CASE TR310B CTL for orchard work.

Reliable loading and mulching support for seasonal orchard work

Bay Orchard Spreaders provides fertiliser and compost spreading services across the Eastern Bay of Plenty, including Opotiki, Whakatane and Edgecumbe. Working mainly in kiwifruit orchards, the team can load and spread up to 60 to 100 tonnes of compost a day during the main season.

After experiencing downtime with an existing skid steer, Craig Spence needed a more reliable machine that could handle orchard loading work and support the business during its busiest months.

“The kiwifruit season is only four to five months of the year, so we’re under a bit of pressure to get stuff done on time,” Craig says. “We had a few breakdowns last year, and it just puts you under the pump.”

Bay Orchard Spreaders chose a CASE compact track loader supplied by MIMICO. The machine was put straight to work loading compost on orchard and has since helped the business take on mulching work during the off season.

For Craig, the TR310B machine has delivered more than expected.

“We get through more production a day than what we thought we’d do,” he says. “It definitely punches above its weight.”

The CASE TR310B has been matched with a mulching head and used in tight working areas, including wood lots and around established trees. Craig says the machine has good visibility, handles the material well and leaves a good finish, depending on vegetation and site conditions.

MIMICO’s support also made a difference when Bay Orchard Spreaders needed the replacement machine quickly.

“I think it was only a couple of weeks from a phone call till we had a machine delivered,” Craig says. “It was definitely rush, rush, but they got it done.”

With the machine now supporting both compost loading and mulching work, Bay Orchard Spreaders has a reliable setup for seasonal orchard work, with the flexibility to keep building its mulching service outside the main kiwifruit season.