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Backhoe loaders, Agricultural Bachoe Loaders, Bell South Africa

3DX Plus

Net Torque: 408Nm @ 1 200 rpm
Gross Power: 68 kW @ 2 200 rpm
Maximum Shovel Capacity: 1.10 m³ (GP)

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Overview

It’s no wonder that JCB backhoes are by far the most popular throughout Africa and the rest of the world (almost half of all backhoes on the planet are JCBs). We were, after all, the first company to develop the concept of a backhoe loader.

Longer life > Higher residual values

technical Data

EngineJCB 444, Turbocharged, 4 Cylinder, Water Cooled, Diesel
Gross Power68 kW @ 2 200 rpm
Net Torque408 Nm @ 1 200 rpm
Emission RatingTier 2
TransmissionJCB Synchro-shuttle transmission, 4 forward/2 reverse, integral torque convertor
TyresFront: 12.5x18-12PR (12 ply)
Rear: 16.9x28-18PR (12 ply)
Bucket - StandardLoader: 1,10 m³ (GP)
Backhoe: 0.21 m³ (600 mm wide)
Backhoe ArmStandard Fixed Dipper
Cabin Enclosed, air conditioned, ROPS/FOPS certified
Hydraulic Supply3 function loader hydraulics including pipework
Loader Breakout Force6 500 kgf
Backhoe Digging Force 5 700 kgf
TelematicsLivelink standard
Operating Weight7 800 kg
Length/Height/Width5 960/3 610/2 350 mm
Standard Warranty24 months/4 000 hours
Additional OptionsRefer to SOKS chart

INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY

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News & Testimonials

Bell to showcase solutions for every application

Bell Equipment South Africa is set to make a strong impression at Electra Mining 2026 with a line-up of machines that reflects the company’s commitment to innovation, sustainability and delivering productive equipment solutions for the mining, construction and industrial sectors.

Bell launches website for surplus parts

Faced with the ongoing challenge of managing surplus parts inventory, Bell Equipment has launched a dedicated website that makes surplus OEM parts visible and available to machine owners around the world at competitive prices.

Industry recognises Bell innovation, skills development and safety efforts

The month of May was awards season for Bell Equipment, with three prominent industry bodies acknowledging the South African heavy equipment manufacturer for its efforts in the critical areas of product innovation, skills development, and safety.

Kobelco SK220XD-10 solves ZD Stander’s double handling challenge

When a Knysna-based contract timber harvester found that using a truck-mounted crane to load cut-to-length timber from one truck to another for transport to a sawmill was resulting in time-consuming double handling, he turned to Bell Equipment for a solution.

Goobs Forestry loads up on Bell and Kobelco for timber loading contract

When Simphiwe Magubane got his application and motivation in at the last minute for an internship that would include tertiary education at a forestry college little could he know how his concerted effort would change his life for the better.

Made-in-SA grader awarded accolade

Motor grader range engineered and manufactured by South African heavy equipment manufacturer Bell Equipment received the Innovation for Surface Mining Award at the Mining Equipment Manufacturers of South Africa (MEMSA) Awards, held at the Industrial Development Corporation’s Convention Centre, in Sandton, Gauteng, last month. (Published courtesy of Mining Weekly: www.miningweekly.com)

JCB fleet provides the foundation for DP2 Construction’s growth

DP2 Construction, a Cape Town-based civil engineering and construction company, has loaded up with an impressive fleet of JCB machines supplied by Bell Equipment, which has quickly become the backbone of their operations, helping them deliver on a wide range of projects.

Lesotho’s Founda Construction loads up with new JCB 3CX Backhoes

Lesotho, the tiny yet independent landlocked country surrounded by South Africa, boasts an interesting and unique feature related to its geography. It is the only independent state in the world that lies entirely above one thousand metres in elevation with as much as eighty percent of the country being above one thousand eight hundred metres above sea-level.

Cane Loader safety and fuel economy impress Illovo Sugar

Imagine filling the diesel tank of an essential machine on a farm knowing that you can complete a whole day shift with that amount of fuel. Now imagine a newer model of the same machine giving you a day and a night shift with the same amount of fuel – is that not the stuff that production and financial managers dream about?

