JCB Achieves Greater Efficiency With MasterMover Pedestrian Tugs

JCB’s Hydraulic Business Unit Sees Efficiency Benefits of MasterMover Pedestrian Tugs

JCB is a long-standing customer of MasterMover so when it came to making improvements to the safe and efficient transportation of heavy construction rams, it made sense to put our load moving solutions to the test.

A total of four pedestrian MasterTugs were ordered for the Hydraulic Business Unit, at JCB’s world headquarters in Staffordshire. At the time, the unit had recently undergone a £4 million investment to support its manufacturing processes.

The tugs, which can move up to 4,000 kg, were designed to eliminate manual handling of stillages containing cylinders and rods up to 3.5 metres in length – bringing with it leaner operations and better use of manpower at the business unit.

JCB’s Martin Brindley had seen the tugs used in another department and wanted to trial the machines, asking the operators to give constructive feedback before the order was placed.

Martin said: “The engineering innovation of the tugs, which use traction to distribute weight to the machine, is ingenious and means that a single pedestrian operator can move a stillage.”

Operators and managers were particularly impressed by the ability of the MasterTug to connect to a stillage at 90 degrees, enabling it to be used for moving the production line’s biggest boom rams.

Martin continued: “As the stillage is only about 2ft long, it would be impossible to connect the tug to the end because of the overhang. Instead, we connect it to the side of the stillage and turn it 90 degrees, allowing operators to walk alongside the stillage while pulling the load.”

MasterMover has since developed the MasterTug range to offer even greater safety features and moving capabilities of up to 20,000 kg.