Alton Iron’s Diesel service has been operating for 10 years and for the whole of that period has partnered with Torquepower in providing genuine Cummins parts for their workshop customers.

Irons Diesel purchased and installed a Torquepower Manufactured ISC 260HP Long Block to a 2003 Sterling. Torquepower long blocks provide a cost effective option to rebuilding your old engine reducing down time by as much as 60% on a standard in chassis rebuild .

Torquepower long blocks also give you piece of mind with a comprehensive 12 month/160,000km parts and labour warranty.

Alton said “ the truck came in, we fitted the new engine, and it went out. Easy, no problems, and we are very happy with everything !”

We have supported the owners and operators of Cummins powered equipment right across Australia and the South Pacific since 1978.

Make Torquepower your FIRST choice for genuine Cummins engines. 0732778277

https://www.torquepower.com.au/engines/recon

Hung Nguyen is one of the good guys. A prawn fisherman who lives in Darra, but spends most of his time out on the water in Moreton Bay and even further, deep sea fishing. His trawler is 45 foot “Betty”, moored at Hemmant, and now powered with a new NT855 turbo charged model from Cummins, and set up by Torquepower. “I had the new engine set up for more power and a longer life. I like Cummins engines, they have plenty of low end torque, and work as hard as I do!

“I usually motor 10 to 15 nautical miles out to where the prawns are. Prawns prefer warm, and not windy weather, so they are more plentiful in summer. Sometimes you can see banana prawns on the sonar because they swim. You can’t see tiger and kings as they stay on the ocean floor, you just have to know where they are.”

“I’ve been 25 years a fisherman. It’s a very hard business being away from family; sometimes I’m out 6 or 7 days or more. I often work 24 hours a day without stopping in any weather. Even if its storming, I still go out, and it can get rough. Usually I work alone, without deckhands. I have to manage them working the winch and cooking the prawns just right, so it’s often better to do it myself.”

“I’ve got a big family , five boys and three girls. No one’s following me into the family business.” Hung laughs “They tried prawning, and they ran away. They prefer to get weekends off, and I’m happy they are all well-employed, so I don’t have to worry about them. I start on Sunday and finish on Sunday! My wife Vui is very patient, she looks after everything at home, the children and 6 grandchildren. “

“In wintertime when there is a lower catch, I look after the maintenance, and I am very happy with the work done here at Torquepower . I am 60 now. I don’t want to retire. If I stay home for a few weeks, I notice how sick and tired I feel. I would rather burn out than rust out. “

Torquepower Director, Ken Roberts, continues; “The original engine had overheated and on our advice, Hung’s best option was to replace rather than repair. His engine model was an N855-210, which is a naturally aspirated 14 litre big cam Cummins. That engine is no longer in production so we had to supply a turbocharged Cummins NT855 as a replacement. Cummins sourced the engine from their joint venture with Dong Feng in China. It comes with a range of spares and specialised tooling – exactly what an offshore fisherman needs.”

“The new engine was externally a little different from the original so Service manager Carl Bickle at Torquepower set about modifying some of the hardware to make it compatible with the vessel’s existing plumbing. One change that was retained was heat exchanger cooling rather than the keel cooling used on the old engine – contamination of which was responsible for the engine failure.”

Torquepower is your Cummins engine specialist.

A CUMMINS ISB 210 CM 550 powers this beautiful 2004 Roadmaster Motorhome. I spoke today with owners John and Julie Simpson.  “When we first bought the motorhome, we did a lot of touristy things, but we fell in love with prospecting. It gets you in like poker machines do. We have found lots of small nuggets, and the search is still on! “
“We’ve been travelling since 2004. We live at Mount Tamborine, and haven’t travelled much in …the last 18 months as we’ve been building a house, but on June 4th we are heading over to WA.

“We have had a lot of fun prospecting for gold in WA, Victoria and now in Queensland near Warwick. This trip we will have our little 7 year old grandson with us, so wife Julie will be the school teacher too.

