Quality construction and earthmoving equipment is expensive to purchase and properly maintain.
It can also be narrow in its applications which may require a number of different pieces of equipment to complete a particular task.
It would take a huge amount of capital expenditure to enable an operator of any size to have every conceivable piece of equipment on hand even if certain pieces of plant are only required for small components of an overall project.
The logical and practical answer is to hire specific pieces of equipment when, and for as long as they are needed, as the job progresses through each of its stages.
Gary Singleton has almost 40 years of completing major projects in the civil construction industry and drew upon his experience and expertise in understanding the wants and needs of earthmoving and construction contractors when he established Loadex Hire in Adelaide in 2008.
The current line-up of available plant extends across a comprehensive range of more than 250 pieces of equipment including excavators, wheel loaders, graders, skid steers, rollers and trucks.
There is also a range of mini excavators for handling tasks such as excavating or compacting on smaller jobs or where access is a challenge.
Customers range from local government bodies, civil contractors, but can also be homeowners who may be wanting to tackle a big landscaping task over a weekend.
Some customers’ jobs require multiple pieces of equipment and Loadex Hire provides the flexibility to put together a package and a time schedule which includes different machines for different time frames and can also include the logistics of delivery and pick up if required.
The decision to have available for hire only quality brand equipment such as Kobelco excavators and Case and Komatsu loaders is also reflected in the choice of Isuzu for the majority of the Loadex Hire truck fleet.
The most common Isuzu model at Loadex Hire is the FRR 107-210 factory tipper, along with a larger FSR 140/120-260 medium wheel base tipper capable of handling an eight tonne payload.
Loadex Hire is continually adding new late model plant and associated attachments to the equipment fleet to suit the ever-changing market with safety, environment considerations, running costs and operator satisfaction being major factors in the purchasing decision process.
This corporate ethos extends to the acquisition of the Isuzu F Series factory tippers, with five being added to the fleet during 2021.
The 10,700kg GVM “six tonne” FRR Isuzu’s are mostly operated as water carts for dust control on construction sites during the drier summer months and have been set up to provide a quick conversion back to being able to perform conventional tipper work during the wetter periods of the year.
A peculiarity of the operation of water carts is they don’t usually cover many kilometres.
“They can drive to a job and might be onsite for up to a year and in that time they might only cover 1,000 kilometres,” says Aaron Browne, Business Development Manager at Loadex Hire.
The oldest Isuzu in the fleet has put in eleven years of service and yet still has less than 100,000 kilometres on its odometer.
All servicing is performed by the local Isuzu dealer and, due in part to the low kilometres, is scheduled as required rather than being part of the service agreements available through Isuzu.
The Isuzu six-speed automated manual transmissions are equipped with a torque convertor which has the benefits of making best use of the 5.2 litre four cylinder engines’ 726Nm of torque as well as providing an easy operating experience for the drivers.
The transmission has proved ideal for the type of work the trucks undertake while in the hands of hire clients.
Due to their main sections being manufactured from 6mm thick steel, the Isuzu factory bodies prove to be an asset for the type of applications the trucks work in.
The all steel bodies have drop sides and feature an automatic release two-way tailgate.
When used in tipper mode the Isuzu’s hydraulics take just 20 seconds to either raise or lower the body which has a volume capacity of 3.8 cubic metres.
Loadex Hire is solely a “dry hire” operation which means the hirer is responsible for the operator as well as consumables such as fuel.
It’s a popular and much less complicated method of doing business in the earthmoving and construction industries.
“We find we don’t need that wet hire option and there are other companies in Adelaide who will provide it, but we choose not to” says Clayton van Geest, Loadex Hire General Manager. “We have found that the Isuzu trucks are reliable, we’ve got a good deal going with them and we’ve got a good relationship with the dealer.”
The Isuzu’s are equipped with such safety features as driver and passenger airbags with seatbelt pre-tensioners, ECE-R29 compliant cab strength, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Anti Skid Regulator (ASR) and Hill Start Aid (HSA).
The drivers also have the comfort of the ISRI 6860 seats which have integrated seatbelts.
The Idle stop system (ISS) contributes to fuel efficiency without compromising the 154kW (207hp) power of the engine. Engine power and response is optimised with the high pressure common rail fuel system being used in conjunction with sequential dual turbochargers, one a low pressure turbocharger and the other a high pressure variable geometry turbocharger.
The equipment hire business is competitive, as are the industries in which most of its customers operate.
Loadex Hire has developed, in accordance with the market, a successful business model which combines quality and well maintained equipment with expert and personable service.