Scania Super 11 Agitators: Punctuality prevents piling pressure for G&H Civil Contractors

Scania has delivered the first of two agitator-bodied Super 11-powered trucks to Queensland-based G&H Civil Contractors.

These are the first Scania agitators to reach customers since the recent launch of the new Super 11 powertrain, and the trucks will be delivering vital cement supplies to the company’s piling operations in Southport, south-east Queensland.

In addition to the benefits of a frugal, lightweight and high-performance engine and smooth-shifting transmission, the Scania 8x4 agitator delivers robust engineering, extended service intervals and an even longer working life than the previous five-cylinder 9-litre powertrain, which has stood operators in good stead over many years.

In addition, Scania’s strong steel cab, comprehensive safety engineering, low entry, excellent visibility and driver comfort will be winning it friends at worksites across the country.

Uptime is a key Scania strength, and a deal-making element in any purchasing decision by construction contractors, as G&H Civil Construction’s Systems and Compliance Manager Edel Waters confirms.

“G&H has purchased its own concrete agitators to keep our continuous flight auger piling rigs supplied with concrete throughout the day,” she says. “CFA piling relies on a constant supply of concrete, so any delays can slow down the job. By having our own agitators, we can deliver concrete to our rigs when it's needed, without relying on outside suppliers. This helps keep our rigs working, reduces downtime, and allows us to get more work done each day while staying in control of our own schedule.”

When Padraig Haskins and Noel Grealish founded G&H Civil Contractors in 2010, they were leveraging their extensive experience and networks in the construction industry, initially hiring out plant, but rapidly expanding into civil operations. These currently include demolition, full basement retention and piling, bulk earthworks, and civil engineering across Australia for the commercial, industrial, mining and resources, defence, and public infrastructure sectors. The business employs around 170 people, but new drivers will be brought in for the agitators.

“We want to control the full process we’re involved with,” Edel says, “so it makes sense to have our own concrete trucks because a lot of the time we find that it's not supply, it is getting the trucks to site on time that gives us headaches. Now we have our own trucks, we can keep our piling rig fed for the day.”

“We have had Scanias for tipper and dog sets, and side and end-tippers, and when we decided we needed our own agitators we went to Scania. They had vehicles available which was very helpful,” Edel says.

“The timing for G&H was very fortuitous as we have just launched the new 11-litre which is ideal for agitator work,” reports Scania Queensland Account Manager Kevin Macdonald.

“We have been selling Scanias to the company for a while and when they asked about agitators, we knew we had the right truck for their needs. Not only will they be benefiting from reduced fuel burn, but the new 11-litre is perfectly powerful enough to handle the PTO stress and strain an agitator demands. Plus, our full suite of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems means G&H are operating the safest trucks on the market,” Kevin says.

“The Scania agitator will be a joy to drive and with outstanding roll-stiffness, very safe, but with our standard side curtain rollover airbags, you’ve got the highest level of safety protection in any truck.”