LATEST NEWS
New rubber track ranges for 2012.
Updated 24th January 2012
Major developments took place with our long standing rubber track supplier Solideal last year. Their track operations have now been merged with Camoplast - world leaders in rubber tracks for agricultural equipment (think Challenger tractors) snowmobiles and ATVs - to form a new business which aims to dominate both OEM and aftermarket rubber track sales globally.
We are very excited to be involved with this new venture, representing them in the UK. The firm has wasted no time in developing new product and now offers two whole ranges of tracks for construction equipment; 'SD' tracks and 'HXD' tracks.
For more product information click here.
Rubber tracks WARNING!:
Updated 11th August 2011 
First the good news; we have just bolstered our stocks and have excellent rubber track availability, at excellent prices.
Now for the bad news; rubber track prices and availabilities are under intense pressure. Already this year, customers with certain makes and models of machines have found, to their cost, some sizes of track have been totally unavailable in the UK. Other customers have been more fortunate but have noticed prices - which for ten years had been coming down - starting to edge upwards. Why?
The chart (right) showing Tokyo Commodity Exchange (TOCOM) prices for natural rubber tells part of the story. Rubber tracks, like mining truck tyres and aircraft tyres, need a certain amount of natural rubber within the compund for durability. Natural rubber is at a 50 year high (adjusted for inflation), as indicated on the chart.
The reasons for the price increses are twofold;
- Demand: China now takes up to 30% of global production of natural rubber. Huge growth in demand for motor vehicles in emerging economies and also for commodities - iron, coal etc. - which need large minig trucks and shovels.
- Supply: The rains which lashed the Far East over the last year have caused severe disruption to rubber plantations and harvests. Supply cannot be altered quickly as new plantations take up to 7 years to become productive.
It is hoped that new rubber plantations will be coming into productivity very soon but obviously, in the short term, supply is virtually static and as a result there are shortages, which which affect price and production of certain rubber goods. More information here:
- Bloomberg: Mining Truck Tires Pricier Than Porsches
- DBS Vickers Reserch report: Rubber prices to remain strong
- Caterpillar boss warns: Mining tyre shortages
We suggest customers look closely at both tracks on their diggers and consider replacing before outright failure.
DIGBITS attachments on 2012 Olympic Mountain Biking course:
Updated 23rd March 2011 
Today Lord Coe is due to officially open the 2012 Olympic mountain biking course, along with members of the GB mountain biking team.
The 2012 Olympic Mountain Bike XC events will take place on a completely new track, constructed at Hadleigh Farm in Essex. The picturesque 550-acre site, owned by The Salvation Army and Hadleigh Castle Country Park.
Essex is not widely known for it’s mountains as much as it’s proximity to London and was perhaps an unusual location to host the event. However, the course designer, Martyn Salt has done well to extract the most from the landscape. Each lap will see the riders climbing a total of 70m – compared to just 55m on the Beijing Olympic course – over terrain enhanced by technical challenges such as imported rock boulders.
The 5km circuit promises to be a real challenge; expert opinion is that riders will find very few places to take food or drink during the races and that
this, combined with the technical nature of the track, should mean the attrition rate will be high.
The main contractor carrying the works was M & L Seddon Compact Plant Hire, run by mountain bike racer turned course builder, Martin Seddon. To assist with the excavation work they hired an operated 8 tonne Kubota KX080-3 from ZM Plant of Harlow, Essex which was equipped with attachments produced by DIGBITS:
Placing of all the larger rocks and some of the bigger features of the course was done with a grapple. Sculpted earth features, such as the berms (banked corners) and jumps were formed using a hydraulic tilt-ditching bucket.
Reviews of the course in the mountain biking press here:
Forget cuts! In 2011, DIGBITS Engineering offers you more:
Updated 7th February 2011 
DIGBITS Engineering has expanded its production capacity through a six figure investment in new CNC machine tools from Mazak. A multi-axis Nexus Quick Turn 250M-II and a Nexus MNC 510C-II are now both online in DIGBITS' Key Point factory.
These new machines will enable us to offer a greatly improved service for both parts and sub-contract customers.
Increased capacity, greater accuracy, speedier delivery and greater cost efficiency.
New for 2011; Mixer Bowls :
Updated 26th January 2011 
Developed during 2010, we think this new, inexpensive excavator attachment has all the hallmarks of being a massive success. The mixer bowls are powered by our standard auger drive units - if you have an auger drive from us, all you need to buy is;
- The dedicated cradle bracket.
- The mixer bowl - avaialable in 120 or 140 litre capacity.
The cradle bracket is angled to help the bowl to clear the boom/lift ram.
In combination with an auger, the whole package allows you to bore post holes and then mix and pour the conrete for the posts, using your mini digger.
