Category: News

Ulrich Attachments’ line-up for ScotPlant 2026 announced.

Leading UK plant attachment manufacturer Ulrich Attachments will showcase a line-up of products at ScotPlant 2026 that includes the High Tip buckets it is particularly renowned for.

Ulrich’s stand (T6) at Scotland’s largest construction equipment exhibition, at the Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh on April 24th and 25th, will major on two High Tip buckets – the 7m3 High Tip and 4.5m3 High Tip clamp buckets.

These will be complemented by a 4.2m3 heavy-duty rehandling bucket with plastic lining, 7-tonne pallet forks, and a hydraulic quick coupler.

At the show, Ulrich Attachments will also unveil an exciting brand-new product launch in partnership with a leading European supplier. This innovative concept introduces a new attachment solution for the forestry, construction, waste and agricultural industries, and includes MD3.0 and MD6.0 modular models and a hydraulic sweeper attachment for loaders that is fitted with an additional tank.

Farming family rely on Ulrich Attachments to optimise food production.

The phrase “Where there’s muck, there’s brass,” is certainly ringing true for the Broster farming family.

For bespoke High Tip buckets from Ulrich Attachments have helped the Greater Manchester Red Tractor Assured business transform its personal need for home-grown compost into a hugely successful commercial enterprise that truly delivers a circular economy.

Patriarch Dave Broster, who has farmed 2,500 acres within a 10-mile radius of their Warrington home since 1977, gained planning permission to turn a former railway cutting on their farmland into a large-scale compost production facility, and has now also invested in a second site at Todmorden where they process organic materials from Manchester and its suburbs.

He can trace the waste from initial collection through to compost production and even to the specific field and crop it is used on. The corn and wheat are then sold to millers, food producers and bakeries in Manchester and the north-west.

Dealing with the increase in compost production has resulted in the need to increase the fleet of machinery to carry out the work. There are currently eight wheeled loaders in operation over the two sites, which allow material to be accepted daily.

At their Warrington site they run four Doosan and Develon wheeled loaders, a Hitachi excavator, and the most recent additions to the fleet are 2 Develon DL380-7 wheel loaders sourced from Blue Machinery (Central).

Dave said: “We take the loaders with a high-lift arm option as it makes it easier and safer to load our walking floor trailers with material and have specified them all with Ulrich High Tip buckets to increase capacity and production.”

The company has run its wheel loaders with the Ulrich buckets for many years but due to the increasing demands of the job, they wanted to see if there was a way of making them even more resilient. They discussed the issue with the Dealer Blue Machinery (Central) and Ulrich and the manufacturer’s design engineering team created a bespoke solution – they named Broster bucket!

This is a significantly next level version of Ulrich’s standard High Tip design which includes, an increased toe-plate and side profiles, additional welding, larger pins, and the option to attach it to the central greasing system.

“So we ordered three!” said Dave. “We have taken delivery of the first one and its performing exceptionally well, with little to no wear on any part of the bucket, which is exactly what we want.”

Ulrich sales director Josh Copeland said: “Brosters have been a valued customer for many years and yes, their buckets do get a lot of use and work in a tough environment, so when Dave was in discussion with Blue Central over some new machines, so together with Blue Central’s sales representative Simon Ashcroft we undertook a site survey to understand the environment and application the machines are working in, and to discuss with Dave and his team what he was looking for.

“We then fed back Daves requirements to our in-house design engineering team, which enabled them to come up with a bespoke design that would increase the bucket’s strength and ease of operation, plus add even more longevity. The design was agreed by Dave and the first one was manufactured and delivered to site within the agreed timeframe and the feedback on how its performing has been very positive”

The new Develon/Ulrich combination has also impressed long-serving operator and farmer Keith Dickenson who originally came to Brosters for a week to ‘help out’ and has been in the seat for more than 17 years, mostly processing incoming material. The additional 525mm given by the high-lift arm arrangement increases the pin height to 4.6m which is again increased with the addition of the 5.5m³ Ulrich bucket.

“The added power of the new loader and the redesigned bucket seems to have made it smoother for me,” he said.

Dave concluded: “It is a constant cycle to produce the significant quantities we need to keep feeding the fields. Whilst our fleet is mixed depending on the operations, we like to stick with what we know and like, and we find that back-up and servicing is more important to us than anything. Both Ulrich and Blue Machinery have been great to deal with. They listen to us and work with us to iron out any issues we have, which is the peace of mind any customer needs from a supplier.”

