I was lucky enough to test drive the newest Dingo mini digger at Dingo’s head office and manufacturing plant in Dalby, QLD.
It is refreshing to see – in a time where there is an abundance of cheap and nasty overseas imports – an all Australian company that is still going strong manufacturing quality Australian machinery. Seeing where and how these machines are manufactured gave me great insight into why these machines are the toughest and most powerful on the market. The new “Ozzy Dingo” is the culmination of constant upgrades and improvements over 25 years of Australian manufacturing, which has ensured that Dingo has remained the leader of the pack when it comes to mini diggers.
The Ozzy Dingo comes in three models: K-9P, K-9D and K-9C. They are the same chassis and basic componentry, but the K-9P is powered by a fuel-injected 23hp Kohler petrol engine and the K-9 D and C are powered by a 27hp Yanmar Diesel engine. The difference between the D and C models is that the C (Contractor) model has an extra hydraulic pump (3), giving it unmatched speed and power to the huge lineup of attachments. The C model has more hydraulic power than any other mini digger and also more than the majority of larger skid steer loaders, which ensures that attachments are used to their full potential.
Operating the Ozzy Dingo with the rotary hoe attachment in extremely hard, compacted ground littered with blue metal and pockets of road base proved no problem. With most of the hydraulic power diverted to the attachment via the easy-to-use flow divider, the rotary hoe pulverised the ground like nothing I had experienced before, leaving the soil loose and friable even after one pass.
There are too many attachments to list, but it would be safe to say that there is no job you couldn’t do in the landscaping or building industry with the new Ozzy Dingo.
It is worth noting that all these attachments are made by Dingo in Australia and are designed specially to suit the machine and the harsh conditions they are subjected to. Rigorous testing in the development of the dedicated Dingo attachments, along with the material and build quality I witnessed in the manufacturing plant, ensures these attachments are capable, efficient and long lasting, saving the contractor valuable time and increasing productivity.
One attachment I was particularly excited about, which would be an excellent tool for any landscaper, is the Dingo Rotary Grader Blade. This attachment is simple to use and has multiple uses including levelling, sifting and turf prep. The Jungle Tamer (Flail Mower) is another beast of an attachment and again, with the flow divider providing maximum hydraulic power to the attachment, there was nothing it couldn’t handle. The Jungle Tamer was just as happy slashing long grass as it was smashing through overgrown scrub, small saplings and branches – a great attachment with multiple uses.
The quality Yanmar Diesel engine is specially built to Dingo’s requirements ensuring it is the perfect power plant for the Ozzy. Maintenance access around the entire machine is excellent and with no grease able joints, maintenance is greatly reduced. Over the years, Dingo have found that replacing the grease able joints with Teflon bushes to be far superior with greatly reduced and less messy maintenance. Replacing the bushes when they do wear is a simple task any operator can do themselves and is cheaper overall than the cost of constant greasing.
The Ozzy Dingo ticks many boxes when compared to similar machines. It has the most hydraulic power, lifts the most weight, is the narrowest, has the greatest lift height, is the fastest and most stable, and has the largest attachment range. The team at Dingo should be proud – their all-Australian brand is so well known and respected that “Dingo” has become the generic term for most people when referring to mini diggers.