All Systems Contractors is a specialist rail signaling construction company based in Braeside, Victoria, and its Vermeer fleet of horizontal directional drills (HDDs) is well-equipped to take on any job, big or small, right across the state.

All System Contractors has been operating under father and son team Steve and Russell Shore for nearly 20 years, and they have a full fleet of earthmoving and digging equipment – from trenching machines through to excavators and skid steers. Three years ago, Steve and Russell decided to branch out and invest in their own drilling equipment, rather than using sub-contractors.

“Our sub-contractors had generally been using Vermeer equipment, so we were familiar with it and how it ran. The machines always looked solid and equipped to handle anything, so we went for it and bought a turn-key D20x22 S3 drill package from them, and haven’t looked back,” Steve says.

Earlier this year they also purchased an RTX1250 ride-on trencher, then in September they added a larger D40x55 S3 drill to their Vermeer fleet.

“We’ve had a lot of requests to quote for bigger jobs that needed a bigger drill, so we decided to invest in a D40x55 S3 drill as well.

“The smaller drill goes out on our regional jobs, where we are usually doing level crossing upgrades and need to bore under the railway and road, around the signals and boom gates. It’s easier to get around and those jobs don’t require as much drilling. The larger drill we use with our metro crew, mainly on the Victorian Government’s Level Crossing Removal Project. The metro jobs are usually bigger jobs that need a bigger drill,” Steve says.

For Steve, Russell and the All Systems Contractors team, the one thing that stands out about the Vermeer equipment is its usability.

“I don’t get out to site to use the machines as much as I’d like to, but I can see how easy they are to use. The technology and computer systems make them easier to operate and know where you’re digging and how deep. They are really user friendly, and best of all safe. There is a lot of scrutiny around the work we do, and we have to be precise with our holes and drilling, so they suit our jobs perfectly.

“It’s no secret Vermeer is one of the best when it comes to HDD and drilling equipment. We’ve bought three packages from Vermeer Australia in three years, and we’re not going anywhere else,” Steve says.

To find out more about Vermeer Australia’s HDD range, head to www.vermeeraustralia.com.au/equipment-range/utility-installation/horizontal-directional-drills-utility/