Engcon UK
The Noble Art of Digging
Again this is a big FAQ for us and, I'm sure, all tilty manufacturers
. This was covered in less detail on CEF, so I've updated it with a bit more information. I've tried to keep it generic and not Engcon specific, so this should apply to Rototilt and Steelwrist as well. There's one contentious bit in the middle which may cause offence and, if it does, I can remove it.
Step 1: Select the hitch size and tiltrotator class
Tiltrotators are available in different sizes to suit the size and breakout force of the digger. The different tiltrotator manufacturers’ size ranges are not identical and it is important to note that different makes of excavators in the same weight category may tip them from one class of tiltrotator to another. Whilst it is possible to fit a larger than recommended tiltrotator on a smaller digger (for example to share a tiltrotator between two different sizes of excavator, or to achieve higher flow rates through the larger central swivel),it is also important to consider the pin (axle) sizes of the hitch as these will not necessarily change with tiltrotator sizes. The pin size is generally determined by the Scandinavian S-type standard. Also, worth considering when adding to your excavator or tiltrotator fleet, is the range and size of existing attachments and the hitch sizes associated with them. Buying a larger excavator may necessitate moving up a pin size which may render the brackets on your existing attachments obsolete.
Step 2: Select the configuration (directly mounted or detachable using a twin-hitch arrangement)
In a lot of cases, direct mounting a tiltrotator on the end of the dipper is absolutely OK. However, there are a few occasions where you will need to take it off and, in these instances, a so-called 'twin hitch' arrangement is worth considering. These are:
On a mini digger, a twin hitch will add around £1000 - £1500 (depending on size and spec). On larger excavators expect a bit more, but (over 6 tonnes for Engcon) automatic hydraulic connectors may be available from the respective tiltrotator manufacturer, so you don't even have to get out of the cab to take it off. Around 80% of Engcon installations are twin-hitch.
Step 3: Select the control system
The selection of control system will depend on two things: Existing excavator hydraulics and required tiltrotator sophistication. In both cases, the clue is in the name – it tilts and it rotates. If you want it to do both simultaneously, then two independent hydraulic circuits will be needed at the business end in order to give you this functionality. A hydraulic hitch underneath the tiltrotator will require separate control (as will a top hitch, if fitted) and hydraulically-operated attachments (for example a gripper, sorting grab, compactor or tree shear) will further add to the shopping list. The thing to realise from the outset is that these things need to be controlled and if the excavator pipework and controls aren’t already there, it may be cheaper to opt for a more sophisticated tiltrotator than populate the cab, boom and dipper with additional hydraulic capabilities.
The simplest tiltrotators have no hydraulic controls in them and rely on excavator hydraulic circuits to operate the functions. In commercial terms this means a cheaper tiltrotator but is limited by the physical constraints of routing separate pairs of hoses for each function into the manifold at the top of the tiltrotator. The practical limit of this system is generally recognised to be four circuits (eight hoses) – subject to their availability at the end of the dipper – giving tilt and rotate, the (tiltrotator) hitch control and an extra hydraulic function underneath the tiltrotator. This presupposes the hitch control and three separate proportional controls exist in the cab and are piped down to the end of the dipper. On smaller tiltrotators it may not be possible to fit the extra hydraulic function because of the limits of hose congestion. This control option is generically known as SS0 (literally: zero steering system).
On excavators with more than one proportional hydraulic circuit there are mid-way options that save the cost of the higher-level systems by compromising on available functionality. With two (excavator) proportional controls – usually joystick mounted – the rotate circuit is a dedicated function and the tilt function can be alternated via a latching relay installed in the cab by the tiltrotator manufacturer to allow switching between tilt and extra 1 and extra 2 hydraulic functions below the tiltrotator. This is colloquially known as a ‘four hose solution’ where the latching sequence includes the tiltrotator hitch control, or a ‘six hose solution’ where a separate hitch control line is included. Generically known as SS9-IQ (Integral Quickhitch) and SS9-SQ (Separate Quickhitch) respectively. This option is generally seen by all as a good compromise where the digger is already fitted with the proportional controls in that the control system is simpler to install (faster and cheaper) and where the trade-off is that the tilt and extra functions are not available simultaneously. Where the operator wishes to use a gripper, tree shear, grab or other attachment at the same time as the tilt function then this option is less attractive.
