From Start-up To Three Dozers In Three Years.

Brock Harvey started with a hire opportunity in the mines. Two years of testing the market revealed demand in rural and agricultural work too, and each new dozer was budgeted against the jobs it could win.

First dozer in 2024 · Three CAT dozers · Civil capability

How LEH grew, one decision at a time.

Brock saw an opening for smaller plant hire while working as a subcontractor electrician on Queensland mine sites. The first machine gave him a way to test it. The work that followed shaped the next two purchases.

2024

The first dozer

Brock approached Guy Rennick at RDW Machinery about a CAT D3. Guy introduced him to MFG. We got to know Brock’s established electrical subcontracting business, including its existing lender commitments, then worked through the new dozer’s purchase price, repayments, running costs and likely hire income.

A loan of several hundred thousand dollars for a new plant hire operation needed the right lender. We narrowed the field to lenders comfortable with Brock’s position and the work he was moving into.

The second D3

Built for the work Brock found

The first dozer found hire work on mine sites and with private and rural property owners near Yeppoon. Brock could see demand across the year: mining and civil work alongside seasonal clearing and property preparation for farmers after the wet season.

He doubled down with a second D3. Guy sourced a tree spear, stick rake, protective sweeps and screens, plus an offset disc plough and seeder set-up. This machine could clear and prepare land, then take on ploughing and seeding work, while the first D3 kept working alongside it.

Guy Rennick, Brock Harvey and the team beside a LEH dozer at RDW Machinery

2026

A D5 opens another market

For the third purchase, Brock stepped up to a CAT D5. We budgeted its repayments and running costs against the work LEH expected it to take on. The D5 was fitted with GPS, as was one of Brock’s D3s, giving LEH two machines able to meet the requirements of civil contractors as well as its mining, agricultural and private property clients.

That broader capability lets Brock quote for GPS work when customers need it, without losing the versatility that helped build the business.

What comes next

A family business with room to move

LEH now runs three dozers and a small posi track. Brock’s dad operates equipment on wet hire jobs, Chloe helps with clients and administration, and local transport operators move the machines between sites. More enquiries are coming in from the region.

Brock can call us to talk through the next move, including early discussions about a truck and float trailer. We know the machines, the jobs and the lenders already involved, so each decision starts with the full picture.

Working closely with Guy from RDW Machinery, Brisbane.

All three dozers came through Guy at RDW Machinery. He sourced the equipment and specialist items, including guarding, rippers, stick rakes, tree spears, GPS and the plough and seeder set-up. With Brock, Guy and MFG working together, we knew the full specification and cost before approaching lenders, so the machine and its attachments could be considered together in each finance transaction.

Finance placed strategically with future purchases in mind.

We explained how lenders would view a new plant hire operation with work across several industries and seasons, without relying on one long contract to tell the story. We deliberately built history with a lender able to consider further purchases as LEH grew, while keeping other lender options available for a prime mover, float or another machine. Brock understands why that spread matters.

The right deal, even when it isn’t ours.

When Brock asked about a posi track, its supplier offered 0% finance. We checked the cash price with him; it was the same, so we encouraged him to take the offer. We often recommend competitive OEM finance. It can bring down the average finance cost across a fleet while preserving other lender capacity for trucks, trailers and equipment the manufacturer cannot fund. We are happy to miss one transaction when it strengthens the wider plan.

Ready to put your first machine to work?

Or planning the next one? Let’s talk through the work, repayments and room to grow.

Let’s Grow Together

See more on the thinking behind our approach.

More client decisions and practical questions worth exploring.

Previous case studyA fleet renewal with room left for the next purchase. →

Ben and James Allan in the Mineral Mining Services mine pit

Next case studyMore than 200 assets over 10 years. →

ArticleBuying your first piece of equipment? Here is what I would organise before finance. →

ArticleDo I need deposit as a startup borrower? →

Tell us what you’re working towards.

Buying your first machine? Replacing a fleet? Start with the situation as it is. We’ll talk through the assets, the timing and what the next decision means for your business.

Let’s grow together.

Replacing equipment or planning the next purchase? Tell us what you have in mind.

"*" indicates required fields

URL

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Name*

First name Last name

Email*

When do you need to move?

What are you buying?

Phone*

Finance amount

Where did you find us?

Optional note