The versatility of a compact wheel loader is proving to be a high-performing asset for Blackwoods Readymixed & Garden Supplies.
Wheel loaders in the 5-7 tonne operating weight range do not represent a significant portion of the overall wheel loader industry, as they tend to fall into the gap between utility and production loader requirements.
However for small-scale urban construction or landscaping purposes, they can be an ideal fit.
That’s certainly been the case for Victoria-based Blackwoods Readymixed & Garden Supplies, a family-owned and operated business with more than 38 years of history.
Earthmoving Equipment Magazine caught up with Blackwoods General Manager Peter O’Donnell to chat about the company and how a Cat® 906 wheeled loader has been performing for them.
“We have a proud heritage of serving customers in the Baw Baw Shire and beyond. We are heavily involved in ready-mixed concrete, garden supplies and bulk materials cartage,” he said.
“We specialise in the supply of premixed concrete for residential, commercial and civil applications from our concrete plant at Warragul.”
The range includes exposed aggregate and associated concrete products such as reinforcement mesh, crushed rock, and pre-cast retaining walls.
The Blackwoods garden product range is just as extensive, including mulch and woodchips; pebbles and rocks; sand, screenings, and gravel; soil and compost; firewood; and lawn seed and instant turf options.
The company also stocks a variety of building materials, including cement, tools, and equipment suitable for both professionals and DIY enthusiasts.
It offers flexible delivery options, accommodating orders from half a cubic metre to large construction volumes.
Above all this, Peter said that the Blackwoods reputation continues to be built on reliability and professionalism.
“Our point of difference is the delivery of quality outcomes,” he said.
“And for this we look to our fleet, which is the cornerstone of our service.
“We are essentially a transport-based business. Our fleet consists of three cement tankers, six truck and trailers, 14 concrete agitators, three garden supplies tippers and five loaders.
“Our workshop looks after 55 pieces of equipment from the fleet, to plant and equipment throughout the business.”
The latest addition to Blackwoods stable has been a Cat 906 Compact Wheel Loader, a versatile and powerful machine designed for light to mid-duty tasks in construction, agriculture, landscaping, and municipal work.
Its compact dimensions make it ideal for confined job sites, while its engine (55 kW) offers strong performance for its size class, delivering enough lifting capability for loading trucks, moving materials, or working with pallet forks.
“Our Caterpillar dealer William Adams had the machine available in Australia when we made the choice,” Peter said.
“It had all the requirements for us to do activities we needed, such as site clean-up, backfilling, material transport, loading soil, mulch, and general yard maintenance.”
Peter said he also preferred wheeled loaders over tracked versions, as the business operated on paved concrete. Wheeled loaders excel on firm, dry, or paved ground, where they offer better efficiency and reduced surface damage.
“Therefore articulated steering is more suitable for us, and it also enables better visibility to see into tipper bodies,” he said.
And there are a number of other benefits that often make a wheeled loader a better than one with rubber tracks.
Wheeled loaders travel faster than tracked machines, making them more efficient for moving between work areas, especially on larger or spread-out job sites.
Their tyres are also less expensive to replace and maintain compared to rubber tracks, which wear faster and cost significantly more.
The Cat 906 features articulated steering, allowing tight turning circles and excellent maneouverability in confined areas — similar to or better than many tracked loaders — making them perfect for tight urban or commercial sites.
And the model generally has a higher hinge pin height and better reach at full lift, making it more effective for loading trucks or hoppers. Tracked loaders often have limited lift height due to vertical or radial lift path designs.
The 906 also offers higher hydraulic capacity and lifting capability for larger tools.
Another feature that was welcomed by Peter was the greater visibility and operator comfort offered by the 906, which has a cab that is typically larger and more comfortable than that of compact tracked loaders. The better elevated operator position gives improved visibility around the job site.
“The 906 is a very driver/operator friendly machine,” he said.
“Clearly it has the capability to complete the task we ask of it, and it does it in a very positive ergonomic manner.
“Ultimately, the machine is the size we need to meet the needs of our workspace.
“We need to be able to load up to nine tonnes into trucks and this machine has the capacity and the footprint to operate effectively in our yard.
“The 906 is a good mid-range machine with its materials handling capabilities and its compact design.
“We already have all the equipment we need to complete each task. If the 906 was working at various job sites for, say, a civil construction company, I would suggest that it would need to be more versatile to enable a greater range of material handling.
“In our yard, the 906 is used very specifically. But it’s useful that the machine has this capability to be configured with attachments and modified with Cat aftermarket kits.”
William Adams regional sales manager for Victoria, Ian Walson, said the dealer was approached last year by Blackwoods, who were keen to acquire a small to medium-sized loader that could also be used for a range of purposes.
“This included tasks such as moving a variety of product from sand to stone, mulching, abrasive and non-abrasive material,” he said.