Carbon International return to Ulrich for a second attachment.

One of Europe’s largest producers of granular carbonaceous materials was so impressed with the Ulrich Attachments bucket that came with a loading shovel that it knew immediately who to go to for a heavy-duty pusher blade.

Carbon International, part of the James Durrans Group, specialises in the processing and manufacture of high purity carbons such as graphite and petroleum and metallurgical coke, from its headquarters in Scunthorpe.

Its first experience of Ulrich Attachments came two years ago when the firm specified a Case loading shovel with an Ulrich bucket.

Carbon International’s operations foreman Michael Bull said: “It’s a really good bucket, more than capable of picking up a variety of product.”

So, when it came to finding a pusher blade for their Volvo 160 loading shovel, Michael went direct to Craig Wells, sales account manager for Ulrich who design and manufacture pusher blades up to 14m long, for handling items including grain, gypsum and other bulk materials.

Carbon International’s latest Ulrich acquisition was made to measure for the 16-tonne Volvo 160h, and measures 4.5m long with a 3m-wide dozer blade. Rather than being pin mounted on the loader arms, it is attached via a quick hitch, and is being used to push up dense petroleum coke in a new-build warehouse.

Michael said: “The Ulrich pusher blade is performing well and the service from Ulrich has been excellent. Hopefully, in the future, we will be ordering blades from Ulrich for our loading shovel bucket when they are due to be changed.”

Carbon International draws on more than 40 years of industrial and process engineering experience to match clients’ requirements to the best possible solutions, with seven different manufacturing plants at its 6.5-acre Scunthorpe site.

Global contractor enlists Ulrich to produce bespoke winches for tractors and ATVs.

Bespoke winches from UK manufacturers Ulrich Attachments are helping industry-leading consultants, engineers and project delivery experts meet the unprecedented growth in the PTD (Power Transmission and Distribution) industry.

The contractor has worked with Ulrich for almost two decades on a variety of projects involving the integration of winches onto a variety of plant items used within the sector.

These have included fitting around 24 of their 33 tractors used for constructing and maintaining overhead lines across the UK with five-tonne winches and four with 12-tonne winches. Additionally, 32 units have been equipped with bollard winches, with another four currently at Ulrich for the same installation. The contractor has also had ladder rack systems installed on 10 units, with four more currently in progress.

 One of the more recent projects with Ulrich involved relocating a front-mounted winch to the rear of a tractor. These tractors were originally configured with a rear-mounted two-tonne Hiab crane and a front-mounted five-tonne winch with a 500kg bollard, both designed and installed by Ulrich.

However, due to limitations in using the Hiab crane for pick-and-carry operations, the contractor’s site teams requested a more versatile setup and the company explored the feasibility of replacing the Hiab with a front loader and relocating the winch to the rear.

After detailed discussions with both Ulrich and New Holland dealer Russells Tractors, one of the contractor’s 10 machines was converted as a trial. Such a success it was that the contractor committed to converting all 10 units to this new configuration.

A spokesperson for the contractor said: “As our site requirements evolved, the Hiab crane became less practical. We needed front loaders for better site mobility and equipment handling. OEMs couldn’t support this level of customisation, so we turned to Ulrich due to their specialist expertise and long-standing relationship with us.”

Ulrich was also called on to help configure the contractor’s recent investment in 11 Polaris ATVs (All-Terrain Vehicles) to improve access to remote project sites. These ATVs assist with lifting small items and accessing pylon towers and required front-mounted bollard winches with anchor systems and ladder racks. Ulrich successfully completed the installation on four units, with another four currently undergoing the same modifications.

The spokesperson said: “While ATVs can come with standard hauling winches, we require bollard-style winches for rope-based holding and lifting operations. These are not available from the OEMs which is why we rely on Ulrich for these specialist installations.”

The conversion process for both tractors and ATVs takes Ulrich around four weeks.

“We did explore other options. However, given our positive past experience with Ulrich and the quality of their products, we chose to continue working with them. The product is excellent – robust, reliable, and well-suited to our needs,” said the spokesperson.

Growth in the PTD sector is being driven by the UK Government’s ambitious targets for net-zero emissions and decarbonisation. As part of the national strategy to combat climate change, there has been a significant increase in investment and activity across the sector.

This surge has manifested in a wave of large-scale infrastructure projects aimed at modernising the grid, integrating renewable energy sources, and expanding capacity to meet future demand, not only to achieve the environmental goals but also to ensure resilience and reliability of the UK’s energy network.

