A pair of JCB mini-excavators has helped plant hire and landscaping business Greenstar Hire establish itself in the industry.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
That could be the philosophy of Greenstar Hire’s Managing Director Sam Kirkby, who says he only stocks his fleet with industry-leading brands.
“I don’t reinvent the wheel when it comes to choosing new products, and cannot afford to let my customers down with inferior items,” he said.
Greenstar Hire — based in Alstonville near Ballina, NSW — evolved from Greenstar Earthmoving, a business started more than 10 years ago that specialised in all aspects of land clearing and property development, including civil works such as property subdivisions, school car parks and council works.
“Greenstar Hire came about because I could see about five years ago that labour, and in particular, experienced people, were becoming short in supply,” Sam said.
“Therefore I transitioned my business, retaining administration, mechanical workshop facilities and much of my equipment, to an exclusively dry hire model.
“We’re now one of only two independent hire companies in the Ballina area.
“I also have a landscape supplies yard business, Plateau Landscape Supplies, which has become an agent for Greenstar Hire, and offers the shopfront for processing transactions, displaying machines and arranging deliveries and pick-up of machines and products.”
This unique connection enables customers the luxury of purchasing any of the products that Plateau Landscape Supplies offers — including bulk sands, gravels, decorative pebbles, bricks, blocks and pavers — and not only be able to have these delivered, but also have dry hire machines moved to the same destination and have the convenience of having it all on the same transaction.
“Being a small business, we can provide excellent service by way of our office staff and also through our full time mechanic and call-out service, where necessary,” Sam said.
“We have in excess of 100 pieces of hire plant and equipment and have around 15 staff within the hire and landscape businesses.
“The items for hire range from small pieces of equipment such as compaction plates, cement mixers, log splitters, small track dumpers, stump grinders, scissor lifts large and small, mini excavators, loaders and rollers, up to 5-tonne excavators and Posi-tracks.”
And so back to Sam’s creed of buying only the best, and listening to his customer requirements.
“It’s not just about performance. Critical features that I require when selecting products include great backup service, availability of spare parts, and access to advice over the phone (when we are in the field),” he said.
“I look for resale value and ruggedness. Reliability is the most critical, therefore some machines with too many “bells and whistles” won’t work for our clients.”
And as a testament to this, Greenstar Hire has just taken ownership of two brand new JCB 18-Z mini-excavators.
“JCB had a fantastic deal, price-wise. They are a well-established and reputable brand,” Sam said.
The “Z” refers to a zero-tail-swing design, which means the rear of the machine doesn’t extend beyond the tracks when it is rotating, making it especially useful for working in confined spaces or near obstacles.
Due to its maneuverability, durability, and ease of use in various small to medium-scale operations, the excavator is particularly useful for the landscaping jobs that Sam’s business deals with, such as digging and material handling in gardens or parks.
“The 18-Zs are not a complicated or ‘fussy’ machine, comprising the right balance of technology and operating features with reliability and necessary functions for our clients,” Sam said.
“Maintenance-wise, the machines provide very good access to the engine bays via large swinging rear covers.”
Sam bought the machines from CEA in Brisbane through territory manager Chris Kane, and particularly values the after-sales service, which “has been excellent”.
“We have been very excited about the introduction of the two new units to our fleet,” he said.
“JCB have such a great range of machines and products that we are definitely considering introducing more to our fleet in future.”
The JCB 18-Z
- Cost of ownership
Spending less throughout the life of the 18Z has been a key design criteria.
Boom, dipper and blade pins have 500-hour greasing intervals for reduced downtime and extended pin and bush life, which means that greasing only needs to be completed as part of a 500 hour machine service.
This is achieved by using sealed bronze graphite impregnated bushes. The seals on the outside of the bushes keep the grease in and dirt out.
The standard heavy-duty kingpost optimizes service life and lowers the cost of ownership due to the durable re-bushable pivots. This eliminates the cost of complete kingpost replacement when the pins wear into the cast.
The expanding undercarriage uses sacrificial wear pads so that metal to metal contact is eliminated as the track legs extend and retract.
Replaceable wear pads is a much lower cost compared to building up or replacing worn metal slide components.
O-ring faced seals throughout the hydraulic system increase the durability of the hydraulic system with higher reliability for eliminating leak paths.
The 18Z is supported with a three-year/3000 hour Premier Warranty package. Australian dealers offer full service benefits to owners through their experienced aftersales operations.
This combination of support attributes, have proven to provide low whole of life costs and exceptional machine residual values delivering the most cost effective solution for mini excavator users worldwide.
- Durability
A strong and durable design underlines the mini excavator’s DNA.
It starts with the 100 per cent steel bodywork for maximum impact protection and ease of repair.
Designed specifically with the rental and contractor segments in mind, all owners secure the advantage of JCB’s vision to improve the products durability in the toughest industry segments.
Robust steel panels can be quickly and easily repaired if required which is vitally important in a hire fleet with optimum usage rates.
Toughness is personified by the full width solid cast 173kg counterweight that provides maximum protection for the rear of the machine.
The heavy duty strong H frame undercarriage provides rigid support and an open design allowing spoil to fall readily through to the ground preventing excessive componentry wear and minimal cleaning time.
For ultimate rigidity, the extending (from 980-1330mm) undercarriage beams are constructed from 25mm solid steel plate.
The high tensile four-plate boom and dipper design provide maximum strength and durability.
The 1800mm main boom with top mounted lift ram provides maximum protection for the hydraulic cylinder components.
Tough “power-matched” engine and hydraulic configurations give this machine the dig-strong performance others find hard to match.
- Performance
Working faster is a standout characteristic of the 18Z.
The hydraulics give operators the capability to simultaneously multi-task any combination of excavator functions smoothly and with full power for unrivalled output that means less time to complete the job.
Straight-line tracking when using any other hydraulic functions contributes to increased productivity and safety.
Redesigned track levers now come with T-bar controls that allow the operator to manipulate the machine position quickly and smoothly using just one hand.
Sloping track legs make it easier and quicker to clean the excavator undercarriage between jobs.
New dozer geometry allows the blade to become free of material build up easier increasing productivity.
The dozer blade extensions can be swung out without using tools. They pivot past the respective tracks with plenty of clearance regardless of the blades above ground position.
- Safety
The model is the safest to operate in the zero tail swing segment.
JCB’s unique “2Go” risk mitigation hydraulic isolation system prevents excavator operation through unintended control lever movements. The operator must make 2 deliberate and separate inputs before the controls are functional.
Quick, safe and easy access on and off the operators platform is aided with hand rails that provide the operator with the all-important 3 points of contact and once seated, the seat belt is available to strap in and complete the safety loop.
The 2-Post canopy structure is ROPS, TOPS and FOGS certified. Increased all-round visibility to work site from the operator’s seat is a standout feature on the 18Z with the 2-Post canopy.
Ten integral easily accessible tie-down points make the transportation tie down process safer and quicker whether on a trailer or truck.