[SPONSORED CONTENT] Boodles Concrete has taken delivery of a new Hyundai HL770-9 wheel loader – and has already seen substantial gains in productivity, profitability and operator satisfaction.
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It’s probably right to say that Les Boodle has seen his fair share of machinery pass through the gates of his quarries in the 50 years since crushing his first paying load of aggregate.
And it’s also probably right to say thatexperience has taught him that economicsand reliability will get the job done right eachand every time, and leave residual dollars inthe bank account in return.
So, it won’t come as much of a surprise tothe growing throng of Hyundai ConstructionEquipment owners that Boodles Concreteof Chinchilla had opted to upgrade theirolder Hyundai wheel loader for the largerHL770-9 model.
“This new Hyundai HL770-9 is an ideal size loader for what we do,” Les says.
“We had the HL757-7 wheel loader and that was about 14-tonne and had a 2.7m³ bucket, so the size was just a bit too small for us; whereas this HL770-9 has a 4.2m3 bucket.”
The new 23.1-tonne machine is seeing some heavy action at the family-owned basalt stone quarry located in the Surat Basin – about three hours’ drive west of Brisbane, but will also be available for use on other sites.
“The HL770-9 will be primarily used at the Surat Basin, but the machine is not too big or heavy to transport to our other sites if needed,” Les says.
Family owned since 1968, Boodle’s Concrete produces a selection of quality concrete, thermal sand and road base products for customers, as well as feeding raw materials into its own concrete batching plants in Chinchilla, Miles, Gayndah, Biggenden and Roma.
“All our quarries are all basalt or blue metal, which is very hard rock and quite tough on the equipment,” say Les.
The company also specialises in on-site mobile concrete supply and static operations, and supplies aggregates for coal seam gas, construction projects, bridges and dam construction and road infrastructure.
Back at Surat Basin, the loader works alongside a sizeable crushing, scalping and screening plant, with Les saying their aim with the new larger loader is to get everything working in unison to maximise production.
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“All our quarries are all basalt or blue metal, which is very hard rock and quite tough on the equipment.
“Modern wheel loaders like the Hyundai HL770-9 can do almost twice the work in the same time as the gear I was using in the 1990s – and not just because of the larger bucket capacity,” he says.
“The Hyundai HL770-9 has lots of power (280p Cummins QSL engine), and the cabin is very comfortable.”
Having machinery that is modern and safe is another key factor when Boodle’s Concrete looks to purchase new equipment.
“Quarry operators require machinery that is technologically advanced, safe and comfortable for operators, especially as the workplace health and safety and other compliance requirements are so stringent in 2018,” he says.
From an operator point of view, Les notes the ZF fully automatic power shift transmission with variable shift control means gear shifting is smooth, the result of a self-adjusting clutch.
“My operators Tom and Dominic prefer it compared to the four-year-old other brand loader that they were previously using – that had about 4,000 hours on it.”
Auto greasing is a feature Les recommends, and after many years in the industry he recognises regular maintenance will substantially increase the life span of equipment.
“There are a lot of features that I like. You pay a bit more for the option but the auto greasing unit is a must I reckon,” Les says.
“Having to do the greasing every morning takes a bit of time and not all operators are 100 per cent thorough with their technique.
“Obviously your machines wear out a lot faster if they are not greased daily, so having the automatic unit and only having to keep the grease level topped-up just makes life easier for everyone and it’s one less thing for me and my operators to worry about.”
Les says he’s impressed by the performance of Boodle Concrete’s first Hyundai HL770-9.
Looking at how the current machine is operating, the addition of a second machine should further boost productivity, profitability and sustain a business that has gone from strength to strength since its foundation way back in 1968.
“I heard that Porter Equipment had looked after the quarry’s previous owner pretty well after the HL757-7 was delivered and that is exactly the kind of support you need.”
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Photography: Randall Johnston