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Five Star Experience

Reliability and efficiency give the confidence to get the job done.

For S&B Tree Services having reliable and efficient equipment is key to being able to provide high-quality arboriculture services to New South Wales’ Northern Beaches region. The company has used Vermeer equipment for a number of years, so when they decided to purchase a new wood chipper, it was an easy decision to add another Vermeer product to its fleet.

S&B Tree Services has a team of fully-insured, skilled and experienced arborists that deliver a comprehensive range of tree management solutions. The company prides itself on offering honest opinions to its clients based on what is the best solution for them. As the company already had a Vermeer BC1800XL Wood Chipper and an SC30TX Stump Cutter in its fleet, Michael Saros, Director and Owner of S&B Tree Services, said it was an easy choice to add another Vermeer product to its fleet in 2019 – the BC2100XL Wood Chipper.

Mr Saros said the reliability of Vermeer’s products, and the efficiency of its workshop in helping to resolve any problems and come out to site were the main reasons the company purchased from Vermeer again.

“After years of experience in the industry, I have gotten to know all different machines and brands, and Vermeer is by far number one,” Mr Saros said.

“As we already have a BC1800XL Vermeer chipper and have loved it, I didn’t want to go with any other brand. We knew we wanted to go with the Vermeer BC2100XL all along.”

Designed for power and productivity The BC2100XL is one of the larger wood chippers available from Vermeer. It has been designed for high-volume waste timber processing, with the capacity to process timber up to 53.3cm (21 inches) in diameter. It also has a powerful 275hp (205kW) engine, giving it enough horsepower to meet job site needs.

Productivity and efficiency are further improved with the SmartCrush and SmartFeed features. The SmartCrush feature, along with the two horizontal feed rollers, produce a combined pulling force of 4,536kg, and the SmartFeed system monitors engine rpm and senses jams to automatically stop or reverse the rollers as needed.

Operator safety is also taken into account with the 153.7cm (60.5 inch) feed table providing extra distance, and the exclusive bottom feed stop bar system.

Confidence to Get the Job Done

Mr. Saros said every job S&B Tree Services completes is made easier using Vermeer products, which have allowed the company to take on jobs that it previously wasn’t able to.

“The equipment gives you the confidence you can get the job done in a timely fashion, safely and efficiently,” Mr Saros said.

Mr. Saros said his experience with Vermeer throughout the sales and the after-sales process has been great, and its continued support throughout the lifetime of the machines has contributed to the success of his business.

“I can’t fault Vermeer. Everything about the company, staff, and products are five stars,” Mr Saros said.

“All the staff are so helpful and if we ever need help at all, they are right there.”

For more information, visit www.vermeer.com.au

June 18, 2020 / by / in ,
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Going Places

Being an arborist has its challenges, one of the biggest being able to access areas hard to reach, with small and narrow entrances.

After the tree has gone, perhaps due to disease, safety or simply being in the wrong place – the stump remains and access with a grinder is required.

With many arborists offering stump grinding as a service, it’s essential to be able to tackle jobs that arise, that’s why Thor’s Trees purchased two Predator 360 stump grinders.

At under 660mm wide, Thor’s Trees can service with ease, especially houses that are shoulder to shoulder and have difficult access.

“It has a great swing for such a compact grinder, at 812mm or sixty degrees, it’s unmatched by any other stump grinder on the market.”

The Predator 360 boasts a cutting depth of 355mm and a weight of only 145kg, meaning this machine is going places. In addition, with its fold-over handle, lifting eyes and handles to the front and rear, you can transport it in practically any truck, ute or trailer.

Its central pivot turns a job that should be hard work into something that can be repeated over and over again without tiring the operator.

Lawrence Thor, Managing Director of Thor’s Trees said, “I chose Predator as they’re the best on the market, they have a great reputation and their customer service (through Hansa Products – the local distributor) is excellent.

Lawrence mentioned that the investment was a great choice with a quick ROI compared to hiring one.

“In terms of ROI we managed to pay off the Predator 360 stump grinder in three months thanks to the accessibility to many jobs it enables.

