TradeEarthmovers.com.au 29Youcan go
frommain
arterialroads
to unsealed
gravelroads
within a couple
ofhours.
Far left top:
The wheel loaders
are primarily used to
load trucks and move
aggregate and other
materials
Far left bottom:
Ben Hinkley, plant
maintenance coordinator
(left) and Todd Loving,
assistant team leader
construction
Left: Having modern
machines on site boosts
staff moralePORTERGROUP
coast – including the famous Twelve Apostles
along the iconic Great Ocean Road – the
shire takes in a variety of landscapes, both
urban and remote, which brings with it a
multitude of challenges for Hammond’s
Camperdown-headquartered Corangamite
Shire Council works teams.
“We have big distances to cover, a variety
of different soils to work with and different
levels of infrastructure to maintain across the
region,” continues Hammond.
“You can go from main arterial roads to
unsealed gravel roads within a couple of
hours, so we need machinery that’ll work
with the same reliability and produce the
same results no matter where they’re
located.”
To help with the heavy lifting in any
environment, the Works Depot team run a
couple of Hyundai excavators too, which
are also supported by Porter Equipment. A
Hyundai R80CR-9 (at a shade under 8.5-ton,
the largest of the Korean manufacturer’s
mini excavator range) works in tandem
with a Hyundai R140LC-9, which includes
a mulching head used for vegetation
management and maintenance.
The R80CR-9 is primarily used for
drainage-related tasks, while the very handy
R140LC-9 helps keep wild greenery at bay
alongside rural roads and at other Council-
operated locations.
While the various benefits of the Hyundai
machine fleet are concisely listed off by
Hammond, he saves what is perhaps the
most pertinent positive factor for last.
“The biggest single thing I’ve observed in
relation to investing in modern machines like
these is what a difference it makes to staff
morale. Everyone wants a good machine
that is comfortable and has all the right
bells and whistles, and these machines
tick that box.
“Having gear that the guys are happy to
operate and take a bit of pride in making
sure is looked after as best as can be isn’t
something you can measure in terms of
running costs or time spent on tasks.
“But it’s very important all the same,”
he says.