“We Wished We'd Bought One Sooner” - Bush & Beach Tree Service Testimonial - Avant Equipment

Ten years ago, Bush & Beach Tree Services bought its first Avant loader. Today the business is running its fifth, and owner Luke Maher has just one regret: “After buying our first Avant loader, we wished we’d bought one sooner.”

Luke has been operating across the Sunshine Coast and Gympie region for 15 years. A decade ago, he kept hearing that compact loaders were making life easier for tree contractors and their crews. “So we bit the bullet and invested in one,” he says. “Since then, productivity has improved and we’ve just gone forward from there.”

A dozen attachments, one machine

Luke’s favourite thing about the Avant is its range of attachments. Bush & Beach now owns about a dozen, and each one earns its place.

For tree work, the rotating grapple is the standout. “We find it really efficient,” Luke says. “We can manoeuvre it easily and pick up even the finer little sticks.” The log grab crunches up large amounts of material and stacks it into burn piles or moves it out of the way, while a set of different-sized augers covers jobs that need holes dug.

The loaders also work hard on Luke’s farm. The mulcher handles light mowing and keeps fire breaks and tracks clear, pallet forks move material around the property, and buckets take care of small earthmoving jobs. “Being able to bring a variety of attachments along to each job certainly helps out,” he says.

Bringing the tree to the chipper

The biggest change has been how jobs are set up. Ten years ago, the crew spent their time trying to get the truck and chipper as close to the tree as possible. Now they park the truck and chipper wherever suits them best, and the Avant does the carrying.

“We bring the tree to the chipper,” Luke says. “It just makes it a lot easier on most job sites.”

More jobs every day, less heavy lifting

For Luke, the biggest improvement is efficiency. “It’s been an absolute game changer,” he says. “We’re able to complete more work per day, so the profit margins go up as well.”

That extra capacity is where the business makes its money. The crew can fit a few extra jobs into every day, and because the machine takes on the manual handling and heavy lifting, they turn up the next morning ready to go again. “They’re not exhausted,” Luke says. “The machine does all the hard work these days.”

Avant’s ongoing development has helped too. “They’re always improving,” Luke says, “which has helped us improve our business as well.”

Bringing new people into the industry

Like many tree businesses, Bush & Beach is finding it harder to attract young workers who want to do heavy physical labour all day. The Avant has helped change that.

“It’s a lot easier to get a young fella who’s willing to push buttons and sit in a machine,” Luke says. “They can operate them all day, get off and not complain at the end of the day.” His newer crew members enjoy running the loaders, and he says they’re easy to learn.

“The sky’s the limit”

Luke has recommended Avant loaders from day one, and several people who came to see his machines have gone on to buy their own. Asked whether he had any concerns before buying, he says not really. “Once you learn the machine’s capabilities, the sky’s the limit.”

Want to see what an Avant could do for your business? Call 1800 686 411, email sales@avantequipment.com or visit avantequipment.com.au.