EC02. Or certainly haven't in the time I've been into Engcon's. Its also an old style hitch under it, so it could be quite old, and maybe back then they did S40. And its a direct mount top btw.

 

[Brendan]

Depends what you want to do with it. Its certainly not as good money as the larger machines as you cant use all of its features, but being able to run a grab under the tilty might be hugely advantageous to you if you need one, especially if you only have a single aux on the machine you own. You also gain a hydraulic hitch under the tilty which is worth something with a control system.
Don't forget, whilst a 4 pipe setup is cheaper, you still need to spec the machine with 4 pipes which costs more, albeit not as much as a control system, but it does need to be factored in. And yes I know you can make a grab work on a 4 pipe setup, but it does have some compromises.
That tilty doesn't look right to me. The stickers are in the wrong place, suggesting its been painted, and they don't do S40 under an EC02. Or certainly haven't in the time I've been into Engcon's. Its also an old style hitch under it, so it could be quite old, and maybe back then they did S40. And its a direct mount top btw.

Are you still running the 8026 or changing to the new 26c or something else?

 

[Gunners]

Are you still running the 8026 or changing to the new 26c or something else?

Yep, still got the mk2 8026 and am very happy with it. I wasn't a fan of the 26c I had on demo and have told JCB as such...
I knew they would screw it up - which is why I bought one of the last 8026's in 2022! And it still doesn't drive as nice as my old 2014 one....

 

[Brendan]

Yep, still got the mk2 8026 and am very happy with it. I wasn't a fan of the 26c I had on demo and have told JCB as such...
I knew they would screw it up - which is why I bought one of the last 8026's in 2022! And it still doesn't drive as nice as my old 2014 one....

That much of a difference between them?
The new one looks smart but seen mixed reviews
Front window on 8026 still leaks on mine when it's shut, they tried 3 or 4 times with different seals but still let's water in

 

[Vinpetrol]

Depends what you want to do with it. Its certainly not as good money as the larger machines as you cant use all of its features, but being able to run a grab under the tilty might be hugely advantageous to you if you need one, especially if you only have a single aux on the machine you own. You also gain a hydraulic hitch under the tilty which is worth something with a control system.
Don't forget, whilst a 4 pipe setup is cheaper, you still need to spec the machine with 4 pipes which costs more, albeit not as much as a control system, but it does need to be factored in. And yes I know you can make a grab work on a 4 pipe setup, but it does have some compromises.
That tilty doesn't look right to me. The stickers are in the wrong place, suggesting its been painted, and they don't do S40 under an EC02. Or certainly haven't in the time I've been into Engcon's. Its also an old style hitch under it, so it could be quite old, and maybe back then they did S40. And its a direct mount top btw.

I’d like to actually see the total cost differences for a 4 pipe set up and a control system . I’ve just priced a machine and it’s less than 1k to go 4 pipe . I have a grab on the way for my ec02 and I can’t see what the compromise would be as I can still use the additional connectors on the engcon to connect to. Ive also been running an ec15 on my duck which has a 4 pipe 2007 model and still going really well . Had an engcon installer look over it the other day and it needs nothing doing . The grab on it does need piped to machine but I just took a house down with it and it wasn’t an issue .
Did jcb offer 4 pipe set up when you bought yours ? I’d of thought that most manufacturers must be thinking they need to offer it now

 

[Brendan]

I’d like to actually see the total cost differences for a 4 pipe set up and a control system . I’ve just priced a machine and it’s less than 1k to go 4 pipe . I have a grab on the way for my ec02 and I can’t see what the compromise would be as I can still use the additional connectors on the engcon to connect to. Ive also been running an ec15 on my duck which has a 4 pipe 2007 model and still going really well . Had an engcon installer look over it the other day and it needs nothing doing . The grab on it does need piped to machine but I just took a house down with it and it wasn’t an issue .
Did jcb offer 4 pipe set up when you bought yours ? I’d of thought that most manufacturers must be thinking they need to offer it now

When I was buying mine it was "an expensive option" and couldn't confirm a price at the time would have added a few months to the build.
I think the engcon ec02 basic version the eco2b is half the cost.
On the quote I had the control system retails at 3k and the mig2 levers are just under 1.9k

