Former Australian Forest Contractors Association (AFCA) chair and director Ian Reid is supporting new John Deere construction and forestry equipment dealer, RDO Equipment, which he says should be congratulated for its investment in the market and AUSTimber 2020. Source: Timberbiz
RDO Equipment is the new John Deere Construction and Forestry dealer for all states apart from Western Australia, and Mr Reid is keen to tap into the resources that RDO Equipment has brought to Australia across its sales, service and parts teams.
“RDO has the full global support of the John Deere brand, which I really like because you know they have experience and knowledge of the machinery. They are John Deere through and through and have a great track record with their equipment and their company culture, which is a good fit with our business,” Mr Reid said.
Mr Reid is managing director of AusTimber Harvesting and Haulage. He has also been instrumental in organising the AUSTimber expo over the past 10 years and bringing it to Gippsland in 2016.
AUSTimber is the largest forestry show in Australia, it returns to Victoria next year and the event has a site visit planned for 24 October where event packs will be distributed for exhibitors.
“AUSTimber gives all our industry colleagues the chance to showcase their brand, products and innovative technology. I’m excited to be part of the event again in 2020, and also welcoming RDO Equipment to the show for the first time,” Mr Reid said.
“The investment and commitment that RDO is making to the forestry and construction industries is really impressive, and we’re looking forward to building a strong relationship with them for many years to come.”
AusTimber Harvesting and Haulage is based in Morwell, Gippsland in Victoria, and has been running since 2006. The business currently has 30 employees who work in harvesting the regions HVP pine and hardwood plantation resource.
“We’ve been using John Deere machinery since 2012. At the time, we were looking for fit for purpose machines that were reliable and technologically advanced, that would suit our business growth. Now seven years later, we’re still buying John Deere for the same reason,” Mr Reid said.
AusTimber currently has 14 John Deere forestry machines including 1270G wheeled harvesters and 1910E forwarders, as well as a 948G skidder working in their hardwood operations.
“John Deere machines have a combination of everything we need: they are productive, dependable, and at the forefront of technology, which is where we want to be as well.
“The newer machines that come with John Deere Intelligent Boom Control (IBC) in particular, deliver outstanding precision and accuracy. Our operators appreciate the advanced features that the John Deere machines provide,” he said.
IBC makes boom control more precise, faster and easier because the operator controls the boom tip directly instead of controlling independent boom joint movements. It also considerably reduces the number of tuning parameters needed and increases the durability of the boom structures and hydraulic cylinders.
IBC is also available on John Deere’s newer model harvesters, where the trajectory and functioning of the boom adjust automatically to the harvester’s work phases.
“We really like the John Deere computer and monitoring systems. Having easy access to data and understanding what our machines are doing helps us make informed business decisions,” Mr Reid said.
“RDO is a welcome addition to the market and we are excited to work with them as we continue our partnership with John Deere.”
