Reliable, Hard-Working Skid-Steer Loaders Keep Excavating Contractor on Schedule

Joe English

Zarley Excavating appreciates the value of rugged, dependable equipment better than most. The company, owned by Joe English and his wife, Tammy Zarley-English, excavates basements for large homebuilders in the Columbus, Ohio, area. Any delays in their work can quickly snowball, throwing other subcontractors behind schedule.

That’s why the company relies on five Bobcat® skid-steer loaders— representing a wide range of performance capabilities—for digging, backfilling and finish grading. “We seldom stop work because of a breakdown with these machines,” English says. It’s not because these loaders are loafing, either. Each one racks up about 1,200 to 1,700 hours of hard work in a year.”

All the loaders are equipped with the Bobcat Advanced Control System (ACS) to match individual operator preference for hand or foot controls. The equipment includes an 873, S185, S250 and S300. “The S185 is small enough to maneuver quickly and easily when grading 5-ft.-wide side yards and light enough for backfilling without damaging foundations,” English says.

The 873 and two S250 loaders handle both backfilling and truck loading chores. Ahigh-performance S300 handles the heaviest dirt moving and loading work.

In addition to Bobcat smoothedge buckets, the loaders are also used with other Bobcat attachments. Pallet forks are used for handling sewer pipe efficiently, and an industrial grapple is ideal for clearing brush quickly and easily.

Built tough and sturdy, just like his loaders, these attachments add to English’s satisfaction with his Bobcat equipment and the local Bobcat Enterprises dealership in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. “We use our loaders in heavy-duty, high-production situations every day,” he says, “we can’t afford to be without them.”