Quick hitch manufacturer – Hill Engineering Ltd is based in Newry, Northern Ireland and has over 20 years’ experience of designing industry leading quick hitch /coupler solutions. In 2010, Hill had the foresight to redesign their hydraulic quick hitch in order to improve safety standards globally. The TEFRA quick hitch (coupler) as not only met these legislative requirements, but exceeded them. This has led to numerous independent awards for innovation, with the company receiving the highest business accolade in the UK – The Queens Award for Innovation.
The TEFRA quick hitch (coupler) is fully automatic and can be operated from the cab of the machine. There is no requirement for the operator to exit the cab at any time to remove or insert pins, thus eliminating the potential for operator error. Attachment connection can also be verified from the cab of the machine. One of the key features of the TEFRA is its simplicity. With just 3 moving parts this product has revolutionised the safety standards of quick hitches internationally.
TEFRA Safety
The primary locking system of the TEFRA is activated by the patented heavy duty cylinder that ensures continuous positive force is applied to the hooks at all times. Should the primary system fail for any reason, TEFRA’s secondary locking system ensures the hooks remain locked.
Additional to this, in failure mode the potential movement of the hooks is limited by a combination of the fixed pin centre of the attachment and also the innovative and patented design of the TEFRA locking system. The attachments movement is restricted by the hooks that fully encapsulate the pins within the attachment, ensuring the attachment can neither swing nor detach. This design ensures that the TEFRA coupler remains locked in all applications and orientations, no matter how severe.
Exceeding International Safety Standards
In addition to these exceptional safety features, Hill wanted to ensure they increased safety standards to a completely new level. They achieved this by ensuring the operator receives an audible and visual warning should the primary locking system fail. This allows the operator to stop operating the product immediately and call the Distributor Network:- RD WILLIAMS EXCAVATOR PARTS service team for assistance.
Another new safety feature that is not part of the new legislation but increases safety standards is the Hill patented Smart Valve System. This simple yet effective system eliminates human error by ensuring the operator has the coupler rotated in the safe working position in order to start the attach/release sequence. Should the coupler be in the non-release zone, the Smart Valve will stop oil from flowing into the cylinder and ensures the coupler remains locked. This eliminates any human error where the coupler could become accidentally activated by the operator.
For more information on the TEFRA quick hitch, please contact our distributor for Australia – RD Williams Excavator Parts who will be more than happy to help with your enquiry.
In addition to the Tefra quick hitches, RD Williams Excavator Parts offers a comprehensive range of other earthmoving & excavator attachments (buckets, rock breakers, grabs/grapples, rippers, compaction plates, compaction wheels & more) for most makes & models of excavators.
For more information, please phone 07 3715 0800.