At the grading edge

In what represented the largest research and development (R&D) project as part of the company’s strategy to expand its original equipment manufacturer (OEM) range, Bell Equipment launched its own motor grader range in 2025. At the heart of the initial three-model range are four key differentiators – precision, technology, intuitive cab and the ZF hydromechanical transmission. (By Munesu Shoko. Published courtesy of Quarrying Africa: www.quarryingafrica.com)

Truck maker floats 4×4 dump truck as better for mines

With hybrid truck fleet models becoming more common at African mines, designing articulated dump trucks (ADTs) to enable them to operate all year round and in different climates offers mixed truck fleet operators versatility and efficiency, according to heavy equipment manufacturer Bell Equipment ADT marketing manager Brad Castle. (Article published courtesy of Creamer Media’s Engineering News: www.engineeringnews.co.za)

Articulating resilience

Despite some apparent decline, global demand for articulated dump trucks (ADTs) remains strong and consistent with pre-COVID levels. Speaking to Quarrying Africa, Brad Castle, Product Marketing Manager: ADTs at Bell Equipment, highlights some of the major markets in the world, the situation in Africa, sales drivers and how Bell is responding to new trends shaping the market. (By Munesu Shoko. Published courtesy of Quarrying Africa: www.quarryingafrica.com)

Driven by low ground pressure solutions

Adopting the theme, ‘Driven by solutions’, Bell Equipment and its American master distributor, Bell Trucks America (BTA), will highlight the practical, built-in advantages of the Bell Articulated Dump Truck range and its customer-focused solutions at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026.

Class-leading Bell suspension delivers greater driving comfort and productivity

The Bell Front Comfort Ride Suspension (FCRS) system, offered standard on large Bell E-series Articulated Dump Trucks (ADTs) sold in America and Western Europe, is a unique and class-leading feature that improves productivity by reducing operator fatigue and improving comfort throughout the entire cycle.

Maphumulo Local Municipality takes delivery of first Bell G140 Eco Grader

Following a journey that started two years ago, in 2023, Maphumulo Local Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) is the first local municipality in the country to order and take delivery of the new Bell G140 Eco Grader. 

Bell B30E 4×4 ADTs deliver significant advantages for Afrimat

Quarry owners and aggregate suppliers to the construction and road-building industries will tell you that producing these products at the lowest cost per tonne is non-negotiable. The production cost is influenced by several factors such as the cost of load and haul equipment, fuel, personnel, maintenance, and the added fact that most quarries only operate in the daytime.

CSV Construction celebrates 30th anniversary with new Bell and Kobelco machines

Civil engineering companies are dependent on yellow machine fleets but wait for triggers in the form of sustainable contracts that justify the acquisition of new equipment. These are the thoughts of a managing director of one of the big five civil construction companies operating predominantly in the Western Cape.

Fleet expansion helps Masakhane’s quarry meet production demands

A born entrepreneur is normally someone who will look for profitable opportunities from a young age, as has been the case with Ayanda Notshweleka who by age sixteen was seeking out people with new houses in his Eastern Cape village and then offering to dig and build them pit latrines.

Stefanutti Stocks employs Bell B30E fleet on massive tailings dam project

The inside grassed area of an athletics track is roughly one hectare in size. Nine hundred such areas stitched together would give you the approximate surface area of what will be the largest plastic-lined tailings depository in the world, which a South African construction company is building with mostly homegrown haulage vehicles.

Bell ADTs drive growth for Matla Sechaba

One woman is honouring the legacy jointly created by her late husband to make a success of a load and haul business in a challenging mining environment while harnessing the support of a benevolent mining client and a loyal local community near the mine.

Major maize operation chooses Bell Tractors

In layman’s terms, two additional cylinders added to a four-cylinder diesel engine should provide more horsepower, but would you believe that those same two additional cylinders can also reduce fuel consumption?

New Bell 2006AF Haulage Tractor delivers more power, more payload

Bell Equipment Forestry & Agriculture is introducing the higher-powered Series V Haulage Tractor, the 2006AF – a robust 200hp (149kW) workhorse – in response to market demand for a more powerful machine capable of hauling a larger payload.

Bell rings in new products and innovation at NAMPO 2025

Bell Equipment will be showcasing three new products at NAMPO, each designed to add value to an operation and make work easier whether you need precision grading, powerful haulage, or versatile material handling.

