The old ways meet the new: Tiltrotator installation may be the first of its kind
While pilot controls have become the norm for backhoes, there are operators that prefer the mechanical style, four-stick operation for the machines.
Last year, Stittsville, Ontario-based Terapro Construction sold a Case 580 Super N backhoe with mechanical controls — a machine that required a special order from the manufacturer due to its now unconventional controls.
“Some guys like the mechanical backhoes because they get a lot more feedback. You can feel the pressure from the system through the mechanical levers. So, once they get good at them, those guys stick with that,” explained Jake Sparling, a Technician with Terapro Construction.
While the customer that purchased the 580 Super N backhoe opted for the classic mechanical controls, they also wanted to equip the machine with a Rototilt R3 tiltrotator.
The contractor will use the machine for commercial and industrial foundation work. Adding the tiltrotator will allow the operator to reduce the number of times the backhoe is repositioned while digging.
“The customer has been wanting it for a while, and I think he was getting shut down a lot by people,” Sparling said.
Setting up the tiltrotator
Working with Rototilt, Terapro decided to attempt to fit the machine with the tiltrotator. However, with no known mechanical backhoes operating with an R3, there was no reference point for installation.
“It’s a full mechanical backhoe too. So, that was the big challenge with it — trying to figure it out,” Sparling said. “We put a little bit of effort into figuring it out and seeing if it was even possible.”
With mechanical backhoes, the operator is unable to control the auxiliary hydraulics with the Rototilt, which is how the tiltrotator is usually set up.
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To overcome this, Sparling used large diverter valves to redirect the hydraulic flow from the front auxiliary line.
“On these machines the front auxiliary is still electric over hydraulic. So, the front loader valve goes to the diverter valve, and then we diverted it to the back end,” Sparling explained. “Then it’s all keyed into the plumbing of the existing rear auxiliary.”
Sparling was then able to plug the Rototilt controls and required electrical components into the existing front auxiliary hydraulic controls.
The Rototilt carrier also required modifications to make sure it fit the Case quick coupler. To complete the modification, Terapro cut off pin bossed and fabricated a custom floating pin.
“We had to react quickly and modify it. We did a little bit of cutting and we had some custom parts machined to make sure it fit properly,” Sparling said.
To control the tiltrotator, Sparling recruited a friend in engineering to design mounts to attach the rollers to the four sticks.
“He 3D printed brackets to mount the rollers onto the rear controls for the four-stick,” Sparling said.
Installing the R3 on the backhoe took about five days, compared to the typical three-day install time for a machine with pilot controls.
“Most people said it wasn’t going be possible,” Sparling said.
