Easy operation makes for an easy sell

Daniel Fisher of ULTRAQUIP HIRE in Blenheim has been hiring out the Master Grader to his customers. He chose the Master Grader for its easy operation and reliability and it hasn’t disappointed. We spoke to him to understand how the Master Grader is working to keep Marlborough’s roads open.

“I chose the Master Grader because it’s a great piece of equipment. They’re an exceptionally good quality machine. When I discussed getting a Grader with my customers they said they would prefer the Master Grader over anything else.

80% of our business is Civil Construction so we’re hiring equipment to the likes of Fulton Hogan, HEBS, Downer. They’re all roading contractors and they’re responsible for developing and maintaining the roads in the region.”

After the storms of July 2021, Marlborough Sounds suffered major damage to its roading infrastructure. The recovery process has been a long one that’s kept the Master Grader more than busy and has made it a popular hire for Daniel’s customers. Daniel explained how the Master Grader has been put to work.

“The Master Grader has been a pretty essential part of the roading recovery for Marlborough. It’s been used to clear tracks and clear a path through the storm damage. Then it’s been an important part of rebuilding the road network.

Outside of the storm damage, the Master Grader is kept pretty busy from Spring to Autumn, maintaining the region’s roads. There are a lot of gravel roads in the Marlborough Sounds that require a lot of ongoing maintenance. The storm definitely added to that.”

The Master Grader has quickly become a popular part of Daniel’s hire equipment fleet. As well as a couple of long term hires, his day-to-day customers regularly find they need to use it and enjoy being able to avoid the cost of ownership off season or when they don’t have need of it.

“A lot of the businesses down here don’t have a Grader so they hire it from us instead. Graders don’t tend to get a lot of use during the Winter so it’s a great machine to hire and have access to as they need it – and not pay for it when they don’t. It just tends to be hired for emergency needs during the Winter months.”

For Daniel’s customers, not having their own Grader often means that there isn’t an expert operator on the team with lots of experience using a Grader. That’s where there’s a lot of benefit in being able to hire the Master Grader.

The Master Grader is a mid mount Tractor Grader with hydraulic lever blade controls that separately control the angle of the blade and the raising and lowering of the blade. These separate controls make the Master Grader easier to operate and mean that you don’t have to have years of experience operating a Grader to get a high quality result. That means Daniel’s customers don’t need to worry about training or recruiting an expert every time they need a Grader on the job.

“It’s very very simple to operate. So for crews who aren’t using a Grader all the time they really benefit from how simple the Master Grader is to operate – which really sets it apart from the competition. That means it works really well for businesses who want to use a Grader on an ad-hoc basis.”

When asked what his customers say about the Master Grader, Daniel doesn’t hesitate:

“Their biggest feedback is that it’s so easy to operate, and with it being a John Deere it’s a well known brand and it’s a well known tractor to operate. Because it’s easy to operate it means they can get great results from it when they’re using it on the road. With the performance I’ve had zero complaints and very good feedback as to the performance of it.”

Daniel’s pleased with the decision to add a Master Grader to his fleet of hire equipment. His customers have benefited from the reliability and ease of use that comes from the smart design that you expect from Master Equipment. For Daniel, there is a benefit to choosing Master Equipment because he knows he can rely on it to perform for his customers too.

“The Master Grader is also a great machine for me because it’s easy to maintain and keep it performing well for my customers. We pride ourselves on having top quality equipment that is well looked after and isn’t going to break down. We choose well known, reliable brands because they make it easier to hire them out. I know Master Equipment ticks all the boxes with my customers and I also have a couple of Master Sweepers that are popular with my customers too.”

If you have some grading work that needs to be done and you need to hire a Grader, why not hire a Master Grader? If you’re based in Hawke’s Bay you can hire your Master Grader from Allways Hire, or if you’re based in Blenheim or Marlborough, you can hire with ULTRAQUIP.

If you’re a hire company who would like to add the Master Grader to your fleet, you can contact Jeremy Smith by email at jeremy@allwayshire.co.nz