CASE 1150K dozer available from Case Construction Equipment
Brian Bradford - CASE 1150K dozer
Dozer contractor, Brian Bradford, has put Case Construction Equipment’s new CASE 1150K dozer to work in Australia.
Brian Bradford has operated his business, BJ and RE Bradford Contracting, specialising in land clearing work near Gilgandra, in central western New South Wales, since 1963.
“Basically it’s a one man show and our job is to clear land for farmers and landholders,” Brian Bradford explained.
“We also specialise in soil conservation and survey work which means that we take an environmental focus when it comes to land clearing work, and in fact, I’ve actually named my business using the four letters – C. A. S. E. It took me a while to come up with it, but our soil conservation business is called Correcting All Soil Erosion.”
“Prior to choosing the 1150K, Brian had been operating CASE’s previous models, the 1150G and the 1150H. “We’ve owned about 15 dozers over the years and this is our third CASE dozer and I have to say, it’s the best so far,” Brian Bradford said.
Initially, Brian Bradford was sceptical of the 1150K as he had never previously operated a hydrostatic dozer with joystick controls.
“I’ve been using a conventional dozer for 40 years, and like a lot of people I don’t like change. So it was difficult for me at first to get used to the different controls,” Brian Bradford said.
“But now that I’m comfortable, I’d never go back to an ordinary power shift. It’s so easy to operate. I have problems with my feet and because it’s a hand controlled machine, with no need for foot braking, it’s so much easier to use, which also means less operator fatigue.”
The new low effort electronic blade is also a highlight. ”The 6-way blade means I can use the machine for anything from road forming to grader work so essentially, I have two machines in one.”
Fuel consumption on the 1150K is also impressive. “So far I’ve been using 14 to 18 litres an hour which is way down on my old machine. With the cost of fuel today, this is a big saving for our business.”
Visibility from the cabin is good with its ergonomically designed operator platform and a narrow modular dashboard.
“It’s really easy to see the work site which makes long days on a site a lot easier and also leads to increased productivity.” The cab is also isolation mounted to cushion against noise and vibration.
To add to the versatility of the 1150K, a variety of attachments are available for a wide range of applications.
22-Aug-2008