Monthly Archives: August 2020

Electric Plant equipment – What’s your opinion?

excavator

With the construction industry constantly evolving, we have seen the likes of autonomous and even electric plant equipment join the market. Would you be willing to do your bit for the environment and upgrade your fleet to hybrid machinery, or even electric?

Find out the benefits of doing so, as well as the excavator attachments we can offer you here at Masterhitch.

Myth Busters

There are various advantages that many fleets will benefit from when they upgrade to electric including:

Emissions

Plant fleets could be reducing the emissions in the current climate. When using electric diggers and other plant equipment, the operator will not be emitting any emissions. That’s right, ZERO!

Cheaper running costs

Running a standard digger can be costly. If it is left on when the machine is not in use, then fuel will be wasted. Therefore an extra cost! Electric diggers can cost as little as £1 per hour. This will include charging the battery up to full. How cheap is that?!

Noise levels

Electric Plant Equipment

Finally, every operator knows that a construction site can get very loud, when a lot of machinery is in operation. Loud sites can also mean more accidents! When using an electric digger, there is virtually no noise at all when operating. Construction workers will now be able to hear any external noises around them, and even be able to communicate better with other workers.

With every advantage, always comes a disadvantage, but who said they are true! Most individuals will say that the plant equipment may run out of charge or they will have nowhere to charge it. We can safely say that electric diggers are built with large capacity batteries, allowing them to hold a charge of up to 8 hours work. Most sites will have a generator of some sort, meaning that the machinery will be able to be charged. Problem solved!

Electric diggers currently available on the market

Elise 900 – Electric Skid Steer Loader

In recent construction news, the only battery-powered skid steer loaders have become available in the UK. The Elise 900 is built with either a 240Ah or a 400Ah battery, running up to 8 hours.  Released by Slovakian company, Kovaco, the Elise 900 is fitted with a two joystick remote controller, or it can be operated using a standard smartphone.

Volvo EXR25 – Excavator

Along with popular manufacturer JCBVolvo have also recently released an electric digger. The Volvo ECR25  is a compact excavator that has a 20kWh battery that is capable of 4 hours work before the need to charge up.

Brokk – The original electric digger

Materhitch Brokk Attachments

With all this talk of electric diggers, lets not forget the original electric digger, the Brokk range. In 1976, the Brokk brand was developed. In 1981, the Brokk 250 emerged as the first remote controller demolition machine. Although they aren’t completely on the same page with batteries, the Brokk brand are plugged in, and are fully electric. They have been used for projects that are in noise-sensitive areas, including urban and built up areas. Will this become the new norm for electric diggers? 

Here at Masterhitch, we can offer customers brokk buckets and attachments for their machinery. Not only this, we also offer brokk repairs, for anyone not wanting to buy replacement parts.  

Plant accessories available at Masterhitch

Are you now thinking about switching to electric? Not so fast. Have you thought about attachments for your plant equipment?

When you buy excavator buckets and attachments from us you’ll be guaranteed maximum productivity and up time. All of our plant accessories are made using British Standard Steel and state-of-the-art equipment.

Trapezoidal Buckets

If you‘re looking to buy an electric digger, ensure you buy high quality attachments to pair with them. We would highly recommend investing in trapezoidal buckets. They are a great addition to have on any site, depending on the type of tasks you need to do.

Digger Breaker

9 out of 10 times, diggers are used on a site that will involve demolition work at some point of the process. The Masterhitch Digger Breaker can be made to fit 1 – 80 tonne machines. They are highly effective at breaking up concrete, rock and other hard material that require breaking down. When you buy a Digger Breaker from Masterhitch, you will have peace of mind knowing that the durability will not be affected.

Ram Guards

Now you’ve invested in a machine, protect it! Ram guards made at Masterhitch can fit onto any size machine. We also provide the option of having them welded on, or just bolted onto the ram.

About H.E. SERVICES (Plant Hire) Ltd

H.E. SERVICES (Plant Hire) Ltd are the hire division of H.E. Group. With over 3500 various items of plant equipment, there will be a machine to suit all types of projects. H.E. SERVICES operate on a 3 year policy, whereby machines are replaced once they reach 3 years of age. Therefore, ensuring that their customers are receiving only the best plant equipment on their construction site. 

