Company directory Sarkis Draybi recently added a custom build UD PK10 lazy axle tip truck to his fleet, with the move paying instant dividends, increasing efficiency with its versatile design.
“All of our trucks are built exactly for a purpose, everything has its place and use,” Sarkis Draybi said.
“We’ve got a mixed bag of trucks, from an American bogey drive truck and trailer, to a service truck, and utes.
“The new UD is perfect; it does everything we ask of it.
“We don’t need high horsepower, American trucks are great trucks, but they lack the manoeuvrability we need around tricky work sites.
“With the axle up you can turn the truck on fresh asphalt, and it won’t tear it up.”
Sarkis started the business out 12 years ago from the back a ute constructing driveways.
These days business has grown to include all civil works, traffic control, kerbs, gutters, council footpaths, plant hire, as well as residential and commercial concrete works.
“From the ute we expanded the business with the addition of a bobcat, from that we needed a truck, and it’s grown to the point now where we have three excavators, two bobcats and several trucks,” Sarkis said, who sees the addition of the UD PK10 as an ace card in chasing new work.
“It’s great, it’s really helping us move our business along.
“It’s a nice truck to work with, it’s smooth, it’s easy to drive, the brakes, the clutch, the steering, it really doesn’t require much effort.
“About 95% of our work is done on asphalt, so I don’t need a bogey drive.
“When fully loaded, the lazy axle lifts up into place, it saves on wear and tear, it’s a multi-use truck.
“We use it for all sorts of things, with the drop down sides and internal tie downs, it’s very versatile.
“From form work to pellets to reinforcement, concrete pipes, moving equipment and moving waste, it does the job perfectly.”
Apart from the lazy axle and specialised body, the PK10 also features a Palfinger crane, which has been handed down from an old truck.
Dracon Civil has a staff of 12, with work coming from both the public and private sectors, with recent jobs including an extensive car park rebuild for the Parramatta City Council, including kerb, gutter and drainage work, and 1.6km of kerb, gutter and drainage in north western Sydney.
With all of the work done in house, all of Dracon’s equipment serves a specialised purpose.
For instance, an amenity truck features include a microwave, running water, and a compressor and other creature comforts, while all trucks are refuelled onsite, meaning little in the way of downtime waiting at service stations.
Sarkis predicts future expansion away from Dracon’s traditional Sydney stomping ground, with their small size yet extensive hardware inventory making the company appealing to small to medium sized developers.
“The private sector is going to be the growth side of the business, and I’m really looking to step up growth in the short term,” Sarkis said.
“We’re going to stick with UD, and for the next truck we’re going to go automatic.”
For further information on UD Trucks, visit www.udtrucks.com.au.