Bobcat System Suits Golf Course Remodeling Work to a Tee
Daniel Soushek, owner of Golf Plus, relies on the Bobcat System—an A220 all-wheel steer loader and 341 compact excavator.
Daniel Soushek began his new golf course remodeling business two years ago. He had been around golf course construction for more than 20 years in a family-run business. So he was very familiar with equipment and looked for machines that were both easy on turf and efficient.
Following the advice of his Bobcat dealer, Bobcat West, in Fife, Wash., Soushek purchased a Bobcat® A220 all-wheel steer loader equipped with turf tires, and a rubber-tracked Bobcat 341 excavator. That advice proved to be very sound.
“In reconstructing greens, tees and other features on a golf course, we can’t tear up anything outside the perimeter of our work area,” says the owner of Golf Plus, Maple Valley, Wash. “Our all-wheel steer loader can maneuver on fairly soft areas and leave no trace. