ONE of Adelaide’s leading trenching contractors, BTR Excavations, has a philosophy of continually upgrading its machinery fleet to ensure the business operates at maximum productivity and efficiency.
This strategy is paying dividends, with the company well-placed to ride-out the current tough economic conditions.
Barry and Rick Flitter started BTR Excavations in 1991.
They are prominent in the northern Adelaide suburbs and BTR prides itself on adopting latest technologies in all operations.
They have had a contract with the SA Government to carry out trenching, water and sewerage work for the State’s water authority for the past 14 years and this was recently renewed for a further three years.
Barry said the company had been a long-time user of JCB machines because of their reliability and incorporated advanced technologies.
He said it had recently purchased four new model 8-tonne JCB 3CX road runner backhoe loaders – one as a replacement for an older 3CX model and the remainder to expand its backhoe fleet to a total of seven JCB 3CX road runners.
“These machines are ideal for our type of work because of their power-slide technology, which allows the operator to hydraulically side-shift the backhoe with the press of a button,” Barry said.
“It means there is less site damage because we can shift from side-to-side without putting the bucket down.
“I think the 3CX is the only machine that has such an advanced side-shift ability.”
Barry said the 3CX heavyweight backhoe had equal length boom and dipper, which allowed the operator to dig further away and closer to the machine with good speed and efficiency.
He said when digging trenches, depths could range from 2 metres to 5m and the JCB road runners were very reliable across that spectrum.
“And the break-out power is fantastic.’’
Although the bulk of its contracting work is carried out in the northern suburbs, BTR Excavations undertakes jobs right around Adelaide and it is important to be able to move machinery quickly between sites.
Barry said the road speed of the 3CX machines was excellent.
“I think these are the fastest backhoes on the market and very stable.’’
“We drive them everywhere across the city and they are very comfortable at speeds of 35-45 kilometres per hour – and with their six-speed automatic soft shift transmission, they are just like driving a car.
“Also, with the 160-litre fuel tank and the JCB ‘Torque Lock’ feature, it gives us much better fuel consumption, so we don’t have to stop for fuel as often as with the earlier model.’’
The Flitters have also recently purchased a 98-horsepower, 14t JCB JZ140D Auto Tracked Excavator and a 165hp 426ZX Wheeled Loader to replace older machines.
It is the first time the company has bought a JCB excavator and it was selected for its speed and power, advanced technology management features for all major machine functions and zero tailswing.
“The zero tailswing is a big benefit for the types of jobs we are doing,” Barry said.
“In the northern suburbs there are a lot of tree-lined streets and we are often working close to trees and fences that we don’t want to damage.
“The zero tailswing also means the excavator can work more safely on the longer trenches while out on the street, needing only one lane and creating less traffic interruptions.”
Barry said the cab of the JZ140D was very comfortable – even for bigger blokes – and its Advanced Management System (AMS) that controlled all major functions was easy to use.
This system has four operating modes – Auto, Economy, Precision and Lifting – and is designed to maximise machine productivity and fuel efficiency and minimise operating costs.
Barry said the company’s new 426ZX wheeled loader replaced an older JCB loader that BTR Excavations had been very satisfied with.
“This new machine travels really well on the road, is very powerful and has excellent visibility.’’
“It is also very easy to operate, which is important when we have so many staff coming and going who need to learn how to use the machine. It is really quick to train them.”
In total, BTR has bought 16 new machines from JCB Construction Equipment Australia in Adelaide since the year 2000.
Barry said the service and back-up from the dealership had been outstanding and BTR Excavations was pleased to be able to promote the advanced technologies of the JCB machines by having a strong presence with its fleet in and around Adelaide.
“We work on major roads, so we are seen everywhere and people going past can see the JCB technologies at work,” he said.
“We find the JCB machines are reliable and safe to operate and we like to continually upgrade them to stay ahead of our competition.”
For further information on the JCB range, contact your nearest JCB Construction Equipment Australia branch or phone 1300 JCB CEA.
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