Pronto Pick #8: Dale's Go To Machine For Dredging, Drains & Hard-To-Reach Digging
Welcome back to Pronto Pick #8, where our team highlights the machines they back time and time again to help you drive your projects forward with ease.
This time, we caught up with Dale Stewart, Hire Account Manager at Pronto Hire, to find out which machine he recommends when you need serious reach and control for drainage, pond work, canal maintenance, or deep trenching.
His pick? Our 20T Long-Reach Excavator (Doosan DX225LC) with a 16 metre long-reach boom and dipper arm.
“When you’re working with and around waterways, the battles can be access and distance,” says Dale. “The long reach allows you stay back on solid ground and still reach what you need, making the job a lot safer and faster.”
4 REASONS DALE RATES THE 20T LONG-REACH EXCAVATOR (16M)
If you’re doing sediment removal, pond clearing, canal work, drainage channels, slope shaping, or any work where you can’t get the machine close, this long-reach digger is the answer for you.
1) 16 METRES OF REACH = LESS MOVING, MORE DIGGING
The long-reach boom lets you dig farther and deeper without constantly tracking around.
That means:
- less time repositioning
- less disruption and mess on site
- quicker progress on long runs like drains and channels
“If you’re tracking the whole time, you’re not only wasting time, but often can be disrupting the ground and causing undue damage etc,” Dale says. “With the long reach you can park up, work a larger area - space or depth, and just keep moving material.”
2) SAFER WORKING AROUND EDGES & SOFT GROUND
This is a 20-tonne conventional swing excavator, so you’ve got the weight and stability to work confidently on tricky ground when it’s set up right.
It’s ideal for:
- cleaning out ponds
- riverbank and canal work
- deeper than normal drainage and manholes etc
- and any areas where you don’t want to or can’t risk getting too close
“A lot of risk comes from getting too close to the edge - especially when waterways are involved,” says Dale. “The long reach allows you to keep back where it’s stable, especially when the ground’s soft.”
3) SMOOTH HYDRAULICS FOR CLEAN, CONTROLLED FINISHING
Long-reach work isn’t just about distance, it’s about control. This machine is built for accurate shaping and clean-outs without turning the place into a mess. Dale says, “It’s the perfect solution for drainage and reach work where you don’t want to do it twice, and the finish matters.”
Perfect for:
- cleaning drains without over-digging
- shaping batters and slopes
- pulling sediment with accuracy
“Long-reach diggers are for smart operators, and precision jobs, not smash-and-bash type jobs,” Dale says, “and you need smooth hydraulics so you can dig and shape tidy and not tear up everything around.”
4) LESS SITE DISRUPTION (BIG WIN ON SENSITIVE JOBS)
Because you can reach more from one position, you reduce:
- tracking and ground disturbance
- machine traffic in tight zones
- damage around waterways and soft edges
“On jobs near water, you don’t want to disturb the site more than you have to,” Dale adds. “Being able to reach from further back keeps it a lot cleaner (and safer).”
WHERE THIS LONG-REACH EXCAVATOR EXCELS
✔ Pond dredging and maintenance
✔ Canal clean-outs and sediment removal
✔ Drainage channels and difficult trenching
✔ Riverbank clearing and slope shaping
✔ Civil, coastal, agricultural, quarry, and earthmoving work where access is limited
QUICK SPECS (DOOSAN DX225LC LONG-REACH)
- Boom + dipper arm: 16m / 16000mm
- Track width: 2990mm
- Overall height: 2985mm
AVAILABLE FOR HIRE ACROSS AUCKLAND + BEYOND
The 20T long-reach excavator is available for hire across Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, and Northland, with pickup from Silverdale or Warkworth, or delivery direct to your site.
“When your project is hard to get close to, this is the machine that makes it straightforward,” Dale says. “It saves time, keeps you safer, and you’re not fighting the ground the whole way. Also, it can potentially minimise the number of machines you need on site to get the job done.”
Hire the 20T Long-Reach Excavator today:
📧 hire@prontohire.co.nz
📞 0800 PRONTO
🌐 www.prontohire.co.nz
Donation
Request
While we appreciate the many causes that reach out to us, we are not able to support every request we receive. We carefully evaluate each opportunity to ensure alignment with our mission and resources. Thank you for your understanding.
Request
hire
Make an
enquiry
