The same was true when the business was founded in 1954 by two builders, Harley Lomax and Ted Draisey.

Ted’s brother Don Draisey joined the business as a mechanic in 1957, which was when the first TE20 Ferguson tractor was purchased.

The first backhoe came into the fleet in 1960 and soon became known as that “funny little machine”. It was a real problem solver. It was used when trenches collapsed, on waterlogged sites or when holes had been dug in the wrong place.

In 1964 the business was divided. Harley Lomax took the building division and Ted Draisey the earthmoving.

1970 saw us start to experiment with owner-drivers. Gordon Lee was the first owner-driver to join us, and we’re proud to still have him on the team today.

In 1981, the owner-drivers formed their own company under a cooperative business structure.

In 1999 L&D Earthmoving became a public limited company. All shareholders operate within the business, with the majority of shares held by our owner-drivers.

Our unique structure and ownership means L&D Earthmoving customers know that the personalised service they get will be second to none. Our operators are committed to the task at hand. Our machines are very well maintained and operate at optimum capacity. Our prices represent real value for money.