The manoeuvrable, well built, efficient, powerful machine with a US patented multi-tip cutting system as standard is approximately 30 percent more efficient than the same machine with finger teeth and local schools.

The Predator 360 is the smallest pedestrian grinder available through local distributors Hansa Products. With small handheld grinder attachments, pedestrian models, as well as larger remote-controlled models up to 65hp on offer, there is bound to be a Predator suitable for every stump that need grinding.

Hansa Products are the sole distributor of Predator Grinders in Australia and New Zealand.

For more information visit http://www.hansaproducts.com.au

October 2, 2019 / by / in , ,
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Winner Winner!

Thanks to our friends at Husqvarna, the Telescopic Pole Saw has been the hot prize of the year, and now one lucky subscriber of The Australian Arbor Age gets to take it home!

And the winner is…Gregory Sawyer from Hornsby, NSW. Gregory was very surprised and happy when we contacted him with the news of his win. He is looking forward to working with his new Husqvarna Telescopic Pole Saw.

Gregory had an interesting story to share with us: “I was in the Army for 12 years and wanted another physically challenging job where I would be working outside and I thought arboriculture work would suit me well. I am currently doing my Certificate 3 with TAFE NSW Ryde.

I’m currently working for my friend at Sherwood Tree Services. Our work take us across to the Blue Mountains up to Hunter Valley and across Sydney. We also do a lot of tree work on Berowra Waters on the Hawkesbury River. Tree work on the river is always fun but can be quite challenging with incredibly steep drags and access by boat only. The daily view never gets old though

I’ve found The Australian Arbor Age magazine to be a terrific resource for

information. Working in a very small company my exposure to the industry is quite limited. It helps me stay current and relevant to what is happening elsewhere.

A huge thanks as I was lucky enough to have been drawn to win the Husqvarna prize for subscribing.”

The Husqvarna Telescopic Pole Saw has all the features that will help Gregory manage the trickiest of tasks.

It offers maximum performance and durability with low weight, excellent ergonomics and quiet operation for use in any location at any time of day. With its 5m telescopic reach, its performance surpasses petrol equivalents.

We’ll keep in touch with Gregory to hear how he’s put his new Telescopic Pole Saw through its paces.

Thanks to the team at Husqvarna for their long-term support and we wish all our subscribers good luck for our next draw.

See details of the brand new 2019-2020 prize offering on page 80-81.

For more information regarding subscriptions, turn to page 81, call (02) 9452 4517 or subscribe online in a few clicks at www.arborage.com.au

September 10, 2019 / by / in , , ,
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Hansa Meeting Expectations

Hansa and Treescape are two companies that share similar humble beginnings. First crossing paths in 1987, and now again in 2019, today one of the Treescape team talks about their latest chipper purchase and shares their experience.

As a new generation of Green Asset Management specialists, Treescape is a company that now prides itself as one of Australasia’s largest arboriculture service providers. Recognised in the industry as a diverse and fast-growing business, they currently operate in multiple locations throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Started in 1981 by founders Ed Chignell and Brandon Whiddett, Treescape originally started their operations with little more than a VW Beetle, a couple of chainsaws and a solid work ethic. Today, their range of services has grown significantly, expanded and diversified. With Australian operations started in 2006, Treescape now employs over 600 staff across Australasia.

Aside from a large and diverse fleet of chippers, Treescape’s fleet also features: tub grinders, MEWP units, tip trucks, stump grinders, treespades, excavators, spider aerial work platforms and tractor mulchers. With a chipper collection ranging from mobile 35hp 6″ units through to a 750hp tracked 23″ whole tree chipper. Treescape knows the importance of using the right tool for the job. The smaller towable chippers are ideal for use by residential crews, while the largest capacity machines are reserved for forestry sites and larger projects where access is not an issue.

Speaking of their latest purchase – a Hansa 10” tracked chipper – Nelson based Business Manager Lian Polack shares his experience.

