Case CX145C excavator & 821F loader

By: Lyndsay Whittle

Date: 21.10.2016

On a recent trip to Geraldine in the heart of the South Island, Deals on Wheels went down to the river to check out a Case CX145C excavator and a Case 821F wheeled loader owned by Earthworks Aoraki Ltd.

On the short drive from the Earthworks Aoraki office, down to where both machines were working, owner and general manager Mark Talbot said that he was exceptionally pleased with the performance of both the excavator and the loader.

He said he was equally pleased with the ongoing support his company receives from Advancequip who supplied both machines.

Paul Forrest, marketing manager for Advancequip, had gone the extra mile, quite literally, to be in Geraldine to introduce me to Talbot and his team, as although he is Southland-based, earlier that morning, he had made a special trip down from Auckland to walk me around the machines and introduce me to the team at Earthworks Aoraki.

Mark said he started out in business about 11 years ago as a one-man operation with a five-tonne digger and a 1992 Hino tipper.

The business has subsequently grown to the point where it now employs 20 staff and operates six tippers and transporters along with five excavators, two loaders, and screening plant.
Although based in Geraldine, Mark says his work varies throughout the Canterbury Region, stretching up to Christchurch and as far south as Queenstown and Cromwell.

With a fleet of reliable machinery, coupled with a skilled and efficient staff line-up, they are able to accommodate a wide range of projects from two-lot subdivisions through to multi-staged subdivisions with more than 100 lots.

They not only provide earthmoving services and shingle supply but are also a one-stop shop and are equipped and qualified to complete all service and drainage connections.

Kate Kirkman, office manager at Earthworks Aoraki Ltd, said the company also operates its sister company Aoraki Kerb and Channel Ltd from its site at Te Moana Road, Pleasant Valley.

Aoraki Kerb and Channel works alongside Earthworks Aoraki on many projects, specialising in continuous machine-laid kerbing.

Additionally, Aoraki Kerb & Channel is responsible for all other concrete applications from driveways and patios to mowing strips and house foundations and plain concrete and coloured concrete or decorative applications. Between the two businesses, they have it all covered.

Arriving at the river bed, one quickly gets a close-up look at the harsh environment in which the machinery has to work in this rugged terrain.

Unlike an earthworks excavation or even loading aggregate at a bulk storage facility where the work surface is relatively flat, the riverbed is pretty much unforgiving and it is easily seen how equipment could wear out in a fairly short order.

As my brief for this visit was to get an insight into how the Case CX145C excavator and the Case 821F wheel loader performed in what is at most times a machine-unfriendly environment, it was a bit of a toss-up as to which machine I’d take a look at first.

The conundrum was soon sorted when the CX145C excavator’s operator Raymond Clancy pulled up in the machine and climbed down from the cab.

Raymond said that he enjoyed operating the 15 tonne CX145C, as it was quiet to operate—a fact that was confirmed when I asked if I could climb in the cab for a look around and found the radio playing and set on a relatively low setting.

He went on to say that he couldn’t fault the machine and that it was a joy to operate.

From an owner’s standpoint, Mark said that when making the decision to purchase a new machine to replace an ageing 12-tonne unit, he had already decided that any purchase made would be from Advancequip and that the only question to be answered would be what size the machine should be.

He said that the Case CX145C performs well and is fitted with bolt-on rubber track pads, which is a requirement of NZTA given that the machine spends a fair bit of its time on the reconstruction of guard rails and other general work on state highways.

He also said that the short swing radius was perfect for working on roadways, bridges, tunnels and the like. Next up it was the Case 821F’s wheel loader’s turn to be given the once over, given that one of the company’s two six-wheeler Hino units had turned around and backed in for a load.

The specification sheet for the Tier 2 EU Stage 2 faster, fuel-efficient 821F Case loader boasts "outstanding flat torque" produced from its second generation common rail engine with its 1600 bar injection and ‘Proshift’ and a shorter second-gear giving it more pushing power.

The spec sheet goes on to say that by coupling all the aforementioned attributes to new heavy-duty axles and a front diff with 100% auto-lock, all the available torque goes to the wheel with adherence—a hefty claim you may very well say!

However, if you doubt the claim one iota, then I suggest you get hold of Paul Forrest at Advancequip and get him to organise a demonstration of the machine in action. Mark’s machine is equipped with the standard limited slip differentials and the performance and traction are seriously impressive.

I’ve seen it with my own eyes, and I’m here to tell you that the Earthworks Aoraki machine went at a stockpile of river stone like a machine possessed. It just bit in and forged straight ahead like nothing was going to stop it, and it didn’t.

Mark told me that he had to think carefully when he decided to replace his previous loader, which was a 24-tonne machine, and that he had initial reservations about replacing it with the smaller 18-tonne loader.

However, his fears were allayed the day he put the new 821F to work, and he could see that not only could it handle the capacity of the load he required but that, in fact, it was also every bit as time-efficient as the larger machine it had replaced.

It transpired that it took two full bucket-loads from the 18-tonne machine to fill his six-wheelers, whereas, with the larger 24-tonne loader, it was taking one-and-a-half buckets, which at the end of the day resulted in the same number of trips from the stockpile to the truck and back anyway.

With the Case 821F being more fuel-efficient than the old loader, further savings were made.

Another feature of the Case 821F that particularly caught my eye was the unique design of the CASE cooling cube, which has five radiators mounted to form a cube instead of overlapping.

This ensures a constant flow of fresh and clean air from the sides and from the top to maintain constant fluid temperatures.

The cube structure provides easy access to radiators for more effective cleaning and serviceability and is cleaned by an automatically activated reverse-thrust fan that can also be operated manually should the need arise.

Additional cleaning can also be easily done manually, with separate access to each radiator.

The hood of the engine compartment is raised and lowered electrically, making servicing that much easier.

Advancequip has branches in Auckland, Christchurch, and Gore and service agents throughout the country.

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