Replace the machine. Keep the work moving.
Rob needed the older plant, its sale and the next equipment approval considered as one fleet decision.
A handshake before the first deal
Rob and Claire Harvey own and run HRV Earthmoving near Bairnsdale in Gippsland. The business provides civil and earthmoving wet hire, road construction and maintenance, and rural and agricultural property work for councils and private clients. Its team is generally five to ten people, depending on the jobs underway.
Guy Rennick at RDW Machinery introduced Rob to MFG. Rob had worked loyally with another broker for years. As that broker approached retirement, Rob was open to meeting someone who could support the next stage of the fleet. James flew to Brisbane when Rob was inspecting a machine at RDW. They met face to face, shook hands and had lunch with Guy at the Breakfast Creek Hotel. Rob could decide for himself whether James understood the business and was someone he wanted to work with.
Map the fleet before replacing it
MFG reviewed HRV’s equipment and the finance behind it: which machines sat with which lenders, the commitments remaining and where capacity or existing-client approval pathways might be available. Those pathways always depend on lender policy and the particular transaction.
Some older graders, excavators and dozers were nearing the hours at which Rob preferred to sell before major maintenance became likely. The fleet review helped Rob decide which machines to retain, which to market and what a replacement would cost to finance before a working asset left the job.
Sell the old machine with the new one in view
Rob, James and Guy worked through a staged replacement plan. Guy could market an outgoing machine through RDW Machinery while James prepared the finance request for its replacement. They coordinated the expected sale, new-machine order, approval and settlement as closely as the transactions allowed.
That planning reduced the risk of selling a productive machine before replacement finance was understood, or carrying both machines longer than necessary. Some replacements came new through Caterpillar channels and others through Guy at RDW. Much of the resulting earthmoving fleet carries Trimble GPS equipment. Warranty support applies to particular new machines, not the entire fleet.
Keep the accountant and the numbers close
James works with HRV’s accountant Brooke, based in Maffra, to keep current with the business’s results. Reviewing financials regularly gives Rob and Brooke a practical view of how a major bank may assess serviceability and the next equipment request before a purchase becomes urgent.
Much of the fleet replacement has been funded through major banks where HRV’s position and the assets supported the applications. The value is in seeing the outgoing plant, the new order, commitments, lender capacity and the work it needs to perform together. Pricing and approvals remain specific to each deal.
From Gippsland to the Pilbara
Rob is willing to take HRV wherever the work is. Alongside projects across Victoria, that has included Pilbara contracts in Western Australia. He has worked FIFO and shared operating shifts with his team, weeks on and weeks off.
The fleet needs to be ready to move and reliable when a contract takes it a long way from Bairnsdale. HRV has its own Kenworth prime mover and Freightmore drop-deck trailer to transport plant, plus work vehicles for its people. MFG has helped arrange finance as those changing equipment requirements arose.
On the machines with Rob and Stewie
James visited Rob at his property near Bairnsdale with Stuart “Stewie” Bell from William Adams to see HRV’s new Caterpillar 150 grader. He operated a grader for the first time and also tried Rob’s older D7 dozer. The visit put the machine, its operator and the work it was bought to do in the same conversation.
James respects Rob’s willingness to travel for work and keep investing in equipment that serves HRV’s clients. They now talk regularly about more than the next transaction. The relationship began with a handshake and has grown through time spent together and a shared interest in what HRV is building.
Map the fleet before the trade.
Know each machine’s finance position and the capacity that may be available for its replacement.
Coordinate the sale and delivery.
Work with the dealer so outgoing equipment and its replacement move at sensible times.
Keep the wider business in view.
Review current financials and lender capacity before the next job or machine creates an urgent deadline.
HRV’s fleet
A snapshot of approximately 20 to 30 assets in HRV’s operation. It does not mean MFG financed every machine or vehicle listed.
Earthmoving plant
- Five Caterpillar graders
- Two Caterpillar D3 dozers
- Two Caterpillar D6 dozers
- Three Caterpillar excavators
Transport & vehicles
- Kenworth prime mover
- Freightmore drop-deck trailer
- Work utes and other vehicles
Fleet technology
- Trimble GPS systems on much of the earthmoving fleet
- A mix of newer and established equipment to suit HRV’s work
More than the next finance transaction.
Rob is prepared to go where the work is and get on a machine with his team. Spending time with him and seeing the grader in Bairnsdale gives me a better understanding of what the next equipment decision means to HRV.
James Allan, MFG Finance
Ready to renew your fleet without stopping the work?
Let’s line up the sale, delivery and finance so the next machine is ready when you are.
Let’s Grow Together