If you’re looking to hire any of the following, we would highly recommend getting in touch with the team:

  • Excavators
  • Dumpers
  • Rollers
  • Telehanders
  • Skid steers
  • Backhoe Loaders

Get a quote today by emailing or calling H.E. SERVICES on: 0208 804 2000.

About Diggerland

Spindizzy

Diggerland Theme Park is a well known sister company of ours, that have 4 UK based parks. With a range of 20 different rides and drives on site, children and adults can be let loose on construction machinery.

Being the only construction based family day out in the UK, we are on hand to assist with every bespoke digger attachment and bucket that may be required for the plant equipment. 

Spindizzy is just one example of the type of work we have completed. Here at Masterhitch we have custom built a bucket to fit a Komatsu PC210 excavator for customers to sit in to enjoy the ride. Unfortunately no work as of yet for any electric diggers! 

In the not so distant future, Diggerland are hoping to upgrade their fleet of diggers to include hybrid and electric diggers. 

About BuyADigger

Are you looking for a second hand electric digger? BuyADigger would normally be the company to go to. Unfortunately as H.E. SERVICES (Plant Hire) Ltd and Diggerland have not expanded their fleet to include electric diggers as of yet, BuyADigger has none for sale at the moment.

However, you can buy standard diggers and other plant equipment. When you buy a machine from BuyADigger you will benefit from:

  • A machine with low hours that is in excellent condition
  • 3 months warranty on all major components
  • International delivery if requested
  • Fully serviced machine with all the required documents

Take a look at the range of construction machinery available, and get in touch with the sales team today. If you would like an additional quote to include any of our excavator buckets or attachments, they can also accommodate this.

Get in touch with the sales team today on: mail@buyadigger.com or call them on: 01634 779123. 

Contact the Masterhitch team

Our expert team of designers will work closely with you to meet your every requirement. When you buy a digger attachment from us, you’ll be guaranteed high quality and durability, due to our expert welders and state of the art machines. 

If you would like to get a quote from us email: sales@masterhitch.co.uk or call us on: 01634 290022.

Alternatively, sign up to our newsletter to receive the latest news and offers.

Pallet forks for excavators – What are the advantages?

digger behind rocks

Welcome back to the latest Masterhitch blog post. This week we focus on the use of pallet forks on a digger, and how an operator can benefit from using them. With a large variety of bespoke excavator attachments already on the market, companies may find it difficult to pick what they need for a project.

Want to know the benefits of using pallet forks? Keep reading to find out more!

What are pallet forks?

Adjustable Reversible Forks - Masterhitch UK

Pallet forks are the difference between using a forklift and using an excavator with an attachment. Although both pieces of equipment will complete the same tasks, choosing pallet forks will mean that only one type of machine is needed.

Pallet forks are commonly used on construction sites to lift up packaged goods such as bricks. It is also great for placing items into an overhead storage container. On farms and agricultural land where barrels of hay need moving, pallet forks are utilised.

They are made with two forks to support the weight of the material being carried, making it easy to transport. 

Will they fit my excavator?

Here at Masterhitch, we have a range of pallet forks that fit 7 – 45 tonne excavators. Although our standard sizes will not always fit everyone’s requirements, we can manufacture bespoke excavator attachments to fit a particular specification.

We also make the pallet forms to fit our Hook Quick Hitch but they can be made to fit standard pin fittings.

Advantages of using pallet Forks

Why can’t a forklift or even a telehandler be used instead we hear you ask? Would you want to use more than one machine when you have everything you need already? Having the choice to easily change and use various attachments instead will be better in the long run. By using the existing machines and investing instead in attachments, will help to keep costs down.

Another advantage of using a pallet fork attachment is that they can fit into smaller areas that telehandlers may not be able to. Using tracked machines provide the operator with more stability, making moving goods over uneven ground even easier.

Not only do we make pallets forks, we can make them adjustable and reversible. When carrying heavy materials around, it is ideal to have the options of the forks facing the operator. Using this feature will stop anything falling off. The pallet forks made to fit 35 – 45 tonne machines have the ability to lift up to 4200KG in one go.

