THE CROP

in 2016, Bulkline Haulage has been a partner of Mineral Resources at the Iron Valley and Wonmunna projects near Newman ever since.

A major contributor to the success of both fleets within Cropline Group, says Operations Manager, Steve Carroll, is SAF-Holland. For over 15 years both Cropline and Bulkline have relied on SAF-Holland gear across 70 per cent of their fleets. These components, predominantly the SAF-Holland Modul ten-stud disc brakes, have proven to be a worthy addition to any application, due to their ultimate reliability and low maintenance.

The business’ most recent order to back this up went straight to its new ultraquad combinations, which Steve says have since been performing to – and above – his high expectations.

“We have only taken one of these so far, which is currently in the pre-delivery stage,” he says. “But what we’ve found is there’s just very minimal issues when using these products. All of their running temperatures are normal, and they don’t have any issues with bearing failures or bearing heat. They’re the only real purchases that we’ve done recently, but we will be building more gear and definitely running SAF-Holland in the future.”

While it was the durability of the SAF-Holland product that originally caught Steve’s eye, it’s that and the manufacturer’s “second-to-none” aftersales service, he says, which has kept it in his eyesight since.

“We generally try to stay with SAFHolland just for the low maintenance side of it, their aftersales service and the warranty factor should we need it,” he says. “Our first purchase was sort of of gear,” he says. “They’re just really low maintenance. Over the 15-odd years that we have been using them, for example, there have been very few failures. I think that speaks for the product itself.” based around the quality of the gear, the unitised bearing, the million-kilometre warranty. But since then, it’s just been about maintaining that quality within our fleet.”

Dealing with the disc brakes on a daily basis, in the harshest road conditions of WA, Steve’s drivers also agree on the durability of the SAF-Holland product.

SAF-Holland’s Intra is a highly efficient integrated suspension system for 9-tonne applications. With high performing ‘integral’ disc brake technology, protected shock absorbers and brake chambers, and a design that is both light weight and featuring low maintenance, customers like Cropline Group are given an optimal suspension system for any transport task. This, Steve says, he can testify to.

“During my entire time using the product it’s been a very impressive bit

“Our drivers say the same thing too, that there’s just very minimal issues,” he says. “They’re very driver-friendly and, again, have extremely low maintenance requirements.”

Using SAF-Holland’s axles and suspension units in the long-term, Steve explains, has paid off for Cropline Group in all of its operations.

“SAF-Holland’s disc brakes most definitely have benefitted both Cropline Haulage and Bulkline Haulage,” he says. “It’s just a great product, and if we do have a failure of any type, which we rarely do, the warranty process is very easy for us. From our perspective, it’s just very highly rated. That’s both in the southwest and the northwest.”