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Week 4 Winners

William Fries IV
It’s Got to be Green
Mount Airy, Md.

Bobcat Unleashed Me
“I had my first experience with Bobcat® equipment when I was about four years old … When I turned 18, my grandfather gave me a very special present — a 1971 Bobcat M600, which we restored over the next year. The M600 is 35 years old now; it’s a very reliable unit, but currently out of service getting a motor rebuild. When I was 19, I got a snow contract that required a skid-steer loader. Knowing my open-cab M600 wasn't going to work, I purchased a used Bobcat 773G High-Flow unit. The first time I took it out and into a storm, it worked 26 hours straight. In the last three years, my 773G has made a minimum of $15,000 per year just on snow-removal jobs, and another $15,000 – $20,000 worth of work the rest of the year.

“After the first year of snow removal, I started a snow management company with a good friend here in Maryland. We now have more than 42 subcontractors plowing for us. Twelve of our 42 units are Bobcat machines, which range from a 463 to a S330 to a Toolcat™ 5600. The Bobcat 463, which the owner named ‘Pee Wee,’ has saved our butts by plowing sidewalks time and time again. It easily replaced 12 men shoveling … I am looking into purchasing another Bobcat 463 for myself before next winter. Another subcontractor has a Bobcat 2300 utility vehicle with a 68-inch plow. The 2300 replaces at least 10 men shoveling. My partner purchased a Toolcat 5600. The Toolcat 5600 is, hands down, the best snowplow vehicle ever. Words just cannot describe how much easier it has made our lives during snow-removal operations.

“ … I don’t own a large Bobcat fleet at the age of 22, but I am getting there. Plenty of snow subcontractors with Bobcat equipment work for me. I’ve talked quite a few friends into buying Bobcat machines. You almost could say that I live and breathe Bobcat. It’s pretty typical to see me running around with a red Bobcat hat on. Just ask my sales guy; he lives up the street from me. Even my girlfriend gave me a vintage Bobcat 753 remote-controlled toy this year for Christmas. Needless to say, I needed new batteries for it before the end of the night. My next purchase will be a Bobcat 331 or 337 with a hydraulic thumb, and then a 463 skid-steer loader. As long as Bobcat is in business, I will continue to purchase the company’s machines.”


Jeff Evans
Evans Environmental Construction
Glenwood, Iowa

Bobcat Unleashed Me
“In 1988, my company was awarded the contract to decommission the entire Fisher Guide factory in Detroit. This project involved pressure-washing and scrapping thousands of tons of manufacturing equipment. Several of the work areas were in basements accessible only by metal stairs. We needed equipment small enough to lower down through the stair openings, yet powerful enough to handle the task of moving tons of jagged, odd-shaped steel. After researching several brands, we chose two Bobcat® 743 skid-steer loaders, equipped with grapples. We also installed foam-filled tires on both machines to avoid the obvious problems associated with wrestling large pieces of scrap metal. Maintenance on these machines was limited to checking the oil and fueling. Eight 72-hour weeks later, the project was completed without a single breakdown of any nature. When we raised the 743s up from the basement, they looked like they had been through a nuclear blast.

“Since finishing that project, I have owned 30-plus Bobcat machines. In fact, when we opened an equipment rental store in 2002, deciding which brand of skid-steer loader to offer was a no-brainer. My salesman, Dave Goodsell of Bobcat of Omaha, has sold me every piece of Bobcat equipment I have ever owned. In 2006, he convinced me to switch to Bobcat mini excavators. Why I didn’t start out with Bobcat minis, I’ll never know. Having owned three, I’ll never consider another brand.”


Tommy Wallace
On Track Landscape & Excavation
Dadeville, Ala.

Bobcat Unleashed Me
“I recently completed a project to fill and grade my property on Lake Martin in Dadeville, Ala., using a rental machine. It is very steep and loaded with rocks and red clay. All of the machines I rented were scary to operate and of marginal use given these conditions. I called the rental company and told them to bring me a Bobcat® T190 compact track loader. I had heard that these machines were incredible, but I was still shocked by the performance of this machine just minutes after I started using it.

After a week, I finished all of my work. The rental unit was to be picked up the following morning. That night, January 10, 2008, a storm blew through and lightning struck a large tree in my yard. The tree was blown apart. Parts of it were scattered 100 feet in all directions. My pole barn and storage building took direct hits and both were destroyed. Lightning blew two 12-inch holes in my seawall. The next morning, the rental company came and picked up the Bobcat T190. I knew I had to either rent another T190 or buy one to clean up the storm damage. I was so impressed with the Bobcat machine that I started calling dealers and rental companies to see if I could find a machine that matched my budget. After a short search, a salesman at Loader Services in Pelham, Ala., sold me a 2003 Bobcat T190 in very good condition.