Bell Equipment rings in new Grader and B50E anniversary at Bauma

Bell Equipment is gearing up to make a bold statement at Bauma Munich 2025 with the global debut of its Bell Motor Grader range, alongside the versatile Bell TC11A Tracked Carrier and the industry-leading Bell B50E Articulated Dump Truck. The trio highlight the company’s ongoing commitment to meeting the diverse needs of the global mining and construction industries.

Bell Equipment celebrates long service milestones

Bell Equipment has paid tribute to one hundred and nine employees worldwide who celebrated long service milestones in 2024, including eighty-six employees based at the Richards Bay factory. These employees, recognised for ten, twenty, thirty, and forty years of service, were honoured during the company’s traditional luncheon held at ZCBF’s Flamingo Hall.

MJ Church upgrades to B30E Stage V for high profile projects

For the last two decades Wiltshire-based MJ Church Ltd has been a faithful user of Bell Articulated Dump Trucks (ADTs) for earthmoving projects and the occasional hire contract. A recent spate of contract wins has led to an order for fifteen additional units which will help the company gear up for its increasing workload over the next twelve to eighteen months.

Carrying the Bell Legacy

On January 1, 2024, Ashley Jon Bell took the reins as CEO of Bell Equipment Limited, rejoining a sizeable team of third-generation Bell family members actively engaged in the business and stepping up to play an integral role in the future of the company. In a one-on-one with Quarrying Africa, he discusses some of his focus areas, major company milestones, new trends, international growth and the ongoing development and enhancement of Bell OEM products.
Forklift Solutions | Bell Equipment

Bell to showcase versatile solutions at NAMPO Cape

Celebrating 70 years in business, Bell Equipment South Africa is proud of its roots in the agriculture and forestry industries and will showcase three machines at NAMPO Cape that are designed to make life easier for their discerning farming customers.

Bell Equipment and SAME Foundation launch refurbished science laboratory

There were many smiling faces and great anticipation at the Forte Secondary School in Dobsonville, Soweto yesterday, 7 August 2024, when a newly refurbished science laboratory sponsored by Bell Equipment under the auspices of the South African Medical and Education Foundation (SAME Foundation) was officially taken into use.

New JCB 3CX Backhoe Loaders range packed with new features

The highly anticipated range of updated JCB 3CX Backhoe Loaders arrives on South African shores in July and promises to build on the brand’s popularity with new features designed to provide improved comfort, versatility, and productivity, and ultimately reduce costs and increase efficiency.

Bell 4×4 trucks highlight the niche solutions

Well suited to quarries and smaller mining operations, Bell Equipment’s B45E 4×4 Articulated Dump Truck (ADT) will be on display at Hillhead 2024 highlighting the company’s ability to listen to customers’ needs and deliver niche solutions that meet those needs.

Bell introduces 27 000 L off-road water tanker at Hillhead

South African original equipment manufacturer, Bell Equipment, will introduce an innovative off-road water tanker at Hillhead 2024 ideally suited to dust suppression in mining and construction operations. This new model, the B30E 27 000-litre Water Tanker, is built on the robust chassis of the acclaimed Bell B30E Articulated Dump Truck and can also be fitted with firefighting options for additional benefit.

Hillhead: A UK first for Bell Tracked Carrier

Geared to provide a robust and durable short haul solution for soft underfoot conditions and provide access to remote areas that are difficult to reach, Bell Equipment’s versatile Bell Tracked Carrier will make its UK debut at Hillhead 2024.

Bell expands BETA Parts range and footprint

Less than a year after launching its Bell Equipment Trusted Alternative (BETA) Parts offering, Bell Equipment has expanded its footprint of South Africa, and Zambia to include the major articulated dump truck markets of the European and United States dealer network.

Bell rings in 70th anniversary with autonomous truck demo at Hillhead

To mark its seventieth anniversary and forty years as an Articulated Dump Truck (ADT) manufacturer, Bell Equipment is going full throttle at Hillhead 2024 where its latest innovation, an autonomous B40E Articulated Dump Truck (ADT), will operate in a live quarry demonstration.