This level of hydraulic sophistication is generally provided by the fully proportional control systems generically labelled under the banner of ‘SS10’ (DC2 for Engcon, ICS for Rototilt and X-Control for Steelwrist). These are typified by having dual-acting proportional valves in the top of the tiltrotator which take a single hydraulic feed from the end of the dipper and divide the flow up according to the control input from the (tiltrotator manufacturer’s) joysticks. There is a valve for each function (the hitch control doesn’t need to be proportional) and this allows all functions to be selected and controlled simultaneously. The tiltrotator hitch is usually operated through this system although, as with SS9, where a twin hitch arrangement is selected, a separate top hitch control and circuit is required.
In many cases the additional control capacity can be used to operate other excavator functions. TAB and offset boom control, blades, stabilisers and other functions are regularly specified and steering control (or track control on a tracked excavator) is a popular option.
Clearly, SS10 comes at a price and, in larger diggers at least, this can be justified in terms of the extra functionality and the fact that the extra is, as a proportion of the overall cost of the excavator, much smaller. With smaller machines the premium can sometimes be unattractive and for this reason Engcon have introduced a series of simple control systems that allow tiltrotators to be fitted to excavators with limited hydraulics for a much tighter budget. The main options are:
The first control system is SS1 (SS – Steering System in Swedish; why not?). If the digger has proportional control of the hydraulic circuit (probably using a pedal-operated valve, but some modern ones do come with joystick-operated electrically controlled valves),then smooth and precise control and use of the tiltrotator is possible. Think of this as a tilting hitch with a separate rotate function. SS1 is generally supplied rather than SS15 (see below) when a joystick-operated roller controls the hammer circuit – in these cases it’s not possible to control the tilt and rotate functions simultaneously while operating the roller for the hammer circuit.
If there is no separate hitch control circuit then a mechanical hitch is supplied.
More recently a variant of SS1 has been resurrected and is called SS15. Where for cost reasons the fully proportional systems cannot be installed on a digger with a single hydraulic circuit, the joysticks are replaced with ones with two buttons on each stick and a controller installed. This allows both tilt and rotate functions to be used simultaneously with the speed of tilt and rotate being controlled by the (proportional) hammer pedal; and the service (tilt or rotate),together with the direction of service, being controlled by the buttons. Both SS1 and SS15 are still offered as cost effective (so-called ‘Entry Level’) options – particularly on mini-diggers.
On other thing to consider on mini-diggers is the existing hydraulic control. On smaller diggers, and particularly on older machines, the hammer circuit relies on a mechanical link to the valve chest to provide proportional control. If this is the case then fitting a higher level SS10 control system is not possible without further modification because these systems need to be able to control the oil flow in the hammer circuit electrically. If you are going to go for a SS10 control system and have a mechanical linkage then you will need to either get a machine upgrade (a so-called pilot-operated slice in the valve chest) or get the tilty manufacturer/installer to fit an aftermarket valve to do the same thing. The former can cost around £1k, although an aftermarket valve may be less than this.
For information, a variant of SS15 is used on road/rail excavators but is no longer supplied outside of this sector.
It is also worth considering of the availability of hitches with automatic hydraulic connections, such as EC-Oil or Oil-Quick/OQ when selecting control systems. A single circuit (SS10) requires two ports (i.e flow and return, or Pressure and Tank),whereas SS9-IQ uses two circuits, so requires four ports. The savings made in using a lower-level control system such as SS9 need to be weighed up against the extra cost of providing the additional ports. Also, SS9-SQ uses an extra (third) circuit which means six ports in total. In general, using automatic hydraulic connectors is best suited to SS10 control systems.
