Landscaper Says Mini Track Loader Best Investment
Terry and Scott Pruitt
As a landscape and irrigation contractor based in Hoover, Ala., T.K. Drake, Inc., had a long history of renting compact equipment. Sometimes the company needed a skid-steer loader; on other occasions a mini loader. About the time owners Terry Pruitt and his son, Scott, were experiencing poor performance with a rented mini loader, they heard about the Bobcat® MT52.
“On the next job we discovered the Bobcat mini track loader was a superior product,” says Scott. “It turned out to be the best investment we ever made.”
The Pruitts especially like the way the MT52 makes them more efficient.
“For example,” says Scott, “on a renovation job I can use the mini track loader to dig up all plant material, load it in a truck, grade the site, haul in new soil, get all the plants spotted and holes dug before I have to bring our crew in.”
Adds Terry: “At one site we used the MT52 and auger attachment to dig more than 100 holes for trees in about an hour. In the really hard ground it would normally take our guys 20-25 minutes to dig a single hole with shovels. The MT52 can do it in seconds, not minutes.”
In addition to significantly reducing rental expenses, the Bobcat mini track loader, purchased from Loader Services and Equipment, Birmingham, allows the company to save in other ways.
“Our labor costs have been cut substantially,” says Scott. ”It does the work of 8-10 people. Plus, with the mini track loader we can cross existing surfaces to reach work sites. Previously we had to use hand labor to avoid damaging property. The MT52 turns two-week jobs into three- or four-day jobs.”
Trenching is another area where the MT52 beats the competition.
“We used to rent another brand of mini loader for our trenching projects,” says Scott. “Once we purchased the MT52 we discovered there is no comparison between the units when it comes to trenching. The Bobcat machine digs faster and produces a wider trench. It’s a superior trenching product.”
Among the jobs where the Pruitts use the MT52: Hardscape, retaining walls, brick paver patios, complete irrigation systems and landscape renovations.
“And we are finding new uses for it all the time,” says Scott. “So far, we have not found anything this machine is not capable of doing.”
Money-Saving Machine
Saving work and labor are just two examples of the profit-producing efficiency of the MT52.
“It also saves money for our customers,” says Scott Pruitt. “If we used bigger equipment we would have to estimate how much of the area we would disturb and figure that into our price. That’s not a problem with the MT52 so we come in with a lower price.”