Takeuchi proves a ripper

Contractor Aaron Willis of Crookwell (NSW) specialises in construction of farm sheds, dams, access roads, landscape and construction sites in the Crookwell area and surrounding districts.

The areas he works in often have hard, highly compact clay soils that often prove a challenge to dig and level.

Recently, he invested in a new Takeuchi TL 10 compact track loader and added the option of a rear-mounted ripper, which he believes will provide a solution to the hard soil problem.

The heavy-duty ripper serves to break the hard surface of the soil so the bucket can do its work of levelling or removing material. Rippers are also useful when it is impractical to have an excavator on the site.

"Having the right tools to deal with the variety of jobs we encounter is very important for us," Willis says.

"It also makes sense to use our track loader for as many tasks as possible and to select the attachments that will add the greatest efficiency to our business."

"With experience, you get to know exactly the right loader speed at which the ripper bar will operate with greatest effect on hard ground.

"It is a matter of knowing your machine and operating it within its capabilities to get the most productivity out of the attachment."

He adds the ripper can be easily folded out of the way when he's done with it to work with the bucket as per normal.

"It is a lot easier than using the old front-mounted rippers that had to be changed over from the bucket," Willis adds.

The Takeuchi brand of earthmoving equipment is distributed in Australia by Semco Equipment. For more information on the compact loader range, visit www.semcogroup.com.au.