We should have some lovely weather and will be gone for 4 months. We will head to Marble Bar in the north and work our way south to Horizontal Fall, Derby, Sandstone, Leinster and Leonora. Kalgoorlie will be a base for a while. I don’t take the Roadmaster on dirt roads, so we will use a little four wheel drive we tow to get around. “

“Since we bought the Motorhome at 47,000 kms, we’ve done a lot of work on it, and it’s a lovely set up now, with bedroom, separate shower and all the comforts. We’ve got leather swivel chairs, a satellite dish on the roof, three TVs, a bar fridge and an outside washing machine and drier. “

“I came to Torquepower after a recommendation from Swagman. It wasn’t driving well and we’ve identified a fuel pump issue. I will always bring my Motorhome to Justin at Torquepower because the service is spot on. I believe in using word of mouth recommendations when I’m happy with a company, and the Torquepower team do a top job. “

“The previous truck got to a million kilometres and still powered well, because I always come to Torquepower. “

Mick Sauer’s new K200 is a thing of beauty . Last October, his previous rig burnt to the ground in a major highway accident just out of Sydney, and has just been replaced with a good-looking red Kenworth K200 with an E5 600 HP Cummins engine. “ I chose the 600HP engine because its comfortable on the job, moves well even under a big load. The previous truck got to a million kilometres and still powered well, because I always come to Torquepower. “

Mick’s company Wemline is a car-carrier for Ceva. Typically he picks up cars depot to depot; Brisbane to Sydney and return, and occasionally from Melbourne. “ I like driving Cummins gear. For 22 years, I have been a Cummins man, and all the blokes I’ve worked for have Cummins. Even my old man used Cummins gear hauling livestock out of Glastonbury near Gympie. I grew up there. Dad taught me how to drive tractors, and pretty much everything else.”

”Home now is at Munruben, an acre. I have two boys turning 16 and 14 this year – I’ve told them they are not allowed to come into the business. Driving can be hard on family, and I don’t always get to see what they are doing. The eldest boy wants to go into the police force, the youngest is torn between the dog squad and being a Chef. “

Last year’s highway fire near Sydney made all the news networks. Mick takes up the story. “I came over the crest of a hill and saw that the traffic was at a complete standstill. The truck in front of me had locked up all the wheels up trying to stop, so I threw the skids out. I knew my rig wasn’t going to stop in time, so I thought I’ll try and go around, there was no one in the lane beside me. I managed to clear his rig except I caught the very end of his trailer, he only lost an indicator and was a bit bent. My truck burst into flames when the battery box was punctured and sparks from the ruptured batteries ignited the fuel tanks. “

“I had probably 30 seconds to pull up and get out. I wasn’t frightened, I knew I just needed to get out, and try and help the bloke behind me to stop the traffic . I had to fly home. No problem ringing the insurance company, but that was the hardest call I’ve ever had to make to my wife, when I explaining the severity of the accident . I worried it would confirm all her fears. She still worries now, but my old man taught me well – if anything goes wrong, get right back on the horse.”

“I was driving again that night , I had to have the compulsory counselling, but after one session the therapist agreed I was functional because of what my old man taught me. “

“When I’m not driving, I like to take the boys to school, and to football training – one to Rugby League, the other to Logan Village soccer training; or we go to the coast for a spot of beach fishing. I do the cooking at home, I can work out any recipe, it won’t beat me.. nothing beats me . In the future I’m a bit concerned about the Union Safe Rates, so I’ll keep an eye on that. I also watch League. North Queensland Cowboys is my team – my cowboy mascot got burnt in the truck, as it was the weekend of the end of the Grand Final…but I’ve replaced it already .”

WINNING depends on GETTING THE RACECAR TO THE TRACK ON TIME !

Transporter engine troubles ahead of a meet at Archerfield on Saturday night and then in Sydney the next day don’t leave much time for error… after a FUEL PUMP FAILURE, AMERICAN RACING’s Sprint Car Team couldn’t find anyone to help them quickly with their HINO Transporter, so setting aside the fact that we are predominantly Cummins specialists, we were happy to help in their time of need – diagnose and repair at speed, and the race truck was then off and … well, Racing ..Good Luck Team !

Pictured Apprentice Tylah is a race fan. You can TRUST TORQUEPOWER for diesel expertise ! 170 Beatty Rd, ARCHERFIELD www.torquepower.com

“Honestly, the trucks have never run as well as (Torquepower’s technician) Neil has them running now. One of our trucks hauls 30 tonnes of road base non-stop every day, the driver’s been able to go up a gear and the fuel economy is unbelievable! We can’t believe how much we are saving. “

“They’re old girls but they’re good girls !”  Says Peter Gorlick of his hardworking trucks at Gorlick Earthmoving in Gin Gin. “I’ve been married for 32 years, those trucks have been with us for 20. The only thing more loyal, is my wife Colleen !”

Peter is a happy man. In difficult times, he has a lot of work. “We have our own small quarry and haul our own stuff out of it. Currently, we are restoring the Paradise Dam wash-out. We do Dam work for farms, drainage, if you can think of it, we can do it. We run skid steers, trucks, tippers, floats, dog trailers, loaders and excavators from 3.5 to 35 tonnes. We keep our price to a minimum, look after the local customers, and we get the bigger jobs too.”

