Australian debut for Terex TL310 wheel loader

The first Terex TL310 loader to be sold in Australia has been purchased by Northern Quarries, a division of Conundrum Holdings. Situated 17km north of Melbourne, Northern Quarries supply the greater Melbourne metropolitan region with products used in many landmark projects and for major highway construction.

Conundrum Holdings operate several sites in metropolitan and regional Victoria. Their quarries are involved in extraction and processing to produce Class 1, 2 and 3 crushed rock for road construction, as well as commercial-grade crushed rock for road and building sub-base.

‘We needed to upsize our tool-carrying capability, as our small tool carrier wasn’t large enough to act as a back-up loader when needed,’ said Wayne Deken, quarry manager - extractive (Northern Quarries). ‘The TL310 is a larger machine and capable of loading trucks a lot quicker for those times when the other loader is being serviced or out of action. We were satisfied with the performance and support of our other Terex equipment, so we felt confident in being the first to take delivery of the TL310.

‘Our TL310 is primarily used for tool carrying, including a forklift, jib and numerous other jobs around the quarry that always keep this type of machinery fully deployed. We were attracted by the machine’s value proposition, which included its high lifting height capacity for its size and weight, which meant we didn’t have to outlay the additional cost for a larger loader.’

Safety and operator comfort were also important considerations. The TL310 has hydrostatic drive operated by simple controls. A joystick sits on the right-hand side on the arm pad, so selection of forward and reverse simply involves flicking a switch left and right. This means the operator always has one hand on the joystick and another hand on the steering wheel.

‘We are receiving positive feedback from our operators about its ease of operation, positive handling and its cabin, which is very quiet and comfortable,’ said Mr Deken. ‘We have also found that fuel consumption is very efficient and the machine’s stability is very good, as the hydrostatic drive has positioned the engine towards the back. This counterweight effect results in good side stability and allows all wheels to remain in positive ground traction, even with a full bucket load.’