Construction World November 2023

COVER STORY

Babcock and BULL: Transforming Construction and Plant Hire, together

The recent distributorship agreement to supply BULL backhoe and skid steer loaders in Southern Africa not only gives Babcock the ‘picks and shovels’ to compete in the construction and plant hire markets, but allows the company to offer a comprehensive earthmoving equipment solution to its customers in the region.

A s part of its product expansion portfolio aimed at becoming a true one-stop yellow metal equipment solutions provider across industries, Babcock has added the BULL backhoe and skid steer ranges to its extensive offering. Announced in July this year, the partnership gives Babcock exclusive distributorship rights of the range in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana. Having previously supplied and supported a number of market-leading backhoe loaders and skid steers in Southern Africa, Babcock is well aware of the importance of these products in the local market. The backhoe loader, in particular, remains the workhorse of the industry and is deployed across various applications from general construction and plant hire to agriculture and waste management. “With the addition of BULL machines to our stable, we are even better equipped to offer comprehensive earthmoving solutions across industries,” says David Vaughan, MD of Babcock’s Equipment business. “BULL is one of the market leaders in the backhoe loader market in India, which speaks volumes about the quality of the product. Coupled with Babcock’s aftermarket support, we believe we

have a compelling solution for our customers in southern Africa.” Full range Babcock will initially offer three BULL backhoe loader models – the HD76, the HD 96 and the HD100 – in five different variants, confirms Mark Senyard, Babcock’s Product Manager for Bull Machines & SDLG Equipment. The HD76 will be offered in a General Purpose (GP) configuration only. The HD96 and HD100, confirms Senyard, will be offered in two different versions – GP and Multi-Purpose (MP). The MP configuration will see the machine coming with a clamshell bucket, fold-over forks and an extended dipper. Powered by a naturally aspirated Kiloskar engine delivering 56,7 kW of power at 2 200 rpm, the HD76 is said to offer 15% more bucket breakout force and 4% more backhoe bucket capacity than some of the closest competitors in its class size. The HD96 is powered by a turbo-charged Kiloskar engine delivering 70,6 kW power at 2 200 rpm, while the larger HD100 is driven by a 74,5 kW Perkins engine. A key competitive edge of the range is represented by well-known components such as the Kiloskar and Perkins engines, as well as the Italian-made Carraro

18 CONSTRUCTION WORLD NOVEMBER 2023