Jetteson Timbers invests in four new Bell Loggers

Nestled in the picturesque KwaZulu-Natal Midlands area of Karkloof is Jetteson Timbers, a quintessential family-owned and operated business. At the helm is Brendon Raw, who is living proof that hard work creates opportunity and you don’t have to be booksmart to be successful.

Tugela Steel chooses Bell as preferred telehandler supplier

Tugela Steel and Bell Equipment are both family-owned businesses that had humble beginnings on a farm. They are also specialists in adding value to steel, but where Bell produces earthmoving equipment, Tugela Steel is a leading manufacturer in the Southern Hemisphere of standard size portal frame structures.

Mabona Civils enters into contract mining with two Bell B40Es

When Andile Mbele was a young graduate working his way up through the ranks in a small municipality in the northern part of the Eastern Cape province, he always thought that there had to be a more efficient way of delivering infrastructure projects to ease the lives of people living in rugged conditions in that province.

Zambia’s Grizzly Mining achieves economy of scale with Bell B50Es

The existence of emerald deposits in Zambia dates to the 1920s but it was only in the 1970s and 1980s, once prospecting and mining techniques had developed, that mining started taking place. Today the country is the world’s second-largest producer of emeralds, a gemstone more than twenty times rarer than diamonds, and mining efficiently is just as important as it was when emerald mining first started.

RJV adds four Bell Water Tankers to its growing fleet

From humble beginnings dating back to 1955 RJ Vincent & Co (RJV), a privately owned family company, initially provided bulldozing services in country areas of Western Australia. RJV has since evolved to become one of the most respected and leading civil engineering and mining services contractors in Western Australia with a proud record for ‘doing things right’.

Kobelco SK220XDLC-10 proves successful as a drill rig carrier

Unitrans Mining chooses Bell Equipment as machinery supplier

Kobus Burger, Operations Executive: Unitrans Mining, emphasised the long-standing relationship the company has cultivated with Bell Equipment over the years. “As a group, we have always relied on Bell Equipment for many of our mining, haulage, material handling, and agricultural machinery requirements,” Kobus states. “This enduring partnership has been built upon the foundation of trust and reliability that Bell Equipment consistently delivers to Unitrans.”

Kobelco SK220XDLC-10 proves successful as a drill rig carrier

They can be seen in the forestry industry felling, processing, and loading timber. In mining and construction applications they can be used to break rock and concrete when fitted with hydraulic hammers. An innovative engineering company based at Donkerhoek to the east of Pretoria has now successfully added yet another use to these versatile carriers – that of a drill rig.

Unitrans Mining chooses Bell Equipment as machinery supplier

Bell Equipment appoints Ashley Bell as new CEO

Bell Equipment Limited has appointed Ashley Jon Bell (41), grandson of the company’s founder Irvine Bell, as the new Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) effective from 1 January 2024.

Bell and Overlooked Group hand over houses in Bethal

Bell Equipment Sales South Africa (BESSA) and the Overlooked Group (OVL) joined the Govan Mbeki Local Municipality this week to handover of four houses that have been built for indigent families as part of an approved low-cost housing project in the Municipality’s eMzinoni area. OVL, a 100% black-owned diversified South African-based resources company with vast experience in housing projects of this nature, facilitated and provided project management expertise. BESSA provided over R1 million in funding for the project as part of its socio-economic development initiatives. 

Bell unveils new aftermarket logistics hub in Charleston, South Carolina

Bell has marked a significant milestone in its growth with the opening of a new, state-of-the-art American Logistics Centre (ALC) in Charleston, South Carolina, which was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on 26 September 2023. The event was hosted by Andrew Pretorius, the general manager of the facility, and his team and was attended by key executives from Bell Equipment in South Africa and Germany.

Bell Grader presented to an inter-provincial delegation

The MSSC is a sub-committee for the Government Motor Transport Division and ultimately reports to the Roads Co-ordinating Committee, an advisory board for the National Government’s Ministry of Transport. A feature of this annual gathering is that original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are invited to present their products and services. This year, as a sponsor, Bell Equipment was invited to present technical lectures on two relevant highly anticipated developments – the JCB pothole repair solution and the Bell Motor Grader – both of which generated a significant amount of interest.

