Kobelco Minis Make Mitchell’s Earthmoving Easy

Impressed with the outstanding performance of a friend’s Kobelco mini excavator, Newcastle-based Mitchell Cramps went on to purchase two for his own business.

“It was a 2011 model SK55 and had more than 5,000 hours on it, so I wasn’t expecting it to perform as well as it did. The site operators liked working with it, and since it was fairly compact, it was easily transported between jobs,” Mitchell says.

Mitchell asked around further and found that Kobelco mini excavators had a solid reputation for great performance and efficient fuel consumption. He approached his local Kobelco dealer, Gato Sales & Repairs, who then let Mitchell know about the excavators’ 4,000 hour warranty.

“The warranty was the icing on the cake for me. I also knew the Gato team well so I was confident that if there were any issues they would be great support,” Mitchell says.

Mitchell’s business, Cramps Earthmoving, was established three years ago with Mitchell as the sole operator working on small concreting jobs. He now employs eight operators and has moved into bigger civil jobs such as track preparation for the V8 supercars in Newcastle, shopping centre upgrades and housing subdivisions.

Since the excavators are being used close to businesses and residences, quiet operation, dust protection, and easy maintenance are important to Mitchell. This was ensured with the Kobelco Integrated Noise and Dust Reduction (iNDR) cooling system. At an operator level, Mitchell’s team appreciates that the rectangular cab design offers plenty of room and an unobstructed view.

After purchasing the first Kobelco SK55 in early 2016, Mitchell went on to buy another in June 2017 and, over the next 18 months, plans to extend his fleet to new 8 tonne and 13.5 tonne Kobelco midi excavators.

‘I’m really happy with the Kobelco excavators. My first SK55 is almost at 4,000 hours and it shows no signs of backing down,’ he says. 

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