“Honestly, the trucks have never run as well as (Torquepower’s technician) Neil has them running now. One of our trucks hauls 30 tonnes of road base non-stop every day, the driver’s been able to go up a gear and the fuel economy is unbelievable! We can’t believe how much we are saving. “

Torquepower’s on-site technician Neil Bird headed out to Gin Gin to assess what was needed to improve running of a 1996 Western Star Truck,  1988 Kenworth T600 , 1984 Kenworth K125 Cabover and a 1989 KenworthT600 . Better fuel economy is a very pleasing result! “Why is business thriving? Having older gear that we own, and we keep it well maintained. That helps us keep the cost factor down.”

“We’ve been dealing with Torquepower for quite a few years now. I used to talk to Director Ken (Roberts) a fair bit. They’ve been very precise. The biggest issue with business today is to talk to someone who knows what they’re talking about. There may be other people out there cheaper than Torquepower, but you get what you want, when you want it! By the time you’ve mucked around with the wrong part and the wrong info, its cost you a lot of money, so I prefer to talk to Justin and Diego at Torquepower parts. 

“I’m called the dinosaur out here, I don’t even touch computers. Colleen runs everything else.”  Says the feminine side of this successful partnership,“ We’ve been in our own business since we married. We have learnt to rely on each other, we never wanted to be a ” big business” just a family business, I handle the admin, Peter talks to clients, he can really see the job through their eyes.”

Thanks to Torquepower,  we have a detailed report and a step by step plan to ensure the D65 and the excavator are functional and productive in the very near future. There are many opportunities for Torquepower in Papua New Guinea. I am personally satisfied with the results of Torquepower’s inclusion.” Robert Dellman, Operations Manager ,PNG Concrete Aggregates.

From Killarney to Port Moresby, the adventure continues.

In a magazine story, we reported on a Torquepower field service technician traveling to the gorgeous Melrose Station at Killarney to repair a Komatsu D65 Bulldozer.

Far away in a very hot and humid Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, PNG Concrete Aggregates Operations Manager Robert Dellman read the Blues Country story, thoughtfully looked over at their own inoperable D65 and called Torquepower. So began a week-long adventure.

Torquepower’s Neil Bird knew he was far from home when ten minutes after arriving at the worksite, his backpack with the communication leads between laptop and the engines he was there to diagnose went missing. After a 500 kina ($260 ) reward was posted, the items were found and returned next day and the work began. Neil optimistically accepted Roberts challenge of bringing back to life a Hyundai LC450 Excavator with a failed ECM along with the main objective of the visit, the D65 dozer.

PNG Concrete Aggregates were originally using the excavator to dig out rock from one of their 4 quarries, which produce both mountain and river gravel. They run a surprisingly sizeable operation. The majority of their customers are civil construction companies building housing projects, offices, supermarkets, concrete pylons, an overpass/flyover project, a sports stadium and a six lane freeway in preparation for the 2015 Pacific Games. They also deliver ready mixed concrete all over Port Moresby. With a fleet of over 80 heavy equipment vehicles, maintenance is always going to be an issue.

Reports Torquepower’s Neil Bird, “Whilst it was hot work, I had a really good time and enjoyed the satisfaction of getting the machines running.   The customer was chuffed that I could start the D65 after many failed attempts by others. This allowed a more accurate and educated decision on its future which will be to replace the engine, rather than attempt to overhaul it.”

“PNG is a beautiful place, the people were so helpful and friendly, very much like Australian country folk, everyone shakes hands, and not once did I feel unsafe. I am absolutely looking forward to going back to fit the new engine and complete the work on the excavator. I know more about the business and can plan for it.  There is also a large demand for Cummins engine experience in general around PNG from all reports.”

Robert Dellman of PNG Concrete Aggregates has the last humorous word, “ Neil proved that he is not just a pretty face… in fact he’s not even that!  Thanks to Neil we have a detailed report and a step by step plan to ensure the D65 and the excavator are functional and productive in the very near future. There are many opportunities for Torquepower in Papua New Guinea. I am personally satisfied with the results of Torquepower’s inclusion.”

The alarms went off, and we rang Torquepower to sort it. They got us going quickly, definitely good qualified service. The good thing is, you can even ring Torquepower after hours and you still get great service.

“If you don’t catch fish here, you’ve got the wrong bait” – Peter Lee, MD, Lees Fishing

It’s never good when your engine overheats in your tractor, your truck, or the pump, but when you’re 200 nautical miles out to sea, it really can cause you some anxiety.

