When asked what is the most essential tool to his business at Avanti Plumbing & Drains of Royersford, Pennsylvania, owner Anthony Tosco is quick to answer.
“We have an attachment, it’s called a tiltrotator (engcon). This rotator was a $70,000 investment,” he says, adding that when his wife saw the price that she probably wanted to kill him.
Tosco believes it’s one of the best pieces of equipment he has invested in. The tiltrotator attaches to the boom of an excavator and allows the bucket — or whatever attachment is there — to rotate without having to move the excavator itself. The attachment can rotate 360 degrees and tilt at 45 degrees with the tiltrotator tool.
As the engcon website says, you can work in narrow spaces without having to move the machine, and tools are changed out easily and quickly. Tosco says he’s grateful he learned of the tiltrotator when he was following elite hardscrapers online.
“I like technology but not technology that takes away from people,” Tosco says. “When I started to consider this piece, I went up to New York, visited a big excavation company, and was able to use it.”
He’s logged about 1,000 hours on the machine since acquiring it nearly three years ago.
“For an operator, this makes it so fun,” Tosco says. “Not only does it make it easier for the guys, but think about your arm. You don’t have an elbow. You don’t have a wrist. You have a shoulder. That would be a great analogy. Now, imagine you’re able to stay in a more fixed position, you’re able to dig the opposite way. It’s just amazing.
“I invested in this because it saves the men’s backs,” Tosco adds. “If you are replacing a sewer, there’s a good bit of hand shoveling that takes place. We’ve probably cut that down by 80% to 90%. It’s been amazing. What I’m able to do with this machine, sometimes I’m doing the work of three or four guys. It’s a complete game-changer.”
Read more about Avanti Plumbing & Drains in the June 2025 issue of Plumber magazine.