 

[Vinpetrol]

When I was buying mine it was "an expensive option" and couldn't confirm a price at the time would have added a few months to the build.
I think the engcon ec02 basic version the eco2b is half the cost.
On the quote I had the control system retails at 3k and the mig2 levers are just under 1.9k

That makes the 4pipe system look more cost effective . What are the advantages of control system ? The trade off must be the additional cost vs what extra does the control system
Give you. Given that 90% of the time it’ll be on bucket work it’s hard to see it would be worth extra expense .
A few months wait for a machine additionally specced against a machine that’s available immediately would probably also be a factor right enough

 

[Furniss]

Mine suits me perfectly ,no ecoil but that doesnt have flow for tree shear anyhow, also gripper nicks tilt but its absolutely not an issue and barely if at all affects productivity, on the wacker it is really rather good, smooth and précise, for flows just tilt and machine automatically switches the flow control dial to that service, rotate and flow dial switches to that, I would absolutely go same spec and use wackers sticks for control, easier to move on to new machine too.

 

[Monkeybusiness]

Mine suits me perfectly ,no ecoil but that doesnt have flow for tree shear anyhow, also gripper nicks tilt but its absolutely not an issue and barely if at all affects productivity, on the wacker it is really rather good, smooth and précise, for flows just tilt and machine automatically switches the flow control dial to that service, rotate and flow dial switches to that, I would absolutely go same spec and use wackers sticks for control, easier to move on to new machine too.

Same with my machines - I’ve been 4-hose from day one and have 3 setups all running from the Takeuchi joysticks.

 

[Grahams]

I had an EC02 direct mount with S40 on one of my machines (no control system). It worked well for me. The reason for s40 is it was second hand and that was what was available. At the time there were not a lot lot of of the shelf s30 attachments available any way.
It had through oil, so you could run a grab by diverting the tilt circuit, but the flow/pressure was so low I used to run attachments that needed oil direct off the breaker circuit and only have 180 degree rotation either way.
I had most of the functionality at a much reduced price which suited me. Yes, an all singing all dancing system would have been nicer to use, but I could not justify the extra cost.

 

[Furniss]

Same with my machines - I’ve been 4-hose from day one and have 3 setups all running from the Takeuchi joysticks.

Did you get a tilty put on your new 6t ?

 

[doobin]

Depends what you want to do with it. Its certainly not as good money as the larger machines as you cant use all of its features, but being able to run a grab under the tilty might be hugely advantageous to you if you need one, especially if you only have a single aux on the machine you own. You also gain a hydraulic hitch under the tilty which is worth something with a control system.
Don't forget, whilst a 4 pipe setup is cheaper, you still need to spec the machine with 4 pipes which costs more, albeit not as much as a control system, but it does need to be factored in. And yes I know you can make a grab work on a 4 pipe setup, but it does have some compromises.

4 pipe machines will be the norm soon I reckon. Chinese machines provide it as standard even whilst being much cheaper than main brands. I honestly think you can remove ‘cost of four piper base machine ’ as an argument for someone buying a new machine/tilty and debating whether to go control system.

I was lucky when I bought mine secondhand, it has through ports for both the hitch and an aux. Whether engcon still offer this on a four pipe system I don’t know. I think what will happen eventually is that either another brand will start to do this as an entry level machine, or someone else will introduce a universal control system (possibly even oem/integrated) that brings the cost down a bit- obviously the tilty would still need the cetops which is a large part of the cost of what people often assume is just the electronic box in the cab.

Six pipe setup for my hitch and four pipe engcon works great for me. It’s not hard to do, but I’d presume engcon can’t offer it without control system because ‘safety’. Maybe we will see hitch manufacturers start to offer ‘double hitch’ kits as an alternative.

I’m also a big believer that a tilty should not be used on a small machine all the time. For almost all other tasks- ripping, breaking, trenching, post knocker, riddle bucket, chain trencher, whatever; even a direct mount tilty makes the attachment basically unusable due to the geometry and leverage. So you should always have a top hitch on a small machine.

