Week 15 Winners
Larry Myers
LG Myers Construction
Bend, Ore.
Bobcat Unleashed Me
“I can definitely say that I have been unleashed. In 1999, my wife bought a brand-new Bobcat® 753 skid-steer loader, which she rented to my excavation company. I used the 753 almost every day, weather permitting, until I purchased the new T190 track loader in 2001. Wow! Bobcat machines are real animals. Their quickness, durability, dependability and low maintenance have me sold on Bobcat equipment.
“The construction industry began to pick up the pace in our home town of Bend, Ore., in early 2002. I felt the need for additional equipment, so I contacted our local Bobcat dealership. I purchased a Bobcat 325 mini excavator in 2001 but eventually upgraded to the much faster 331 mini excavator in 2003. The mini excavator is perfect for tight spots. At this point, I knew that the Bobcat line would be the ‘bread and butter’ of my company. With the select pieces of Bobcat machinery in my fleet, I found that instead of going out and purchasing additional machinery, I could purchase attachments that fit the skid-steer loaders and the excavator for a lot less then buying a specialty piece of machinery. Another wow! Bobcat attachments are fabulous. They are quick and easy to change over — and like the machine they are attached to, they get the job done.
“Bobcat is my best business partner. Between 1999 and 2008, with the dedicated assistance of Bobcat of Central Oregon, I have purchased three T190s, a T200, three 331 mini excavators, a 430 mini excavator, a MT52 mini track loader, a 2100 utility vehicle, and a Toolcat™ utility work machine. As for attachments, I have two graders with laser systems and a snowplow, trencher, grapple, angle broom, pallet fork, plate compactor, and hydraulic breaker. Do I still own and use all of these? Yes — and I am always looking forward to the next product release. Because of Bobcat, my business has been unleashed and continues to grow.”
Nicholas Meyer
Meyer Dairy
Sauk Centre, Minn.
Bobcat Unleashed Me
“I took over my family's dairy farm in 2003, and my wife and I were married in November 2007. Soon after we were settled into our new lives on the dairy farm, we found out that our skid-steer loader, which was only three years old, needed a major repair. We were disappointed and frustrated with Bobcat Company’s competitors, so we test drove a Bobcat® S185. We knew we had found our new skid-steer loader, and we took ownership just five months ago!
“Our Bobcat S185 is the most used tool on our dairy farm. We are able to cut our mixing and feeding time in half with the new machine. The dual-speed not only saves us time, but allows my father to be more comfortable while working on the farm as well. The Power Bob-Tach™ feature eases his need to get in and out of the skid-steer loader to change attachments while mixing feed. It allows him to work better and prevents added stress.
“We use the S185 for everything, including moving large square bales and bedding, plowing snow, mixing feed, cleaning barns, facing silage and haulage, picking rocks, and many other tough jobs. I can actually say I won't mind picking rocks this spring in the S185 with an air-conditioned cab! We are able to do the work of two of our old machines with one Bobcat S185. We are not only smarter for buying Bobcat, but much more effective and efficient, too!”
Chuck Carpenter
RACC Inc., DBA Homes by Carpenters
Coloma, Mich.
Bobcat Unleashed Me
“We are a residential home builder specializing in modular homes. We have to stay on schedule and we pride ourselves in getting the job done on time. In mid-2005, we started renting a Bobcat® T190 compact track loader to backfill foundations and to move and install pea stone for footing drains. This had been done with a dozer and by hand. We had size and scheduling problems when coordinating the dozer. When we realized the cost and time savings we could get by owning a T190, we decided to purchase a machine in 2006. We looked at every brand, as cost was an important consideration. The Bobcat brand was not the least expensive, but when we evaluated the specifications, it always came out on top. Some other brands may have had more horsepower, but they had less lift capacity, smaller buckets, or fewer options.
“The Bobcat dealer in Elkhart, Ind., supplied our rental machines. Because of the cost factor, we decided to look into buying a used machine. Our Bobcat dealer was very helpful in our search by getting us into the right machine and letting us demo different machines for evaluation. We found our machine, in the T300 compact track loader.”
“We are still discovering the scope of what this machine will do. We have much less vibration when backfilling basements, which lessens the chance of cracking walls. The size of the T300 allows us to easily get around jobsites. Because of its tracks, it is amazing in soft conditions.
