With developers demanding more infrastructure on fewer square meters, civil contractors are working ever-tighter job sites. A line-up of compact machinery that offers the requisite grunt, mixed with an impressive array of ‘bigger digger’ features, allows operators to maximise the bottom line. This is where the Cat Next Generation mini excavator range delivers for Peter Bennett of BenDev.
Servicing the Greater Auckland area, Peter Bennett of BenDev certainly drives the miles. Today, for example, he’s on-site in Stanmore Bay; a long way from home base in Pokeno. With four separate projects on the books at present, there’s also no shortage of activity on the horizon.
“I can’t see daylight between now and Christmas next year to be honest!” Peter laughs. Of course, that’s not a bad problem to have. And investing in equipment that is going to go the distance has always been a priority. This has led Peter to the Cat brand.
The lion’s share of our machine fleet is Cat
“In a previous job before I went out on my own, we had a Cat digger that never let us down and was great to operate. So, I guess I made a deliberate move towards Cat gear from the very start of this business. And Terra Cat has been great with their support too.” says Peter.
Reflecting just how hectic things have been for Peter and his team of six, BenDev recently invested in no less than three new next generation Cat excavators: a Cat 301.7 mini excavator, a five-tonne Cat 305, along with a Cat 315.
Aside from subdivision work, the rest of the BenDev portfolio is made up with park upkeep and construction work, creating grasslands, footpaths, and playgrounds. Peter says the park work is great to have as it is consistent and requires the same machine power as the company’s residential focus.
But 80 per cent of our work is on subdivisions and those parcels of land are getting smaller
Peter continues, “We need machines that are compact enough to work the smaller blocks but do all the usual stuff you’d expect your digger to do. The Cat 301.7 was chosen because it has zero overhang, which is important in confined spaces. The bigger 315 also has zero overhang, as well as the 3D GPS system onboard. It’s really impressive how you can place that machine anywhere you need it with confidence. And then you can dig to spec and there’s no risk of error.”
The Cat mini excavator range’s compact design with minimal overhang and working radius deliver the right balance of job site accessibility and stability for lifting performance. What’s more, they present the opportunity to be offloaded from transport within the perimeter gate, rather than out on the street, meaning quicker machine movements between sites, less transportation costs and less road management requirements. The Cat mini excavator range will fit into an 8x4 transporter.
And speaking of the benefits of compact machinery, Peter says his excavator fleet is supplemented with a Cat 299 compact track loader which has proven invaluable time and again, thanks primarily to a similar Goldilocks equation of the right size paired with the right feature set.
The 299 is the biggest skid steer available on tracks. We have ours kitted out with a Cat GB124 grader blade for road work and it really does relace a full-sized grader on our fleet.
Other aspects of the next generation excavator line-up Peter says he really enjoys are the Bluetooth handsfree phone connectivity in the Cat 305 (“I spend half the day on the phone, so it’s fantastic not trying to juggle the thing whenever it goes off, or having to stop what you’re doing to talk,” he says), and Cat’s Stick Steer functionality.
Stick Steer has been engineered by Caterpillar to help take the stress off both the machine and its operator. The Stick Steer system simplifies machine control, allowing the operator to switch from conventional lever or foot-pedal travel controls to low-effort joystick operation in the same manner as a Cat Skid Steer at the touch of a button. Peter affirms,
It means you’re not leaning forward the whole time. Combined with cruise control it’s great when you need to get from one side of the site to the other
Bevan Dale, Terra Cat Building Construction Industry Manager, says the Stick Steer functionality really surprises clients, some of whom don’t expect to use it much until they try it for themselves. “It’s amazing the difference it makes to a day on the job when you’re not leaning forward over the controls all the time. Being able to control the excavator like a Cat Skid Steer is a real revelation for a lot of people. It adds further versatility to the next generation mini excavator line-up,” he says.
“Another aspect of our mini excavator range that is often overlooked is just how fuel efficient they are. While this is a bonus for the operator’s bottom line, it also means these machines emit less carbon and are better for those working around them, as well as the environment in general. And with carbon emission considerations becoming an aspect of many project tenders, that counts for a lot.”
Bevan says there are value-for-money and service cost savings to be gained from any of the next-generation Cat excavators thanks to longer service intervals. “Service intervals are now extended to 500 hours over 250 hours as they were in the past. That means the owner saves on servicing and doesn’t need to factor in machine downtime so often. Paired with daily maintenance checks that are quick and easy to perform, and parts commonality across the range, owning and running Cat next generation excavators is very cost-effective.” Adding further to the improvements on running costs, fuel efficiency measures available in the next generation range include both engine auto idle, and auto engine shutdown to help conserve fuel usage and reduce engine wear. "Other attributes such as standard air conditioning and heating systems in cab models, ergonomic seating and controls and intuitive technology most would only expect to see on bigger machines, all wrapped up in compact packaging make the Cat mini excavator range perfect for current trends in the construction sector," says Bevan. “With the increased need in our main centres for higher density housing, developers are needing to construct more on less. This means job sites the likes of BenDev are working on are tighter and smaller machines provide more tangible productivity for many operators in the sector than traditional larger equipment.”
We’re really impressed with our Cat 307.1, 305 and 315 machines
Peter concludes, “At the end of the day, maximising the bottom line while producing quality work for our clients is what it’s all about for us. These machines help us achieve that by providing fantastic performance and productivity.”
