Dedicated to Cat

From humble beginnings in 2002, George and Bronwyn Terry has taken Cargill Contracting from a small household water delivery business, to a fully-fledged contracting company that has purchased four new Cat excavators and a Cat vibratory soil compactor this year. By Saskia Shelton.

AFTER STARTING CARGILL CONTRACTING with just a single excavator, tip truck and water tank, George and Bronwyn Terry now have a 21-strong machine fleet, some gravel pits and 10 trucks working in and around Dunedin. Cargill makes it its business to be there when needed, whether it be tidying up farm tracks, creating dams, doing work on rural subdivisions or road maintenance.

“We live in a rural lifestyle area, so we do farm work, lifestyle block work, rural subdivisions, house sites and road maintenance for the Dunedin City Council – we do a bit of everything,” says George.  Cargill Contracting has added a range of new Cat compact construction equipment from Gough Cat, including a Cat 312DL excavator, 308E2CR, 303.5ECR and 301.7DCR mini excavators, and a CS56 vibratory soil compactor. These five Cat machines play a central role in the business maintaining its current levels of productivity.  Much of the work done by Cargill requires smaller machines that are nimble and can easily manoeuvre within confined areas and George has found that the Cat mini excavators from Gough Cat have been able to do the work required with ease. Ranging up to eight tonnes, the mini excavators are used for a variety of tasks.

George has both Cat D and E series machines and is happy with the improvements in technology he’s seen with the new Cat 308E2CR excavator.

“We are in the small excavator market, and currently have a Cat 308D and a Cat 308E. The new ‘E’ is a nice upgrade on the ‘D’ with noticeable improvements, so Caterpillar has definitely made serious advancements with the latest series.”

The Cat 308E2CR provides high performance with the versatility of a swing boom front linkage in a durable compact radius design that enables work in the tightest applications. New features include improved control and a flow sharing, high definition hydraulic system. Operating in economy mode, fuel use can be lowered by 20 percent.

The cab is fitted with an air ride, heated seat for the operator’s comfort, which is something the operators at Cargill are very pleased about. In fact, the comfort of the cab really stands out for them.  “They are pretty happy with it, they say it’s a bit like being at home –not too hot and not too cold,” says George.

Cargill Contracting has a total of 14 Cat machines in its fleet and

most of these are under the 12 tonne range, due to the nature of work carried out by the company.

One of Cargill’s biggest jobs to date is the Dunedin City Council road maintenance contract while subcontracting for Fulton Hogan. With the variety of modern Cat machines in its fleet it is able to effectively and efficiently perform the various maintenance tasks with ease and with as minimal a disruption to traffic as possible.  “We try very hard to do the right thing for the right price,” says George, who lives by the motto, “He who pays, says.” Having a customer-centred outlook is what makes Cargill Contracting successful. Putting the customer first and being there to assist is a key factor in this success, says George.  “The thing that will set you apart from your competitors is the back-up service and the relationship you have with your customers.” George has been very happy with the Cat machines in his fleet, but it’s the service that sets Cat apart, he says.

“It’s the service and back up that I’ve found with Goughs, and Cat has a really good name and that’s why I don’t see a lot of point in changing product.”