“We chose the Hansa C60RX tracked chipper for the flexibility on our work sites. Being able to track into difficult access sites but also being able to chip whilst still on the trailer into our tip truck makes it very versatile. One of the main differences between the C60RX and other tracked chippers is the ability to use the chipper on or off the bespoke trailer.”

The chipper that Lian’s team purchased is the C60RX model with optional winch and lift-and crush. As a fully proportional remote-controlled chipper, the operator can maintain a safe distance during operation. Whilst it is rated as a 10” chipper, the C60RX features a wide infeed opening of 254 x 457mm (10”x18”), excellent for processing foliage, brushy and forked branches. Treescape also purchased the T20 trailer to go with their Hansa – a bespoke trailer designed not only for maintaining the C60RX chipper at an ergonomic working height while mounted, but also for quick loading and unloading via the built-in ramps and strapping system.

Technical and service support were also mentioned as one of Lian’s considerations – with Hansa’s Headquarters in Hamilton, New Zealand (and their Australian facilities in Brisbane) the Hansa team are better equipped to respond promptly. Spare and replacement parts can be shipped quickly unlike machines from off-shore.

“Our local contact at Hansa was Steve Childs who has been very easy to deal with. The Hansa team were open to our conversations around modifications, and most of what we wanted Hansa were developing or already had available. Steve worked with me to bring the C60 to an awkward worksite, and after induction and demonstration, we let the crew use the chipper for a morning.”

“Our crews’ feedback was that the chipper was easy to use. They enjoyed the versatility of being able to reduce winching/dragging time on site and the feed tray was a good height/width. Most importantly, they felt that the C60 was a lot gruntier than they expected,” added Lian.

Speaking with Hansa, the team are happy to see their chipper working for Treescape. Managing Director, Martin Vogel says: “Our first sale to Treescape was actually three decades ago back in 1987. They were one of our first customers for the commercial CII chippers, and they purchased two from my father at the time. It’s really fantastic to see how their company and team has grown since then.”

The CII chippers were a towable 27HP diesel drum chipper with 4”-5” maximum capacity – and one of the very few chippers available at the time.

“It’s a real testament to my father’s work, as we have come across other customers who have been using the original CI and CII series chippers for almost three decades. However, our chippers have really come a long way.”

Speaking about Hansa’s changes over the years, Martin adds, “Expectations change. What were once bells-and-whistles are now expected as a standard. We specialise in chippers, so listening to our customers and working closely with arborists to innovate is core to what we do. The advancements we developed over the years such as capacity, safety, efficiency, modularity and features really make our modern chippers an entirely different beast.”

For more information on the Hansa range visit www.hansachippers.com.au

July 29, 2019 / by / in , ,
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Work Strong With Allclass

From excavators to stump grinders and chippers, Allclass has been Queensland’s number one mini-excavator dealer for more than 20 years.

All class has a superb reputation in the market place and customers keep coming back to them because of their outstanding service and high-quality products.

All class have grown dramatically since they were first established in 1992 and the company employs sales representatives like Dan Dwyer who spends his days traveling around Queensland giving hands-on product demonstrations to customers.

“Getting up close and personal with our machinery really allows customers to get a feel for the products especially our Morbark Chippers and Toro mini loaders. The Morbark chippers chip strong, grind strong and work strong, and the Toro loaders are lightweight and incredibly manoeuvrable.”

Troy from Stump Grind It agrees.

Troy, originally a school teacher, used to spend the holidays helping his parents with their tree lopping business by taking care of the stump grinding. His father has an outdated grinder and the business avoided stump grinding at all costs.

“We thought the money was in the trees, not the stump removal and I saw a unique opportunity to expand into this area. We started doing jobs for neighbours, friends and family, then eventually I decided it would be worthwhile doing this full time and I moved out of teaching.”

Troy grimly remembered his dad’s old equipment and was determined to find the right equipment to help him get the job done. He tested a range of options over a long period of time and, through word of mouth and Google, he came upon Allclass and the company’s range of exceptional products.