. This was covered in less detail on CEF, so I've updated it with a bit more information. I've tried to keep it generic and not Engcon specific, so this should apply to Rototilt and Steelwrist as well. There's one contentious bit in the middle which may cause offence and, if it does, I can remove it.Step 1: Select the hitch size and tiltrotator class
Tiltrotators are available in different sizes to suit the size and breakout force of the digger. The different tiltrotator manufacturers’ size ranges are not identical and it is important to note that different makes of excavators in the same weight category may tip them from one class of tiltrotator to another. Whilst it is possible to fit a larger than recommended tiltrotator on a smaller digger (for example to share a tiltrotator between two different sizes of excavator, or to achieve higher flow rates through the larger central swivel),it is also important to consider the pin (axle) sizes of the hitch as these will not necessarily change with tiltrotator sizes. The pin size is generally determined by the Scandinavian S-type standard. Also, worth considering when adding to your excavator or tiltrotator fleet, is the range and size of existing attachments and the hitch sizes associated with them. Buying a larger excavator may necessitate moving up a pin size which may render the brackets on your existing attachments obsolete.
Step 2: Select the configuration (directly mounted or detachable using a twin-hitch arrangement)
In a lot of cases, direct mounting a tiltrotator on the end of the dipper is absolutely OK. However, there are a few occasions where you will need to take it off and, in these instances, a so-called 'twin hitch' arrangement is worth considering. These are:
- If you use a hammer. Advice will vary according to (tiltrotator) manufacturer, but in the case of Engcon the recommendation is clear - do not mix a hammer and a tiltrotator. Firstly, the combined weight of the hammer and tiltrotator (on any size digger) will make its use uncomfortable and secondly, tiltrotators have highly engineered proportional valves and (in many cases) expensive electronic circuitry in them and a hammer will adversely affect them. If you do, you will invalidate your (Engcon) warranty.
- If you need to do a lot of buck muckshifting. A tiltrotator isn't adding much, if any, value here. Take it off and save fuel and time.
- If you are loading high-sided vehicles and need the extra height.
- If you are working on the limits of the digger's performance - for example with a heavy load off to one side. Taking the tiltrotator off will give you that extra lifting capacity.
- If you want to do narrow, deep trenching. The rams on a conventional tiltrotator stick out at the side and will prevent you going too deep in a narrow trench. On an EC02 twin-hitch arrangement, the top hitch is under 200mm wide and 9" buckets are available for this class of digger.
On a mini digger, a twin hitch will add around £1000 - £1500 (depending on size and spec). On larger excavators expect a bit more, but (over 6 tonnes for Engcon) automatic hydraulic connectors may be available from the respective tiltrotator manufacturer, so you don't even have to get out of the cab to take it off. Around 80% of Engcon installations are twin-hitch.
Step 3: Select the control system
The selection of control system will depend on two things: Existing excavator hydraulics and required tiltrotator sophistication. In both cases, the clue is in the name – it tilts and it rotates. If you want it to do both simultaneously, then two independent hydraulic circuits will be needed at the business end in order to give you this functionality. A hydraulic hitch underneath the tiltrotator will require separate control (as will a top hitch, if fitted) and hydraulically-operated attachments (for example a gripper, sorting grab, compactor or tree shear) will further add to the shopping list. The thing to realise from the outset is that these things need to be controlled and if the excavator pipework and controls aren’t already there, it may be cheaper to opt for a more sophisticated tiltrotator than populate the cab, boom and dipper with additional hydraulic capabilities.
The simplest tiltrotators have no hydraulic controls in them and rely on excavator hydraulic circuits to operate the functions. In commercial terms this means a cheaper tiltrotator but is limited by the physical constraints of routing separate pairs of hoses for each function into the manifold at the top of the tiltrotator. The practical limit of this system is generally recognised to be four circuits (eight hoses) – subject to their availability at the end of the dipper – giving tilt and rotate, the (tiltrotator) hitch control and an extra hydraulic function underneath the tiltrotator. This presupposes the hitch control and three separate proportional controls exist in the cab and are piped down to the end of the dipper. On smaller tiltrotators it may not be possible to fit the extra hydraulic function because of the limits of hose congestion. This control option is generically known as SS0 (literally: zero steering system).
