This is not merely a pipe dream but an actual daily occurrence at an Illovo Sugar farm on the lower South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal.
Illovo Sugar (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd’s roots go back more than a hundred years. Sir Charles George Smith in 1891 created events that would ultimately see the creation of Illovo Sugar within his CG Smith Group. Illovo Sugar has grown into a dynamic and diversified agri-processing business and is one of the largest sugar producers in South Africa.
Sugarcane is grown on many of the company’s farms and on one such production unit, situated at Paddock just inland from Port Shepstone, we find Farm Manager Sinegugu Mweli. “Here at Paddock Farm, we have just over 1 200 hectares of land of which we use 818 hectares to grow sugarcane and 100 hectares for macadamia nuts,’ she says. “Our cut cane goes to the Sezela mill which is 75km away.”
Paddock Farm has use of two Bell 125 Cane Loaders and these machines are used to load the sugarcane infield for transport to a loading zone, and then again from the loading zone to the mill. “Our one older Bell 125A Cane Loader is a 1990 model and has undergone several rebuilds of its chassis and has had engines, pumps and wheel motors replaced,” says Gavin Massey, Illovo Sugar’s Crop Production Manager for the South farms. “As you can see, we believe in getting the maximum life out of our machines and the robust Bell Cane Loaders certainly prove that you can run such a machine for more than 30 years.”
During the company’s budget planning in 2024, allowance was made for two new Bell 125F Cane Loaders and one was allocated to Paddock Farm. The difference though came in the form of the supplier of the machines. “We had traditionally bought most of our Bell machines from Bell Equipment’s branch in Pietermaritzburg but we’ve been pleased to learn that the company’s Forestry and Agriculture division now has a dealer on our doorstep in M & F Tractor Parts of Marburg in Port Shepstone,” Gavin adds. “This makes obtaining replacement parts and services under warranty so convenient.”
Illovo Sugar doesn’t get rid of its older Bell Cane Loaders but keeps them in reserve for when other machines need repair and to load seed cane. The two new Bell 125F Cane Loaders were delivered to the company in August 2025. As specified by Illovo Sugar, the Paddock Farm machine has dual front wheels fitted for higher flotation when loading infield and a finer mesh retrofitted over the front steel guards shielding the operator from potential cane stalks during the loading process. A fire extinguisher was also fitted on the rear right exterior of the machine.
“We’ve been impressed by the safety features and all-round improvements on the new F-series Cane Loader,” says Jurgen Witthoft, Illovo Sugar’s Estate Agriculture Manager for the South and North farms. “Even though our operators wear earmuffs, the new Yanmar engine runs so much quieter than the older Deutz engine and the four-point seatbelt is a really good safety concept.
“We like the idea of the proximity switch on the door that automatically renders the machine stationary when the door is opened – and the reverse camera, LED lights, internal fuel tank and isolator switch on the exterior are great improvements. With all these safety improvements as standard features, it may encourage us to quicken the pace of replacing older machines as ensuring operator safety is a big driver for us as a company.”
Farm Manager, Sinegugu, smiles broadly when she says: “The improved fuel consumption of the Bell 125F machine has been a game changer for us as we now get a day and a night shift worked on a full tank where before we could only get one shift out of a tank. This is making a massive positive difference to our production costs.”
At Paddock Farm, infield loading takes place in daytime and loading on the zone for haulage to the mill happens during the night shift. Each Bell Cane Loader has three operators assigned to it. While under warranty, the new Bell 125 Cane Loaders will be serviced by
M & F Tractor Parts’ mechanic, Johan Basson, a former Bell Equipment employee with many years’ experience of cane loaders under his belt.
All three Illovo Sugar managers agree that the service levels and parts holding of M & F Tractor Parts have been outstanding and they’re adamant that their Bell machines are in good and caring hands for maintenance and technical backup.
