Teams at one of the UK's biggest turf suppliers have experienced a step change in productivity since the company invested in a Hinowa tracked minidumper.
Transporting soil and turf with the Hinowa HS701 High-Tip machine has accelerated operations to the point that turf laying projects for customers that include golf courses, sports pitch owners, and local authorities can be completed up to 20% faster.
Wimborne Turf, based in the town of the same name in Dorset, once hired in a minidumper about every two months or so to help with material moving for larger projects.
But since buying its own Hinowa minidumper, the company's turf laying teams are finding they are using it multiple times a week because it delivers such significant advantages.
Wimborne Turf General Manager Dean Flower said: "Our Hinowa minidumper moves over four times as much soil in one go as our wheelbarrows do, so can do the work of four people.
"It hasn't replaced muscle-power but it very much speeds things up, especially on the larger turf laying projects we often tackle. I'd say it can reduce project times by up to 20%.
"It's also excellent for working on hilly ground, where wheelbarrow work can, quite naturally, slow down. We're very impressed."
The turf-laying teams appreciate how the minidumper copes well with wet ground, and can turn easily in these conditions, even with full loads: it is a result of Hinowa fitting more powerful engines than its competitors.
Soil, turf, waste material and equipment can all be transported, tipped, or loaded into a flat bed truck with the Hinowa HS701's hi-tip function.
In a recent project, it helped Wimborne Turf's team to lay and grade 40 tonnes of soil in just one day.
The minidumper was supplied by Access Platform Sales, the UK and Ireland authorised distributor for all Hinowa products, which also includes tracked spider lifts and tracked forklifts.
APS Regional Sales Manager Jonathan Wiseman said: "We're delighted the team at Wimborne Turf are so happy with their Hinowa minidumper. It's having precisely the impact it's designed to make in terms of operational effectiveness.
"Many clients tell us that their machines pay for themselves through higher productivity and lower manual handling costs.
"Health and safety benefits through reduced manual handling injury risks are also significant, as is the positive impact on a company's reputation when clients see work being carried out so quickly and efficiently."
The simplicity of the diesel-engine powered Hinowa HS701 minidumper Wimborne Turf operates is appreciated by work teams, said Dean Flower.
"The machine is easy to use and is so compact it can be tracked through a standard 2ft 6ins garden gate, which is impressive," he added. "It's also proving to be very reliable."
Wimborne Turf selected the fixed tracks version of the minidumper. It has a maximum working load of 550kg and can tip a load at a height of 1365mm (the distance from the ground to the bottom of the tipped bucket).
The minidumper can be supplied with tracks that can be widened from 758mm to 1058mm, which provides extra stability over sloping or uneven ground.
Multiple minidumper formats
The Hinowa HS701 is 758mm wide and 1925mm high, so it can be tracked through standard doorways or along narrow paths.
The minidumper can be supplied with a diesel or petrol engine and in other formats. For example, it can have:
- A standard dumper bed;
- An extra high-tip dumper bed;
- A self-loading shovel;
- A flat skip bed with foldable sides.
The Hinowa HS701 is part of a family of minidumpers. They include: the Hinowa HS1102, a standard dumper with a maximum capacity of 700kg; the Hinowa HS1103, with a maximum capacity of 1000kg and a bucket that slews through 1800 for fast tipping either side of the machine; and the Hinowa TX3005, which has a full cab and a maximum capacity of 2875kg.
