Tiltrotator
Encyclopedia
A tiltrotator is an hydraulic attachment/tool used on most excavator
s, and backhoe
s between 3-30 tons in the Nordic countries (Sweden
, Finland
, and Norway
). A tiltrotator is mounted on the excavator
such that the excavator bucket can be rotated through 360 degrees and tilted +/- 40 degrees, in order to increase the flexibility and precision of the excavator
. A tiltrotator can best be described as a wrist
between the arm of the excavator and the bucket
(or whatever other tool is fitted to the excavator tool). With its integral quick coupler
and rotary swivel, Rototilts also use extra hydraulic functions to power and manipulate other worktools such as a breaker
, grapple or an auger
, which can be attached to the quickcoupler on the tiltrotator, for simplified attachment
mounting, dramatically increasing the machine
's utilization
on the jobsite.
The Rototilt was invented in Sweden
in the early 1980s by the Norgrens under the family owned and operated company named Noreco, and has become the standard in Scandinavia. The concept has recently gained popularity in other countries such as Holland, Germany
, UK, Canada
and since 2002, are now being distributed in the United States
.
There are three major manufacturers of the Rototilt concept today (although similar products are sold by various competitors); Indexator, (founded in 1973 by Alan Jonsson) who purchased Noreco in 1992, hired the Norgren brothers, and registered the brandname Rototilt, and Engcon, (founded in 1993 by also ex-Noreco employee, Stig Engstrom) who started manufacturing their own product using only "tiltrotator" to avoid trademark
infringements; and Steelwrist, (founded in 2005 by a team of industrialists), who started manufacturing after acquiring a new design originating from a tiltrotator called Dento which was releaed in 1989.
Other companies manufacturing their version of Rototilt on a smaller scale include Sandco, SMP, and HKS, under various product names as tiltrotator, swingrotator, swingotilt, etc., although it's still commonplace on the market as a genericized trademark
to call all versions a Rototilt.
Excavator
Excavators are heavy construction equipment consisting of a boom, stick, bucket and cab on a rotating platform . The house sits atop an undercarriage with tracks or wheels. A cable-operated excavator uses winches and steel ropes to accomplish the movements. They are a natural progression from the...
s, and backhoe
Backhoe
A backhoe, also called a rear actor or back actor, is a piece of excavating equipment or digger consisting of a digging bucket on the end of a two-part articulated arm. They are typically mounted on the back of a tractor or front loader...
s between 3-30 tons in the Nordic countries (Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, and Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
). A tiltrotator is mounted on the excavator
Excavator
Excavators are heavy construction equipment consisting of a boom, stick, bucket and cab on a rotating platform . The house sits atop an undercarriage with tracks or wheels. A cable-operated excavator uses winches and steel ropes to accomplish the movements. They are a natural progression from the...
such that the excavator bucket can be rotated through 360 degrees and tilted +/- 40 degrees, in order to increase the flexibility and precision of the excavator
Excavator
Excavators are heavy construction equipment consisting of a boom, stick, bucket and cab on a rotating platform . The house sits atop an undercarriage with tracks or wheels. A cable-operated excavator uses winches and steel ropes to accomplish the movements. They are a natural progression from the...
. A tiltrotator can best be described as a wrist
Wrist
In human anatomy, the wrist is variously defined as 1) the carpus or carpal bones, the complex of eight bones forming the proximal skeletal segment of the hand;...
between the arm of the excavator and the bucket
Loader (equipment)
A loader is a heavy equipment machine often used in construction, primarily used to load material into or onto another type of machinery .-Heavy equipment front loaders:A loader A loader is a heavy equipment machine often used in construction, primarily used to load material (such as asphalt,...
(or whatever other tool is fitted to the excavator tool). With its integral quick coupler
Quick coupler
Quick couplers are used with construction machines to allow the rapid change of buckets and attachments on the machine. They remove the need to use hammers to manually drive out and insert the mounting pins for attachments...
and rotary swivel, Rototilts also use extra hydraulic functions to power and manipulate other worktools such as a breaker
Breaker (hydraulic)
A breaker is a powerful percussion hammer fitted to an excavator for demolishing concrete structures or rocks. It is powered by an auxiliary hydraulic system from the excavator, which is fitted with a foot-operated valve for this purpose...
, grapple or an auger
Auger
An auger is a drilling device, or drill bit, that usually includes a rotating helical screw blade called a "flighting" to act as a screw conveyor to remove the drilled out material...
, which can be attached to the quickcoupler on the tiltrotator, for simplified attachment
Fastener
A fastener is a hardware device that mechanically joins or affixes two or more objects together.Fasteners can also be used to close a container such as a bag, a box, or an envelope; or they may involve keeping together the sides of an opening of flexible material, attaching a lid to a container,...
mounting, dramatically increasing the machine
Machine
A machine manages power to accomplish a task, examples include, a mechanical system, a computing system, an electronic system, and a molecular machine. In common usage, the meaning is that of a device having parts that perform or assist in performing any type of work...
's utilization
Utilization
Utilization is a statistical concept as well as a primary business measure for the rental industry.-Queueing theory:In queueing theory, utilization is the proportion of the system's resources which is used by the traffic which arrives at it. It should be strictly less than one for the system to...
on the jobsite.
The Rototilt was invented in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in the early 1980s by the Norgrens under the family owned and operated company named Noreco, and has become the standard in Scandinavia. The concept has recently gained popularity in other countries such as Holland, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, UK, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and since 2002, are now being distributed in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
There are three major manufacturers of the Rototilt concept today (although similar products are sold by various competitors); Indexator, (founded in 1973 by Alan Jonsson) who purchased Noreco in 1992, hired the Norgren brothers, and registered the brandname Rototilt, and Engcon, (founded in 1993 by also ex-Noreco employee, Stig Engstrom) who started manufacturing their own product using only "tiltrotator" to avoid trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
infringements; and Steelwrist, (founded in 2005 by a team of industrialists), who started manufacturing after acquiring a new design originating from a tiltrotator called Dento which was releaed in 1989.
Other companies manufacturing their version of Rototilt on a smaller scale include Sandco, SMP, and HKS, under various product names as tiltrotator, swingrotator, swingotilt, etc., although it's still commonplace on the market as a genericized trademark
Genericized trademark
A genericized trademark is a trademark or brand name that has become the colloquial or generic description for, or synonymous with, a general class of product or service, rather than as an indicator of source or affiliation as intended by the trademark's holder...
to call all versions a Rototilt.
External links
- http://www.engcon.com
- http://www.indexator.se
- http://www.rototilt.com
- http://www.steelwrist.com
- http://www.smpparts.com
- http://www.hks-partner.com
- http://www.tiltrotator.de
- http://www.maskinnet.se/maskinnet/kategori/utrustning.php?kid=1&aid=69
- http://www.volvo.com/NR/rdonlyres/F7EBDED4-6EC4-4FF2-8143-A34BE951C92A/0/CEBarker.pdf
- http://www.forester.net/gx_0503_excavators.html