Groundforce division launches VibroSafe quick-hitch adapter

Piletec, a division of equipment hire specialist Groundforce, has launched VibroSafe - a quick-hitch adapter for excavator mounted vibratory piling hammers.

Piletec teamed up with manufacturer of quick-hitch couplers Miller UK to design VibroSafe. The resulting new product is both CE-marked and approved by hammer manufacturers.

"We spoke to Miller UK - who supply the majority of quick-hitches worldwide - and they came up with a basic design which we then developed together into what is now the VibroSafe," said Piletec director Bill Gorton.

The new device allows the safe use of vibrators on both semi-automatic and fully automatic quick hitches without the need for manual intervention. The VibroSafe can be locked onto fully automatic quick hitches while attached to the hammer. The fully locked two-pin connection ensures minimal risk but allows the operator to switch from bucket to hammer in less than 10 minutes.

VibroSafe is made by Miller UK exclusively for Piletec. Already, the device is being used across the country. Contractor McGee is currently using the VibroSafe on a contract airside at Heathrow Airport. John Reilly, KMI and JN Bentley are also using the VibroSafe onsite and Balfour Beatty USL has approved the device for use on its sites and has placed an order for six for use on a renewable energy site in Scotland.