The machine earns nothing
while it is waiting for a part
Off-highway machines work in dust, mud, vibration and wash-down, often a long way from a workshop. They only generate value while they are moving, so the sensors on them have to do more than measure accurately. They have to keep measuring in the conditions the machine was built to survive.
Gill provides non-contact position sensing, capacitive level measurement, oil debris monitoring and site weather measurement for machine builders, quarry and construction operators and their fleets.
Downtime is more expensive than the repair
An excavator, haul truck, telehandler or crane earns while it is working and costs while it is stopped. An unexpected failure means more than the repair itself. It can mean lost production, delayed work, an unavailable machine and a service team travelling to a site that may be hours from the nearest workshop.
Many of the failures that stop a machine do not arrive without warning. Brake wear develops. Gearboxes and final drives shed debris. Hydraulic systems lose fluid. Components move beyond their intended position. Wind reaches a level at which lifting has to stop.
The signals are often there before the failure. The challenge is capturing them reliably, in the same environment that is wearing the machine itself.
That is where the sensing technology matters.
Gill’s approach is to remove unnecessary mechanical wear wherever the application allows it. Non-contact position sensing removes contact between the sensor and moving mechanism. Capacitive level sensing removes the float. Oil debris monitoring measures wear directly in the lubricant, while ultrasonic wind sensing provides site conditions without rotating components.
The machine is already doing the hard work. The measurement shouldn’t add another failure point.
Measurement built for the machine, not the workshop
An off-highway machine is measured at every joint, every tank and every working system. Boom, arm, bucket and blade position. Brake wear. Hydraulic, fuel and coolant level. Engine, transmission and final-drive condition. Steering and slew angle. And around the machine, wind and site conditions that can determine whether work can continue.
These measurements often happen in precisely the places that are hardest on sensors. Dust, mud, vibration, temperature changes, pressure washing and fluid exposure are part of normal operation, not exceptional conditions.
A contacting position sensor in a pin joint introduces a wear item into an environment already full of moving and wearing components. A float inside a working tank introduces another mechanical mechanism. A sensor with no access to the information around it can leave a fleet relying on inspection schedules rather than the condition of the machine.
Gill uses different sensing principles for different measurement challenges, but the engineering objective is consistent: keep the measurement dependable where the machine actually works.
Every machine decision starts at a measurement point
A working site measures across the machine and the environment around it.
Position at every important joint. Level in every tank. Wear inside the drivetrain. Wind wherever a load is being lifted.
But measurement only becomes useful when it reaches the system or person making the decision. That means the sensor, interface and wider data architecture all need to work together.
Hydraulic and fuel level
Tanks on a working machine are rarely level and never still, which is the condition a float gauge handles worst.
- LevelPro stainless steel, IP66 and IP68, 0-10 V or 4-20 mA, RS232 for configuration
- LevelLite lightweight aluminium, IP68, voltage or current output
- DD1615 level display local readout in the cab or at the tank
Brake wear monitoring
Brake pack wear on a large machine is inspected on an interval, which means it is unknown for most of the time between inspections.
- Blade25 25 mm linear or 90 degree angular, configurable range
- Blade60 60 mm linear for longer actuator travel
- Blade Dual Output single and dual channel where redundancy is required
Engine and driveline condition
Engines, transmissions and final drives shed ferrous debris long before they fail, and that debris is the earliest usable signal.
- WearDetect fine and coarse ferrous debris, water presence and oil temperature
- WearDetect with Display the same sensor with an integrated readout
- Condition monitoring 0-10 V, 4-20 mA, CANbus or Modbus RTU output models
Boom, arm and bucket position
Machine control, operator assistance and working envelopes all depend on knowing where the implement is, from a sensor sitting in the dirtiest part of the machine.
- Blade60 60 mm linear or 90 degree angular, fully configurable
- Blade25 25 mm travel with PWM, RS232 and RS485 options
- BladeCom configuration travel, switch points and output limits set before fitting
Slew, cab and operator envelope
Slew angle and cab orientation define where the machine may safely move, which makes a full rotary measurement more useful than a set of limit switches.
