Tackling invasive grass and hard wood in Far North Queensland has been made simple for Clearscape’s Mat Plageman as he can trust in the durability and precision of the Diamond Mowers range of mulchers from Colbrook Industries
Speaking with Clearscape owner Mat Plageman from his base in Cairns, he says the key challenge with his work is handling guinea grass and lantana, which grows so tall and thick that landowners can rapidly be overwhelmed. This, he says, is where his services as a specialist land clearance contractor comes in, supported by his suite of Diamond Mower mulchers and a remote-controlled mower, sourced from Australian dealer Colbrook Industries.
“I set up Clearscape about two years ago as I grew up on a farm and have always been into the outdoors,” Mat says.
“I met some successful contractors in the industry and looked into setting up my own business. We have a lot of heavy regrowth in Far North Queensland – you blink your eyes and it’s 10-foot high again! It just takes over if people don’t stay on top of it.”
A major challenge for both the landowners and Mat are the hidden objects that can be completely obscured from view if a path or piece of land hasn’t been cleared for a while. If you accidentally hit something and you don’t have the right gear – it can be a costly mistake.
“There’s often a lot of junk, rocks or stumps and things that are hidden, so a landowner doesn’t want to go through with just a slasher on a tractor in case they hit something,” Mat says.
“The best way is to go in with something like our brush cutter, which is a three-bladed unit that allows us to meticulously move around and find objects. A lot of the time we’re not clearing large open spaces; we’re going into hard to access areas and getting them back under control.”
Right machinery for the job
Mat has three Diamond Mowers mulchers that he uses with a small skid steer to undertake this work – a Diamond Mowers 72-inch brush cutter, a 60-inch disc mulcher and a 50-inch drum mulcher.
“I use these three in combination to do everything from tight access to larger open acreage areas, and these three can cover pretty much anything from light grass right up to heavy regrowth trees,” Mat says.
With the risk of hidden objects being a major concern, he says Diamond Mowers’ durability and robustness is what first drew him to the brand.
“When you’re going into these areas of tall guinea grass or lantana, when you don’t know what’s in there, that’s a big plus,” he says.
“I’ve hit fridges and car rims hidden beneath vegetation, so if I’m clearing a development site and the guinea grass is 10 to 15 feet high, I really need to make sure that, if I hit something, the attachment I have can take it.
“Having that confidence, which the Diamond Mowers mulchers give me, means I don’t have to worry about it, which makes me more productive.”
He adds that they have also been simple to use and maintain, with it being a quick job to swap between attachments. The expertise of Colbrook Industries has been invaluable, he adds, to ensure that he has the right equipment for the work he does and for the skid steer he uses.
“Colbrook will change out the couplers depending on what machine you have,” Mat says.
“They’ll ask you about your machinery, what the hydraulic flow is like, etc. They were very specific on what I have and whether the mowers would work. I like the fact that they have a broad range of sizes and motors to suit different-sized machines, because I’ve only got a 75hp skid steer.”
He adds that the Diamond Mowers mulchers have also handled well against hard vegetation like ironbark.
“At the moment, the three attachments that I have mean I can leave the job with everything being processed to where I want it to be,” he says.
Remote mowing
In addition to the three Diamond Mowers attachments, Mat has also bought an RC Mowers remote operated slope mower from Colbrook Industries, which he says is ideal for mowing steep slopes and keeping the operator safe.
“As it’s low to the ground, tracked and really wide, it can do steep angles up to 50 degrees,” he says.
“It’s very simple to use as you drive it using a single joystick. We use it on things like drains and easements. The drainage system up here in Cairns is pretty unique and big, because we’ve got quite a large volume of water, so we get a lot of drain systems and easements that are tough for people to maintain when all they have is a whipper snipper.
“It’s also a lot safer being able to drive it remotely. I could happily put an operator on it and feel that they’re going to do it safely, because they’re not sitting on it.”
Colbrook Industries
With a wide operating range in a remote area of Australia, Mat says Colbrook Industries’ backup has been invaluable for his business. Even if his machinery does have a breakdown, he says he has the confidence that Colbrook will get him back up and running as quickly as possible.
“Colbrook are very supportive,” he says.
“It comes down to communication, and I can talk to the service guys at Colbrook at any time. Whether it’s a weekend or a public holiday, they’re very responsive, and if I need advice, they’re there.
“I’m not overly mechanically minded and sometimes a dealer will sell you something and then leave you to figure it out, but Colbrook are fantastic at explaining how best to utilise an attachment.”
Looking ahead, Mat says on the wish list from Colbrook Industries is a Lamtrac mulcher carrier, which he has occasionally subcontracted from Victoria’s Dakota Contracting for larger jobs.
“Lamtrac is pretty much the ultimate in the industry as it’s compact but a dedicated mulching machine that can handle everything,” Mat says.
“That’s what we’re striving for; we just need enough work to warrant a machine of that calibre.”
For more information on Colbrook Industry’s range of mowing machinery and attachments, visit: www.colbrookindustries.com.au
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