With a range of Liebherr machines in its fleet, the team at TENEX Rail are firm believers in the quality of the rail equipment supplied by the German company.
A focus on quality over quantity for TENEX Rail when deciding what machines the company should acquire, meant the obvious choice was the Liebherr A 922 Rail Litronic.
TENEX Rail is an Australian owned and operated business based in Central Victoria with over 14 years’ experience.
It specialises in the construction and maintenance of railway infrastructure for both minor and major projects nationwide, using a fleet of specialist equipment including hi-rail excavators, hi-rail tippers and more.
Managing director Matthew Tennant said the company prides itself on ensuring all its equipment is well maintained and kept up to date with the latest industry safety requirements.
Tennant explained that the company has focused on careful and smart growth since its beginnings 14 years ago.
“We have taken it slow compared to some others,” he said. “Some companies went berserk and bought everything they could and employed everyone they could. We opted to keep it small and strong and have high quality machinery.”
TENEX Rail specialises in undercutting while also providing general plant hire and track maintenance. Based out of Victoria, the company serves the southeast of Australia, working in New South Wales, South Australia and some of Western Australia.
“We are gauge changing all the time and it is a major hassle for us,” Tennant said.
IMAGE: TENEX Rail
“We can even be changing gauges between day and night shifts, which is supremely difficult.”
That’s where the Liebherr A 922 Rail Litronic comes into its own. It is available with a range of undercarriage versions with different gauges, rail wheels and suspension systems enabling it to be used in many varied applications around Australia.
An independent variable-displacement pump for the rail chassis delivers outstanding traction and reliable drive power. The permanent level regulation of the rail chassis enables the machine to travel smoothly on rails.
The A 922 Rail Litronic comes with an adjustable gauge axle for multiple gauges. It also has a customisable braking system for safe operation, which can be configured based on wagon type.
The new A 922 Rail Litronic railroad excavator delivers higher performance data with its new engine coupled with lower fuel consumption and can be supplied with an appropriate exhaust system to meet various national emissions regulations.
While Tennant said it would be helpful if there was greater connectivity between states to make changing gauges and networks simpler, he utilises a third-party organisation to help with his compliance and liaising with operators.
“This makes working across multiple networks simpler.”
Why Liebherr?
It is evident to anyone who turns to TENEX Rail for any of its services that the company has faith in its Liebherr machines – there are five A 922 Rail Litronics in the fleet.
“We were first drawn to Liebherr as they were a one stop shop, providing full turnkey capabilities for a rail machine in Australia,” Tennant said.
“The turnkey capabilities were important as we needed to be able to ring one company when we had an issue at any time of the day, and they come and fix it.”
Tennant said the toughness and reliability of the machines has been evident over the years.
“They are purpose-built rail machines, not a civil machine that has been adapted to rail,” he said. “You cannot beat the A 922 in the rail industry. Other brands are good if you are completing civil works as well as rail works, but for us – focused on rail – the Liebherr is perfect.”
According to Tennant, the A 922 Rail is so intelligent it makes operation easy for his team.
“They probably take a bit of the thinking away from the operators,” he said.
Tennant has been impressed by the machine’s toughness on site, noting the hard work TENEX Rail completes.
“The undercutters weigh between 1200 and 1400 kilograms and are hanging off the side of the boom, the work it does is quite aggressive,” he said.
“It has a lot of load on it and you can feel it smashing away. One of our machines has close to 10,000 hours on it and it has had no issues at all.”
Tennant said Liebherr machines hold their value and that has been a major positive for the company as it takes great pride n keeping equipment in tip top condition.
“You can compare our brand-new A 922 and our 10,000-hour machine and you would not be able to tell the difference,” he said.
“The Liebherr rail machine is a smart investment for rail work equipment. It also retains its resale value when it’s time for a replacement.
“We recently sold a machine with over 9,000 hours for a very competitive price, even when compared to some new models. This demonstrates the durability of the Liebherr A 922 Rail and the trust the industry places in it.”
Backup service
Tennant was nothing but complimentary of Liebherr Victorian branch service manager Ian Welgus.
“Nothing is a problem for Ian, I can call him at stupid o’clock and, if he can, he will always pick up my call,” he said.
“Even if he can’t answer, I know I can get hold of someone from the team to help us, which is so critical when working on these major projects often in short shutdown windows.
“You are never in the dark with them, which is what we need from them.”
Tennant said the challenge with the work TENEX Rail carries out, is that the team cannot simply go down to a local hire shop and pick up a machine, they need to utilise what they have out on track.
Liebherr has strived to ensure maintenance is simple on the A 922 Rail Litronic. The service-based machine design guarantees short servicing times, minimising maintenance costs due to less downtime.
All the maintenance points are easily accessible from the ground and easy to reach due to the large, wide-opening service doors.
With the latest generation, the accessibility to important components is even further improved. Air, oil and fuel filters, the main battery switch, the lubricating nipple for the oscillating axle and the pilot valves for emergency actuation are easier to access. This means that service work can be completed more quickly and efficiently.
The latest generation also has a fully automatic central lubrication system for uppercarriage and equipment. The grease tank of the central lubrication system is located behind the left service door.
“While we need that backup support, these machines are just absolutely bulletproof,” Tennant said.
“We have had nothing go wrong; they haven’t even coughed. We will continue to go back to Liebherr.”
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