- Blade360 full 360 degree rotary, IP67, analogue, PWM and RS485
- Blade Dual Output a redundant second channel from one sensor
- Blade position sensors non-contact, unlimited mechanical life, IP67
Loader lift arm position
Lift arm and bucket angle drive return-to-dig, height limits and weighing, and they are measured on a joint that is buried in material all day.
Fork lift and platform height
Mast height, reach and platform angle feed load charts and interlocks, so the measurement has to be repeatable and available whenever the machine is powered.
- Blade360 full 360 degree rotary, IP67
- Blade60 60 mm linear for cylinder and actuator travel
- Blade Dual Output dual channel for a safety-related function
Site wind and lifting limits
Lifting stops at a wind speed, and the defensible number is the one measured at the jib or the working height rather than at the site office.
- WindSonic 75 0 to 75 m/s, 0 to 360 degrees with no dead band
- WindObserver 70 precision 2-axis for exposed and extreme sites
- Crane wind monitoring the application page for lifting operations
Site weather and dust
Dust suppression, blasting windows and working restrictions are judged on conditions at the site, and a single mast can serve all three.
- MaxiMet GMX551 wind, temperature, humidity, pressure, solar and rainfall in one unit
- MetConnect separable sensors with Pt100 and analogue inputs
- TruMet PW100 infrared optical rain gauge, no moving parts
Crusher and conveyor drives
Fixed plant on a quarry runs continuously and fails expensively, and the gearboxes driving it are the classic case for oil debris monitoring.
- WearDetect real-time ferrous debris in gearboxes and drives
- Conveyor drive condition monitoring the application page for drive monitoring
- Gearbox wear monitoring slow speed gearbox condition monitoring
Workshop and scheduled service
The workshop decides what comes off the machine and when, and that decision is better made from a debris trend than from hours run.
- WearDetect with Display integrated readout for a walk-round check
- WearDetect CANbus and Modbus RTU into a fleet system
- Labcal calibration independent UKAS-accredited calibration, Lab 0625
Bulk fuel and lubricant storage
Bulk tanks and bowsers on site are checked by dipping them, which is a job that gets skipped on the day it matters.
- LevelPro stainless steel, IP66 and IP68, current or voltage output
- LevelSlick FEP coated for particulate, viscous and corrosive liquids
- Custom level sensing built to the tank and the liquid
Haul road and ground conditions
Haul road condition drives tyre cost, cycle time and safety, and rainfall is the variable that changes it fastest.
- TruMet PW100 0 to 200 mm/hr, 5 percent accuracy, 0.1 mm resolution
- MaxiMet GMX600 station with optical rainfall measurement
- MaxiMet GMX240 compact station with rainfall
Quarry face and blasting
Blasting and dust dispersion are wind decisions, and the record of the conditions at the time is part of the permission to work.
- WindObserver 65 precision 2-axis wind for a fixed mast
- MaxiMet GMX501 multi-parameter station for a permanent installation
- Cement and mining level sensing the application page for difficult liquids
Water management and settlement
Settlement ponds, sumps and discharge points have to be kept inside a consent, and the liquid involved is exactly the kind that ruins a conventional sensor.
- LevelSlick FEP coated, for conductive liquids with particles and suspended matter
- LevelPro robust stainless steel level sensing, IP66 and IP68
- Wastewater level monitoring the application page for treatment and discharge
Calibration and fleet records
Where a measurement supports a consent, a hire contract or a safety case, it needs traceable calibration behind it rather than a note of when it was last checked.
- Labcal UKAS-accredited, Lab 0625, ISO/IEC 17025:2017
- Air velocity calibration anemometers, Pitot tubes and thermal probes
- Pressure and temperature gauges, transducers, thermometers and data loggers
Find your machine application
The sensing requirement changes depending on where you are in the machine and what decision the measurement needs to support.
From brake wear and driveline condition to hydraulic level, implement position and lifting limits, Gill’s technologies are designed around the measurement point and the environment around it.
