THE BIG SHOW DOWN UNDER

The National Diesel Dirt & Turf Expo was established by Steve Zivkovich in 2015. His vision was to create a world-class event that had wide appeal for all members of the earthmoving, site preparation and construction and industry, their families, friends, colleagues and associates. The goal included the building of a platform for camaraderie, networking support for suppliers and contractors within the industry, as well is being a mutually beneficial place for the robust exchange of information, ideas and productivity solutions.

Now heading towards its 10th anniversary, the show attracts many thousands of visitors to the three-day event held at Sydney Dragway.

The 2024 event was no exception with huge crowds enjoying the weekend’s good weather.

Caterpillar dealer West Trac were at the show with a comprehensive line up of CAT equipment for the earthmoving and paving sectors. Amongst their line-up was an impressively decorated 330 excavator in stunning black paintwork. This was joined by a wide range of equipment from pavers and rollers through to skid steers and graders.

The Australia branch of the Antique Caterpillar Machinery Owners Club (ACMOC) had an equally as impressive display with a restored Model 22 tractor, an unrestored D9H and a very special gold and silver livery on a Sixty tractor.

Volvo and SDLG dealer CJD Equipment brought a range of machinery to the show headed by Volvo’s exciting range of electric machines. As one of the pioneers of battery technology in earthmoving machinery, Volvo has expanded their range of machines to cover the 1.5 tonne range right up to their 23 tonne models.

Komatsu brought a huge range of their equipment to DD&T including forklifts, compact loaders and a wide range of excavators including the new PC210LCE which is the company’s latest fully electric excavator offering. The PC210LCE was shown with a full 3D machine guidance system integrated into the machine not only making it productive but also zero emissions at source.

French manufacturer Mecalac pulled in the crowds with their range of compact tracked and wheeled excavator models. Featuring their individual boom and stick design allows the machines to be ultra compact whilst delivering high productivity levels more associated with larger machines.

Compact loaders from Avant were popular with the visitors. Showing a range of the Finnish made models designed for the landscaping and small works industries, the company showed off their versatility with a range of attachments on display.

The red and grey mini and midi excavators from Takeuchi stood out on the Semco Equipment stand from a sea of yellow with the Japanese manufacturer showing off their latest additions to their line up including the new TB395W wheeled excavator.

The ever-popular Deere range of construction equipment was on display with compact dozers, graders and wheeled loaders on show.

Turkish equipment manufacturer Hidromek are making friends down under and used DD&T to show off a range of their machinery including their graders and rollers, both of which were joined by their very popular excavator and backhoe loader ranges.

Kobelco Construction Machinery Australia took the opportunity to show off a wide range of their excavators including the SK500LC complete with heavy-duty XMOR bucket.

Chinese manufacturers made a huge play at the show with Yello Equipment, Sany’s Australian dealer bringing an array of machinery from the manufacturer’s range to the show including the latest wheel loader, roller, and telehandler ranges. Andy Hopcroft, General Manager of Yello Equipment, says he was excited to showcase the new additions to our product offering at DD&T 2024. “Each year, DD&T offers such a great opportunity to not only showcase the exceptional quality and efficiency of our machines, but also to better understand the needs of communities who may not be as familiar with the SANY brand. Our recent product expansion is just one more way that Yello is committed to helping you get it done when it comes to your construction and agriculture projects. I’m excited to see the response to our new wheel loaders, rollers, telehandlers, and material handlers.”

XCMG were in force too with their range of machines including the GR2405 Trimble equipped road grader attracting a lot of attention. Their 1.7t XE17U was available to try out in the demo area whilst their XC 968EV wheeled loader also made its debut.

Operators are now facing a huge choice when it comes to attachments for their machinery. From hitches and buckets to the increasing use of tiltrotators, the choice is growing day on day.

British manufacturer Miller Groundbreaking showed off their GTX hydraulic couplers and a range of bespoke buckets for them. These were joined by Irish manufacturer Geith who displayed a wide range of their couplers and buckets.

Small scale crushing and material recycling can be achieved on a cost-effective commercial scale thanks to Finnish bucket specialists Remu Oy who showed off a range of their crushing and screening buckets.

Australia’s home-grown attachment specialist Roo Attachments had a massive range of different buckets, grabs, forks and hammers on their stand.

The SBA Attachments team had a range of hitches, buckets and Engcon tiltrotators on their stand including a specially decorated mining bucket to celebrate their raising of 20,000AUD for the McGrath Foundation.

Tiltrotator manufacturer Steelwrist is gaining a good following in Australia with their SQ hydraulic hitches and tiltrotators. The SQ hitch allows an excavator to pick up a hydraulic attachment and connect the hoses up automatically without the operator having to leave the safety of the cab.