{"id":99621,"date":"2022-06-23T12:33:41","date_gmt":"2022-06-23T02:33:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.positionpartners.com.au\/uncategorized-nz\/consultation-and-getting-it-right-the-first-time-idig-excavator-training-at-position-partners\/"},"modified":"2022-12-07T11:25:58","modified_gmt":"2022-12-07T00:25:58","slug":"consultation-and-getting-it-right-the-first-time-idig-excavator-training-at-position-partners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aptella.com\/nz\/case-studies\/consultation-and-getting-it-right-the-first-time-idig-excavator-training-at-position-partners\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting It Right The First Time With iDig Grade Control For Excavator"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Adding grade control to your excavator comes with a host of benefits. It saves time by getting you to grade faster, reduces or eliminates overcutting and re-work, and can cut labour costs by negating the need for a grade checker.<\/p>

However, for many contractors, justifying the cost when margins are tight enough as it is can be a challenge. iDig is a lower-cost, versatile grade checking system that can be fitted to any make, model or size of excavator and work with multiple buckets, including tilt buckets and augers. There are also options for non-centre pivot machines.<\/p>

\u201cThis system is a game changer for contractors that want the benefits of grade control on their excavator, but can\u2019t justify buying a full scale 3D system with a higher price tag,\u201d said Troy Howard, from iDig\u2019s New Zealand distributor, Aptella.<\/p>

\u201cWe have a large mini excavator market in this country that is relatively untouched by machine control technology due to the high entry cost of most systems, but this solution is a great option because it is extremely easy to use and reliable, and can be swapped between machines in a matter of minutes,\u201d he added.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Too good to be true?<\/strong><\/h3>

Blenheim based contractors MultiDIG Services, owned by Jim Duffell, purchased iDig around three years ago to save labour and increase productivity. For operator Joel, at first the system sounded too good to be true. \u201cIt sounded almost surreal when I first heard about what it could do, but now I\u2019ve used it for years and I know it really can do everything,\u201d he said.<\/p>

With base kits on both a 2.5-tonne and 5-tonne Yanmar excavators, iDig can be swapped between the machines within minutes. \u201cI just have to transfer the screen, the sensors and the LED light bar, it takes no time at all and it\u2019s handy to be able to switch between machines depending on what I\u2019m doing,\u201d he said. iDig can also store different machine and bucket settings so you don\u2019t have to start again when moving between diggers.<\/p>

Joel says the main benefit of the system is saving time and manpower as he no longer needs to keep stopping to check grade. \u201cI can pretty much complete the whole job, whether it\u2019s digging a trench, doing foundations or levelling a pad, on my own without getting out of the cab at all,\u201d he said.<\/p>

Before adopting iDig, Joel explains that they relied on laser levels to check the fall, depth and slope as they worked. The problem with lasers, according to Joel, is you\u2019re just spot-checking certain areas, whereas with this system the whole surface is levelled to grade consistently.<\/p>

\u201cWe\u2019re usually finishing floor pad jobs within +\/- 5mm accuracy, even though the engineers only require a tolerance of +\/- 20mm,\u201d he added. \u201cThat helps the builder out enormously and saves them money as they can more accurately calculate the concrete they need.\u201d<\/p>

Setting up each day takes no more than five minutes, Joel explains. For a trench, for example, he simply types in the length, depth and slope required based off a known height on site.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u201cWhen I\u2019m doing house foundations, I normally put a few pegs around the boundary of where I\u2019m working, set up to the finish height of the foundations,\u201d Joel said. \u201cThen I simply place the bucket on the top of a peg and dial in 305 millimetres down from floor height as the finished level, and the system will tell me how far I\u2019ve got to go as I work.\u201d<\/p>

Joel also uses the iDig system for augering and drilling. \u201cAugering couldn\u2019t be easier, you just dial in your depth and the system will beep when you get there,\u201d he said.<\/p>

How does it work? <\/strong><\/p>

iDig uses a simple combination of wireless, solar-powered sensors, an LED lightbar, a laser receiver, and a large colour touchscreen to take your benchmark into the cab<\/a> and accurately guide you to your required depth or grade.<\/p>

As you move the boom, stick and bucket sensors communicate the bucket teeth\u2019s position relative to finish grade, so the operator always knows the level he is working to. If the operator then tracks the machine to dig, the laser receiver references a beam from the laser transmitter to allow the operator to simply carry the level or grade across the job without the need to re-bench.<\/p>

iDig is a\u00a02D system<\/a>\u00a0that delivers real time depth, slope and distance information with a dynamic gyro sensor that unlocks the ability to work on a wide range of tasks including:<\/p>