Crabbing and estuary fishing has been in the Lee family since 1951. Today Peter Lee heads up the family business, the Lee Fishing Company in that beautiful part of Queensland we know as Tin Can Bay. His fleet of trawlers catch and process fresh King and Tiger prawns, sweet Spanner crab, Scallop, Sandcrabs, Red Spot Crabs, Moreton Bay bugs, Balmain bugs and Champagne Crayfish. Seafood that is landed by the trawlers is processed, graded, packed and frozen at sea and unloaded from sea on a fortnightly or monthly cycle basis to the factory at Tin Can Bay, and transported all over Australia and exported to overseas markets.

I ask Peter what makes the fishing at Tin Can Bay so good? “It’s a quiet little fishing town and the fish are so plentiful. If you don’t catch fish here, you’re using the wrong bait. If people tell me they’ve been here for a few days and haven’t caught anything, I take them to the end of the jetty and throw some scraps in and a huge school of fish appears. There’s plenty of fish here – getting the hook in the mouth is the problem! “

“We had an overheating problem on our trawler FV Second Wind”. The alarms went off, and we rang Torquepower to sort it. They got us going quickly, definitely good qualified service. The good thing is, you can even ring Torquepower after hours and you still get great service. “I’m really happy with Michael Mercer’s work, he’s good to work with, he’s young and he’s got the energy to keep going till the job is done. “

In 1959, Ted Phelan, well known Charleville sheep farmer, bought a brand new International R90 prime mover in Brisbane. The truck was to be used for stock transport and pull three 32 foot two-deck sheep trays. Back then you could only buy the International with a big thirsty petrol engine. Les Palmer, the original driver, delivered the new truck down the road to Cummins Diesel Sales & Service (then a Blackwood Hodge company) for an upgrade. CDS&S pulled out the petrol engine and replaced it with a new and powerful Cummins C464-160 HP Diesel engine.
In 2003, 44 years later, the lovely old truck was found in a field on a property at Wyandra south of Charleville by Bill Brooks the local mailman. The old girl had been abandoned and had even been underwater in an earlier flood. But today it is now beautifully restored – a credit to its new owner Jim Williamson.

Brisbane born and bred earthmoving specialist Jim Williamson bought the truck and had it shipped to Brisbane by Bill Brook’s (Brooks Transport) nephew. Says Bill, “We stripped it down to the last bolt and it took us 20 months to rebuild. It’s all original. The bulbar and the hungry board were retained. They were originally built locally and are very distinctive. We kept the original colour scheme, so often Charleville locals will recognise her. “

“I noticed a misfire in the engine a few days ago and asked Torquepower to have a look at it. They quickly found a problem with the cylinder head. I brought her to Torquepower because they are Cummins specialists. You don’t go to people who don’t know, you need to have the knowledge! “

Trevor Vale aka NODDY THE POSTMASTER
What’s in a name?” Well, says Trevor, it was either going to be Postman Pat (and that’s been taken !) , or Noddy ; complete with Postman Pat’s black and “ not so white” cat. This stuffed cat has travelled more of Australia, than most people dream of, perched on the front bulbar of this beautiful 2007 International. The Cummins ISX 550 has powered through hundreds of thousands of kilometers to Cairns, Darwin, Melbourne and Sydney.

With a huge Facebook following as Noddy the Post Master, Trevor’s posts about life on the road are insightful and funny. His Anzac Day post “Get to an Anzac Day Dawn service “was picked up by Channel 9 and gathered 1,600,000 views. He brought the International to Torquepower today to see about a clutch fault. Mick, the owner, has been bringing his rigs to Torquepower for 20 years.

Driving for 15 years now, Trevor still loves his job. “ I wouldn’t do anything else. No matter what else you do, you can’t beat driving for seeing Australia. Every time I drive to Darwin, its different, the grass is greener, or the sunrise more spectacular. “

The exciting part for us at Torquepower is this truck has 2.3 million kilometers on the original motor, and records an exceptional fuel economy of over 2.3 kilometres per litre . That’s the Torquepower service difference !

“We wanted to ensure the parts were genuine, and we needed someone we could talk to along the way, like Paul Duce. We are surprised how well everything went, and when we saw there was a follow up DVD on the dyno-testing, the client and I were very impressed. Providing a Dyno test DVD is like a badge of authority.”

Gerard Gervaise is a delightfully accented Frenchman who has worked for 25 years with Bertrand Export Queensland and is the founding Branch Manager. Gerard speaks fluent French as do all of the Bertrand staff, as the majority of their work is in New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Tahiti. Says Gerard, “Bertrand’s are seen as a French enclave in an Anglo Saxon world. We have made our name through service, not through the parts we sell.”

