by Nick Drew | Tue 18 Nov 2014
RK Bell rings the changes with Case
With over 65 years of experience in the plant hire and contracting business, Somerset based RK Bell Group know a thing or two about plant and machinery. This 3rd generation family business was initially established as an agricultural contractor and small tool hire company in 1941. Today the company provides a specialist range of services including, contracting, plant and tool hire, truck hire and heavy haulage throughout Somerset, Devon, Gloucester, Cornwall and Dorset.
Having ran various makes of excavators over the years, the company recently performed an evaluation on how machines are being used on sites these days, with the gradual demise of the backhoe loader the company realised that excavators were being used ever more frequently to move materials around site. With some undercarriages not fairing so well, the company decided to try a different manufacturers excavators and have recently taken delivery of their very first Case CX130C supplied by Case heavy line dealership CBL Plant Sales.
RK Bells Director & Plant Manager Wayne Salter said, “Following a lengthy and very successful demonstration/evaluation period, we were very impressed with the Case CX130C, in addition we received great feedback from all our operators who tried out the machine with most giving high praise to the machines smooth and precise hydraulics, spacious cab and excellent fuel economy”.
Tipping the scales at 13,200kgs the Case CX130C is powered by an Isuzu AM-4JJ1X Tier 4i emissions compliant 4 cylinder engine with a power output rating of 74.9kw (100hp) and features the Case Intelligent Hydraulic System.
The new machine has been supplied to RK Bells specification which includes “boxing ring” fall from height protection, cab vandal guards and biodegradable oil for working on environmentally sensitive work for customers such as the Environment Agency.
Above: RK Bell operator, Adrian Cridland left, CBL's Heavy Line Sales Manager, Simon Richards, right.
Commenting on the deal Simon Richards CBL's Heavy Line Sales Manager said, “The sale of this first CX130C to RK Bell, a very high profile excavator user in Somerset, is a significant breakthrough for CBL and Case in this area. The machines build quality, smoothness of performance, low fuel consumption and excellent residual values, were major reasons for RK Bell opting for Case”.
Simon continued, “We believed that a sale of a CX130 in this area to such a prestigious plant company would help to generate new Case sales. We were proved right when within 2 weeks of this deal another Somerset based contractor purchased a CX130C”.
Summarising RK Bells Director Wayne Salter said “Dealing with CBL has been very good, they are one of the few companies these days that still send out a sales representative to see us on a regular basis, it’s nice to have that personal touch when they call in to see if there’s anything we need for our business. The back-up service is good and the machine was delivered on time as promised, I really can’t fault them and we will be ordering more Case machines for delivery in the New Year”.
Lookout for a more detailed report on this company and its new Case machine, in a future edition of Earthmovers Magazine.