TR14NOX Tiltrotator – Land consolidation in England

Two workers with tiltrotator in front of excavator

As a long-time fan of the tiltrotator, Derek W Hancox Ltd has used a number of different brands down through the years, and still does today, but it is the Kinshofer NOX Tiltrotator that has really excited the contractor. Plant & Civil Engineer’s David Stokes has been finding out why.

The company acquired its first NOX TR14 just a few months ago – it’s fitted to a Doosan 140 excavator - and so impressed were they that they ordered a second NOX for their Doosan 160.
Derek W. Hancox Ltd is a family run business formed in 1982, its original role being plant hire. As time progressed and contracts became established a requirement for specialist earth moving plant to serve the needs of the golf course construction industry became apparent. The company was soon supplying machinery to projects under construction in Portugal, France, Belgium, Germany, Ireland and, of course, GB and Scotland.

Over the past twenty years its equipment list has grown and is constantly updated and renewed with the manufacturers’ latest innovations; its range of services has also expanded.

One of its current projects involves clearing an area of trees and undergrowth in Gloucestershire’s picturesque Forest of Dean to restore it to heathland.

It was during a visit to the Hillhead Show around 2003/2004 when they spotted a tilt rotator being demonstrated. “We were so impressed by its performance that we bought that demonstration unit at the show, realizing that it had great potential for shaping Tee’s and Bunkers on golf courses. The logic was that contours could be achieved with far fewer maneuvers which in turn would create less ground disruption plus a time saving benefit,” says company director Shaun Hancox.

“We at that stage were amongst some of the very first users of tilt rotators in this country, and as the years have progressed, we have purchased more tiltrotators from various manufacturers. During this time, we have identified the advantages and in some cases the disadvantages of one product versus another.”
So what’s the big attraction of the Kinshofer tiltrotator that’s employed on the Forest of Dean project?
“In choosing the Kinshofer the deciding factors were compactness and smoothness of operation, with no rams for tilt
function. Rams in some applications are very vulnerable and their replacement comes with the cost both materially and downtime. If this could be avoided the advantages are obvious. We got a lot of damage inflicted to rams on the other brands, and still do, but that’s been eliminated by the Kinshofer. We are always looking to improve the way
we work and if we see something better that’s what we’ll go for. We are definitely a convert to the ramless system.
So far, we have been very impressed by the Kinshofer fitted to our new Doosan 140 excavator, which is proving to be a well-matched combination. So impressed that we have now placed a further order for another Doosan Kinshofer combination, specifically designed for forestry work.”

He adds: “The Kinshofer is a slick and smooth system and is very simple to operate – and it also has a greater degree of tilt which makes it even more versatile and flexible.” Indeed, the Kinshofer’s 360° endless rotation and tilting angles of up to 2 x 50° make it a universal joint. This cylinderless solution features a very compact design with a narrow width and without any protruding parts. The
flexible tool is extremely service friendly, as there are only two greasing points, there are less wear parts, and the hydraulics are integrated into the solid cast housing. The worm drive runs in a permanent oil bath. The patented tilting function is provided by the elliptic piston design with only one thread. Due to the closed system, the risk of damages is reduced and the tilting force is constant. Attachments that require a high oil flow are also no problem for the NOX Tiltrotator.

Shaun was also impressed with its ‘sandwich’ configuration. “We’ve always had direct mount before, but obviously you get occasions when you may want to put a breaker or another attachment, for example, on the machine; the sandwich configuration means you can simply drop off the Kinshofer to do so.”
Shaun adds: “If the Kinshofer continues to perform as well as it is at the present we will probably switch entirely to the brand; I think the manufacturer, in my opinion, has definitely hit on something with a design that represents a big leap forward in tiltrotators.”

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