At some point I will try a grab under my tilty- I’ll just attach it to the tilt circuit. I reckon it would be handy for certain stuff but a five finger grab with a massive 30 degree angle on the headstock is what I need for most of my work, which under a tilty would be constant adjustment every time you rotated. So I don’t fancy that in the slightest. The worm drive of a tilty has benefits, but actually for nearly all arb/forestry work excluding cut and hold (which you’d be mad to try to use a 2.7t for) a conventional fixed rotator with faster rotation and a bit of give is a much better proposition anyhow, and worth taking the tilty off and affixing a grab with rotator combo.

Of course, by the time you’ve bought a decent fixed rotator for your grab that’s £1800 ish more. Still not as much as a control system though. It’s horses for courses and depends upon your work.

What we should be careful of is a mindset of ‘you cannot have a tilty without a control system’, as popularised by some prominent early adoptors. It’s simply not true. Any tilty is better than none, and in my opinion the extra benefits for a smaller machine are nowhere near in proportion to the extra costs of a control system, which are similar/the same as a larger machine.

 

[doobin]

When I was buying mine it was "an expensive option" and couldn't confirm a price at the time would have added a few months to the build.

Thats why I chose a machine with four pipes off the shelf.

Not to beat the bobcat drum too hard (they have their flaws also) but the 2.7t is usually available from stock with four pipes, and the 1.9t was only £1200 for the option (gives you roller both sides as opposed to pedals) and a three month lead time from factory.

 

[V8Druid]

4 pipe machines will be the norm soon I reckon. Chinese machines provide it as standard even whilst being much cheaper than main brands. I honestly think you can remove ‘cost of four piper base machine ’ as an argument for someone buying a new machine/tilty and debating whether to go control system.

I was lucky when I bought mine secondhand, it has through ports for both the hitch and an aux. Whether engcon still offer this on a four pipe system I don’t know. I think what will happen eventually is that either another brand will start to do this as an entry level machine, or someone else will introduce a universal control system (possibly even oem/integrated) that brings the cost down a bit- obviously the tilty would still need the cetops which is a large part of the cost of what people often assume is just the electronic box in the cab.

Six pipe setup for my hitch and four pipe engcon works great for me. It’s not hard to do, but I’d presume engcon can’t offer it without control system because ‘safety’. Maybe we will see hitch manufacturers start to offer ‘double hitch’ kits as an alternative.

I’m also a big believer that a tilty should not be used on a small machine all the time. For almost all other tasks- ripping, breaking, trenching, post knocker, riddle bucket, chain trencher, whatever; even a direct mount tilty makes the attachment basically unusable due to the geometry and leverage. So you should always have a top hitch on a small machine.

At some point I will try a grab under my tilty- I’ll just attach it to the tilt circuit. I reckon it would be handy for certain stuff but a five finger grab with a massive 30 degree angle on the headstock is what I need for most of my work, which under a tilty would be constant adjustment every time you rotated. So I don’t fancy that in the slightest. The worm drive of a tilty has benefits, but actually for nearly all arb/forestry work excluding cut and hold (which you’d be mad to try to use a 2.7t for) a conventional fixed rotator with faster rotation and a bit of give is a much better proposition anyhow, and worth taking the tilty off and affixing a grab with rotator combo.

Of course, by the time you’ve bought a decent fixed rotator for your grab that’s £1800 ish more. Still not as much as a control system though. It’s horses for courses and depends upon your work.

What we should be careful of is a mindset of ‘you cannot have a tilty without a control system’, as popularised by some prominent early adoptors. It’s simply not true. Any tilty is better than none, and in my opinion the extra benefits for a smaller machine are nowhere near in proportion to the extra costs of a control system, which are similar/the same as a larger machine.

that's a tenner for the kitty Doob ..... but absolutely right, regards the cost - prop ones ain't cheap

 

[Monkeybusiness]

Did you get a tilty put on your new 6t ?

Yeah - I refitted the one off my old machine.