Bell launches new Bell Heavy Industries division

With almost seventy years of demonstrated expertise in complex engineering, heavy fabrication, and machining for its own range of material handling equipment, Bell Equipment is now offering these specialist services to all industries in the country through its newly formed division, Bell Heavy Industries (BHI).

Bell introduces middle-range BETA Parts

Identifying a need in the market for a middle-range parts offering, Bell Equipment has launched Bell Equipment Trusted Alternative (BETA) Parts to give its customers a convenient and competitive alternative, endorsed by the OEM, for their more mature Bell machines or when faced with budget constraints.

Kobelco Mini Excavator handles the grunt work for Mopana Farm

Right near the foot of Cathkin Peak in KwaZulu-Natal’s Drakensberg lies Mopona Farm, home of William and Nell Gibbings and their son, Bruce. While it may seem like many other crop cultivating farms in the area, there is one feature that stands out on this farmyard – a new Kobelco SK75SR – as its unusually bright turquoise colour distinguishes it from the rest of the many farm tractors and implements.

Bryan’s Auto Electrical is well pleased with its new JCB Backhoe Loader

These are the words of a technically minded person with firsthand knowledge of the challenges that buying used machines for the small plant hire market can bring and who has come to the realisation that buying a new machine is first prize.

Dzombo Plant Hire sees huge benefit in its B30Es with coal bins

So says Wynand Botha who heads up the Dzombo Group of Companies in Limpopo’s Lephalale where Dzombo Plant Hire has made its mark as a contract mining and material handling company. Dzombo was the name of one of the legendary magnificent seven big elephants that ruled the Kruger National Park for many years. The name comes from the Xitsonga word for a stream that is slow to move but impresses on arrival.

Bell provides PDS/CAS flexibility and options

South African equipment manufacturer, Bell Equipment, reports an influx of enquiries from local mining customers wanting articulated dump trucks (ADTs) that can be fitted with proximity detection systems (PDS) and collision avoidance systems (CAS) following new mining regulations that came into effect in December 2022.

JCB 3DX Eco Backhoes are the backbone of Amanzi Plant Hire

Table View is a popular suburb on Cape Town’s West Coast and is named after its actual view of the iconic Table Mountain. Johnny Waters, a former mechanic and later a salesman of earthmoving equipment, had the task in the late 1980s of de-bushing large sections of what is now a built-up Table View at a time when there were only a few houses standing as this area was considered rather remote by the people of Cape Town.

Kobelco Excavator boosts production for AML Aggregates

When Raksha Laghari needed a new quarry-specified loading tool for the quarry they had just bought they turned to Bell Equipment for the right advice and tool for the job. Raksha Laghari is the owner of AML Aggregates Newcastle. She has been in the business of selling and distributing building materials, with a focus on cement and roof tiles, for many years.

Bell and JCB form the backbone of the BHM Bricks fleet

Henk Vorster believes that because one buys equipment from people and not companies, the best machine is the one for which you get good service, again from people. And Henk should know. Henk Vorster and his business partner, Gabriel Labuschagne, own BHM Bricks in the picturesque Eastern Free State town of Bethlehem. Henk had developed his business acumen in a family-owned business that originates from the former homeland of Qwa-Qwa, to the south of Harrismith, nestling against the Northern Drakensberg Mountain range.

Bell Care Packages keep AMC’s B40E fleet in top condition

A positive experience with a smaller branch of a well-known original earthmoving and haulage equipment supplier convinced a leading contractor in crushing and screening to buy many more of that brand’s larger Articulated Dump Trucks (ADTs).

Bell gears up to develop its underground mining business

Bell Equipment has identified underground mining as an opportunity for growth. It has created a dedicated OEM business division to pursue this goal, including expanding the existing product range, providing specialised customer support, and establishing new global markets.

Why follow when you can lead?

Ever since Bell Equipment founder, Irvine Bell, invented his self-loading sugarcane trailer in 1954, the year in which the global manufacturer was established, the group’s innovation has seen it develop many world-firsts for the industries it serves.

Bell E-series ADTs ready to run on HVO fuel

All new Bell Equipment E-series Articulated Dump Trucks (ADTs) fitted with the Mercedes Benz OM471LA, OM473LA, and OM934/6LA engines are fully compatible with Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuel, without needing dilution with diesel or impacting on engine service intervals.

