WHAREHINE GROUP A LOYAL KOMATSU CUSTOMER SINCE EARLY 1970s

North Auckland-based Wharehine Group, carries out a range of construction-related activities in the Auckland-Northland region. Long-term purchaser and operator of Komatsu equipment, notching up serious hours, has maintained reliability and perfomance.

Its current Komatsu fleet includes a GD655-3 grader purchased about 18 months ago, a 1997 PC350-6 with 25,000 hours, a D155A-1 dozer bought new in 1973 and now with around 40,000 hours, a number of HD285 rigid dump trucks, a Komatsu WF222A sheepsfoot compactor, a D21-6 dozer and two D41P-6 dozers with swamp tracks.

Wharehine Group works across a wide range of industry sectors associated with the civil construction industry in the North Auckland region.

Managing director Steve Dodd said that the company was a long-term buyer of Komatsu equipment due to its reliability, durability, operator acceptance and performance.

"We've been buying Komatsu for a long time, since at least the early 1970s; it's all going really well. And it's extremely good equipment from a reliability point of view," he said.

"We find the Komatsu NZ service team very good to deal with; while we do most of our own servicing, when we have to call on them to do something, they do it very well."

Wharehine's latest machine, its GD655-3 grader, is used for working on State Highway projects, as well as local roading, laying pavement materials.

"Our operator really likes it, it goes really well," Steve said.

"We bought this machine based on the performance of our GD625 grader, which we bought used some years ago from an Australian mining operation with about 10,000 hours on it.

"It went really well, very operator friendly, never gave us any problems, which is why we bought another Komatsu grader."

Steve has also been very impressed with the performance of the company's 37-year-old

D155A-1 dozer.

"We bought this machine new in 1973 it was one of the first three D155s in New Zealand and we've used it ever since," he said.

"Most of the time, it's towing a Komatsu-branded scoop for residential construction type projects, as well as doing a bit of blade and ripper work.

"At 40,000 hours it's on its third engine, but we'll still get a few more years out of it. The great thing about the machine is that the frame is very solid, so it's very rebuildable.

"The operator loves it, and it's still making money for us, so I'm happy with it," said Steve.