 

[CPS]

that's a tenner for the kitty Doob ..... but absolutely right, regards the cost - prop ones ain't cheap

And he's a month early for the Christmas party

 

[Monkeybusiness]

4 pipe machines will be the norm soon I reckon. Chinese machines provide it as standard even whilst being much cheaper than main brands. I honestly think you can remove ‘cost of four piper base machine ’ as an argument for someone buying a new machine/tilty and debating whether to go control system.

I was lucky when I bought mine secondhand, it has through ports for both the hitch and an aux. Whether engcon still offer this on a four pipe system I don’t know. I think what will happen eventually is that either another brand will start to do this as an entry level machine, or someone else will introduce a universal control system (possibly even oem/integrated) that brings the cost down a bit- obviously the tilty would still need the cetops which is a large part of the cost of what people often assume is just the electronic box in the cab.

Six pipe setup for my hitch and four pipe engcon works great for me. It’s not hard to do, but I’d presume engcon can’t offer it without control system because ‘safety’. Maybe we will see hitch manufacturers start to offer ‘double hitch’ kits as an alternative.

I’m also a big believer that a tilty should not be used on a small machine all the time. For almost all other tasks- ripping, breaking, trenching, post knocker, riddle bucket, chain trencher, whatever; even a direct mount tilty makes the attachment basically unusable due to the geometry and leverage. So you should always have a top hitch on a small machine.

At some point I will try a grab under my tilty- I’ll just attach it to the tilt circuit. I reckon it would be handy for certain stuff but a five finger grab with a massive 30 degree angle on the headstock is what I need for most of my work, which under a tilty would be constant adjustment every time you rotated. So I don’t fancy that in the slightest. The worm drive of a tilty has benefits, but actually for nearly all arb/forestry work excluding cut and hold (which you’d be mad to try to use a 2.7t for) a conventional fixed rotator with faster rotation and a bit of give is a much better proposition anyhow, and worth taking the tilty off and affixing a grab with rotator combo.

Of course, by the time you’ve bought a decent fixed rotator for your grab that’s £1800 ish more. Still not as much as a control system though. It’s horses for courses and depends upon your work.

What we should be careful of is a mindset of ‘you cannot have a tilty without a control system’, as popularised by some prominent early adoptors. It’s simply not true. Any tilty is better than none, and in my opinion the extra benefits for a smaller machine are nowhere near in proportion to the extra costs of a control system, which are similar/the same as a larger machine.

You should try a grab under the tilty - I much prefer it to any I’ve used with a hydraulic rotator tbh. (It might be what I’m used to though as have done many more hours with a tilty-grab setup than with a stand alone rotator).

 

[Brendan]

So is there still any 4 pipe tilt rotators that have have a hydraulic hitch and can run a grab or similar.

I started looking again into what options there is, it's something I do want to add on to the digger at some point.

I contacted steelwrist but there S30 setup they will not supply for any digger over 2.3t and apparently the S40 version can only be direct mounted to an 8026 which is pointless as would then need additional buckets to direct mount to the digger if the tilt wasn't needed

Going to get a price for a rototill although not sure if they do just a 4 pipe setup

 

[V8Druid]

So is there still any 4 pipe tilt rotators that have have a hydraulic hitch and can run a grab or similar.

I started looking again into what options there is, it's something I do want to add on to the digger at some point.

I contacted steelwrist but there S30 setup they will not supply for any digger over 2.3t and apparently the S40 version can only be direct mounted to an 8026 which is pointless as would then need additional buckets to direct mount to the digger if the tilt wasn't needed

Going to get a price for a rototill although not sure if they do just a 4 pipe setup

would need a 4 gallery rotary coupling, down the centre -
Doob was really lucky finding one that did.
No idea if that size unit did come with aux and QH plumbing, as a std option - @TiltyShaun may well know?

Can't see the likes of Engcon offering more 4 pipe options, as they make some serious wedge from their 'full fat' set ups, requiring bespoke control systems ...
that said, with the advent of more and more double acting, dual line prop. set ups becoming the norm, they'd be foolish not to make some proper inroads into that level of the market and cater for the ever increasing demand.
Could often lead to 'greater/better/full fat' systems for some ppl. too