Product feature: Tiltman tilt hitches and attachments

Date: 25.11.2021

Tiltman tilt hitches and attachments are specifically designed for local conditions using direct feedback from working NZ contractors

Tiltman hitches were fitted to three JCB mini excavators

While many may think Blair Emmett, owner of Palmerston North-based Mobile Mechanical Solutions Ltd has enough on his plate managing 36 people on a daily basis, apparently there’s still a few hours in the day to run a hire business on the side.

It was here not too long ago that Blair decided to kit out three JCB mini excavators with Tiltman tilting hitches, complete with a number of different attachments for hirers. "We’ve only got one machine left in our fleet, as they turned out to be quite popular, and we received an offer for two of them that was difficult to refuse," says Blair.

Perhaps the reason for the popularity of the mini excavators were the easy-to-use Tiltman hitches. Made in Denmark and distributed by Tiltman NZ, the well-known tilt hitches and attachments have been available since 2018 and are specifically designed for local conditions using direct feedback from working New Zealand contractors.

"We looked around at a number of different tilt hitches on the market, and I found the Tiltman units were simple yet effective in their design, with easy-to-change attachments," says Blair.

Landscape rake

The units were purchased along with a number of additional implements, which included a landscaping rake, root saw, and claw grab. "A strong factor in deciding to purchase Tiltman tilt hitches was the low build height of the unit, which gives better breakout force.

Tiltman grab

The tilting ability also makes them ideal to use with an auger," says Blair. He makes note that the coupler unlocking mechanism (to remove the bucket or attachment from the digger arm) is a well-thought-out spring-loaded design that easily unlocks with the assistance of a small bar to provide leverage.

Tiltman root saw

"We found this is a lot easier and safer to use than the usual draw pin-styled locking mechanisms, which is found on other brand couplers," says Blair. Another benefit with the Tiltman coupler is that the operator only needs to leave the seat of the digger to release the locking mechanism, allowing the bucket or attachment to then be removed before automatically and safely resetting once the next attachment is connected.

"Climbing off the machine to only release the bucket or attachment is a huge advantage over other couplers and halves the amount of time an operator is out of the seat," says Blair.

Tiltman tilt hitch

"It also means there’s less chance of an operator not bothering to swap to a more suitable work tool because they can’t be bothered hopping off the machine.

"Tiltman NZ tilt hitches are well-made pieces of equipment; we’ve had no issues with them."

For more information, visit tiltmannz.co.nz.

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