The rotator is a hydraulic rotary drive mounted on the excavator arm between the quick coupler and attachment, enabling 360° continuous rotation. It is the core component of tiltrotators and is used individually for sorting grapplers, wood grapplers, demolition shears, and other rotatable attachments.
Design types: Gear ring rotator (pinion drives external gear ring, for heavy loads), slewing motor rotator (compact, for light to medium applications), and worm gear rotator (self-locking, maintains position without hydraulic pressure). Torques range from 2 kNm on mini-excavators to over 50 kNm on 50-ton excavators.
In sorting and recycling operations, the rotator is indispensable: the operator can grip, rotate, and precisely place materials (wood, metal, concrete, soil) with the sorting gripper—without slewing the machine. Manufacturers such as Rototilt, Indexator, Kinshofer, and Oilquick offer rotators for all excavator classes.