Brake Wear Monitoring
Wear measured, not estimated
Brake pack wear on a large machine is typically checked at an interval, with the condition between inspections inferred from operating hours and previous experience.
A non-contact position sensor on the actuator turns that movement into a continuous measurement the machine can report. The result is more information about the actual state of the brake system without introducing a contacting mechanism into the application.
Engineering: Non-contact inductive position sensing, configurable range, IP67.
Engine & Driveline Condition
The failure that starts in the oil
Engines, transmissions and final drives can generate ferrous wear debris for some time before a component reaches failure. Monitoring that debris provides information about what is happening inside the lubricated system rather than waiting for the failure to reveal itself through a secondary symptom.
WearDetect captures and reports fine and coarse ferrous debris in real time, alongside water presence and oil temperature.
Engineering: Oil debris sensing, fine and coarse ferrous debris, water and oil temperature.
Hydraulic & Fuel Level
Continuous level without a float
Hydraulic, fuel and coolant levels need to be measured while the machine is moving, vibrating and operating at changing angles. A mechanical float introduces another moving component into a demanding environment.
Capacitive sensing provides continuous level measurement without a float, with sensor constructions and output options suited to different machine and fluid requirements.
Engineering: Stainless steel options, IP66 and IP68, 0-10 V, 4-20 mA and RS232.
Boom, Blade & Implement Position
Feedback from the joint doing the work
Boom, arm, bucket, blade and outrigger position can feed machine control, operator assistance and safe working envelopes. The sensor itself may be sitting in the dirtiest, most exposed part of the machine.
Blade provides non-contact linear and rotary position sensing, with 25 mm and 60 mm linear travel options and 360° rotary measurement. Analogue and digital outputs allow the measurement to be integrated into different machine systems.
Fork Lift & Platform Position
Height and angle the control system can trust
Mast height, reach and platform angle can feed load-management systems and safety interlocks, so repeatable position measurement is an important part of the machine’s control architecture.
Non-contact rotary sensing provides full 360° measurement in a sealed IP67 package, with a configurable measurement range.
Site Wind & Lifting Limits
Measure the wind where the load is
Lifting operations and platform work can stop at a defined wind speed. When that limit matters to the work being carried out, the measurement needs to represent conditions at the working location.
WindSonic provides 2-axis ultrasonic wind measurement without moving parts, with heated options for demanding conditions.
Movement without mechanical wear
Booms, arms, buckets, blades, outriggers and brake mechanisms move repeatedly under load, often in the most exposed parts of the machine. Dust, mud, vibration, impact and pressure washing are not unusual conditions here. They are the working environment.
A contacting position sensor introduces its own wear mechanism into that environment. Gill Blade position sensors use non-contact inductive sensing instead, with the sensor measuring a passive activator across a gap. There is no mechanical contact between the sensing components as the mechanism moves.
That makes Blade particularly suited to applications where position feedback has to remain repeatable over repeated movement and where access for sensor replacement is inconvenient or expensive.
The range includes 25 mm and 60 mm linear travel, as well as 360° rotary measurement, with configurable ranges and analogue or digital outputs. The Blade range is sealed to IP67 and designed for demanding, exposed installations.
Packaging is part of the specification
On a construction or off-highway machine, the sensor has to fit around the mechanism rather than the other way around.
Travel, sensor dimensions, mounting and activator geometry all have to work within a machine that has already been designed around hydraulics, structure, operator visibility and service access. That makes the mechanical arrangement of the sensor part of the engineering problem from the beginning.
Blade separates the sensing element from the passive activator, giving the machine designer freedom to incorporate the activator into the moving mechanism. Linear and rotary configurations can then be selected according to the movement being measured.
For applications such as slew, pivot and platform angle, Blade360 provides full 360° rotary measurement in an IP67 package, sealed for temporary immersion (1 m for 30 min).
A tank that spends the day at an angle
Fuel, hydraulic and coolant tanks on off-highway machines rarely experience steady conditions. The machine climbs, descends, turns, brakes and works across uneven ground, while the fluid moves with it. At the same time, the sensor itself may be exposed to vibration, contamination and repeated wash-down.