Adoption stage for autonomous Bell ADTs

Four years after commencing extensive testing, global ADT specialist, Bell Equipment, reports that autonomous technology is now at the adoption stage with more customers in Europe, South America, and Australia set to introduce autonomous Bell ADTs on their worksites during 2023.

DXI Ltd plans for the future with four new B30Es

Founded by Dave Clark and Ivan Rawlins in 2013 after a long working relationship in the construction sector, DXI Regeneration Ltd has grown to employ over eighty staff and enjoy exceptional year-on-year growth. The company is now in the enviable position of enjoying significant repeat business, working on prestigious jobs nationally and boasting a full order book for the foreseeable future.

JCB Telehandler helps Opihi Builders reach new heights

How do you get a sofa that is too large to go up a stairwell into a third-floor apartment, or what to do if your new fiberglass swimming pool needs to go into the backyard of your home that has no access there? It’s pretty easy if you have a stable JCB 540-170 Telehandler and you simply extend its impressive 17-metre boom to reach those places with enough capacity for safe loads.

JCB Backhoe is indispensable on Paarl Housing Development

Imagine one JCB Backhoe Loader taking multi-tasking to new stratospheric levels as it is used amongst no less than fifty-six building sites in a luxury lifestyle estate. If this sounds far-fetched, you’d better believe it because we can prove it!

JCB Backhoe is on point for Noktada Construction

Nowhere else is there such a sense of history and a bit of romance as students, academic staff and the good people of the town wander along oak tree-lined roads and avenues. But it’s also a busy town with traffic frequently slowing down as sheer volumes of townsfolk, students and the many wine and fruit growers of the area fill up the narrow streets with all types of vehicles.

JCB Backhoes are a mainstay for Jodan Construction

Buying over a hundred backhoe loader models from one well-known brand during a period of some seventeen years should imply a certain sense of brand loyalty and this is indeed the case with a well-established Gauteng construction company.

Brickmaker fired up by Kobelco SK380LC-10’s performance

Manufacturing clay bricks in South Africa has followed a centuries-old method of mining the clay, allowing it to weather or sour, then mixing it with water and coal before it is extruded into shape and cut into individual bricks, which are stacked outside to dry. Then they are stacked into a large rectangle called a clamp and allowed to burn from the inside until baked hard. This last process can take up to three months, until now…

Kobelco SK220XD is Ka Lethabo Trading’s first Excavator

An aptitude for mathematics has created opportunities for Mandisa Cele, owner of Ka Lethabo Trading in Pietermaritzburg. She has had a fulfilling career as a teacher and is now a successful entrepreneur and construction contractor with a Grade 5 CIDB rating. She is also the proud owner of a new Kobelco SK220XD-10 Excavator that can be seen working on the extensive N3 upgrade project between Durban and Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal.

Local contractor grows his fleet with a new JCB 3CX Global

The platinum deposits in southern Africa are said to be in the shape of a giant three-leaf clover. The mines that dot parts of its eastern limb around Steelpoort and Burgersfort contribute valuable foreign currency and provide jobs for many people who live in communities around the mines.

Solid relationship keeps Andru Mining coming back for more blue Bells

In today’s structured corporate world, it is rare for a customer to engage with a design engineer of any product, let alone make suggestions as to how that product may be improved. This is exactly what keeps a major South African mining contractor brand-loyal to a market-leading manufacturer of articulated dump trucks (ADTs).

All the bells and whistles for new E-series Water Tankers

Local original equipment manufacturer, Bell Equipment, has expanded its range of water tankers and now offers eight tank sizes having introduced 16 000-litre and 50 000-litre offerings.

Procrete thrilled with combination of JCB brand and Bell support

After Jonathan Sussman had completed his BCom degree in Management, he found the prospect of merely being a manager of anything, rather boring. This is when he turned to the craft in which both his grandfather, John Sussman, and father, Nathan Sussman, had excelled, which is building.

New Kobelco and JCB machines benefit Martmol Trading

When Martin Molewa was a bank teller, he learnt to count money. Jump ahead a few years, by which time Martin was a borehole contractor, and while laying water pipes with his own hands he learnt about the value of money and what it could buy in terms of mechanised means to make the job easier and faster.

