Bobcat System Continues to Grow in Popularity

Nothing Beats this Equipment Combination for Jobsite Performance

The Bobcat System — the pinnacle of compact equipment efficiency, versatility and productivity — has never been more popular. The combination of a Bobcat® loader and excavator, which began showing up regularly on jobsites about twenty years ago, continues to offer plenty of advantages for owners and operators like these people:

• Ruane, who has used 30 Bobcat loaders and excavators to build a successful Chicago-area concrete construction and excavating business. He continues to grow his business today with the Bobcat System.
• Bill Wilson, a Massachusetts owner/operator who says his Bobcat loaders and excavator allow him to maximize efficiency.
• Chris Fulkerson, who relies on his Bobcat compact track loader and excavator to give him the confidence — and ability — to tackle difficult projects around west-central Ohio.

Better Equipment Equals Better Results

Mark Ruane started on his career path while he was still in high school. He started paying attention to the types of equipment that were being used on construction sites. “All I ever really saw around here were Bobcat products,” he recalls.

He still sees plenty of Bobcat equipment in the western Chicago suburbs where his company, Ruane Construction, is headquartered. In fact, today he’s the owner of a dozen Bobcat machines, including skid-steer and compact track loaders and compact excavators.

With more than 200 employees, Ruane owns one of the largest concrete construction and excavating firms in the area. The Frankfort, Ill.-based company also does mass grading and sewer and water installs. About 70 percent of the work is residential; the remainder is commercial.

Exceeding Expectations of Demanding Customers

“We work for about three dozen builders,” says Ruane. “Our customers are very demanding. We give them exceptional service and they have come to expect it all the time. We usually stay ahead of schedule and that helps us to get more business.”

“You need reliable equipment and operators that show up every day. I’ve got both.”

Ruane says he can deliver because he has the right equipment and dependable employees.

He sends a Bobcat loader out with each crew every day. “We don’t use dozers for final grading anymore because our Bobcat machines are so much more efficient. They can cross over sidewalks and driveways without causing damage, and they push just as much as a dozer. Plus, after grading we can use them to spread soil and do cleanup work.”

The versatility of his Bobcat loaders allowed Ruane to retire all his small dozers. “They are good for grading, but that’s all,” he says. “Our compact track and skid-steer loaders can do so much more.”

Success with ZHS Excavators

In addition to his nine Bobcat loaders, Ruane also owns three Bobcat 435 Zero House Swing (ZHS) compact excavators.

“I’ve tried every excavator on the market,” Ruane says. “These 435s are the best, hands-down. The size is ideal because they can be easily transported. The ZHS feature allows us to work in limited access areas without damaging property or the machine. The excavators are great for sewer and water installations and for room additions.”

Bobcat excavators and loaders have helped Ruane build his business for two decades. “They have been important to our success,” he concludes.

Bobcat Equipment Successful in School — Bobcat System Receives High Marks

Bill Wilson didn’t learn about the Bobcat System in school. However, he frequently takes one of his loaders and his excavator to school where this equipment combination achieves high grades for efficiency and productivity.

Wilson learned the ins and outs of operating equipment from his father, Thomas Wilson Sr., and now as the owner of Bill Wilson and Son, Hampden, Mass., he’s passing it onto the next generation — his son William Wilson Jr.

Wilson does various grading and excavating projects. Over the years Wilson has taken on education-related construction projects ranging from elementary schools to large college campuses.

“Regardless of the type of work I am doing, there are major obstacles at schools that have to be addressed,” he says. “There are usually a lot of people around the jobsite. That requires extra awareness of the surroundings and equipment that can work quickly with a minimum amount of disruption.”

Bobcat Equipment is the Ideal Solution

For 17 years Wilson has relied on Bobcat equipment to do this work, and do it correctly. “Bobcat equipment is ideal for the kind of work I do,” he says.

Wilson has watched other equipment being used on similar jobsites. “The Bobcat System makes me more efficient — by far — than a tractor-loader-backhoe,” he says. “For versatility, nothing can beat a Bobcat loader, excavator and attachments.”

“These machines have been the key to my success. They have allowed me to work in tight quarters and in challenging situations.”

His current equipment lineup includes a T190 compact track loader, a 328 excavator, 753 and 773 skid-steer loaders, a grapple, pallet fork, tiller, hydraulic breaker, sweeper, landscape rake and Tilt Tatch™. All were purchased from Bobcat of Greater Springfield (Mass.).

Wilson says he has between 30,000 and 40,000 hours of experience running Bobcat equipment. “These machines give me the option of handling almost any type of assignment,” says Wilson. “In fact, I take the Bobcat System to every jobsite.”

Owner-Operator Builds Business with Bobcat System

The Bobcat System — a T300 compact track loader and 341 excavator — has given Chris Fulkerson the confidence to take on more difficult jobs and to complete them successfully.

For example, he recently completed a three-year project doing the finishing work and helping a landscaper on a new multi-million-dollar house. “I used my loader and attachments to prepare the grounds for landscaping,” says the owner of Fulkerson Trucking and Excavating, Huntsville, Ohio. “Then, using the excavator and loader, I moved and placed dozens of boulders as we constructed several rock walls. It was a very complicated project; I would not have even attempted to do it without my Bobcat machines.”

Fulkerson has been working in the construction business since the early 1970s. For about the past decade he has relied almost exclusively on Bobcat products purchased from Bobcat of Lima (Ohio). In addition to his loader and excavator, Fulkerson has a large selection of Bobcat attachments, including a soil conditioner, landscape rake, combination bucket, dozer blade, pallet fork, grapple bucket, tiller and hydraulic clamp. With the Power Bob-Tach™ system, he can easily switch from one attachment to another.

This equipment has enabled him to do ongoing work, such as installing storm sewers and cleaning ditches, for townships in the area.

“They like the fact I have track machines,” Fulkerson says. “I can do sewer taps year round — as long as the ground does not freeze more than a foot deep — and only cause minimal damage, if any, to residential lawns. Hauling stone with a rubber-tire machine can result in deep tracks in yards. The T300, on the other hand, is easy on grass. It has extended my work season by four to six weeks.”

For cleaning ditches Fulkerson relies on his excavator and a 52-inch-wide grading bucket. “The extended reach excavator allows me to do 90 percent of this work without ever having to leave the pavement. Plus, I don’t mark or damage the pavement.”

As an owner-operator working alone, Fulkerson knows he has to find easier ways to do things. “The Bobcat equipment fits my situation perfectly,” he says. “I have been able to expand my services while staying productive and efficient.”

Read more about the benefits of the Bobcat System at www.bobcat.com/system.