Case Study

Owawood and Equipment Specialists Australia

Australian timber export company Owawood relies on tough and durable equipment to get the job done, with the native hardwoods specialist counting a number of Lovol machines among its fleet, including loaders and an excavator, which it has set to task at its Roma facility in south-west Queensland.

Owawood has recently marked its first year of operations, having initially started out in August last year, with exports subsequently commencing out of Roma in January this year, with General Manager Grant Gurney telling EEM that the business partners draw on many years of timber exporting experience in bringing their services to market.

Grant explained that Owawood provides a comprehensive service offering, with the company actively trading in a number of overseas markets, including the Chinese market, with it overseeing the export of hardwood to overseas manufacturers for flooring, furniture, veneer and wooden craft productions.

“Owawood is involved in and manages the whole supply chain,” he stated of the company’s varied capabilities.

“This ranges from sourcing timber for harvesting, or procuring from established suppliers, packing logs into containers at our Roma facility, transporting the containers to the port terminal, organising shipping, handling International import procedures, and receiving, wholesaling and distributing the logs to end-user factories overseas.”

Reliable Machines Underpin Efficient Operations

Of course, reliable equipment underpins efficient and uninterrupted operations, with Owawood purchasing the first of its Lovol machines, two FL936F-II wheel loaders, from Toowoomba-based operations Equipment Specialists in November last year.

Grant told EEM the “loaders have performed well”, and in July this year Owawood further added to its fleet, purchasing two more Lovol machines in the form of an FL958H wheel loader and an FR220D excavator.

The FL958H, weighing in at an 18-tonne operating weight and sporting a 5.5-tonne rated load capacity, is powered by a Non ECU 178kW Deutz Weichai engine, and features a ZF4BP200 F4/R2 ZF powershift transmission, Lovol axles, Meritor air over hydraulic four wheel disc brakes, pilot joystick for accuracy and less electronics, a 3m3 GP bucket, 4.2m bucket lift height and a boom lifting time of 5.7 seconds.

Decked out with a ROPs and FOPs-certified lined and sealed cab, designed for low noise and less vibration, with air-conditioning and an air-suspension seat, Equipment Specialists describes the FL958H as sporting a heavy duty build suitable for getting the job done in often harsh local conditions.

Meanwhile, the FR220D 22-tonne excavator runs a 114kW Isuzu engine, with a mechanical inline fuel pump – and, as with the FL958H, has no engine electronic computer unit, with Equipment Specialists stating that problematic electronic items are eliminated.

The FR220D is additionally decked out with pilot-operated joysticks for precise control, along with a KPM hydraulic system, has a bucket digging force of 136kN, and sports a standard bucket capacity of 1m3.

Grant told EEM that Owawood had singled out fit-for-purpose machines when it comes to performing in tough conditions.

“It is very early days with the FL958H loader and FR220D excavator,” he commented. “We ordered models that were not highly electronic due to the very harsh environment they’re expected to operate in – thus far our expectations have been met.”

Equipment Specialists: Lovol Machines Get The Job Done

Lawrence Perkins, Equipment Specialists Operations Manager, describes Lovol as being “right up with the big name brands”, and states that the Chinese manufacturer’s machines match the big name brands when it comes to performance and getting the job done, capable of tackling the demands of the often harsh and unforgiving Australian environment.

Along with the FL958H, Equipment Specialists has a number of Lovol H series line loaders – including the FL936H, FL938H, FL956H, FL966H, FL968H and FL976H loaders – which span in operating weights from the 10-tonne FL936H (with a 3-tonne rated load capacity) through to the 25-tonne FL976H (with a 7-tonne rated load capacity).

Equipment Specialists has also in recent times added the Lovol FL959K 18-tonne and FL962K 20-tonne hydrostatic wheel loaders, its first in Lovol’s hydrostatic drive K series loader line, to the local market.

Equipment Specialists describes the new K series as “competing with the likes of Volvo and Liebherr loaders”. With a renowned brand engine, hydraulic system components and wet brake axles, its stated that this new K series is decked out with a range of features designed to deliver increased performance, along with smoother operation and operator comfort.

Powered by a 153kW Cummins QSB7 Tier 3 engine, the FL959K and FL962K is equipped with a Danfoss hydrostatic drive and hydraulic pump, DANA transfer box and Meritor wet brake axles, with it featuring a more ergonomic layout cab, equipped with lower noise features and air-conditioning, along with an air-suspension seat.

In addition to its loader line, Equipment Specialists ranges a number of Lovol excavator models – including the FR150D, FR18E-U, FR260D, FR330D, FR370E-HD, FR480E, FR60E and FR80E excavators – spanning operating weights from the 1.8-tonne FR18E-U through to the 51-tonne FR510E.

For more information visit www.equipmentspecialists.com.au

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