Dwellers Trading and Projects impressed with new JCB fleet

Growing up in the Mthambeka section in Tembisa on Gauteng’s East Rand, inspired a young man of that area to make his mark in civil construction and bulk earthworks in South Africa’s busiest province. Vusi Sithole’s father, Mike, built houses on Johannesburg’s East Rand, the area that now falls under the Ekurhuleni Municipality. Vusi came to work in the area too, learning about building materials in the yard of a large national building material supplier.

Janco ‘digs’ his dad’s new JCB Excavator

Operating the JCB JS140 Excavator really is child’s play because even a twelve-year old can do it safely, just ask Janco Labuschagne. This is not ‘marketing speak’ dreamt up by a bunch of advertising gurus but the real thing as the pre-teen recently showed us on his parent’s farm, Winterhoek, near Steelpoort in Limpopo.

Kobelco SK220XD-10 has most frugal fuel in Henra excavator fleet

After receiving a call from André Rall in Upington regarding the fuel consumption of the new Kobelco Excavator on site, Gerrie Matthee was puzzled. There had to be a mistake. The figure he received from André couldn’t be correct as it was far lower than the average his company’s five other similarly weighted excavators returned.

JCB 3DX is a game changer for KDT Construction

Kobus du Toit had never bought a Backhoe Loader for his construction business as he had always been worried how he could keep it busy. Now that he owns one, he keeps thinking he should have bought two such machines.But allow us to take you back to where all this started. Kobus, along with his older brother Andre, had worked in construction, building houses for the speculative market in Cape Town.

Wheel Loader delivers versatility and productivity for GI Projects

Imagine a machine, albeit a small one, that could do the work of fifteen men and at the same time steadily speed up the process of constructing luxury homes in one of South Africa’s most sought-after towns. This is exactly what two brothers in a small, specialised construction company found when they bought a multi-purpose wheeled loader.

Eggers Boerdery expands its fleet with a Kobelco SK220XD

Two brothers of German descent, who along with their sister make up the fourth generation of mainly forestry growers on plantations near Piet Retief, have found that Bell 1766 Haulage Tractors are machines that never fail and with some tender loving care, just run and run and run. Some of Ernst and Hermann Eggers farmland was originally occupied by their great-grandfather, also named Ernst. The senior Ernst emigrated from Northern Germany in 1903 and arrived in South Africa to pursue better opportunities.

JCB is a game changer for women’s brickmaking cooperative

The village of Mabitsi lies in a rural area in the Limpopo Province just north of Marble Hall and the area surrounding it is dotted with rocky hills, so typical of the northern bushveld area where one can imagine leopards keep watch from the outcrops. With many of its men working in the larger cities to the south, it’s an area which offers little economic growth with subsequent few employment opportunities; that is until a group of mothers decided to take matters into their own hands.

Apollo Bricks impressed with JCB Wheel Loader productivity

Mention nine million bricks to the average person and one cannot really comprehend how many bricks there would be when they are all stacked on pallets, drying in the Highveld sun. But this is the reality and responsibility that faces Dawid Nagel and his team at Apollo Bricks every day as they keep producing that number of clay bricks each month, and sometimes more.

Frugal fuel burn on Finlay Screen impresses Virtigo Sand & Stone

In South Africa, the year 2010 will be most remembered as the year the country successfully hosted the Soccer World Cup. Should you be in the business of supplying construction materials, you may also recall that around this time engineers became prescriptive about the quality of materials that went into making cement bricks and, to add insult to injury, good quality building sand became scarcer.

Bell continues to lead technology with autonomous ADT platform

A focus on improving ease of operation to provide more efficient and safer Articulated Dump Trucks (ADTs) has consistently kept Bell Equipment at the forefront of innovation. The global ADT specialist is now achieving success with autonomous vehicle operation where its forward-thinking approach is enabling interoperability between different control systems and the trucks it produces.

Bell ADTs and Fleetm@tic® part of CPI’s net zero carbon drive

Privately owned minerals and aggregates contractor, Chepstow Plant International (CPI), has been run by Managing Director, John Corcoran, for over 20 years. Since being founded in 1995 by Eddie Hayward, John has developed CPI into one of the UK’s leading mobile plant supplier firms and earthmoving contractors within the mineral products industry.

