Product Update: Autolock Tipping Skip

There has been a sharp rise in contractors choosing to minimise plant on sites. Whether this is a cost-saving exercise, or an environmental choice, the use of excavators as the ‘one-machine-suits-all-solution’ is increasingly more popular today.

Following enquiries about our Autolock Tipping Skips being used with excavator forks, we updated our user guide to include additional guidance for our customers.

WHY THE CHANGE IN APPROACH?

It could be a number of reasons but there are a couple of factors that correlate with recent trends in the industry.

Cost-saving

Fuel price increases and higher material costs have encouraged contractors to save money where possible and machine hire can be particularly expensive, especially on large, long-term projects. Labour costs can also be reduced from employing less plant operatives.

Environmental

Construction is also now heavily focused on sustainability values and targets. Less plant on-site results in fewer CO2 emissions, reducing the carbon footprint of a project.

While these factors are hypothetical, they could explain why there has been an increase in the use of forklift or telehandler attachments being used on excavators.

HOW HAS THIS IMPACTED CONQUIP?

We have been receiving a growing number of enquiries from customers asking whether they can use our forklift attachments with excavators. The Autolock Tipping Skip, designed for use with forklifts and telehandlers, is an example of a product that is being increasingly used with excavators on-site.

Although, the Autolock Tipping Skip can be used with excavators via an ‘excavator forks’ attachment, care must be taken to ensure the set of forks are compatible with the skip. We have recently taken the necessary steps to update our technical user guide providing additional guidance on how to check compatibility and ensure our equipment is being used safely.

HOW TO CHECK YOUR EXCAVATOR FORKS’ COMPATIBLITY

Raise the forks off the ground and check that there is a large enough gap between the base of the attachment and the heel of the fork tines to allow the Autolock mechanism to lock into place.

Carry out a test lift. Insert the forks into the Autolock Tipping Skip’s fork pockets – the face of the fork tines must make contact with the rear of the fork pockets. Ensure all personnel are clear and raise the skip off the ground. Tip forwards to check the skip is locked on the forks.

Are you using a set of Conquip Excavator Forks? All sizes of Conquip Excavator Forks are compatible with the Autolock Tipping Skip. However, please follow the steps in the user guide to ensure the skip is locked onto the forks before use.