2011 rubber track range :
Updated 13th October 2010
Since we began selling rubber tracks in 1991, we have prided ourselves not only on our pricing, but also on the level of service we provide.
Sourcing the right products - quality, technology and price - is only part of the equation. We know that customers rely on us to get their diggers back to work. We understand that the last thing anyone needs, when a machine has already been out of action with a broken track, is more downtime and hassle because the wrong replacement track was sent.
Hence why we go to great lengths to collect and manage data on machines - no easy task when new models are continually being launched - and also to monitor custoemr feedback on which tracks work best. All this information forms our database - what we refer to simply as Tracknology. The latest upgrade of our range databse (the seventeenth version) is now complete and now covers over 5,700 individual rubber-tracked machies. You can trust us to get you on the right track!
Something to get your teeth into:
Updated 8th July 2010
Okay, so it's not going to rank amongst the great works of literature, and we can't claim the plot will keep you on the edge of your seat, but if you're looking for something useful to read on your summer holiday, then get hold of your copy of the latest Digger's Directory.
Back by popular demand, and full of useful attachment solutions and cost saving spare parts, the Digger's Directory is a must for anyone who owns or operates excavators.
Obviously, there's more information on the website, but - aside from being something to read when you're stuck in one of those interminable holiday jams on the motorway, or waiting in an airport - it's still very handy for the days when you're out on site or the internet connection is playing up.
Request your copy on the 'contact us' page of our website, or fax your name and address to 01889 503021.
New 2010 XHD Rock Buckets released:
Updated 6th May 2010
Our ever popular XHD (Extreme Heavy Duty) Rock Buckets have received a specification upgrade for 2010. Key to this has been the integration of recent upgrades in the excellent Hardox wear plate - now up to '450' grade, from the tried and trusted '400' specification.
The new, harder, stronger material is now used in the following areas:
- Hardox 450 cutting edge.
- Hardox 450 side reinforcing plate (the leading, side edge)
In wear applications, Hardox 450 outlasts even high grade steels in a number of key areas:
- harder wearing - guaranteed to be 425-475 HBW throughout
- higher yield strength - more than 2.5 times stronger than ordinary mild steel increased impact resistance
- XHD buckets excell in all tough applications, not only for digging and handling rock, but also for demolition and loading rubble into crushers.
Using standard buckets in heavy applications is a common, but false economy. The higher wear quickly destroys standard wear parts and the bucket shells - digging far heavier and harder material than normal excavation work - also suffer, often to the point where buckets are written off.
It is a little known fact that any machine over 20 tonnes is quite capable of destroying a regular, 'heavy duty' excavation bucket within a fortnight on hard digging. Shown here is the latest 2010 specification XHD bucket - this one is a 1,500mm (60") wide, 38 to 48 tonne class.
New concrete recycling report:
Updated 19th February 2010
Some 'concrete' facts:
- Concrete is the second most consumed material in the world after water.
- Twice as much conrete is used than any other building material worldwide.
- Current annual consumption of concrete is estimated to be around 30 billion tonnes, compared to just 2 billion in 1950.
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development has set out to promote the recycling of concrete - and other rubble - through a new report from its Cement Sustainability Inititive (CSI).
The report targets the enormous environmental benefits of recycling rubble - reduced use of virgin material, reduced landifll and reduced waste transport - and highlights the fact that while some countries have near full recovery, others have yet to exploit its potential.
According to the CSI, the physical properties of coarse, crushed recycled concrete is often the preferred material for road base and sub-base. Recovered, concrete can also be used as a proportion of aggregate in new concrete.
Perhaps the one point which could be said to have been overlooked by the report is the (often more persuasive) economic benefits of recycling - it aludes to reductions in greenhouse emissions without pointing out the obvious costs savings.
The CSI recommends that governments and key stakeholders publicize data on construction and demolition waste and develop reliable and consistent statistics; that they develop economic incentives and legislation to allow infrastructure that promotes concrete recycling (particularly green building schemes); and that they set targets for the use of recycled concrete in both road construction and building industries.
For the full report, go to: www.wbscdcement.org/recycling
Quick Hitch update:
Updated 6th January 2010
Following our new article from 5th August 2008, the issue of quick hitch legislation has not altered. The HSE still state that semi-automatic hitches are legal to use, provided thof course the safety pin is fitted, as per manufacturer's instructions, but all manufacturer's including DIGBITS have voluntarily ceased production and sales of semi-auto units.
This was widely reported by the construction press, including Construction News in 2008.
Further information has recently been released by the Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA) which clarifies the current HSE position and also provides guidance for plant owners and operators.
However, it now appears that some larger contractors will be implementing their own, stricter guidlines on quick hitches during 2010 and banning semi-auto units from site.
We are already busy with sales of our fully manual and fully-automatic units, so please early order to avoid disappointment!
