As projects started to pour in, Dale placed an order with WesTrac for a Cat® 315 GC Excavator and recently added a brand-new Cat 259 D3 Compact Track Loader to his fleet, having already owned a second-hand model.
“I launched my business with two diggers – a five and 15 tonner, both of which weren’t yellow. After seeing some early growth and industry demand for Cat gear, I decided to grow my fleet by contacting WesTrac and putting in an order for a Cat 315 GC, which is also a 15 tonner,” he says.
“I was going to keep the older 15 tonner, but I ended up selling it because I just didn't use it anymore. Whenever I had an option to pick a large digger, I took the Cat 315 GC. The comfort, fuel economy and ease-of-use was just incredible.”
One of the key features that keeps Dale coming back to Cat equipment is the service he receives from WesTrac beyond the initial purchase of the machine.
“For instance, the rear windscreen on the excavator got smashed on the way out to a job and it was super loud in the cab,” Dale recalls.
“I rang WesTrac and they had a new rear windscreen out to me within a couple of days. I’ve used other machinery companies in the past and the service just isn’t the same.”
Proform’s Cat 259 D3 has also recently undergone its 250-hour service and Dale explains WesTrac made the process simple and minimised downtime by sending out a field technician to the jobsite to carry out the work.
“The field technician during the service was really good, he had everything there ready to go,” Dale recalls.
“When he got there, we discussed the process of what he was going to do and how he was going to do it, and he even left a couple of extra filters I asked for in the cab. The reports that I got back were also very informative – providing me with a wealth of data about how I had used the machine during its first 250 hours.”
Dale says the standout feature of the Cat 259, and his other Cat machinery, has been the overall comfort compared to competitors’ machines.
“To be honest, when I get out of other machines and get back into any of my Cat gear, I just feel happy that I'm in there,” he explains.
“They don't bounce you around near as much thanks to the air seat, which means I can spend more hours in the machine and not be as tired at the end of the day.
“The compact track loader has the suspension on the tracks, it's got the ride control, and it just makes for a ride that is much more comfortable. You can cruise up and down all day over a busy bumpy surface.”
Talking about the Cat 315 GC Excavator, Dale says he was largely drawn to the GC range due to the lower price, but also because he felt it was a better fit than other models for the work he was carrying out.
“We do a lot of clearing and I was worried about some of the electrics on the boom getting covered in branches and that sort of thing,” he says.
“I felt I didn’t need all those electronic gadgets, and the GC model suited my price and ticked all the boxes for what I needed.”
Dale has also noticed the Cat excavator’s improved fuel efficiency – a feature benefit of GC and premium Cat Next Gen excavators - allowing him to fill up the fuel tank a lot less than his old excavator.
“When it comes to fuel burn, the 315 GC works out to be a lot cheaper than my old non-Cat machine and, if I’m doing simple jobs like culverts where I’m not shifting a lot of material, I’m getting around 25 – 30 hours out of a tank,” he says.
“So even with the fuel cost savings themselves, I'm having to fill up less, which saves me about 40 minutes out of the day, if I don't have to fuel up.”
Another feature that drew Dale to the Cat GC range is the ease of serviceability of the machines.
“Checking things like oil, it’s all down at ground height, which just makes it that much easier, and I don’t have to jump on the machine for anything,” he adds.
With Proform’s business continuing to grow, Dale is already looking towards expanding his fleet and his experience with WesTrac has ensured his next purchase will be Caterpillar.
“I’m actually looking at getting a 30-tonne excavator soon, but that will be in the next gen performance range, as I can see the advantage of that for the business with the standard electronic equipment on something like the Cat 335 excavator,” he says.
“We are getting some bigger projects out in the Wheatbelt now and you really need GPS. You can also dig a trench and get it to level the whole way which means I don't have to spend half an hour jumping in and out of the machine checking the laser level.”
To find out more about Proform Civil and the work they do visit - https://www.proformcivil.com.au
