Council Fleet Investment Benefits Road Infrastructure and More
Published on 02 August 2024
New machinery in Council’s maintenance fleet will allow road works to be completed faster and more cost-efficiently.
The new purchases include a Kubota tractor, a Noremat long-arm mower and a compact Komatsu excavator, delivered to the Council depot in late June.
The tractor and longreach mower have already been deployed for roadside clearing. They replace older machines that Council has used for 13 years, clocking up 4,500 work hours. The new mower’s longer arm allows the operator to cover difficult areas with fewer time-consuming movements of the tractor.
The excavator is the first of its kind for Council, and will allow works on drainage and other civil projects to be done faster and more efficiently in places inaccessible to a backhoe. One such project to replace sections of stormwater drainage located behind houses will soon see the excavator deployed to Alpine Ridge Drive.
The excavator can also assist with clearing fallen trees and manual handling with its log-grab attachment. As an additional piece of equipment, it allows works to be done without recalling one of Council’s 2 backhoes from jobs in outlying areas in the Shire.
Mayor Cr Steve Rabie said the purchase reflects Council’s focus on infrastructure.
“The new plant equipment is an investment in Council’s capacity to improve roads and drainage and maintain open spaces to the standard our community expects,” he said.
“It also gives us value for money in the long term. Ageing equipment takes more and more money to maintain as it gets older, on top of being less efficient out on the job.
“We know every dollar counts when it comes to ratepayers’ money. The purchase was a carefully considered decision to give our community better bang for their buck.
“We haven’t wasted any time getting this equipment out to work on the roads, and we look forward to getting a lot out of it over its lifetime,” Cr Rabie said.
The 3 machines were purchased for a total cost of just under $375,000.