Emissions-friendly B30Es to place John F Hunt Plant Hire in the pound seats

Established in 1982, the John F Hunt Group serves the UK Construction industry through its network of dedicated companies and divisions nationwide including demolition, civil engineering, industrial dismantling, remediation, generator and plant hire. Well known for its technical engineering expertise, the company delivers complex construction and regeneration projects using plant predominantly supplied from the internal hire division.

Tru 7 Group invests in Bell ADTs in quest to run the most efficient fleet

Wordsworth Crushing records a first for the UK

Kelston Sparkes – the largest Bell B50E user in Europe

Founded by Mr Kelston Sparkes in 1952, the Kelston Sparkes Group is a family business specialising in earthworks, crushing and screening, quarrying and training. Based in the South West of England, but working throughout the UK, the company’s five-year contract at Europe’s largest limestone quarry – Torr Works in Somerset – has led to it becoming the largest user in Europe of Bell Equipment’s flagship 50-ton Articulated Dump Truck (ADT).

Bell and JCB – parallels that create a synergetic partnership

Bell Equipment and JCB were established almost a decade apart on opposite ends of the world, yet with their similarities in terms of timelines, family lineage, philosophies, and product pedigree it is small wonder that these companies have now forged a growing partnership in South Africa.

Bell consolidates its position in construction and mining

After a COVID-19 induced break Bell Equipment has made up for lost time at NAMPO 2022 by dedicating its stand, C21, entirely to the Bell range of construction and mining machinery to reinforce the company’s ability to meet any customer’s need in these industries.

Bell ADTs offer best utilisation in the fleet for Murphy Plant

Murphy Plant Limited added Bell Articulated Dump Trucks (ADTs) to its extensive fleet of plant and machinery in 2020 following a week-long demo of a Bell B20E. Murphy’s mix of contracts had evolved over time and they were looking for machines capable of working on a number of projects including HS2 and the East West Rail Link.

Alternative fuel solution and fuel efficiency for Smiths of Gloucester

The hire of two Bell B30E Articulated Dump Trucks (ADTs) on a construction site in Stroud in 2020 was the catalyst for family run business, Smiths of Gloucester, to re-invest in their own dump trucks after a lengthy hiatus. Having previously owned an alternative brand of dumpers that were, in the company’s own words, ‘parked up more often than working’, the positive experience with the Bell Dumpers restored the company’s faith and led to a review of the rental policy.

Durability and support will see TNR returning for more

An earthworks and mining contracting company in Tanzania has been so impressed with their first four Bell B40E Articulated Dump Trucks (ADTs) and the support they receive from Kanu Equipment, Bell Equipment’s dealer in that country, that they are looking at extending their fleet once they near production capacity.

Bell Dumpers provide operational efficiency for Andrews Plant Hire

Bell onboard as RBRC’s associate sponsor

After two cancelled seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic the Richards Bay Rugby Club (RBRC) has reason to look forward to the 2022 season. This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Club, and it is the first time in several years that it has received financial sponsorship towards the season’s expenses.

Alfieri Holdings ‘supports local’ with a dozen Bell ADTs

An emerging coal mining group’s decision to invest in Bell Articulated Dump Trucks (ADTs) has a direct downstream benefit for three thousand five hundred employees at Bell Equipment as well as for the more than one thousand suppliers to the manufacturer that supply a vast variety of components that go into each Bell ADT.

Triple celebration as Thuthukani opens ‘Play-to-Learn’ Centre

Friends of Thuthukani Special School in Empangeni gathered recently (10 November) to celebrate the school’s fortieth anniversary, introduce ‘Changing Lives’ as the school’s new motto and officially open the Gary Bell Play-to-Learn Centre, sponsored by Bell Equipment.

R&B Timber Group impressed with quieter F-series Loggers

A family-owned business, R&B Timber was established in 1952 by Bob Armour. Today this family business operates at corporate level with his grandson, Simon Armour, as the chief executive officer and the fourth generation being groomed to carry on the proud family legacy.

Long services awards for Bell employees

Bell Equipment made up for lost time last week when it acknowledged and celebrated one hundred and fifty-eight local employees who reached long service milestones during 2020 and 2021 at functions held over two days at its Richards Bay factory.
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