Sydney landscape contractor Greg Butcher has been impressed by the reliability, performance and back-up support since buying a Case SR150 skid-steer loader 12 months ago
Greg Butcher was looking to the future as well as meeting his present needs when he chose a Case skid-steer loader 18 months ago.
With his Sydney-based GB Services landscaping business growing steadily, Butcher knew his investment in new equipment had to perform well, especially at trade-in or resale time.
“There are a lot of different skid-steer loaders to choose from and there are a lot of things I like about the Case SR150, but I guess what clinched it for me was the four-year warranty,” Butcher says.
“It’s a transferable warranty and that is a big factor when it comes time to think about new equipment. Two or three years down the track when I want to upgrade I’ve got a skid-steer loader that I can sell with a warranty still in place.
“That is a major attraction for any buyer and without it you could be really beaten down on resale value.”
Greg started landscaping in Sydney in 2000, hiring the equipment he needed. He stepped out of full-time participation in the industry for six years, but still kept doing landscaping jobs in his spare time.
Eventually the attraction of the work proved too strong so Greg invested to set himself up with a skid-steer loader and a tipper.
After experiencing a couple of competitor skid-steer brands, he still wasn’t satisfied with the equipment he had been using.
“I started to do a lot of research and to drive quite a few brands,” he says. “The research showed that Case was the number one for what I wanted.
“I contacted Case and they were really helpful, giving me plenty of opportunity to jump in and try different size skid-steers to work out what suited me and what suited my business.
“Together we came up with the Case SR150 as the model which was best suited to the work I do. Most of that is domestic landscaping and sometimes subcontracting to small builders.
“The Case SR150 has the power and ability I need, but I can still drive through garage doors to access backyards, whereas other operators with bigger machines just can’t get in there.”
So after more than a year’s experience with his Case SR150, what does Greg Butcher think of this skid-steer loader?
“It just continues to amaze me with what you can do with it,” he says. “It’s a great unit and its dependability has been one hundred percent.
“We use it for a bit of everything. It digs out driveways and pathways, levels yards and prepares areas for turfing. Most of the time we have the standard four-in-one bucket fitted, but we also use a spreader regularly.
“I’m a pretty big guy so the size of the cabin is also important to me and the Case skid-steer loaders have the biggest cabin on the market.
“I spend a lot of time on it myself, but I’ve also got a couple of guys who work for me who are learning to operate it. These are guys with little to no experience and they are finding it very easy to operate in a very short time.”
On a recent job, clearing some industrial land, GB Services’ Case SR150 worked virtually non-stop for eight hours each day.
“There was still fuel left in the 60-litre tank at the end of the day and that’s despite the engine not getting turned off for the whole day,” Butcher says.
When asked about productivity, he refers to the Case SR150’s stability.
“With some of the other skid-steers out there you get the feeling that you are about to tip over a lot of the time, so that affects the way you can work.
“I’ve had the Case SR150 up at some pretty bizarre angles and it has never come close to tipping over. It has a really good footprint on it. The controls are awesome too – very user friendly and far superior to any other skid-steer I’ve driven,” he says.
“In terms of what I was promised by Case about its performance I’d say it has lived up to that and more. I also like the power of the SR150 because it really gets the job done for anything that I ask of it,” Butcher says.
“There’s just about nothing that will stop it. With the tiger teeth fitted to the four-in-one bucket I’ve even gone through solid shale.
“Equipment reliability is a big concern, because the Case SR 150 skid-steer loader is the key to my business. If it’s not working I’m losing money. It has never failed me and it’s done everything I’ve ever asked of it.”
Butcher also appreciates the support he has had from Case.
“They have kept in touch with me, giving tips on operation and maintenance and inviting me to new model launches,” he says.
“Colleagues have purchased Case excavators and skid-steer loaders as a result of the treatment and service I’ve received from Case and another colleague who is coming into the business in the next few months will also be buying a Case excavator as well.”
Case Construction is a leading distributor of heavy, MSR and compact excavators, and backhoe and skid-steer loaders.
For more information contact Case Construction on 1300 99 273.
Click here to find Case loaders for sale.