A conventional float introduces another moving component into that environment. Gill’s capacitive level sensors provide continuous liquid level measurement without a float, using sealed solid-state electronics and different constructions for different fluids and installation requirements.
LevelPro provides stainless-steel construction with IP66 and IP68 protection, while LevelSlick uses a FEP-coated construction for particulate, viscous and corrosive liquids. Where sensor weight matters, LevelLite provides a lightweight aluminium option with IP68 protection and voltage or current output.
before the machine does
Condition monitoring changes the maintenance decision
Scheduled maintenance is necessarily based on assumptions. Hours, duty cycles and service intervals provide useful guidance, but they do not tell you exactly how two machines have worn when those machines have spent their lives doing different work.
One excavator may spend its days moving light material on a controlled site. Another may spend every shift hauling heavy loads across rough ground. Treating them as identical because their hour meters are identical can leave maintenance either too early or too late.
WearDetect changes the evidence available to the fleet. By monitoring ferrous debris in lubricating oil, it provides direct information about component wear rather than waiting for the eventual consequence to appear elsewhere in the system.
WearDetect distinguishes fine and coarse ferrous debris and also measures water presence and oil temperature. It can be installed as a smart sump-plug replacement or in a bypass circuit, with analogue and digital outputs for integration into existing systems.
The objective isn’t to predict every failure. It is to give the maintenance team more information before the machine becomes one.
When the measurement is part of the working limit
Lifting operations, mobile platforms and temporary structures can all be governed by wind limits. In these applications, a regional weather forecast is not the measurement that determines whether the load can be lifted.
The relevant number is the wind where the work is taking place.
WindSonic provides 2-axis ultrasonic wind measurement without moving parts, with 0 to 60 m/s and 0 to 75 m/s versions and a heated option for colder environments. It can be mounted on jibs, masts and other site structures where local wind measurement forms part of the operating decision.
For broader site monitoring, MaxiMet combines compact weather measurement in a single instrument, with configurations covering wind, temperature, humidity, pressure, solar radiation and rainfall.
Measurement for machines that work hard
Machine sensing
Blade position sensors
Non-contact inductive position sensing
Blade provides position feedback for boom, arm, bucket, brake, steering and other moving mechanisms without mechanical contact between the sensor and activator.
The range includes 25 mm and 60 mm linear travel and 360° rotary measurement, with configurable ranges and analogue or digital outputs.
WearDetect
Oil debris monitoring
WearDetect monitors fine and coarse ferrous wear particles in engines, transmissions, final drives and hydraulic systems.
It can be installed as a sump-plug replacement or in a bypass circuit and provides 0-10 V, 4-20 mA, CANbus or Modbus RTU outputs.
Level sensing
Capacitive liquid level measurement
Continuous hydraulic, fuel, coolant and water level measurement without a float, with configurations for demanding fluids and different installation constraints.
LevelPro provides stainless-steel construction with IP66 and IP68 protection. LevelSlick adds FEP coating for particulate, viscous and corrosive liquids, while LevelLite provides a lightweight aluminium option with IP68 protection.
Blade360
Full 360° rotary measurement
For slew, pivot and platform angle where a simple limit switch does not provide enough information and a contacting sensor may not suit the environment.
Blade360 provides full 360° configurable measurement, analogue and digital outputs including PWM and RS485, and IP67 protection, sealed for temporary immersion (1 m for 30 min).
Site measurement
WindSonic
Ultrasonic wind measurement
A lightweight 2-axis ultrasonic anemometer for jib, mast and site applications where lifting operations depend on a measured wind limit.
WindSonic is available in 0 to 60 m/s and 0 to 75 m/s versions, with 0-360° direction measurement and a heated WindSonic M option operating to -40°C.
MaxiMet
Compact site weather measurement
MaxiMet brings multiple environmental measurements into a compact weather station, reducing the amount of separate equipment required around the site.
Configurations include wind-only measurement through to wind, temperature, humidity, pressure, solar radiation and rainfall. GMX200 provides a 0.5 kg wind-only option, while GMX551 combines the broader environmental parameters.
