After being left hugely impressed with the on-farm capabilities of an excavator, a Victorian farmer is advocating for greater use of these machines on rural properties
While excavators are more commonly seen on construction sites, their potential to be used in farming and agricultural applications is largely untapped.
Given their attachment capabilities, there are endless possibilities for these machines to be used on-farm, and it’s for this reason that Victorian farmer Freddie Haintz has decided to invest in one.
Based in Ballarat, Haintz procured a nine-tonne excavator for general on-farm maintenance, including tidying up dams, cleaning trees, and building fence lines.
It’s safe to say he’s been thrilled with the results.
“I’ve been absolutely over the moon with the machine. It’s amazing what you can do with a little excavator,” he says.
“There are not many farmers that wouldn’t benefit from an excavator.”
With a large variety of attachments available for excavators – from hydraulic grabs and tilting buckets that rotate 360 degrees, to saws for tree trimming and augers for digging post holes – Haintz says it’s incredible what can be achieved with the one machine.
“Looking back 30 years ago, the only thing that came with an excavator was a bucket, and you couldn’t do a whole lot with a bucket that just digs in a straight line,” he says.
“But now, with all these different attachments, these machines are amazing for all types of maintenance jobs and things like levelling.”
Thanks to a hydraulic quick hitch, Haintz has been able to quickly swap out his attachments to suit the desired task at hand, including lifting trees with a hydraulic grab.
“The more attachments that come with the machine, the more you can actually do with it,” he says.
Digging delight
In the past, Haintz has relied on front-end loaders to try and do jobs that pushed the machines to their limits, one of which was building fence lines.
This task has become much easier for Haintz since acquiring the excavator, so much so that he wonders why he ever tried to do it without it.
“I’ve been using front-end loaders for years in jobs that they aren’t suited to,” he says.
“I’ve struggled to do levelling with the loader, but the excavator does it with ease.”
A current issue on Haintz’s Ballarat-based property is an overabundance of rabbits, however his excavator has proved to be the perfect solution – digging out their burrows and eradicating them.
“The excavator has been doing an absolute splendid job of digging the burrows in a difficult area to reach,” he says.
While excavators can be a great on-farm machine, Haintz stresses that a farmer shouldn’t have to choose this type of machine over a front-end loader for example, as he believes both have a place in a farmer’s machinery fleet.
“Like all farmers, I try and do more with the front-end loaders than what they’re meant for,” Haintz says.
“This is where excavators can help to do some of these jobs.”
The front-end loaders on his property are used daily for a variety of tasks, such as loading and unloading hay bales, as well as loading lime into spreaders.
Since they have wheels instead of his excavator’s tracks, Haintz says they are a more attractive option for when he needs to drive around the farm or down the road.
Although the excavator is harder to transport, he adds that the introduction of wheeled options could be a game changer.
“I’m starting to see wheeled excavators on the market, and this is a great idea for moving it from place to place,” Haintz says.
“As far as just tidying up around the farm, the excavator I’ve got now is exactly what I’ve wanted.”
So why aren’t more farmers investing in these types of machines? Haintz believes it’s largely due to the price point of new excavators from leading brands.
It’s why he says thorough research is a must, as farmers can find hidden gems in the form of cost-effective brands. This was the case for Haintz, having found a quality and reliable new excavator for a similar price to what he would be paying for a second-hand machine.
Finding the right sized excavator for your requirements is also an important consideration, with Haintz saying that farmers generally won’t need anything in the larger 20 to 30-tonne size class.
“In my opinion, my nine-tonne machine is the perfect size for any farmer. It’s small enough to get into the tight places I want to get, but also big enough to do the jobs that I want it to do,” he says.
“Whether you just want to pull out some smaller trees, dig some trenches, or even grading off a fence line – there’s a limitless number of jobs that you can do with these excavators.
“Even if you want to rip a bit of concrete up out of a yard or something like that, you can use a ripper to do that.”
Reiterating that excavators will make a great addition to any farm machinery fleet, Haintz says farmers will find themselves using them more often than they would think.
“They’re a very handy tool, they can help dig out rocks from a paddock or move that stump that you’ve always wanted to move out the way,” he says.
“If you’ve got the right price for them, every farmer will go and buy one, because it’s what every farmer needs.”