Business feature: Magnum Hire
Magnum Hire has become a vital player in the upper North Island’s construction landscape, providing essential machinery that powers a multitude of projects
Magnum Hire’s collection of dry-hire construction equipment can be seen working primarily between Warkworth and the Bombays. While that’s the usual stomping ground, it’s not uncommon to spot their hire machinery even further afield, sometimes from Northland through to Waikato and a little further beyond.
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Magnum Hire is a business well-known for providing quality equipment
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Magnum’s sizeable and varied fleet is seen working on major infrastructure projects for most well-known construction and earthmoving businesses, which owner and founder Liam Field puts down to the quality of their gear and keen pricing in a competitive industry.
"I think a lot of businesses like dealing with us, as they’ve come to know that the equipment we put onto their jobs is modern, quality machinery and suited for the task," says Liam.
According to Liam, the Magnum Hire fleet sits at around 200 machines at any one time and businesses can hire compact trailered excavators, rollers, bulldozers, wheel loaders, tracked dumpers, graders, dump trucks, all the way down to small plant, such as plate compactors, concrete mixers, and power floats.
"We’ll soon be stocking a variety of excavator attachments for hire and expect these will prove popular, especially with our close vicinity to the West and North Auckland areas," says Liam.
The digging fleet
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Rollers and drum compactors are popular hire items
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Underpinning the digging fleet is the range of low-hour Hidromek excavators, which is backed up by a wide selection of brands well-known in New Zealand, such as Komatsu, Caterpillar, Kobelco, and Hitachi.
"Some operators have a brand preference, so we ensure there’s something that suits everyone," says Liam.
"We have a lot of Hidromeks, which our sister business Magnum Equipment sells, and we like to have them on the hire fleet, so customers can use them for good periods of time and evaluate their performance capabilities and build quality. It’s not uncommon for a customer to purchase a Hidromek on the back of hiring one."
Another popular hire choice is the numerous trailered mini excavators, suited for utility companies or contractors who need to carry out small jobs or tidy-ups.
Morookas for winter
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Morooka tracked dumpers can carry up to 11T payloads
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While hire companies, especially those with dirt moving equipment, traditionally tend to slow down, during the winter months is when Magnum Hire’s fleet of Morooka tracked dumpers operates at the top level.
With a low ground pressure footprint and capable of carrying up to 11-tonne payload, depending on the model chosen, the Japanese-made heavy utility vehicles stand out from a lot of tracked dumper competitor brands, thanks to its 360-degree upper body swivel action.
"All our Morookas feature full rotating capabilities, right down to the small MST200VDR, which carries a two-tonne payload," says Liam.
"The MST200VDR is popular for tight city developments, especially with drainage contractors who need to move materials in and out without causing too much disruption — that size machine is highly sought-after."
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Morooka tracked dumpers are known for their low environmental impact
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Across the larger Morookas, infrastructure and development projects are waking up to the necessity of having such equipment available for hire. Not only can their use allow a project to continue at a steady pace but the tracked dumpers are also specifically designed to minimise environmental damage, including low-noise impact.
"All machines are suited to certain tasks and terrain. It’s when people use machines outside those parameters, then that’s when trouble arrives and the only ones who win are the companies tasked with the winching job. That’s why during the winter months, a Morooka tracked dumper becomes a ‘must-have’ piece of equipment," says Liam.
"When you compare the damage a truck or articulated dumper will do on even damp ground to how the Morookas can continue to safely work in even some of the most adverse environments, then it’s an easy hire decision to make."
Servicing and breakdowns
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Graders are also available to hire
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Often, a letdown with hiring any piece of equipment is the backup needed when something breaks down because every piece of machinery will fail at some point in its life. It’s here Magnum Hire says they do their best to ensure every customer receives the best attention possible, with an experienced team of techs and mobile service vehicles.
"Equipment stoppages in our hire fleet are quite rare, thanks primarily to a low-hour fleet and a strict servicing regime," says Liam.
"For anything within our immediate area, we dispatch our own mobile techs, and if it’s further afield, we have agreements in place with other providers to ensure a customer is attended to as quickly as possible. If a stoppage looks like it will affect on-site operations, then we will usually organise a replacement machine as soon as possible. Our priority is to ensure our hire customers can be as productive as possible with quality hire equipment that’s competitively priced and easy to use."
For more info, contact George Francis at 021 632 455, george@magnumequipment.co.nz, general manager Charles Pipitolu at 021 755 795, or visit magnumequipment.co.nz.
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