We would highly recommend investing in pallet forks, especially for  a construction site. Once you experience the adaptability of them, you’ll never look back!

About H.E. SERVICES (Plant Hire) Ltd

H.E. SERVICES (Plant Hire) Ltd are the UK’s largest specialist digger hire company. With a fleet of over 3500 machines and 10 UK based depots, they are always on hand should you wish to hire machines on a short or long term basis. 

When you hire machines from H.E. SERVICES you will benefit from the following:

  • 58 point pre-hire inspection checks
  • All machines are within 3 years – guaranteeing the best machines for hire
  • 24 hour service for account customers
  • All machines will arrive complete with all maintenance, service and test certificates
  • Expert operators can also be provided if needed

The majority of their customers enquire about bespoke excavator attachments, and pallet forks are a popular choice for many hires. Contact the sales team today on: 0208 804 2000 or email: nhc@heservices.co.uk

About BuyADigger

We work very closely with our sister company, BuyADigger. If you’re looking to buy plant equipment as well as the attachments you’ve come to the right place. BuyADigger has a range of plant equipment that is in excellent condition with low hours. They are able to deliver their machines internationally to customers all over the world. Another benefit of buying machinery from BuyADigger is that all of the machines are fully serviced and come with a 3 month warranty on all major components. 

If you’re looking to buy any of the following equipment:

  • Excavators
  • Rollers
  • Dumpers
  • Telehandlers
  • Backhoe Loaders

Get in touch with the sales team today on: mail@buyadigger.com or call them on: 01634 779123. 

Contact the Masterhitch team

Our expert team of designers will work closely with you to meet your every requirement. When you buy a digger attachment from us, you’ll be guaranteed high quality and durability, due to our expert welders and state of the art machines. 

If you would like to get a quote from us email: sales@masterhitch.co.uk or call us on: 01634 290022.

Alternatively, sign up to our newsletter to receive the latest news and offers.

Standard pin buckets here at Masterhitch Europe Ltd

bucket

When it comes to a project, there are plenty of excavator buckets to choose from. Each bucket will provide a different use, giving the operator plenty of choice for plant equipment. The most common buckets among the construction world are standard pin buckets. Here’s why the original buckets are normally the best!

What are standard pin buckets?

Standard pin buckets are the most common type of excavator bucket used on a construction site. They are used for the following purposes:

  • Digging and moving soil and other materials
  • Lifting rocks and heavier material
  • Grading soil and other surfaces

Our standard pin buckets are made to the highest quality, with an immense amount of precision by our expert engineers. All of our buckets are made to be used for the most complex and challenging jobs.

They are also made to fit all OEM (original equipment manufacturer) hitches and couplers. 

View our technical specifications table for our standard pin buckets.

Other buckets available at Masterhitch

Depending on the type of project, standard pin buckets aren’t always up to the job. Sometimes operators find themselves needing other options in order to complete the project. Here at Masterhitch, we can also offer the following choices of buckets:

Excavator Buckets - Trapezoidal Bucket

Trapezoidal Buckets

trapezoidal bucket is used primarily for digging trenches and creating drainage ditches. The unique V shape of the buckets allows the operator to cleanly carve out trench walls, without damaging any nearby objects. 

Due to the type of tasks, this bucket is made with additional reinforcement. With a high level of stress and pressure on specific components, only the best British Standard Steel is used to create the buckets.

Riddle Buckets 

Excavator Buckets - Riddle Bucket

Riddle buckets are perfect for any tasks that require materials to be sorted through. For example, separating rocks and soil can be a very tedious task if the operator doesn’t have the correct plant accessories to hand.

Masterhitch Riddle buckets can be made as standard to fit 7, 14, 21 & 30 tonne machines. Although, we are more than happy to draw up designs for buckets outside of these measurements. 

About H.E. SERVICES (Plant Hire) Ltd

H.E. SERVICES (Plant Hire) Ltd are part of H.E. Group. They are well known in the industry for digger and construction machine hire. Being the UK’s largest excavator plant hire company, and having a wide variety of machinery on the fleet, H.E. SERVICES are the company to go to. Quite often, customers will enquire about digger hire, as well as additional attachments. Due to the versatility of standard pin buckets, they are a very popular choice. 