The contractor plans to expand both its tractor and ATV fleets to meet growing project demands.

The spokesperson said: “The demand for specialist equipment, innovative engineering solutions and adaptable plant configurations has never been higher. Our operations are evolving rapidly to support this growth, with a strong focus on flexibility, efficiency, and sustainability in how we deploy and manage our fleet.”

So why are so many plant owners/operators not embracing this aspect of their investment and identifying wear and tear before it becomes a major issue?

In today’s increasingly competitive environment, many businesses seem to operate in firefighting mode, where maintenance of their assets can get overlooked. This includes their plant operators as much as the plant itself.

You can grease a pivot joint, pin or bushing until the cows come home but if a less experienced operative is not cleaning the areas around them before applying lubrication, dirt could become trapped, causing friction and premature wear. Hoses also need checking for leaks and fittings for loosening.

Less experienced operatives need to be aware that overloading the attachment, using it at an inappropriate angle, or in an incompatible application (climate, material or terrain), could potentially lead to cracks and structural failure, with all the Health and Safety issues that poses.

Plant that is used by multiple operatives, rather than one consistent one, tends to suffer most. We see this particularly in sectors where operatives also work longer hours.

One way of avoiding all of this is to use attachments from a manufacturer that offers site inspections. Carried out by mobile engineers, these can be carried out at intervals agreed between the manufacturer and the owner, at a cost of just a few hundred pounds. The fee covers technical measurements of the moving parts, and if necessary, replacement of worn parts quickly and effectively, to keep downtime to a minimum and machines up and running.

Manufacturers based in the UK, with 100% availability of spare parts and next-day deliveries, not to mention an attachment hire fleet, trusted welding service for custom repairs or reinforcements, and refurbishment/remanufacturing and custom capabilities, will complement this.

But the match point also comes at the point of purchase, so serious consideration should be given to high-quality attachments that are built to withstand heavy use and offer better durability. While they may cost more upfront, they often require less maintenance and have a longer lifespan.

Manufacturers with sales teams that look beyond the sale itself are also invaluable. These teams will drill their customers down on what the attachment is expected to do, how frequently and for how long, in what kind of environment, and whether they need features like reinforced edges or wear-resistant coatings.

Back that up with the establishment of a regular lubrication schedule based on usage frequency which will optimise the longevity of the attachment the operator is buying. Comprehensive online and printed product guides or manuals should be regularly referred to.

Best practice is regular checks, including the replacement of hydraulic filters and fluid at regular intervals to avoid contamination. Low hydraulic fluid on attachments like quick couplers can damage seals, cylinders, and motors. And just like cars, plant attachments need washing, drying and even the application of a protective coating or lubricant to metal surfaces prone to corrosion.

Storage off the ground in a covered dry area away from extreme weather conditions will also help minimise rust, corrosion and other degradation, and protect hydraulic fluids and other lubricants.

We recently saved a longstanding client the cost of a new High Tip bucket by repairing their existing one. Work included shot blasting, replacing pins, bushes and bosses, and cylinders and hoses, strengthening the hockey stick corner support, installing new bolts on the cutting edge plate, and hydraulic testing. All this at the fraction of the cost.

Did we take him to task about maintenance? We are pleading the Fifth!

This article was originally published in the April/May 2025 edition of Demolition Hub. The article can be found via the following link on pages 42-43 of the edition of the magazine. https://issuu.com/chambers.media/docs/demolition_hub_magazine_-_april_may_2025

“This creates extra shovel work and larger operations means larger dumpers which equates to larger shovels to move the waste quicker,” said Valencia’s national fleet and plant manager Mark Smalley.

 The five Ulrich High Tips so far this year will probably not be their last either.

“We probably will purchase more Ulrich Attachments this year as we have some older non-Ulrich buckets in the fleet that we inherited from the Viridor takeover that will be replaced along with any more Volvo shovel acquisitions. Again, these will be used for waste handling,” added Mark.

“Plant quality is paramount to us and Ulrich products are quality with service. With them, everything is done correctly and in a timely manner. They are our go-to supplier.”

One of Valencia’s 12m³ High Tips was showcased on Ulrich’s stand (W18) at Hillhead 2024.

Ulrich Attachments remains at the forefront of the design and manufacture of High Tip buckets designed for light material re-handling into high sided trucks and hoppers. Capacities start at 0.7m³ and give an additional discharge height of up to 1.7m above that obtained with a conventionally-mounted standard bucket.

