Safety is a paramount concern on any job site — but there are serious hazards that lie in plain sight every day.
Accidents can happen at any time and without warning, which is why putting the right safety measures in place can mitigate risks substantially.
Good risk management combined with equipment built with job safety in mind is an excellent way to keep workers safe and contribute to more effective, consistent productivity from your operators. A major area of operations where this is especially true is in the area of railcar unloading.
Operating hopper gates can be one of the most difficult and dangerous acts a worker does during the day — and they might do it dozens or even hundreds of times while moving massive amounts of material from rail cars. Age, damage, and repetitive heavy-duty use can make these gates difficult and slow to operate. When manual opening becomes risky, what’s the solution?
At the Arnold Company, we’re proud to present the Quick-Tach Hopper Gate opener, a skid-steer mountable tool. Here’s how the “Quick-Tach,” can create positive change in your team’s daily work:
- Prevents operator injury
- Increases unloading speed
- Quick attach universal mounting plate
- Low maintenance cost
Let’s look at Quick-Tach and why it’s an excellent asset for improving worker safety and productivity.
Product Focus: How Quick-Tach Makes Working with Railcar Equipment Simple and Stress-Free
The Quick-Tach Skid-Steer Mounted Hopper Gate Opener is an innovative tool that fits various skid-steer loaders using a universal mounting plate for rapid attachment. Requiring no external power, the Quick-Tach uses the loader’s hydraulic ports to operate. At the end of the attachment is the shaft used for opening gates on covered hopper railcars.
One worker, from the safety and comfort of their skid-steer loader, can quickly and safely open gates for unloading without ever exposing themselves to the risks involved with manual opening. Smooth and continuous generation of torque ensure that the Quick-Tach can handle even stubborn railcar gates, and it’s easy to tackle unloading operations from any angle. By removing just a few pins and repositioning the shaft arm, you can unload from the front, either side and in other positions, too.
Check out our video on the subject to see how simple it is to reposition Quick-Tach hopper gate openers into any of the nine different position settings.
Scott Dressler, Director of Sales and Operations, demonstrates three different positions that the Quick-Tach can be positioned in to open hopper gates.
More than just easy to use, it’s easy to maintain, too. The Quick-Tach features a rugged construction from durable materials, so it can stand up to the rigors of the job site. Since the unit has few failure points and utilizes existing skid-steer loaders already on-site at many unloading operations, maintenance is simplified, too.
Improving Site Safety and Worker Satisfaction Alike
Aside from its adaptability and ease of use, the safety afforded to the operator of the skid-steer loader is the stand-out feature of the Quick-Tach. Since it uses a universal mounting, attaching the tool from within the cab of the skid-steer is easy.
At Arnold Company, we focus on the safety, maintenance, and repair requirements faced by many heavy operators in the industry today. We offer innovative equipment and valuable safety training because we understand the unique challenges these work environments pose.
Arnco is dedicated to innovating solutions that reduce risk and boost productivity. Just as important is worker satisfaction with a tool as easy-to-use as the Quick-Tach; employee productivity increases, stress levels can decline, and the result is better morale across the board.
