Feedlot Application
Paul Gillogly's LiuGong 842 Wheel Loader
New for the price of used – That makes cents.
Life on the farm can be pretty tough! As actor Jack Thompson has been telling us on radio and television campaigns recently, “we’re experiencing the worst drought in Australia for more than 100 years.”
And when times are tough, every cent counts. Efficiencies in the way farmers do everything need to be reviewed and reconsidered constantly.
I recently visited a cattle feedlot, sort of near Moree in NSW’s north west – basically, a long way from anywhere – to see how one of the first Liugong wheel loaders sold in Australia was going and to see how they were coping with the weather conditions.
“Yeah, it’s pretty dry at the moment” said an understating Paul Gillogly.
Paul, his brother and father, along with their “better halves”, run a feedlot called Montrose, about 70 kilometres from Moree, Bingara and Narrabri in NSW. The hot dry and dusty conditions are a good proving ground for all manner of equipment.
When asked why the family had chosen to go with the Liugong loader (a CLG 842) Gillogly said “It just made sense.”
“The feedlot pens need to be cleaned out every few months as the cattle move off to the market, and the environment is very harsh on equipment.”
“Our old 35 year old Moore loaders were just about on their last legs.” He said.
“Because of the drought, everything for the cattle was costing more and more, so we didn’t have a lot left over to buy a new loader. We just needed something that would get us through, and I thought it would be nice to have air conditioning if possible.”
“We started looking at available used machines, and realised that for the amount of money we wanted to spend, we were looking at machines with around 15,000 hours on them. This meant they needed engine rebuilds, new pins and bushes, and a whole heap of other expenses in the near future. Basically, we would have had to spend another $40,000 to have a reliable machine. That just didn’t make sense.”
“For about the same money, we found we could buy a brand new Liugong machine, with full warranty, from a rep we knew and trusted, and wouldn’t have to spend the extra $40,000. That did make sense!” He said.
The loader is now 15 months old and has just over 450 hours up. When asked how the loader was performing, Gillogly said, very well.
“It’s very effective for the jobs we need do with it. The pen cleanouts are much quicker as the machine very strong. It’s got heaps of power and moves around the yard quickly and easily.”
“Visibility is good and I can see the corners of the bucket very clearly. Oh, and I’m much more comfortable in the air-conditioned cab than in the old loader.
“What I really like about Liugong though, is that they are very keen to keep us happy and improve the machine. We made some suggestions about a few things, and they’ve fixed all of them on the new models.
“We were worried about the cost and availability of spare parts but since then, we have found things like filters and replacement panels are about one third of what we expected. And all of the parts are here within a couple of days – at the most.” Gillogly explained.
The CLG 842 II is a mid sized loader weighing in at 13,850 kg and a bucket capacity of 2.3 m3. An impressive 2900mm dump height and 1034mm dump reach is available to the operator, with a bucket breakout force of 12,000kgf
Power is supplied to the current model by a U.S. sourced Cummins QSB5.9 – 175 rated at 129kw. As with all Liugong loaders, ZF transmissions and axles, complete the recognised and reliable drive train.
“We’re very happy with the tractor. We’re already looking at our next piece of machinery and I can see it being a Liugong.
“If only they could do something about the weather?” Said Gillogly.
Further information: Tractors Machinery & Turf. Ph 1800 685 525.
Source: Earthmovers and Excavators
