While improving work capacity and efficiency is a real benefit of Merlo’s Roto 50.26, for one Queensland-based arbor outfit, there was an even bigger consideration: safety.
Advance Tree Works is a sizable arbor company. With 12 full-time staff and plenty to keep them busy, owner Owen Hardy gave a wry grin and offered, “We’re goin’ alright.”
Asked what made up the staple of Advance Tree Work’s typical working week, Owen took a moment to sort his ideas and offered, “First of all, we’re a certified indigenous company.
“We do consultancy work – I’m a level 5 arborist and have been for six or seven years, and Advance Tree Works does everything from government, real estate, private, tree removals, tree pruning, tree assessments…basically anything and everything associated with trees.
“We also do land clearing and work for mobs like RoadTek and Queensland Rail.
The plan
Advance Tree Works already has a fair range of machinery, including three EWPs and a few sizable chippers (and has plans to “go bigger”), an excavator and a few loaders, and about halfway through 2024 Owen added a Merlo 50.26 rotating telehandler.
“We haven’t had it long,” explained the Queenslander, “but we’ve had a bit of a play with it, and it’s definitely a game changer.
“At the moment all we’re running is the GMT050 grapple saw.
“It’s taken us a little while to get our heads around it, and it’s definitely different to some of the other gear we use. But the more we play with it, the better we’re getting.
“We’re really hoping in the future it’ll be doing side-of-road works for RoadTek, and the rail work. That’s where it’s going to excel.”
Financial sense
Committing to equipment like the Merlo Roto 50.26 and a grapple saw is often the result of a contract or specific series of jobs, but not in this case. Owen’s motivation for the investment was far more simple and basic.
“I’m just trying to take men away from the tree,” he said with obvious sincerity.
“We run EWPs and climbers, and there’s always going to be a need for those, but when we can, we just want to try and limit having men in and around the trees, just for safety.”
Naturally a good business outcome was also part of the motivation, as Owen related.
“We see the Merlo as being versatile,” he said. “In quite a few jobs we’ve done in the past we could see where the Merlo would’ve saved us a hell of a lot of time. We wouldn’t have had to put as many men on the job, and generally, it just would have been a hell of a lot safer.”
The Merlo’s versatility is obviously a big attraction for a business like Advance Tree Works.
“I did buy a big bucket and some forks for it, but I’d probably have been better off buying the platform instead,” mused Owen. “But we will look at that down the track.”
The final word
While Owen is still firming up consistent work for the Roto 50.26 and grapple saw, it’s gaining lots of industry interest and Owen is confident it’ll prove its worth.
“Where I think it’s really going to specialise is in storm seasons, clearing storm damage,” he prophesied with the benefit of experience.
And Owen’s horizon’s aren’t limited to Queenland’s Fraser Coast. If there’s a need for his company’s services, he’ll hit the road and go where he can do the most good.
“We travel,” he smiled. “We’ve been all over the place. We’ve been to Sydney, and recently we’ve been on the Gold Coast for a month.
“If we’d had the Merlo on the Gold Coast we’d have made a lot more money, we’d have been able to get a lot more volume done, and it would’ve been a hell of a lot safer.”
To learn more of the Merlo 50.26, log on to merlo.com/aus/en/.