Tiltrotator

Rototilt with grapple

A tiltrotator (known under a number of trade names) is an hydraulic attachment/tool used on most excavators, and backhoes 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 +/- 45 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, Tiltrotator 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. A hugely increasing areas are quick-coupled hydraulic joints for attachments and control systems which give operator possibilities to operate the machine fully through the joysticks. Recognized control systems are SVAB, ICS by Indexator, Engcon Microprop DC2 and Steelwrist XControl G2. The tiltrotator is nowadays controlled through machines two proportional hydraulic lines or through electroproportional control fed by one auxiliary line.

The Tiltrotator also known as a 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 the Netherlands, Germany, UK, Japan, 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 released in 1989.

Other companies manufacturing their version of Rototilt on a smaller scale include SMP, HKS, Kinshofer, Marttiini Metals, and Giant China under various product names as tiltrotator, swingrotator, swingotilt, NOX, mRoto, Rotiltor etc., although it's still commonplace on the market as a genericized trademark to call all versions a Tiltrotator.

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