Gerard is very happy with a recent engine repair by Torquepower. The engine was powering a Genset for a crushing plant. The Crusher is owned by a company based in New Caledonia. “We wanted to ensure the parts were genuine, and we needed someone we could talk to along the way, like Paul Duce. We are surprised how well everything went, and when we saw there was a follow up DVD on the dyno-testing, the client and I were very impressed. Providing a Dyno test DVD is like a badge of authority.”

Bertrand’s look after a range of industry needs throughout the Pacific, including mining, stevedoring and farming. That one is close to Gerard’s’ heart. He won a scholarship in the US studying mechanisation in farming. On the weekend Gerard and his Australian-born wife escape to Aratula. It reminds him of the Loire Valley in France . He grows sorghum and raises cattle and has planted an amazing 17,000 native trees.  

” I just wanted to say thanks for your help. I’m impressed how smooth it was to get parts given the age of the engine, and especially the distance we are.”

Trent Semple is a hard working diesel fitter at the Dawson Mine at Moura. In his “spare” time, he helps his parents run 1800 head of Santa Gertrudis cattle at Calool, an hour and a half south of Rockhampton, and also is in partnership on his own property. So when Trent takes the time to write a letter, it’s pretty special!

Trent bought an old Ford Louisville LNT 9000 with a Cummins 903 Engine de-registered as a paddock truck. Says Trent “One day I got excited, and thought, I want to get this going!  A fellow at work recommended Torquepower in Brisbane.  I called, and luckily I got Paul Duce. He is really good. He helped me with parts, tooling and good information, everything I needed to rebuild the engine. I came down and picked up the parts, and out of everything we only missed 2 gaskets and 2 O-rings !  Put it this way, the manufacturer was more expensive, and Torquepower seem to have all the parts for older trucks. “

“I’ve only got a week’s work to finish the wiring, and I’m all done, but it’s hard to get a spare week. I will register it, and we’ll use it to move gravel around, make roads, and put gravel around the troughs. What will I do when finished? No, I won’t cerebrate,” Trent laughs, “I’ll just start another project”.

Trent writes to Torque power’s Paul Duce, ” I just wanted to say thanks for your help. I’m impressed how smooth it was to get parts given the age of the engine, and especially the distance we are.”

“Right from the early days, Torquepower has wanted us to help us in any way they can. They’ve got good people, who know Cummins parts and service well, and go to great lengths to cover any needs we might have. They provide the same level of service even if you haven’t spoken for a while.”

“I really hate our throwaway society “says Trevor Haley, Workshop manager for Beaumont Transport. After many years with the Ipswich transport icon, he still loves coming to work, and is happy to see the old four story concrete and glass power station Beaumont’s use for their Tivoli depot has had a second life.

Established in Ipswich in 1970, Beaumont Transport Pty Ltd has grown from a small two-truck operation to a major industry force employing more than 220 people. Beaumont’s have served the coal industry for more than 3 decades with an extensive fleet of prime movers and trailers, including “b” doubles, road trains and body and dogs, end loaders, bulldozers and excavators.

Beaumont’s Tivoli office is historical gold. Based in the old Power Station in Tivoli, and originally called Abermain, it was built in 1952-3 at a cost of $2 million. It comprised two Babcock and Wilcox boilers supplying steam for a 10,000 kilowatt turbine and alternator.  It met emergency demands for power in the winter of 1953 and then became part of the Southern Electric Authority’s generating system, one of the first power stations in Australia in to use a cooling tower system for the extraction of heat from condenser water to enable its re-use. 

The station stood adjacent to the Haighmoor-Tivoli Colliery and was the first SEA power station to be located on a coalfield, a practice that was continued with Swanbank. The power house ceased operation in 1967 and was placed in reserve. Of the original structure, only the chimney is no longer standing. 

Trevor says, “Much of Beaumont’s success can be attributed to the dedication and remarkable work ethic of its founder and director, Richie Beaumont. He grew up in the transport trade and started his own bulk haulage business from behind the wheel of a tipper carting coal for a local colliery.”

Richie’s experience under the bonnet has also led to the establishment of a fully equipped workshop at the company’s Tivoli headquarters to service and repair the entire Beaumont fleet, which Trevor is pleased to manage.

“Right from the early days, Torquepower has wanted us to help us in any way they can. They’ve got good people, who know Cummins parts and service well, and go to great lengths to cover any needs we might have. They provide the same level of service even if you haven’t spoken for a while.”

In 2014, Beaumont’s was purchased as an attractive addition to the Qube Logistics Group. Torquepower is proud to serve Beaumonts and support all Cummins engine operators