Working in relentless heat is a fact of life for southwest Queensland cattle grazers Dagworth Grazing. You have to be tough to last in the Outback, and your machines need to be even tougher.
Dagworth recently acquired an SDLG LG959 wheel loader it says is more than capable of handling the punishing daily conditions on the station, where record temperatures of 47.2 degrees were recorded in February.
February’s heatwave in the area (about 60km north of Georgetown, QLD) saw a notable impact on many local businesses. However, Dagworth says its new LG959 loader didn’t miss a beat.
“I am very impressed with the technological updates SDLG has made,” Dagworth Grazing owner Ian Tincknell says.
“The engine-cooling system has worked extremely well and handled our 40-degree temperatures. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of the engine-cooling and the air-conditioning systems. As long as these are fit for the north Australian heat, you will always be more than halfway there.”
Dagworth bought the LG959 as a replacement for its 10-year-old SDLG Ranger 950-2 wheel loader. The LG959 is used mainly to clear roads, maintain existing ones and to erect fence lines across Dagwood Station’s more than 970 square kilometres.
Dagwood’s new 145kW loader weighs in at just over 17 tonnes and has a loader bucket capacity of 4.5 tonnes and up to 175kN of breakout force. Dagwood Grazing also uses a stick rake attachment to sift soil and rocks and remove unwanted shrubbery and overgrowth.
The SDLG LG959 has an air-conditioned, full ROPS/FOPS cabin with single-lever controls and an AM/FM radio. Daily maintenance points have been grouped together at ground level for ease of access and safety.
“I have recommended SDLG to other people in the area,” Tincknell says.
“It is hard not to be impressed by anything brand new but, again, I was very impressed with the design features of the new machine, particularly the user-friendly access of the radiator and oil cooler, making them easy to clean.”