Too good to part with, the Cat® 140H Motor Grader used by R Con Civil is about to get a whole new lease of life with a Cat Certified Rebuild.
R Con Civil has owned its Cat® 140H Motor Grader for so long, it’s practically part of the family.
“My dad Geoff Hewatt bought it in 2007,” says Ryan Hewatt, Managing Director at R Con Civil.
“I ended up buying the business off my dad, along with the grader. We now have a fleet of over 30-plus pieces of equipment, eight of them being Cat machines – ranging from D6 and D8 Dozers, Rollers, and Graders – performing civil roadworks and upgrades in the ACT and NSW.”
But their 140H Motor Grader was a special case. After thousands of hours of faithful service, what do you do with a 16-year-old machine?
Should you rebuild or replace your Cat equipment?
It’s a question many businesses, regardless of the size of their fleet, will face.
“We weighed up the pros and cons of either getting a new grader or rebuilding the one we have,” says Ryan. “There’s definitely a new Cat 140 Motor Grader on the cards in the future, but for now, we decided to have our Cat 140H Motor Grader rebuilt. We know what it’s like, its history, plus our operators know and love its steering wheel and levers. From a dollars and cents point of view, a Cat Certified Rebuild was achievable at around 55 per cent of the cost of new, so financially we were well ahead. We can get another life out of our machine and be back on the job quickly.”
The next decision R Con Civil had to make was regarding the level of rebuild.
“Cat dealers have a full suite of rebuild options available,” says Sophie Enzerink, Caterpillar Aftermarket Services Representative.
“Cat dealers work closely with their customers o ensure they get the best solution for their business, taking into account the customer’s machine lifecycle plans, project timelines and budget.”
The highest level of Cat Certified Rebuild is the Cat Certified Machine Rebuild where the machine is stripped down to the machine frame, all parts are inspected for reusability, and most of them are replaced.
“A Cat Certified Rebuild returns end-of-life machines, systems and components to like- new condition at a fraction of the cost of buying new,” says Sophie. “It’s like a new machine,” Sophie said.
There is also an option for a Cat Certified Powertrain Rebuild, where every powertrain component is changed out to a certified level. Next is a Cat Certified Component Rebuild, where special attention is paid to a particular component, with close inspections identifying what part of the machine needs to be replaced to help extend the machine’s life.
In addition to Cat Certified Rebuild Options, Cat dealers also offer a range of non-certified dealer machine rebuilds, performed by qualified technicians and short-term repair options, such as resealing components or changing the bearings.
What sets the Cat Certified Rebuild Program apart?
A Cat Certified Rebuild is performed under a strict set of standards required by Caterpillar, including more than 350 tests and inspections. Parts that don’t meet strict re-useability guidelines are automatically replaced – for
a machine rebuild, that typically amounts to about 7000 parts.
“With our Cat Certified Machine Rebuild on our 140H Motor Grader, I knew we’d be getting genuine Cat parts and oils, and there’d be Caterpillar trained mechanics working on it, all following the proper procedures. They’re rebuilding from the ground up,” says Ryan.
A Cat Certified Machine Rebuild will restore a machine and its components to like-new condition, and with Extended Protection Plans available for Cat Certified and Non-Certified Dealer Rebuilds, a rebuilt machine will come with like-new warranty. It’s the sort of level of support that R Con Civil has come to depend on.
“They’re always looking for the best solutions for their machines,” says Julian Caruana, Rebuild Specialist at WesTrac, an authorised Cat dealer. “Whether it’s a rebuild, a new or used machine, we will always do the due diligence to make sure that we find the right solution for them.
“We recommend Cat Certified Rebuilds for customers that want the feel of a new machine but don’t want to compromise on the performance or quality. We offer things such as performance upgrades and technology upgrades, including product updates that can be both hardware and software related. Additionally, we also offer equipment and parts protection and, if required, finance. We are really pleased to see the benefits that have become possible for Ryan’s business through Cat Certified Rebuilds.
“Going through our Cat dealer, we know that we’re getting the technical support and aftercare that we need, and we know that everything’s going to be alright with the machine,” Ryan says. “Plus, our Cat Certified Rebuild includes a technology upgrade to Product LinkTM, which will enable us to use VisionLink® to remotely monitor our fleet.”
Get same-as-new support and services from your Cat dealer
When it comes to decisions about their business equipment, it’s relationships like the one R Con Civil has with their local Cat dealer that makes all the difference.
“I’ve been at the WesTrac Canberra branch for the last 13 years and with the dealer for the last 20,” says Nick Dunford from WesTrac Canberra. “I’ve been lucky enough to deal with Ryan and his family a lot over those last 13 years, whether it be machine sales, machine repairs or rebuilds aftersales support. They’ve been a valuable and loyal customer for a long time.”
If you’d like to see how valuable a Cat dealer relationship could be for your business, or to find out more about Cat Certified Rebuild options, contact your preferred Cat dealer, or visit Cat.com/CertifiedRebuilds-AU.
Look out for part 2 of this story as Ryan will be ready to rumble with his rebuilt Cat 140H Motor Grader.