While working on the storm cleanup, it occurred to me that this type of service was greatly needed in my area. I will officially open my company in a couple of weeks. That will give me enough time to finish my work and do all of the work that friends and neighbors have already requested since my purchase. Thanks for a great machine.”


Daniel Ratner Jr.
Phoenix Enterprises
Liberty, N.Y.

Bobcat Unleashed Me
“Bobcat® equipment has played an important role in the development of my company, Phoenix Enterprises. My family has been in the construction business for over 30 years. My father owned and operated Dan Ratner Construction. After a few years in another business venture and a fire that almost cost my father his life, the Ratner family re-entered the construction business. We launched Phoenix Enterprises in 2006 as a small business, using only family as employees. The first piece of equipment we bought to build our business was a Bobcat A300 all-wheel steer loader with a backhoe attachment, two buckets and a pallet fork. We then added a Bobcat 341 excavator with a breaker and plate compactor.

“Two jobs this past summer truly show how the ‘Bobcat System’ is the only way to go. The first job posed a huge problem: We had to install a new lawn. However, the location of the lawn was inaccessible by truck. To overcome this obstacle, we stockpiled nearly 200 tons of topsoil 300 feet away from the job and moved it with our Bobcat equipment.

“Another project that required all of our Bobcat equipment and many attachments was the demolition of a house, followed by the re-grading of the property. Once the house was knocked down, we quickly removed the demolition debris using the 341 excavator with a three-tine grapple and the T320 with an 80-inch demolition grapple. Now came the hard part: the removal of the steel-reinforced slab. Removing the slab took us a lot less time than our competition would have needed. We used a breaker on the A300 and our other two Bobcat machines used grapples. The concrete was quickly demolished and moved to its new location as fill on the site. Once all the demolition was complete, we began reshaping the property using the 341 with a 52-inch bucket and Power Tilt and the T320 with a dozer blade.

“This project is still in progress. At the beginning of winter, we had graded out nearly 500 tons of fill and have much more to complete in the spring. We will also excavate the new foundation. Our Bobcat equipment continues to work throughout the year. As I type this, our A300 is equipped with a 96-inch snow blade and ready to plow onsite at a personal storage complex. In addition, the T320 is onsite with a 100-inch snow bucket at a senior citizens’ development. The 341 works hard through the winter, repairing frozen water lines with the breaker or simply loading sand into plow trucks. As you can see, our company is built on Bobcat machines through and through.

“ … Our business would simply not be what it is without the Bobcat System. It is the only equipment line we currently own and it is the only line we ever intend to own …”


Richard Burnett
Blackdog Enterprises
Kansas City, Mo.

Bobcat Unleashed Me
“Blackdog has been in the concrete and construction business since 1984. We’ve used Bobcat® equipment exclusively since our inception. When Hurricane Ivan hit in 2004, we became involved in disaster cleanup. We learned that hurricane recovery was heavily dependent on the use of skid-steer loaders to fill dump trucks and dump trailers. Not knowing anyone in the business or even who to call for a job, I thought of Bobcat. I went to KC Bobcat in Grandview, Mo., and obtained a list of Bobcat dealers on the Gulf Coast. I called Beard Equipment in Mobile, Ala., and told them what I was trying to do. They gave me the name and number of a storm recovery contractor who has done business with them. I called, and the rest is history. Thanks for the job, Bobcat!

“On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina demolished the Gulf Coast. Subsequently, the levee walls of New Orleans were breached and the city sat submerged for nearly two weeks. That event and its aftermath created the largest natural disaster in U.S. history. Blackdog and Bobcat became a part of that history. At the start of the monumental cleanup effort, we staged in Mobile, Ala., and cleaned that city while waiting for the flood waters to recede. When the water was finally pumped out and work was allowed to begin, we began moving crews into New Orleans.

“When we first started in September of 2005, we utilized a variety of loaders … By midway through the project, it was apparent to us that some machines were better than others at working 12 hours a day, seven days a week. The Bobcat machines were obviously our workhorses.

“A major factor in this reliability was the important element of manufacturer support and service. Unlike other brands that have dealer-specific warranties, inaccessible service centers and ‘get in line, it’s not our problem’ support, Bobcat was terrific. The New Orleans area is serviced by Duhon Machinery, a Bobcat dealer. Sid Duhon is a prince, and the guys in his parts and service department were a pleasure to work with … As a result of this dependability and service, by the time we finished the project on August 29, 2007, Blackdog was using Bobcat machines exclusively, including the S250, S300, T180, T300, A300, 753, 763 and 863 models. We gave them quite a workout!”