DH Building Services (Oxford) has added a Kubota SVL75-3 compact tracked loader to a growing fleet of equipment.
The machine, which is the company’s first compact tracked loader, is also the first of its type to be sold by dealer Boss Plant Sales – having been the original launch model for Kubota in the UK. Initially supplied with a bucket and pallet forks, the firm has ordered a planer, a sweeper brush and a four-in-one bucket, adding to its versatility.
Joe Avery-Harris, operations manager at DH Building Services (Oxford), said, “I want to get everything that we can for the machine and then we can get the most use out of it.”
One of DH Building Services’ largest contracts is an on-going maintenance agreement with the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, near Didcot in Oxfordshire. The firm is the preferred main contractor – carrying out a range of civils work at the facility, including maintenance of all of the roads and pavements within the 280ha site.
Harwell is home to more than 240 science, aerospace, clean energy, life science and quantum computing businesses. Originally an RAF base, the site was a former home to the Atomic Energy Research Establishment and was the first UK base for the European Space Agency.
DH has been working at the facility for 21 years and has its own storage and recycling location within the campus. Here the company can crush and recycle asphalt and concrete, reducing the amount of waste material that has to be taken from the site. The SVL75-3 will be used to feed the company’s mobile crusher, load and stockpile crushed material ready for re-use, load into site dumpers and, when equipped with forks, to unload road transport bringing materials into site. Once the planer and sweeper attachments arrive, the SVL75-3 will also be used to plane sections of road and walkway, ready for relaying.
“We’ve spoken about a skid steer or a compact tracked machine for a long time,” said Mr Avery-Harris. “For jobs like pothole repairs it will be perfect. For the type of operation that we have here it’s ideal. I can take it to the smallest areas to load and carry.”
Dave Hobley started DH Building Services more than 30 years ago. The family-owned business offers a range of groundworks and construction services. Over time, the company has built a fleet that includes numerous Kubota models, all supplied by Boss Plant Sales.
Although proven in other markets around the world, the SVL75-3 is a new model for UK dealers and customers. Weighing 4,271kg, the loader is powered by a Stage V Kubota diesel engine delivering 56.4kW (74.2hp). The hydraulic system is equipped with an advanced multifunction valve, while electronic torque management optimises pump flow for smoother operation. A High Flow circuit provides up to 112 litres/min to power a wide range of attachments.
The compact loader is equipped with a sealed cab with standard air conditioning and a reversing camera. With a maximum loader pin height of 3,177mm, the machine has standard self-levelling to ensure ‘maximum’ material retention. Operators can also specify travel response sensitivity, with three track response settings and auto-shifting. Maximum travel speed is 13.7km/h.
“We knew that we wanted the machine as soon as we saw it,” said Mr Avery Harris. “Dave got a call at 9am to say that Boss had a machine in. We went to have a look and the deal was done by 12.”
Boss Plant Sales manager Dave Simms added, “It’s a proud moment for us at Boss Plant Sales, supplying DH Building Services (Oxford) with the Kubota SVL75-3, the first of its kind in the UK. Having worked with the company for more than 30 years, it’s been a privilege to support the business, watching it grow, evolve and continue to invest in market-leading machinery.”