On excavators with more than one proportional hydraulic circuit there are mid-way options that save the cost of the higher-level systems by compromising on available functionality. With two (excavator) proportional controls – usually joystick mounted – the rotate circuit is a dedicated function and the tilt function can be alternated via a latching relay installed in the cab by the tiltrotator manufacturer to allow switching between tilt and extra 1 and extra 2 hydraulic functions below the tiltrotator. This is colloquially known as a ‘four hose solution’ where the latching sequence includes the tiltrotator hitch control, or a ‘six hose solution’ where a separate hitch control line is included. Generically known as SS9-IQ (Integral Quickhitch) and SS9-SQ (Separate Quickhitch) respectively. This option is generally seen by all as a good compromise where the digger is already fitted with the proportional controls in that the control system is simpler to install (faster and cheaper) and where the trade-off is that the tilt and extra functions are not available simultaneously. Where the operator wishes to use a gripper, tree shear, grab or other attachment at the same time as the tilt function then this option is less attractive.
This level of hydraulic sophistication is generally provided by the fully proportional control systems generically labelled under the banner of ‘SS10’ (DC2 for Engcon, ICS for Rototilt and X-Control for Steelwrist). These are typified by having dual-acting proportional valves in the top of the tiltrotator which take a single hydraulic feed from the end of the dipper and divide the flow up according to the control input from the (tiltrotator manufacturer’s) joysticks. There is a valve for each function (the hitch control doesn’t need to be proportional) and this allows all functions to be selected and controlled simultaneously. The tiltrotator hitch is usually operated through this system although, as with SS9, where a twin hitch arrangement is selected, a separate top hitch control and circuit is required.
In many cases the additional control capacity can be used to operate other excavator functions. TAB and offset boom control, blades, stabilisers and other functions are regularly specified and steering control (or track control on a tracked excavator) is a popular option.
Clearly, SS10 comes at a price and, in larger diggers at least, this can be justified in terms of the extra functionality and the fact that the extra is, as a proportion of the overall cost of the excavator, much smaller. With smaller machines the premium can sometimes be unattractive and for this reason Engcon have introduced a series of simple control systems that allow tiltrotators to be fitted to excavators with limited hydraulics for a much tighter budget. The main options are:
The first control system is SS1 (SS – Steering System in Swedish; why not?). If the digger has proportional control of the hydraulic circuit (probably using a pedal-operated valve, but some modern ones do come with joystick-operated electrically controlled valves),then smooth and precise control and use of the tiltrotator is possible. Think of this as a tilting hitch with a separate rotate function. SS1 is generally supplied rather than SS15 (see below) when a joystick-operated roller controls the hammer circuit – in these cases it’s not possible to control the tilt and rotate functions simultaneously while operating the roller for the hammer circuit.
If there is no separate hitch control circuit then a mechanical hitch is supplied.
More recently a variant of SS1 has been resurrected and is called SS15. Where for cost reasons the fully proportional systems cannot be installed on a digger with a single hydraulic circuit, the joysticks are replaced with ones with two buttons on each stick and a controller installed. This allows both tilt and rotate functions to be used simultaneously with the speed of tilt and rotate being controlled by the (proportional) hammer pedal; and the service (tilt or rotate),together with the direction of service, being controlled by the buttons. Both SS1 and SS15 are still offered as cost effective (so-called ‘Entry Level’) options – particularly on mini-diggers.
On other thing to consider on mini-diggers is the existing hydraulic control. On smaller diggers, and particularly on older machines, the hammer circuit relies on a mechanical link to the valve chest to provide proportional control. If this is the case then fitting a higher level SS10 control system is not possible without further modification because these systems need to be able to control the oil flow in the hammer circuit electrically. If you are going to go for a SS10 control system and have a mechanical linkage then you will need to either get a machine upgrade (a so-called pilot-operated slice in the valve chest) or get the tilty manufacturer/installer to fit an aftermarket valve to do the same thing. The former can cost around £1k, although an aftermarket valve may be less than this.
For information, a variant of SS15 is used on road/rail excavators but is no longer supplied outside of this sector.
It is also worth considering of the availability of hitches with automatic hydraulic connections, such as EC-Oil or Oil-Quick/OQ when selecting control systems. A single circuit (SS10) requires two ports (i.e flow and return, or Pressure and Tank),whereas SS9-IQ uses two circuits, so requires four ports. The savings made in using a lower-level control system such as SS9 need to be weighed up against the extra cost of providing the additional ports. Also, SS9-SQ uses an extra (third) circuit which means six ports in total. In general, using automatic hydraulic connectors is best suited to SS10 control systems.
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