TruMet PW100
Optical rainfall measurement
Rainfall measurement on a dusty site presents a straightforward mechanical challenge: anything with a moving mechanism can eventually encounter contamination.
TruMet PW100 uses infrared optical measurement rather than a tipping mechanism. It measures 0-200 mm/hr with 5% accuracy and 0.1 mm resolution, with a pulse output that replicates a tipping-bucket interface.
When the measurement has to stand up to scrutiny
Off-highway sites and workshops often contain instrumentation from multiple manufacturers, accumulated across machines, contractors and projects. Anemometers, Pitot tubes, pressure instruments, thermal probes and data loggers all need their own calibration requirements managed alongside the equipment they support.
Labcal is an independent UKAS-accredited calibration laboratory, Lab 0625, operating to ISO/IEC 17025:2017. It provides accredited calibration across six measurement parameters: gas and air flow, air velocity, liquid flow, pressure, temperature and humidity.
For off-highway and construction applications, that includes anemometers, Pitot tubes and thermal probes used for site monitoring, alongside pressure instruments, thermometers, temperature and humidity probes and data loggers.
Labcal supports Gill and non-Gill equipment, which means mixed instrumentation can be managed through the same accredited calibration service.
01 · Gas and air flow
Gas meters · Mass flow controllers · Dispensing systems · Low-flow laboratory to higher-flow industrial
02 · Air velocity
Anemometers · Pitot tubes · Thermal probes
03 · Liquid flow
Flow meters and sensors · Process control equipment · Water used for the accredited capability
04 · Pressure
Gauges · Transducers · Manometers · Transmitters
05 · Temperature
Thermometers · Probes · Thermocouples · Data loggers
06 · Humidity
Hygrometers · Probes · Transmitters
The measurement has to reach the machine
A sensor is only useful if its output reaches the system acting on it.
That might be the machine controller, a display in the cab, a telematics system, fleet-management software or a fixed plant control system. The sensing technology therefore has to be considered alongside the communication protocol, output format and way the machine will use the information.
Gill supports analogue and digital integration across the sensing portfolio, including CAN, RS232, RS485, Modbus RTU, PWM, 4-20 mA and 0-10 V. Blade sensors can also be configured before installation using BladeCom, including travel limits, switch points and output limits.
Integration options
- CAN & RS232 : Machine networks, controllers and telematics
- Modbus RTU : Fixed plant and site systems
- 4-20 mA & 0-10 V : Existing analogue controllers
- BladeCom : Travel, switch points and output limits
Why off-highway fleets specify Gill
Built for the site, not the bench
Off-highway sensing has to survive the same conditions as the machine. Non-contact position sensing and capacitive level measurement remove mechanical components from applications where movement, vibration, contamination and wash-down are part of normal operation.
Sealed where the environment demands it
Blade position sensors use sealed solid-state construction with IP67 protection, sealed for temporary immersion (1 m for 30 min), allowing the sensing technology to be used in exposed machine locations.
Measure position without adding another wear mechanism
The Blade sensor and passive activator remain separate, so the measurement does not depend on a contacting mechanism surviving repeated movement in a demanding joint.
Level measurement without a float
Capacitive sensing provides continuous liquid level measurement without a moving float, with different sensor constructions available for different fluids, installation conditions and weight requirements.
See wear before the machine stops
WearDetect measures fine and coarse ferrous debris in oil, providing condition information that can support maintenance decisions before a component becomes a recovery job.
Measurement that can become part of the machine
Analogue and digital interfaces support integration into controllers, networks and telematics, while independent UKAS-accredited calibration provides traceability across six measurement parameters for Gill and non-Gill equipment.
Engineering the measurement into the machine
Explore detailed application guidance covering specific measurement challenges across construction, material handling, lifting and heavy equipment.
From the pin joint to the fleet record
Gill supplies sensing and measurement technologies for off-highway machines, construction equipment, lifting equipment, quarry operations and the wider site environment. The portfolio includes non-contact position sensors, capacitive level sensors, oil debris monitoring, ultrasonic wind measurement, compact weather stations, rainfall measurement and calibration services.