“Being able to rent a wide variety of attachments makes it possible to take on and do more jobs than we ever anticipated. It saves us time and makes us more money on every job. The Bob-Tach™ mounting system makes changing attachments effortless. The importance of the support from our local Bobcat dealer can’t be overstated when it comes to maintenance items and replacement parts. It is very important that if we need a part, we can get it and get the machine back in service with the minimum amount of downtime.”
Heath Bullard
Bethlehem Area Vocational Technical School
Bethlehem, Pa.
Bobcat Unleashed Me
“I am a masonry instructor at the Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School. I started teaching during the 1995 school year. My first year was a rebuilding year — I had to get more kids involved in the masonry program. I was told by my administrator to get what I needed to get my class up and running. I got all the essential tools, such as trowels, levels, and wheelbarrows. I also asked for a skid-steer loader but the budget did not allow for it. I was disappointed, because I knew that if I had a skid-steer loader in my shop, more kids would enroll and the manual labor expected of them would be a lot easier.
“From 1995 until 2005, I busted my butt trying to keep enrollment up. Not many kids are interested in doing manual labor nowadays, and in my shop it was nothing but manual labor. Everything that had to be moved was moved by hand. I use 45 tons of sand a year. This sand was dumped in the parking lot and had to be moved with wheelbarrows into its storage area. All digging was done by hand. Any stone leveling was done with picks, shovels, and rakes. Bricks and blocks were kept in piles stacked by hand. Organization of these materials was kept to a bare minimum because of the lack of a skid-steer loader or forklift.
“I was finally approached in 2005 by our new director, Brian Williams. He asked what could be done to help me become a better teacher and help my shop become more organized and efficient. I said that a Bobcat® skid-steer loader would make a world of difference in my shop. I was told to get the facts together and present them in order to obtain an equipment grant for the equipment …
“In the beginning of 2006, the S250 arrived. My shop has not been the same since. The machine was an instant hit. Students actually wanted to learn how to drive it and use it. They do not complain about putting the sand away anymore. A few scoops of the bucket and 45 tons of sand are easily put in storage. What used to take a week to do is now done in one day. My students have organized all of the materials onto pallets. They can take the Bobcat machine, disconnect the bucket, connect the forklift attachment, and bring themselves the material they will need to work in their workstations. My students have become more self-sufficient due to using the S250. My students no longer try to find excuses to get out of doing work, but are finding reasons to do work so they can drive the S250 …”
Joe Emigh
Utica, Pa.
Bobcat Unleashed Me
“In September 1998, I was involved in a tragic construction accident that resulted in the loss of my right arm and caused muscular, nerve, and skeletal damage to the rest of my upper body. Up to that point, my entire adult life had revolved around trucks, machines, and equipment. I loved it. Then at age 29, it was all gone. In the years since, I have tried to adapt several different machines and tools to my disability with varying levels of success.
“Last year, a contractor, Wallace Builders of Pulaski, Pa., was working at my home with an older Bobcat® skid-steer loader with pedals for the boom and attachment, and simple linear sticks for directional control. I said to Davey, the operator, ‘If they only still made them like that, I could make linkage to run it.’ He told me that Bobcat still does. The rest, as they say, is history. I immediately went to the Bobcat Web site, researched loaders, found a dealer, and a month later — with the help of Bobcat’s zero-percent financing — I was the proud owner of a new T300.
“The dealer, Bobcat of Youngstown in Youngstown, Ohio, moved the throttle to the left side of the machine and moved the electronic attachment controls to the left stick, since I lost my right arm above the elbow. I spent a couple of weeks building and refining new linkage for my stump to control the right stick with parts anyone can get at a hardware store for $25. Talk about being unleashed. After ten years of playing with ‘toys’ by comparison, my Bobcat T300 has given me a real life. I can do real work.
“With a Brushcat™ rotary cutter, a Bobcat soil conditioner, a combo bucket, my Bobcat machine has allowed me to take control of my situation instead of being controlled by it. With all the attachments Bobcat makes, I really sometimes think there is nothing I can't do. I'm only limited by my creativity. The best part? My T300 is so versatile and in demand, I sometimes rent it to the same contractor who turned me on to it, so it is helping to pay for itself. None of those other ‘high-maintenance toys’ ever did that! Thanks, Bobcat, for unleashing me. With their many available control options, I know Bobcat machines can unleash other disabled guys and gals and help them feel productive and in charge of their lives too.”
