Ulrich helps global contractor with winch wisdom
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.”