Real gear, real easy

Dry hire leader earth gear has built its reputation for excellence by relying on the power, precision, and reliability of Kobelco equipment, using it as a cornerstone of its operations to deliver outstanding results across a range of earthmoving and construction projects.

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The story of earth gear begins with Lloyd Bartlett and George Sutton, two men who shared a common vision to create a dry hire business that offered more than just near-new, low-hour machines.

It was about building a team that genuinely cared about delivering reliable equipment and quality support their customers could count on.

Lloyd and George bring business experience that perfectly complements one another, forming the ideal team.

While Lloyd has a proven track record of growing businesses, George has hands-on expertise in the civil construction hire industry. Over the years, they saw firsthand the challenges that contractors and project managers faced when it came to accessing reliable, high-quality machinery on flexible terms.

In conversations over the years, they both saw a gap: while there were plenty of big hire companies, many smaller and mid-sized contractors were looking for a more personalised, responsive service one where they could get not just the machine, but the right machine, in excellent condition, backed by people who truly understood the work.

In 2020, Lloyd and George decided to turn those conversations into action.

Pooling their expertise, networks, and capital, they established earth gear, based in Queensland.

With Lloyd as Director and George as General Manager, the philosophy from the start was simple: offer a dry hire fleet of late-model, well-maintained machinery, supported by personalised customer service and a deep understanding of client needs. Their motto: real gear. real easy.

Starting with a handful of machines — primarily excavators, loaders, and dozers — earth gear quickly gained a reputation for flexibility, reliability, and straight-up honesty.