Troy needed a machine that could grind and with Dan’s help he decided that the Toro was the one for him as the price was reasonable, it was track mounted and narrow enough to fit in residential gardens yet still incredibly powerful. He wasn’t sold so easily though and Troy admitted he must’ve been a demanding customer as Dan had to visit him on-site multiple times so Troy could test the Toro STX38.

“Dan was incredibly patient, and it was all worth it in the end as this machine is a real beauty. It’s versatile, reliable and has a reputation as being one of the hardest working machines in the Australian market.”

Troy regularly has his machine serviced every 50 hours with the Allclasss remote service team visiting him at his home before he heads out for the day.

 

Dan also sells Morbark chippers and owner and Managing Director of Brisbane Stump Grinding & Tree Lopping, Ron said that as his business expanded from a one-man band to a successful company, he needed to upgrade some equipment and he is now the proud owner of a new Morbark M15RX.

“My business undertakes all Arboricultural requirements for a range of government departments and local councils and All Class has been of great assistance.

“They provide excellent communication and after-sales service with prompt call back on any issue, especially from Dan.

This service has been very refreshing, and I traded two Morbark machines to upgrade to this model, and the outcome has been fantastic.

“Any servicing and parts requirements are all done by Allclass. I have not had a breakdown with this machine and Allclass are a pleasure to do business with,” Ron said.

Allclass has more than 300 years of combined staff experience in sales, parts, and service and Dan can be reached for a chat, a visitor to help you test drive a new piece of machinery. Call them on 1300 255 252.

June 12, 2019 / by / in ,
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Small Things That Count

Whether they’re making short work of trimmings or entire trees, wood chippers are powerful tools. More so if we are talking about Hansa’s model C60 and C60RX.

It’s no surprise that arborists today are turning to Hansa’s C60 model chippers. With the growth in modern day cities, it is getting harder to access urban areas, so there is a need for powerful yet lightweight machines to get the job done.

And that’s the beauty of the Hansa models. Their power-to-weight ratio, along with a range of optional features offers huge benefits for the serious arborist.

The original C60 weighs in at 1490kg making this 65hp, 10” capacity chipper one of the lightest brush chippers of its size on the market. With an 18” wide opening, it is versatile to cover most jobs while ensuring that the machine can get into more areas that aren’t designed to accept industrial sized machines.

Chris Corfe, the owner of Marc Doyle Treework, owns a C60 Hansa chipper to help his team of qualified arborists safely and efficiently carry out jobs.

“I’ve used Hansa for the past ten years and, in my opinion, they are the best-built chippers on the market,” said Chris.

“The quality of the machines makes them built to last, and the Hansa team are always evolving the chippers to make jobs easier for arborists.

“The C60 is very aggressive (in a good way), a lot of people prefer a drum designed chipper but I think the C60 chips just as well, actually even better.

“One of my favourite features is the modular design which gives us the ability to customize our machine to suit our requirements from new or adapt it to suit our requirements down the track. I purchased a C60 with lift-and-crush and may look to add the hydraulic winch in the future when I need it. It’s a simple bolt-on assembly with the machine designed for it already,” Chris added.

 

Hansa offer many optional features for their chippers with one of the most popular being the hydraulic winch. With up to 1.8t of pulling power and 40m of rope, the winch speeds up the physical working process meaning you can wave goodbye to dragging heavy branches, especially those on sloped terrain. Fatigue is reduced enabling a safer work place for all staff members.

Chris continues: “The Hansa chippers surprise me every time, they always over deliver – never struggling to chip the bigger branches and foliage. Having the lift-and-crush has made life easier for me and my staff members.”

The optional hydraulic lift-and-crush is a great addition to force heavy foliage into the chute at a faster pace as well as quickly clearing feed from any obstructions caused by over-sized materials. The lift-and-crush effectively triples the bite force and can be controlled from either side of the chipper. Also available as a tracked chipper, the C60RX has the same capacity and options of the C60, with the added versatility of tracks. Weighing in at 1920kg, the remote-controlled unit allows the operator to navigate the 65hp machine over rough terrain or soft ground from a safe distance. You simply control the feed-rate with the control bar and the rest is automatic.

