A pair of LiuGong wheel loaders have made all the difference for Hamilton Transport, which highlights the machines’ affordability and ease-of-use
John Hamilton has been behind the wheel of his family business Hamilton Transport for roughly half a century.
He was born and raised in trucks – his father Bill, aged 84, is also still driving them today, continuing the business’s work of transporting materials for the agricultural industry.
John runs the business with his brother Andrew and has recently seen his sons starting to get involved as well, including Miles (aged 18), Mitchell (aged 16) and Maxwell (aged 13).
Based in Minlaton on the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia, some of the bulk materials Hamilton Transport carts include fertilisers, hay and grain, with the business operating a grain receival site and storage depot for a grain trader.
There are now three 32m by 70m sheds at the Minlaton site, which also provides storage forabout 1,500 large hay bales.
Hamilton Transport has clients in Queensland, Alice Springs and in the Riverland in South Australia, all of which benefit from the business’ transported hay.
To help facilitate the transport, the business has five prime movers and has recently added a pair of LiuGong wheel loaders to cater for larger material volumes.
Reliable machines
Hamilton Transport’s LiuGong journey commenced after viewing the OEM’s loaders in operation at various sites, including by grain handler Viterra Australia.
“We have done a lot of grain work in and out of Viterra, and they had a lot of LiuGong loaders,” John says.
“We saw them working and they were never broken down; we didn’t hear anything bad about them.”
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After chalking-up more than 1,000 hours with its second-hand LiuGong 842 loader, Hamilton Transport upgraded to two high-spec 848H models, purchased through LiuGong dealer Lewis Ag and Construction.
The pair of 15 tonne, 160hp (119kW) loaders feature 3 cubic metre buckets and offer a 10.2-tonne tipping load.
These LiuGong high-spec loader models also offer extra machine options including reversing fans, variable hydraulic transmissions, radial tyres, ride control, rear view cameras, extra counterweights, air suspension seats and auto lubrication.
Hamilton Transport also uses a 4 tonne high-lift grain bucket, purchased second-hand from Viterra Australia, as well as a set of custom-made forklifts that can carry five hay bales, weighing about 750kg each.
“We can load a B-double in about 30 minutes with the hay forks,” John says.
“LiuGong has become the leading OEM of China with well-built, value-for-money loaders.
“We looked at another leading OEM before we got the 848s, but the other brand was offering used machines with 15,000–16,000 hours on clock at the same price of the new LiuGongs.
“I just couldn’t bring myself to choose them over LiuGong.”
The 848H wheel loaders have been user-friendly and easy to operate for John, who says they offer good visibility and excellent air-conditioning in hot conditions.
“They have the power for what we need and having the Cummins engines in them gives us peace of mind,” he says.
With auto-lubrication, John says there has been little required for him to do, and Lewis and Ag Construction has only needed to perform simple motor services.
Growing popularity
Hamilton Transport’s new LiuGong wheel loaders have also attracted the attention of some local farmers, and several growers throughout the region have started using them.
Thanks to the faith and trust John has in the brand, a LiuGong forklift has also been added to Hamilton Transport’s fleet to help with tasks such as washing tarps on top of the business’ tipper trucks.
Aside from the machine itself, John praises the relationship developed with Lewis Ag and Construction’s LiuGong sales representative Dan Brookes.
Brookes says affordability is a key attraction for operators like John, particularly considering many machines feature Cummins engines, ZF transmissions and axles, Kawasaki hydraulic pumps and other high-quality components.
In addition to the agriculture sector, LiuGong Equipment is now working in various parts of South Australia, including in the demolition and timber industries.
“Operators can get a machine with four years warranty at a similar price to leading OEMs’ machines that are 10 years old,” Brookes says.
“The standard warranty period is two years and 3,000 hours, but we encourage four years and 6,000 hours.
“The upcoming arrival of the LiuGong T Series is the next exciting step for the wheel loader range.”