Hill Engineering’s Tefra Tilt hitch saves 25% on time for CD McNeill.

Saving time and therefore money, but doing so safely, in the civils sector is increasingly important in today’s cut-throat business environment. And one contractor has found a simple way of doing just that.

Tarmac and civils contractor CD McNeill has a growing plant portfolio – three excavators, two tippers and three dumpers – and a large, remote geographical area to cover, so it is important that those machines are versatile.

The business, which was founded by Danny McNeill almost 50 years ago, specialises in small-scale civil works, site clearance, drainage works, driveways, car parks and footpaths, farm roads and forecourts, and ironwork, kerbing and fencing.

But it works with big clients, public bodies such as The Highland Council, Scottish Water and NHS Highland, from its base in Dingwall, near Inverness, from where it covers Ross-shire, as well as the West Highlands and further down to Sutherland.

So when Danny’s son, Grant, saw Hill Engineering’s Tefra Tilt hitch at Scotplant last year they decided to purchase one for use with a new Volvo ECR58 five-tonne compact excavator they were ordering for tarmac surfacing work on rural roads including those on the Isle of Skye.

The fully-automatic Tefra Tilt combines the award-winning Tefra coupler with the HKS Extra Tilt Power Actuator for excavators from three to 20 tonnes. Its unique positive locking system makes it the safest, strongest and most reliable coupler on the market today.

“We thought it might be a valuable piece of equipment,” said Grant.

And so valuable has the Hill Tefra Tilt hitch proved that they have now purchased a second, for use with an existing EC27C three-tonne compact excavator on drainage and engineering projects.

Grant said: “We used the Tefra hitches because they give us more flexibility. They are very versatile, allowing our machines to carry out more tasks, from ditching to levelling without having to reposition them. We can’t do with moving them around all the time in confined areas.

“Our clients think the Tefra hitch is a great benefit as well because if we are working on a school site with restricted access, we don’t need to move machines around as much which is also a Health and Safety benefit.”

He added: “We believe the Tefra tilt is 25% faster to use, which all comes off the bottom line. That might enable us to finish a project a day earlier which not only makes the client happy but means we can move onto other projects more quickly.”

Ross Fairweather, Hill Engineering’s sales manager for Scotland, added “As a company we strive to ensure we offer the best possible solutions for our client’s requirements. CD McNeill have been a loyal customer for a long time and we are extremely thankful to Danny, Grant and their team for their continued support and positive feedback.”