With a custom in-house designed trailer on offer for the C60RX, it keeps the chipper at comfortable working height, making it versatile for efficient use in either configuration, hitched on the trailer or on tracks.

Hansa like to keep their clients branding look on point – hence why they offer customisations of colour and logos to their chippers so clients can make it their own.

It can also be the small things that count – with convenience options available like cone and rake holders, a toolbox and spare wheel holders.

“The service from Hansa is always fast, the team always listen to their customer, hence why they’re constantly evolving to suit arborists needs,” Chris concluded.

All Hansa’s machines are designed in-house, developed over time from first-hand experience in the field. Hansa offers a superior product to remain competitive and stand apart from imported models in product quality, efficiency and solid build. If you stick with Hansa and treat their chippers with the respect and care it deserves, it’ll give you great service for many years to come – Hansa aims to keep customers for a lifetime with dependable chippers they love to use.

Hansa offers the option of a custom in-house designed trailer with its C60RX model.

Call Hansa’s range of chippers contact John Lyon on 1800 426 722

john@hansaproducts.com.au

For more information visit www.hansachippers.com.au

May 17, 2019 / by / in
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Work Strong With Allclass

From excavators to stump grinders and chippers, All class has been Queensland’s number one mini-excavator dealer for more than 20 years.

Allclass has a superb reputation in the market place and customers keep coming back to them because of their outstanding service and high-quality products.

Allclass have grown dramatically since they were first established in 1992 and the company employs sales representatives like Dan Dwyer who spends his days travelling around Queensland giving hands-on product demonstrations to customers.

“Getting up close and personal with our machinery really allows customers to get a feel for the products especially our Morbark Chippers and Toro mini loaders. The Morbark chippers chip strong, grind strong and work strong, and the Toro loaders are lightweight and incredibly manoeuvrable.”

Troy from Stump Grind It agrees.

Troy, originally a school teacher, used to spend the holidays helping his parents with their tree lopping business by taking care of the stump grinding. His father has an outdated grinder and the business avoided stump grinding at all costs.

 

“We thought the money was in the trees, not the stump removal and I saw a unique opportunity to expand into this area. We started doing jobs for neighbours, friends and family, then eventually I decided it would be worthwhile doing this full time and I moved out of teaching.”

Troy grimly remembered his dad’s old equipment and was determined to find the right equipment to help him get the job done. He tested a range of options over a long period of time and, through word of mouth and Google, he came upon All class and the company’s range of exceptional products.

Troy needed a machine that could grind and with Dan’s help he decided that the Toro was the one for him as the price was reasonable, it was track mounted and narrow enough to fit in residential gardens yet still incredibly powerful. He wasn’t sold so easily though and Troy admitted he must’ve been a demanding customer as Dan had to visit him on-site multiple times so Troy could test the Toro STX38.

“Dan was incredibly patient, and it was all worth it in the end as this machine is a real beauty. It’s versatile, reliable and has a reputation as being one of the hardest working machines in the Australian market.”

Troy regularly has his machine serviced every 50 hours with the All classes remote service team visiting him at his home before he heads out for the day.

Dan also sells Morbark chippers and owner and Managing Director of Brisbane Stump Grinding & Tree Lopping, Ron said that as his business expanded from a one-man band to a successful company, he needed to upgrade some equipment and he is now the proud owner of a new Morbark M15RX.

“My business undertakes all Arboricultural requirements for a range of government departments and local councils and AllClass have been of great assistance.

“They provide excellent communication and after-sales service with prompt call back on any issue, especially from Dan.

This service has been very refreshing, and I traded two Morbark machines to upgrade to this model, and the outcome has been fantastic.

“Any servicing and parts requirements are all done by Allclass. I have not had a breakdown with this machine and Allclass are a pleasure to do business with,” Ron said.

Allclass has more than 300 years of combined staff experience in sales, parts, and service and Dan can be reached for a chat, a visit or to help you test drive a new piece of machinery. Call them at 1300 255 252.

May 12, 2019 / by / in
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