The bucket is mounted on a carrying cradle with a pivot located behind the cutting edge which enables high discharge, while the dump action is achieved by two hydraulic cylinders mounted in the bucket sides which allow forward dumping of the load while the cradle and loader linkage remain in the high-carry position.

Ruggedly, yet simply constructed, the High Tip is manufactured from high-quality materials for long life, with the option of Hardox for more aggressive applications. The buckets can be direct pin-mounted to the loader arms or via a quick coupler bracket on the loader.

A 6.3m³ High Tip bucket is the star of the show at Avonmouth and Royal Portbury Docks.

The Bristol Port Company’s buyer for plant equipment may have inherited Ulrich Attachments as a supplier from her predecessor but the relationship has gone from strength to strength, to such an extent that this year could be a record one for the partnership.

Lucy Ellis, project engineer (procurement) and her colleagues at The Bristol Port Company have purchased 24 attachments from British manufacturer Ulrich in the past 10 years.

Most of the buckets are the High Tip high-discharge buckets designed for light material or stone re-handling into high sided trucks and hoppers. Ulrich has been at the forefront of the development of these, and at Bristol Port, they are complemented by a pusher blade designed to reduce areas where grain may become trapped or lost, ensuring the maximum grain stays in the store.

Four of the Ulrich attachments were purchased since Easter – two 3.3m³ and one 5.3m³ High Tip as well as a 6.3m³ High Tip that was custom-designed for the port which has existed since Roman times.

Lucy said: “The bucket was designed to allow maximum capacity with good visibility over the top. It was an adjustment from an original design sent and has performed well, with no issues.”

And three more stone buckets are now on order.

Ulrich’s attachments are typically used across a range of front-end loaders on the company’s Avonmouth and Royal Portbury docks, which opened in 1877 and 1977 respectively, for bulk materials such as animal feed, stone, and gypsum.

Lucy added: “I have continued to purchase Ulrich Attachments as we have had good performance from them, and the price is competitive. I have also had good support technically and from the sales personnel.

“We have used a mix of suppliers in the past and we do tender out work and review costs and design before making a decision. But our service contact at Ulrich, Drew, is very helpful, and we have had a positive experience overhaul with them.”

Ulrich national sales manager Emma Pierce said: “We redesigned the 6.3m3 bucket for them to better suit the application and the material they are working with. The material is a finely ground maize powder and they were finding they were losing a lot of material over the sides of the bucket.

“We looked at the design and went back with a solution, but they needed to see the leading edge of the bucket for health and safety reasons. So, our design team worked closely with Lucy and myself to come up with a new design to meet these needs and they ordered the bucket based on this new design.”

The Bristol Port Company was formed in 1991 when entrepreneurs Terence Mordaunt and David Ord purchased the Port of Bristol from Bristol City Council. Since privatization, more than £600 million has been invested to create a modern, thriving business offering the full range of shipping, distribution, and logistics services.

This news post was originally reported by Hub4. The original post can be found via this link: Custom-built bucket by Ulrich Attachments helps set records at The Bristol Port Company | Hub-4

Two new salesmen have joined Ulrich Attachments (Craig Wells, Left, and Jacob Causier, Right)

Specialist plant attachments manufacturer Ulrich Attachments has grown its national sales team with the appointment of two new representatives.

The Aylesbury-based company, which specialises in front-end attachments, including buckets (especially High Tip ones), hydraulic quick couplers and fork attachments, has welcomed seasoned industry player Craig Wells and relative industry newcomer Jacob Causier to the fold.

Craig brings more than 30 years’ experience in the plant and plant hire industry to Ulrich, having worked for major companies supplying plant and equipment to a wide range of industries including construction, rail and industrial.

He has also worked in a wide variety of roles, starting as a fitter and working his way up through to operational management and sales account management.

Jacob spent 18 months after graduating from Plymouth Marjon University with a BA Honours degree in International Business Management with PUMA UK and IRL on the golf sales support team. His recruitment by Ulrich represents a long-held desire to join his family in the industry.

“I have long wanted to join this industry and Ulrich were kind enough to give me that opportunity. I’m looking forward to repaying their trust in me, to our mutual long-term benefit,” he said.

This article was originally published by Hub 4. The original article can be viewed via the following link: Ulrich Attachments brings a brace of reps on board | Hub-4