Finally, if you’re ready to hire a digger, get in contact with the sales team today.

About BuyADigger

BuyADigger is also part of H.E. Group. Selling equipment from the likes of Diggerland and H.E. SERVICES, they have some excellent machines for sale. 

The machines on offer include:

  • Excavators (Mini, Midi, Long Reach, Tracked)
  • Telehandlers
  • Rollers
  • Dumpers
  • Backhoe Loaders

When you buy used machines from BuyADigger, you will be receiving machines that have low hours, are fully serviced, have a 3 months warranty and only have one previous owner. 

Contact the team for a quote, should you require any new additions to your fleet. 

Contact Masterhitch Europe Ltd

If you’re looking to buy a digger bucket, then contact the team at Masterhitch today. Our team of experts will be able to manufacture high quality attachments to suit your requirements.

Give us a call on: 01634 290022 or email us.
Alternatively, sign up to our newsletter to receive the latest news and offers.

How to get the most out of your plant accessories

digging

When you’re looking to invest in plant accessories, you’ll always want to get the best value for money, yet the best quality as well to ensure it lasts. Plant equipment is expected to be durable. It can also come down to the operator and how they are using the equipment. With our quick easy guide, operators can make the most of their plant accessories and get as much life out of them as possible.

Research size of machinery and plant accessories

Before plant accessories are purchased, it is always a good idea to research the size of machine needed. Excavator attachments are made to fit a certain size machinery, therefore it is important to know what you require beforehand. 

Digger bucket

It is vital to compare the various measurements, including but not limited to:

  • Digging depth
  • Digging reach
  • Lifting capacity

For example, using a machine that has a low maximum digging depth will put strain on the digger bucket, decreasing the life of the attachment.  

The advantage of buying digger attachments at Masterhitch is that we can produce plant accessories to suit your requirements. Whether you have a Komatsu PC26 or a Liugong 922E, we can accommodate your needs.

Use the right plant equipment for the job at hand

It is beneficial to have a list of tasks that need to be completed. Doing this will ensure you think about the type of digger attachments and buckets you may require. Using the wrong type of attachment could result in damage if it is not used for the correct purposes.

You wouldn’t choose to use a grapple instead of tree shears to remove trees, so why would you use plant accessories that aren’t suitable for the necessary task?

Know your machinery

If you’re looking to purchase machinery as well as plant accessories, ensure you research into the company and the machines for sale. When looking at plant equipment, be sure to check:

Komatsu PC138
  • Age of machine
  • The condition of the machine
  • Parts that may have recently been replaced or need replacing

Buying machinery from a trusted supplier will limit the chances of buying faulty construction equipment. It will likely need replacing in the near future otherwise. 

If you’re looking to buy used construction machinery, we would highly recommend our sister company, BuyADigger. Part of the H.E. Group, BuyADigger manages the sales of used equipment to the global market.

With a high rating on Trustpilot, their customers are left extremely satisfied with machines that are in excellent condition, that are fully serviced and have low hours.

Clean your plant accessories

Maintenance is required to increase the life expectancy of construction equipment. Cleaning off any dried mud or debris will stop parts of your attachments seizing up and breaking.

Storage is also key to long lasting plant accessories. Although equipment is made to be durable against all weather conditions, storing can keep the equipment in good condition for longer.

Replace parts when required

Replacing plant accessories can be expensive, and we would only do this as a last resort. Although we can provide high quality new attachments to meet your specifications, we can also offer digger attachment and bucket repairs. 

If a part needs repairing, we can do this for you at a fraction of the cost of buying something from new.

Use only high quality plant accessories

Lastly, we would advise only buying equipment from legit attachment and digger bucket manufacturers. Not every company is as trusted as they may seem, and the last thing anyone wants is a second hand attachment that is only going to last for a few weeks.

Here at Masterhitch, we use state of the art equipment to produce the best quality plant accessories for our customers. Our team of industry experts always aim to exceed customer expectations, and guarantee longevity of all of our products.

Along with plant repairs we can also profile cutting and bucket rehangs, should you require any of our bespoke services.

If you want a quote for any of our products email us today or give us a call on: 01634 290022.

Alternatively, sign up to our newsletter to receive the latest news.