Earthmoving and civil construction company, Sedl Contractors, has taken delivery of a new Kenworth T610 SAR tipper and quad-dog combination sold through Brown and Hurley Toowoomba.
The company was established by Max and Patricia Sedl in 1952 as a local plumbing and drainage company. As the years went by the firm progressed into earthmoving, heavy haulage and asphalt works in the Toowoomba and Darling Downs regions.
Max and Patricia’s son Michael joined the business in the late 1970s after completing an apprenticeship as a diesel mechanic. He then gained his Heavy Combination licence and spent a number of years driving stock trucks in the locality.
Today, Michael Sedl is the hands-on Managing Director of Sedl Contractors, which currently employs more than 70 people.
Of the 20 trucks in the fleet, the majority are Kenworths and, according to Sedl, the quality and durability of the product and the outstanding customer service he receives from Brown and Hurley keep him coming back for more.
“I can’t fault the service Brown and Hurley gives me – the people who work there are pleasant to talk to and deal with,” said Sedl.
“They have a good network of dealerships that work together for their customers and this makes life easier for me.”
As an agent for Kenworth trucks and Hercules trailers and bodies, Brown and Hurley managed the whole process of supplying the truck and trailer for Sedl Contractors.
“Richard Lilburne, Truck Sales Representative at the Toowoomba branch and John Cole who takes care of the Hercules trailer and body sales at the Caboolture branch worked together to supply exactly what I needed – they were excellent,” he said.
“Every step of the process went smoothly.”
Sedl said his preference for Kenworth trucks comes down to value for money over the life of the vehicle.
“They’re a bit like Caterpillar earthmoving machinery – they hold their value well and everyone wants them,” he said. “It costs a bit more to set them up but overall the return on investment is better.”
Speaking about the benefits of the T610 SAR over his earlier Kenworths, Sedl said great visibility and styling and the bigger, well-appointed cab are worthwhile improvements.
“I’m a Caterpillar man so it took me a long time to be convinced to buy a Cummins, but it’s doing the job just fine,” he said.
The new T610 SAR sports a Cummins X15 engine producing 550hp and 1,850lbft of torque, mated to an 18-speed manual RoadRanger transmission.
It is fitted with a Hercules aluminium body and hitched to a Hercules-built quad dog with the combination approved under Performance-Based Standards (PBS) to carry a 38.5-tonne payload with a Gross Combination Mass of 57.5 tonnes.
“This is our first PBS tipper and quad dog and we are really impressed with the payload capacity of the combination,” said Sedl – adding that having the new high payload capacity combination has opened doors for more contract work with several local concrete suppliers.
The Hercules trailer is fitted with a QuickSilver body liner which Sedl said is another first in the fleet.
“It’s a requirement of the companies we contract to and it really makes a big difference because the load tips out quicker without raising the body as high,” he said.
The Australian-made factor, according to Sedl, is another positive for the Kenworth brand.
“I have been fortunate to tour the factory in Bayswater and was very impressed,” he said.
“At the end of the day it keeps a lot of people in this country employed.”