HILL HITCHES HELP NEW CASE MACHINES DEBUT IN IRELAND

The first two new Case E-series crawler excavators sold in Ireland are already making their mark, complete with Hill Engineering’s Tefra hitches. The award-winning attachments manufactured by Hill, who are based in Newry, Co Down, Northern Ireland, were specified by Arona Developments, based in Waringstown, Co Armagh, also Northern Ireland, for the new Case machines currently being used on their 180-home development in Portadown, Co Armagh.

As well as the two new Case E-series, the housebuilder uses six-tonne Kubota mini diggers on its developments and Hill hitches are used with each. Hill attachments have been Arona’s go-to hitches almost since the company was established in 2003. Now not far off celebrating its 20th anniversary, Arona builds between 30 and 40 homes per year and sources its larger-size machines for this work from Belfast-based Case dealer Cowan Bros.

Arona foreman Ian Gillespie said: “We specify the Hill hitches for their reliability and back-up support, not that we have ever really needed it, and the same sort of story applies for the Case machines, so they are very well matched.

“We have been using Hill attachments for about 17 years, since we heard about them through word of mouth, and we have never had any hassle with them.”

Hill’s Tefra hitches feature a unique dual locking system to meet enhanced safety standards, while on the new Case machines, the trademark CASE Intelligent Hydraulic System (CIHS) is now paired with new work modes and adjustable hydraulic settings to deliver smoother, more efficient, and more fuel efficient operation than the previous generation.

Cowan Bros’ Andrew Mawhinney said: “These Case machines were the first two to be sold in Ireland. The customer had the Hill hitches on his previous machines and was pleased with the reliability and build quality. We also know Hill with them being a local company that offers very good back up and support on their products so were happy to match them up with the new Case machines.”