Taking precision and efficiency to the next level

The business first focused on carrying out agricultural earthworks around the Crookwell area in New South Wales, however it soon started to attract project work from the local Council. These public works included road construction and work on culverts and related road infrastructure.

“Entering the market for public works projects was a positive step which certainly accelerated growth of the business. Today we operate a Cat 323 NextGen excavator and a Cat 315 NextGen excavator fitted with the Engcon tiltrotator system. The equipment fleet also includes a 21-tonne Hitachi machine, a Cat D6R bulldozer, an old Cat grader and a Cat roller”, Andrew said.

“Currently there is a strong demand for our services and this has enabled us to expand and take on some larger projects. As well as the four full-time operators, we have other people who are employed as the workload demands.

“Our three excavators and the bulldozer are in continuous use, with the grader deployed around fifty percent of the time. While we focus on carrying it civil works, a considerable portion of our work is also related to agricultural activities. These works include construction of dams, cleaning and enlargement of dams and forming of driveways and roads throughout farming properties.

Always looking for improved processes and technology

"I'm always looking at social media for what other earthmoving contractors are doing to ensure our technology is right up to speed. We noticed some other businesses in the area were using Engcon tiltrotator systems. Closer inspection of the benefits of tiltrotators really highlighted how they could benefit the style of work we perform.

"I bought the new Cat 315 in October last year, with Engcon completing the installation of the ECOil connector, hitches, tiltrotator and DC2 system at the Cat dealership. I discovered this was the first Cat 15-tonne NG excavator Engcon had fitted anywhere in the world!

“More recently we have been engaged to perform large-scale works for the Goulburn based state soil conservation service. This work involves shaping gulleys and restructure of topographical profiles. These works also involve insertion of structures to manage water flows as a method of mitigating soil erosion.

“For example, our Cat 315 NextGen machine equipped with the Engcon tiltrotator is being deployed on construction of a concrete flume for the soil conservation service on an area of land in the Braidwood area.

"I operate a small rock hammer which I tend to use sparingly, however when in use, I drop the tiltrotator off as recommended by Engcon under the circumstances. Being able to drop the whole tiltrotator off when the rock hammer is needed was a major attraction for me, as was the ability to quickly reconnect the tiltrotator for digging.

“Our work involves the use of many different attachments including a mud bucket, a 900 mm digging bucket, 450 mm trench bucket, compaction wheel, a 2.5 m grade beam and an hydraulic grapple.

"One other aspect that greatly impressed me was the Engcon tiltrotator incorporates an automatic lubrication port that connects the grease line from the auto lubricator so the hitch can be greased while in use.

Decision for the Engcon system

“Our decision to invest in the Engcon system was guided by a combination of fact or that all added up to better efficiency, improved safety, superior work quality and the ability for precision work. The high level of dexterity gained through use of the system means I can now do jobs that before I could not perform with a conventional excavator set up.

Also, because I was previously doing much of a roadside drainage work with the 20-tonne machine, by using the more compact 15-tonne excavator, this enables me to only have one road lane closed which minimises movement of the machine.

"We're geared up now to perform our own traffic guidance scheme and running traffic lights for lane control. With the 15-tonne CAT excavator and the Engcon system at traffic control work can be minimised, saving us a lot of time and also reducing disruption to traffic flow.

Benefit for the business

“A key benefit of installing the Engcon system is the capability to take on trickier jobs which also provide a better contribution to the bottom line. Traditionally, for local council I would just do just wet hire on the machine doing work as directed by them, however now we are providing a complete project which spans storm damage work, drainage work, culvert repair and rock placement work. We can now do accurate rock placement and do more sophisticated jobs.

On rock work we are paid for is per square metre rate so we can do the job faster which helps us increase our bottom-line margin. The reliability of the Engcon tiltrotator has been fantastic, as has been the backup support and service from the local Engcon office”, Andrew said.