Like all good success stories, it started with an ambition and a dare to dream.
David Stalling grew up operating machines with his uncle since he could walk and has been working in the earthmoving industry since he was 16.
In 2010, with the itch to run his own earthmoving business needing to be scratched, Dave persuaded now-wife Karlee to team up in the venture, and they secured finance for a dozer.
Although still working as a plant operator, Dave carried out his side jobs during his free time and over weekends, gradually growing his clientele and reputation. With enough support garnered, the day finally came when he could ditch the hardhat and was able to work for himself full-time. And thus D&K Earthworks was born, based in the rural Queensland township of Stanthorpe, and which provides both civil and agricultural services.
“Anything from car parks and sub-divisions to large scale levelling and water storage construction for large growers,” Dave said.
Dave serves as the director of the company, responsible for job scheduling, crew organisation and machinery timetabling as well as quality management and plant operating. Karlee is the business manager and oversees HR, OHS, administration and finance as well as helping out in the workshop and on-site when needed.
“Our local area is where our typical clients are; they are mainly local growers,” Dave said.
Indeed, when Earthmoving EquipmentMagazinevisited the Stallings, they were flat out building drains and tunnels for strawberries as part of a hydroponics project.
“We have also had contracts north of Brisbane, as far up as Bundaberg. We are interested in increasing our clientele to include local government and private civil works,” Dave said.
To grow the business and carry out major projects efficiently, Dave realises full well the importance of running a well-maintained fleet of efficient machinery.
“Our fleet has grown steadily over the last 14 years,” he said.
“It had always been a dream of mine to have my own machinery. I have extensive knowledge of all things related to earthmoving, and being my own boss has allowed me to sharpen my skills, fine tune my processes and pass the knowledge on to our employees.
“We now have about 30 items of plant, some of which are GPS-enabled, allowing us to complete almost any contract without having to organise sub-contractors or hire in machinery.
“I am pedantic about taking exceptional care of my machines, and often sell them on for a good price. This has allowed us to slowly build up our finances to be able to purchase newer machinery.”
The highlight in this regard for the Stallings was when they were able to buy their first brand new Kobelco in 2019.
“We now have four Kobelco excavators, the latest being the SK235SR-7 medium excavator,” he said.
“We found that the Kobelco excavators provided excellent value for money, parts are easy to source, and the cab provides exceptional comfort.
“It’s pretty important that it’s comfortable for operators when they have to sit in it all day, you know, 10 hours a day. We’ve got some other brands in the fleet but the boys all prefer the Kobelcos.” David Stalling – D&K Earthworks
“They’re just smooth and quiet. They’re fuel efficient as far as we’re concerned: a powerful Tier 3 engine with minimal emissions, no AdBlue problems. This is our fourth Kobelco and we’ve had no issues with any of them.
“Our Kobelcos are utilised in all of our contracts, whether it’s excavating core trenches and building batters in dam construction, plumbing and electrical trenching, loading fill or debris, stump removal or rock wall construction. The right attachments allow our Kobelcos the versatility to excel.
“And let’s be honest, we love the colour. We have even redesigned the D&K logo to incorporate Kobelco blue!”
The optional heavy counterweights and balanced chassis layout deliver exceptional lifting capacity.
The D&K Earthworks love affair with Kobelcos began after the Stallings were introduced to local Kobelco dealer and BrisVegas Machinery sales representative Marco Marabini.
“Our relationship with Brisvegas began with our first Kobelco purchase – an SK260–8,” Dave said.
“We found it to be such an easy transaction that we’ve since purchased three more excavators off Marco.
“Marco is always just a phone call away to provide assistance for any of our issues, parts are sourced and sent out quickly and BrisVegas service is outstanding. We will continue to work with Marco and his team for many years to come.”
Marco said the Stallings’ first Kobelco purchase opened the door for more acquisitions after they saw how well the machine performed.
“They traded that machine back in for a new one. He’s then bought an array of different machines over the years,” he said.
“Dave’s just one of your typical country boys, pretty easy going and super easy to deal with. Dave is one of those customers you like having on board and enjoy the friendship as well as the customer experience that we exchange with each other.”
Marco said D&K Earthworks ran bigger gear and the Kobelcos suited the business perfectly.
“Dave’s got a couple of 26-tonners as well as a short radius 235. The 235 he bought from me about four years ago was the ‘dash-2’ model. Dave has recently taken delivery of the brand new SK235SR-7’,” he said.
Hayden Osbaldeston is delighted with the cutting-edge Series 7 cabin, which offers unrivalled ergonomics and operator comfort.
“The ‘dash-7’ will replace or supersede our ‘dash-2’ model, which we’ve been selling since its inception about 10-12 years ago. The ‘dash-2’ is just a super reliable machine. People just know what it is and know what it does.”
“The new SK235SR-7’s delivers greater efficiency and productivity with increased power and speed, along with uncompromising operator comfort and machine operability, with several updates and new features.”
Hayden Osbaldeston – D&K Earthworks
“We have been fortunate to retain a Tier 3 diesel engine without any AdBlue or DPF.
“We have the new cutting-edge Series 7 cabin for unrivalled ergonomics and operator comfort; it has a 10-inch colour screen that includes an eagle eye camera, phone holder charging ports, Bluetooth radio, all the bells and whistles.
“It also incorporates a new independent travel for the undercarriage. So when you’re multi- functioning, it’s not going to steal oil from a different circuit. It’s all working independently to make a smoother transition and operation.”
The ‘dash-7’ offers extremely precise operation through excellent controllability and smooth hydraulics. The optional heavy counterweights and balanced chassis layout delivers exceptional lifting capacity, which is ideal for heavier tools and attachments.
The new arm and bucket cylinders have been reinforced, providing more digging power and durability. The plate thickness of the arm has been increased by 25 per cent (1.25 times stronger than the previous generation model).
The bucket cylinder has been reinforced by enlarging the flange and increasing the rod side pin diameter from 80 to 85 mm.