“The beauty about the 906 is that it can do all of those things.
“And it is a nice compact machine. It doesn’t really take up a huge amount of space, and it’s very versatile, it’s efficient, it’s easy to use, it’s comfortable. You can have someone in it all day long if they need be.
“We’ve also got a whole range of different attachments and buckets that can be used.
While the 906 can be used primarily to load product into trucks and other equipment, it has the potential to do so much more with simple attachments.
“The range is quite substantial. Things like power brooms, power rakes, brushes and mulchers.
“You could put a broom on the front very, very quickly and use it to clean up your workspace and everything as you’re going, rather than having to get another piece of machinery in.”
Ian said William Adams had a variety of branches right around Victoria and Tasmania, enabling it to support all its customers through that network.
“We support Blackwoods directly out of our Traralgon branch. But we’ve also got the head office only an hour or so up the road in Clayton,” he said.
“We’ve also got a lot of other offerings in conjunction with Caterpillar from a warranty point of view, like our WillCare customer value agreements.”
WillCare is a comprehensive support package designed to enhance the maintenance and performance of Caterpillar equipment, with a number of tiers that offer a range of services, such as delivery of genuine Cat parts, Scheduled Oil Sampling analysis, and regular servicing by Cat-trained technicians.
“And of course our customers can have access to VisionLink, which monitors the performance of the machine and provides statistical information such as the number of hours it’s done,” Ian said.
“If there’s any possible issues, we can notify customers very, very quickly, and let them know if there’s anything that they need to look at doing from a service and maintenance point of view.”
Ian was hopeful of extending the Blackwoods partnership in the future.
“This is the first Caterpillar machine that Blackwoods have purchased from us,” he said.
“So we’re still really building that relationship, but we’re really proud of the fact that it’s a solid one. We’re working very closely with the Blackwoods team with an eye towards the next bit of machinery for them down the track.”
Proof in the pudding
Blackwoods Transport Manager Scott Boyles has no qualms about the machine and is delighted with its performance.
“We had a wheel loader that wasn’t performing up to scratch, so we looked around and come across this Cat 906 loader, which has proven to be very economical and very manoeuvrable,” he said.
“It’s been fantastic in the garden centre; it’s compact, gets into the bins easy, loads small to medium sized trucks comfortably.
“For most garden supply jobs, we usually get in the smaller trucks, smaller trailers. This loader can accommodate all that with ease. It’s just very easy to operate, and that in turn makes our life easy.”
Scott said other strong features include quietness of the engine and the strong visibility in the cab.
“You can see easily out of the machine, where you’re picking up and where you’re putting into,” he said, “whether it’s mulch, rock, pebbles, or brick sand.”
“We do use a bigger loader that looks after the concrete needs. We wanted this smaller Cat loader for manoeuvring around the yard, in which we often have a lot of traffic.
“It’s a great little versatile machine that we can get into any spot, any time.”
Comfort is also a key factor, Scott said.
“Compared to our previous machine, the comfortability is superior. And we’ve got the air con, the heating, we’ve got radio, we’ve got the whole lot in there. You can’t get any better.
“Since we’ve had the Cat loader, we’ve had no downtime whatsoever. We have got a service crew here that does our servicing as well and any maintenance pre-checks if needed, but everything’s been up to scratch and we can’t fault it all.”
More about the Cat 906
The Cat 906 is part of Cat’s Next Generation of compact wheel loaders, along with the 907 and 908.
- Customised experience
Users can select a configuration to meet their application requirements and individual preferences with the ability to fine tune machine performance with adjustments at their fingertips. Programmable kickouts and wheel torque control reduce tire and cutting edge wear.
- Efficiently powerful
All new Cat C2.8 engine features a 10 per cent increase in torque, with software-controlled engine rpm, low idle and engine shutdown capability. A new single plane cooling pack offers more efficient cooling. Shift-on-the-go with optional high speed transmission incorporates differential lock when needed.
- All-day comfort
There are whisper-quiet sound levels, all-around visibility and seat-mounted joystick controls with redesigned front and side consoles, enhancing leg room as well as increasing ventilation for the upgraded HVAC system. The large spacious cab, combined with Caterpillar’s exclusive hydraulic cylinder damping, make this the most comfortable seat on the jobsite.
- Work made easy
Move more with the Next Generation buckets and optimised Z-bar linkage. The parallel lift and high tilt forces allow operators to safely handle loads. Multi-function work has never been easier with dedicated implement and steering pumps and a flow sharing pressure compensated valve for superior hydro-mechanical work tool performance.
- Configured for success
These models are purpose-built speciality models built to meet industry specific needs in agriculture, general construction, industrial, waste, and landscaping. Take advantage of the numerous aftermarket kits and modifications with a wide variety of work tool attachments to upgrade and modify machines to different tasks and conditions after initial purchase.