Week 13 Winners
Travis Hansen
Fireline
Fishtail, Mont.
Bobcat Unleashed Me
“I've been a wildland fire fighter since 1999, fighting fires all over the western United States. During my experiences fighting fires, I realized a lot of homes that were being destroyed by wildfires could probably be saved or more easily defended. Around October 2004, I came up with the idea of my business — Fireline Fire Protection Services.
“I hung up my cowboy hat in exchange for a hard hat. I bought a chainsaw, a few hand tools and a wheelbarrow, and set out on my mission to save homes. It didn't take long before I realized I couldn’t do this alone. I needed equipment — I needed hydraulic power! My chainsaw and I were no match against the overgrown forested land where so many people are now building their homes. The terrain was too steep and my current equipment wasn't strong enough or tough enough to do what I needed. I needed something more — a small but powerful machine, able to traverse steep grades and slopes. I found the Bobcat® T300 compact track loader. There were bigger, stronger machines out there meant to be in the forest, but that wasn't for me — I had my niche. I needed something that I could transport with a one-ton truck and trailer and use in close proximity to the homes I was trying to protect.
“I spent hours at the local dealer, Bobcat of Big Sky in Lockwood, Mont. I would just sit in the T300’s cab wishing I could have this machine. I knew I could get so much more done with it. The manager, Troy Harrell, let me drive it around the lot for the first time in May 2007. I pictured myself ripping and tearing out brush, cutting trees, doing fire-safe landscaping, and getting homes all over Montana prepped for the coming wildland fire season. In June 2007, I made another detour to Bobcat of Big Sky. My Bobcat affliction was getting serious, and this time, Troy said he would let me demo it on a job.
“No more hand dragging, no more back-breaking work! I could cross clients’ driveways and streets without damaging them and then continue on to some of the roughest terrain I had worked in. The difference was night and day! I had just been ‘unleashed!’ The next day, I signed the paperwork. I finally had the T300 I had been dreaming about for the past few years.
“With the addition of a few specialized attachments, I have been up and running ever since. I have jobs booked in advance and new clients calling daily. I can't say enough about the quality of these machines: They have truly changed the way I work and increased our production dramatically. Maintenance is far easier on my Bobcat machines than on other machines I’ve used, they are more comfortable to operate, and the dealer support I receive is unparalleled.”
Zachary Matzen
Matzen Construction
Fort Worth, Texas
Bobcat Unleashed Me
“I've used Bobcat® equipment to haul everything from stones for walls to debris from land clearing. I've always rented, never quite having the capital to purchase one. If I owned a Bobcat machine, I can only imagine the things I could accomplish on the job and on my own personal time and projects. The time-saving results, efficiency, brute strength, and accuracy of the machines I've used are immeasurable. The time and money Bobcat products have saved me, especially in a time crunch, have given me the ability to be a reliable and dependable contractor. They’ve gotten me out of more than one jam.
Trevor Smith
Augusta, Mich.
Bobcat Unleashed Me
“My love for heavy equipment started with my grandfather. He owned Stoney Lake Asphalt in Richland, Mich. He purchased a Melroe 600 loader in the late 1960s and still operates it to this day. He is 82, and still uses his Melroe machine to get wood and plow his driveway in the winter. I bought a 1994 Bobcat® 743B four years ago. I have since purchased metal over-the-tire tracks and forks for my machine. I do as many side jobs as I can on the weekends to make extra money. Since everyone in the area found out I had a Bobcat machine, my cell phone has been ringing off the hook.
Keith Martin
Sure-Dri LLC
Roanoke, Va.
Bobcat Unleashed Me
“We are a general contracting company that repairs leaking structures and builds custom homes. In November 2004, we were hired to fix a leaking pond in Craig County, Va. This pond was built in 1954 and held back a 2- or 3-acre pond. The pond is stocked with trout and used by Orvis for fly fishing classes. When we arrived at the site, the pond was leaking 1.2 million gallons of water each day. The dam was a random rubble structure. It was constructed of rock, concrete, crossties, and earth. The dam had outlasted its useful life and we were hired to add years to the life of the structure. Part of our contract was to clean the pond once it had drained. Hundreds of yards of silt had accumulated over the years and the bottom was a boot-sucking mess. Our New Holland LX865 was not up to the task of cleaning this pond. This machine mired up every time we entered the pond and had to be rescued in order to save it from becoming a fishing structure.
Corey McCafferty
Oakville, Ontario
Bobcat Unleashed Me
“I have been doing side landscaping jobs for a number of years. When I first started, I used a wheelbarrow and a shovel to do entire re-sodding jobs or garden designs until I did a job for a family friend about two years ago. I quoted the job to take my entire summer vacation of two weeks to redo the front lawn and make new flower beds. About four hours into the job, I decided I was going to rent a machine to do the work. My shovel and wheelbarrow just weren’t cutting it. I rented a Bobcat® S100 skid-steer loader and was amazed by how fast I was able to rip up the old sod and load it into the bin.