Non-contact position sensing removes mechanical contact between the sensor and the moving activator. This eliminates the mechanical wear associated with contacting position mechanisms, which can be particularly valuable on moving joints exposed to vibration, dust, mud and wash-down.
They are rated IP67 and sealed for temporary immersion (1 m for 30 min), which is what lets the same part work in a wheel end, in a boom joint and under water.
The Blade range includes 25 mm and 60 mm linear travel options, as well as rotary measurement through Blade360, which provides 360° measurement. The measurement range can be configured to suit the application.
Blade25 measures 25 mm of linear travel or 90 degrees of angular movement, and Blade60 measures 60 mm or 90 degrees, both fully configurable within that maximum.
The activator is a passive component detected by the Blade sensor and can be incorporated into the machine’s mechanical design. Gill can provide guidance on activator geometry and sensor integration where required.
The Blade technical manual carries standard activator designs for the 25 mm and 60 mm linear sensors and for the rotary sensor.
Operating hours tell you how long a machine has been running, but not how quickly a particular component is wearing. WearDetect monitors fine and coarse ferrous debris in oil, providing condition information that can be used alongside operating data when making maintenance decisions.
It also reports water presence, with a datasheet minimum of around 10 percent free water, and oil temperature.
WearDetect can be installed as a smart sump-plug replacement or in a bypass circuit. It can be used on engines, transmissions, final drives and hydraulic systems.
Output models are 0-10 V, 4-20 mA, CANbus or Modbus RTU, so it can feed a machine network or a fixed plant system directly.
The choice depends on the fluid, installation and interface requirements. LevelPro provides stainless-steel construction with IP66 and IP68 protection, LevelSlick provides FEP-coated construction for particulate, viscous and corrosive liquids, and LevelLite provides a lightweight aluminium option with IP68 protection.
LevelPro is the general-purpose choice: corrosion-resistant stainless steel, fully sealed, rated IP66 and IP68, with 0-10 V or 4-20 mA output and RS232 for configuration.
The 4-20 mA output needs a 250 Ohm load resistor across the output.
LevelLite is the lightweight aluminium option with voltage or current output where weight matters, and LevelSlick is the FEP-coated sensor for particulate, viscous or corrosive liquids.
The appropriate sensor depends on the properties of the liquid and the installation. Gill’s LevelSlick uses a FEP-coated construction for particulate, viscous and corrosive liquids. The fluid characteristics should be reviewed as part of sensor selection.
LevelSlick is designed for that duty, with an FEP coating, non-stick and low friction, for conductive liquids carrying particles and suspended matter, and an operating temperature range of -40 to +85 degrees C.
WindSonic provides 2-axis ultrasonic wind measurement without moving parts, with models covering 0 to 60 m/s and 0 to 75 m/s and a heated option for colder environments. Installation should be selected according to the location and the wind measurement requirement.
WindSonic 75 measures 0 to 75 m/s and WindSonic 60 measures 0 to 60 m/s, both 2-axis ultrasonic with 0 to 360 degrees of direction and no dead band and no moving parts.
Where the site is exposed or the readings support a formal limit, the WindObserver range is the precision option.
Optical rainfall measurement removes the tipping mechanism used in a conventional tipping-bucket gauge. TruMet PW100 uses infrared optical sensing and provides a pulse output that can replicate a tipping-bucket interface, making it suitable where a solid-state approach is preferred.
TruMet PW100 is an infrared optical gauge with no moving parts, measuring 0 to 200 mm/hr with 5 percent accuracy and 0.1 mm resolution.
It outputs one pulse per 0.1 mm, replicating a tipping bucket, so it drops into an existing logger.
Yes. Labcal, Gill Group’s independent UKAS-accredited calibration laboratory (Lab 0625), operates to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 and calibrates equipment from any manufacturer across gas and air flow, air velocity, liquid flow, pressure, temperature and humidity.
Yes. Gill sensors can be integrated into OEM mechanical and electronic systems. The engineering team can advise on sensor selection, activator geometry, travel, output formats, communication protocols and installation requirements.
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