Top 8 construction news, reviews and features for 2023

It has been a busy year for us here at constructionsales.com.au, as market conditions improved from previous years.

In the past year, stock shortage issues have eased, dealership yards have filled up and manufacturers are launching plenty of new products into the market to continue meeting the demands of the sector. As residential construction slows due to interest rate rises, it seems engineering construction is going the opposite way, with plenty of projects in the pipeline for years to come.

There is also a huge focus on electrification in the construction equipment industry at the moment, with brands like JCB, Wacker Neuson and Volvo Construction Equipment all introducing battery-powered equipment into the Australian market one after the other.

We got to check some of those out this year, with the hopes of discovering more in the New Year.

Here are some top content pieces that caught your attention this year.

8. JCB Pothole Pro arrives Down Under

With JCB’s specialised pothole fixing machine, the Pothole Pro, operators can fix potholes in just eight minutes, the company claims.

This machine is based on JCB’s Hydradig wheeled excavator platform and features three dedicated attachments to cut, crop and clean the pothole in record time.

Now, councils no longer have an excuse for potholes staying on roads longer than they should!

7. Top 10 most popular construction equipment models on constructionsales

Constructionsales.com.au is the leading marketplace when it comes to buying and selling construction machinery, but have you wondered which machines are the most sought after?

Well, we were curious and decided to dig into our in-house data to find some answers and came up with this list.

There is a good mix of machinery types and brands in there such as Kubota, Caterpillar, Bobcat, skid steer loaders, excavators etc.

While mini excavators dominate the list, there are also some larger than life machines in there such as Caterpillar’s D8T which garnered quite a number of views!

6. Bobcat T76 compact-track loader 2023 Review

The Bobcat name is synonymous with quality compact track loaders so when we heard that Bobcat has given its loader range its first big redesign in 60 years, we had to check it out.

We were invited by Clark Equipment to have a go in the T76 compact track loader and we finally understood why Bobcat is leading the way in this space.

Not only was the T76 smooth to drive and easy to operate, it really was quite powerful too.

5. Wacker Neuson SM100 mini loader 2023 Review

This was one of the most fun reviews we’ve done, and we’ve done a fair few appraisals!

The SM100 was officially released into the global market in 2021 and was Wacker Neuson’s first entry into the stand-on track loader market. We had the opportunity to check it out earlier this year courtesy of dealer, ACES Equipment.

The stand-on loader operates just like a skid steer except the operator is standing on a platform instead of sitting in a cab. In some ways that may ring alarm bells when it comes to safety, but the machine is in fact packed with safety features. As long as the operator drives with care, there really isn’t anything to worry about.

As we have driven skid steers before, operating the machine was a breeze. The speed of the loader threw us off a little bit at the start but once you get used to it it’s a very fun piece of equipment to operate.

This machine is ideal for light construction work and landscaping jobs, thanks to its compact size and maneuverability.

4. Avant 745 Arbour Pro mini loader 2023 Operator Review

Tasmanian arborist, John Douglass, scales trees for a living and runs a tree solutions company providing tree felling, bracing and trimming services.

Douglass was searching for a reliable machine to help pick up and move around larger trunks and branches and settled on the Avant 745 Arbour Pro articulated loader after much research.

It can be used with multiple different attachments such as log grapples and buckets, making it a very versatile piece of equipment.

According to Douglass, the loader has helped increase productivity threefold and made his team happier due to the significant reduction in manual handling they have to go through.

3. Eight construction theme parks around the world

Originally published a few years ago, this article was recently updated to include a couple of new theme parks which has opened in Australia and overseas, as demand for unique and educational attractions like these increase around the world.

As you may have guessed from the headline, this piece features a list of cool theme parks with a construction twist. They are not only plenty of fun for both adults and kids alike but they also give the young ones an idea of what it’s like to work as a machinery operator, and how important these people are to society.

One of the two new attractions added to the list this year is Dig IT in Queensland, which has been set up specifically for children. There are nine Cat excavators in the park and several zones with different activities for visitors to experience such as digging, knocking over towers with wrecking balls, hooking a croc and more.

Another one is the Dig'n Zone in Tennessee, USA, where both adults and children are welcome to have a go in a range of machinery including excavators, rollers, skid steers, forklifts and more.

The park is scheduled to open in January 2024.

2. Wacker Neuson EZ17e electric excavator 2023 Review

As the electrification movement intensifies within the construction sector, more and more manufacturers such as Wacker Neuson are introducing battery-powered solutions into the local market.

At the moment, the customers mainly going for these machines are councils who have a bit of money up their sleeves and a social responsibility to adhere to as these machines, while very environmentally friendly and great to operate, are quite expensive.

Wacker Neuson’s EZ17e was released into the local market earlier this year and we were blessed to be one of the first to get our hands on a unit to test.

The 1.7 tonne electric excavator works just like its diesel counterpart, except it produces almost no noise, vibrations, or engine emissions.

According to Wacker Neuson, a fully charged EZ17e can work off the lead for around seven hours doing conventional work such as digging. Charge time ranges between four and 15 hours, depending on the voltage of the power outlet.

A misconception that people might have with electric machinery is that they are less powerful than their diesel counterparts, which is not at all true, as we found out with the EZ17e.

1. Do I need a license to operate excavators and earthmovers?

This is our advice piece that keeps on giving, as we strive to update it often with any updates as they come through.

The short answer to the question is, no, one does not need an actual license to operate heavy machinery such as excavators and wheel loaders, with a few exceptions such as forklifts and people handling machinery such as scissor and boom lifts.

While there is no license needed to operate heavy equipment, a competency card is highly recommended for those looking at operating machinery for a living. A competency card is something one can obtain through RTOs (registered training organisations) following a set amount of hours of training.