Cat 310 Excavators Travelling The Right Road

Bay of Plenty-headquartered equipment hire company, Hewletts Road Machinery, has recently taken delivery of two new Cat excavators which join an existing hire fleet made up of many more Cat machines of varying sizes. The new Cat 310 mini excavators might be small in measurement, but they offer big benefits for an increasing number of the rapidly expanding region’s development sites. They’ve been hiring out the heavy stuff for decades. But you can point fairly and squarely to the Tauranga region’s unstoppable growth as the chief reason why two of well-known machine hire company Hewletts Road Machinery’s latest acquisitions fall on the compact side of the equation. “The size of a large proportion of the house sites being actively developed in Tauranga now, means that getting a 12- or 13-ton digger down the side of an existing structure, or into smaller work sites, is getting harder and harder,” says Hewletts Road Machinery Operations Manager, Mason Phillips. "Everything is tighter with developers fitting more onto less..." "There’s a point where it’s all good having the machine strength, but if the digger is too big to use efficiently then that becomes an issue. That’s what’s driven our purchase of these new Cat 310s – they fit into a spot in the range that very few other machines currently do.” Add to the two machines basic dimensions Cat’s latest suite of next generation tech and improved operating efficiencies, and the compact 10.1-tonners’ value in a variety of earthmoving scenarios adds up to more than the sum of their parts. “They’re proving incredibly popular,” confirms Terra Cat Building Construction Industry Manager, Bevan Dale. “Delivering such an impressive level of in-cab technology at the smaller end of the Cat range has really lifted the bar. And even though the 10-tonner is a compact machine, if you need break-out ability and a five-metre-plus maximum dig depth, then this will deliver. The cabs are comfy with good heating and air conditioning and there is a great amount of outward vision too, which is very important. From what we’ve seen the fuel burn is also very efficient. Across the board the attention to detail is excellent.” Despite the challenges 2020 posed, Terra Cat has already placed plenty of new Cat mini excavators with customers all over New Zealand and they have been very well received in a variety of construction disciplines, says Bevan. For Mason Phillips at Hewletts Road Machinery, which has been supplying a huge variety of rental gear to the wider Bay of Plenty construction industry for nearly 40 years, another big benefit the Cat 310s bring with them, is the simplicity with which they can be transported. "Because we’re a hire entity, transport logistics is actually a big part of our service..." “The 10-tonners are great because they’ll comfortably fit on an eight-wheeler and remain within the weight limitations. You can’t use an eight-wheeler to transport a 13-tonner because it’s overweight. But then when you get to site, the 10-tonner basically gives you as much reach as a larger 13-tonner will.” says Mason. A maximum reach of 7.6 meters is impressive for a machine that has an overall undercarriage length of 3.2 meters and a track width of 2.4 meters. In fact, improved performance in lifting, swinging and travel are all part of the new Cat 310 feature set. While working hard, however, the latest Cat mini excavators also boast 25% more horsepower over equivalent outgoing models and a 20% overall improvement in fuel efficiency. This operating efficiency is attained through the addition of features such as auto idle and auto engine shutdown to minimise fuel burn, while a more efficient hydraulics system with a variable displacement pump has also been designed to help reduce operating costs. Bevan Dale says that improved air conditioning, a fully suspended operator seat and better ergonomics make the mini excavator’s cabs comfortable for longer shifts. “Caterpillar’s design philosophy means that there is more commonality of parts and features throughout the wider Cat excavator range. So, that presents owners and operators of smaller gear like the Cat 310 with big benefits, because these entry-level machines receive similar or the same features as you’d find in the manufacturer’s bigger machines,” he says. Naturally, these features also include an improved safety kit. As part of the upgraded monitor system in the pressurised, ROPS- and TOPS-compliant cab, a clear-view reversing camera gives the operator improved visibility behind the machine, while courtesy work lights and a fluorescent retractable seat belt are other safety features built into the Cat 310. Bevan says the machine’s Stick Steer feature is another benefit that Cat’s mini excavator range brings to the jobsite. “I reckon this is a stand-out feature. Stick Steer gives the operator the ability to easily switch from traditional travel controls with levers and pedals, to joystick controls just by pushing a button. It essentially means the operator can almost drive the Cat 310 like a skid steer. It just adds to the work efficiency these compact machines deliver to their owners.” Ably serviced under warranty by Terra Cat locally, Mason’s two Cat 310s are already out with Hewletts Road Machinery customers. “These new machines definitely bring something different to our hire fleet, being in that 10-ton bracket,” he concludes. "But we tend to lean towards Cat anyway for a lot of our gear because of the product’s reliability, but also the Terra Cat after-sales support. Between their service teams here and in Rotorua, they have good technical support coverage across the Bay; they look after the guys using our gear really well, and that’s obviously good for us."