April/May 2020

HYDRAULICS 30 HYDRAULICS & PNEUMATICS April/May 2020 www.hpmag.co.uk Close relationships with British equipment suppliers is key for Tim Wright Ltd With the uncertainties of Brexit and trade wars there has been a pressing need for British self-sufficiency in engineering over the past couple of years. Quality, supply problems and lack of local expertise have also been a problem in the past for smaller OEMs. Recently, these problems have become even more of a threat with Coronavirus, which is now challenging supply chains across the globe. Tim Wright Ltd, a British manufacturer of post driving machinery since 1992, states that it recognised the dangers of globalisation ten years ago. Quality was an important issue for the company as well as continuity of supply and it took the decision to source in the UK wherever possible. “We even have our nuts and bolts made in Birmingham,” it adds. Tim Wright Ltd, itself manufacturing in Rocester, Staffordshire, produces a wide range of post drivers under the WRAG trademark. Its range extends from small ones to fit 1.5 ton excavators to the self-propelled WRAGTRACK OPUS and bespoke machinery. Mainly seen in the agricultural, fencing and forestry industries, WRAG post drivers are now also found in the construction, railway and highway sectors. Their largest market is the UK and Europe, but they sell to other countries, including the USA and Australia. Tim Wright Ltd considers that the main reason for its success is its production of high-quality machinery. This, it claims, is achieved by having a highly skilled workforce and close relationships with British suppliers, enabling the company to have full control of its processes and components. Hydraulic control valves The hydraulic system is a key part of post driving machinery. With this in mind, Tim Wright Ltd contacted Hydraulic Projects Ltd, manufacturer of the Hy-Pro range of control valves in rural South Devon. Hydraulic Projects, established in the 1960s by Dick Hammond (an engineer of the Tomorrow’s World and Raymond Baxter era) has been developing and manufacturing the well-known sectional valve for much of that time. The V5-60, 60 litre valve is now produced on the latest CNC lights-out machinery in the factory in Dawlish and is the valve of choice for small to medium OEMs requiring robust quality solutions. The team at Hy-Pro have in depth of knowledge of the company’s in-house designed valves and their applications. In addition, like Tim Wright, the Hy-Pro valves are machined and assembled by a skilled workforce on site. Precise positioning The WRAG machines use 8, 9 and 10 lever V5-60 spool valves controlling the ‘set up functions’ of the machines, giving precise positioning at the user’s fingertips. The machines can operate within a 180-degree arc and Tim Wright Ltd states that “no awkward corner is impossible”. The hammer function accelerates the weight, exploiting the high capacity tank galleries, offering very little resistance to the oil flow. This allows the weight to fall quickly, which is important in a post driver. Hy-Pro valve benefits Hydraulic Projects comments that while there are foreign monoblock options, they are often unsuited to complex applications from a single oil supply. The company adds that, in contrast, the V5-60 sectional valve can be assembled in any configuration. According to Hydraulic Projects, the Hy-Pro valve is particularly suitable to the WRAG installation because of its oversize internal oil galleries, coupled with the extensive range of ancillary elements offered as standard. Hydraulic Projects adds that the most important virtues of the Hy- Pro valve are that is readily available on short lead times and comes with direct support of the design and manufacturing team in the UK. www.hypro.co.uk