Sheffield duty for a Miller PowerLatch

The Miller PowerLatch Tilt was recently the attachment of choice for Yorkshire-based engineering consultancy JN 6197 Bentley, part of global engineering consultancy 2579 Mott MacDonald.

As part of the work to relocate waste treatment works in Stocksbridge, near Sheffield, England, Bentley laid new pipes along Manchester Road.

But space was restricted and the team looked at a different way to break out the rock. Using a 13T 2300 Komatsu PC138 excavator initially fitted with a standard quick hitch, the team started shearing the walls by hand. Due to the single-lane closure, the Komatsu had to stay central to the dig and, therefore, the team encountered challenges with breaking through rock in a restricted working area.

The team trialled a number of traditional and alternative methods, such as using a lightweight, remote controlled excavator with a breaker.

Then the team trialed a Miller PowerLatch Tilting Quick Hitch. It operates the same as a traditional automatic quick hitch, easily connecting buckets but with the added capability of 180° tilt.

The team could then use a breaker to shear the sides. This meant eliminating HAVS - hand-arm vibration syndrome - associated with breaking out by hand while being far more cost -effective compared to other methods. The tilt motion was also beneficial using the bucket to scrape the clay side walls.

“The PowerLatch Tilt provided a simple and flexible solution, allowing the team to angle the breaker to shear the sidewalls of the trench without the need to constantly reposition the machine,” said Andy Ball, Bentley’s plant manager. “It saved the team time, money and avoided the need for colleagues to work in the trench, exposing them to vibration/HAVS associated with traditional methods.” 

“Miller have managed to deliver the lightest tilt frame in the marketplace with the lowest profile to offer optimised breakout force whilst increasing strength in traditionally highly stressed areas,” said Brendan Quill, 6739 Miller UK’s marketing director.

“The top bolted attachment method removes a notoriously troublesome welded connection seen in a number of other tilt couplers available on the market.”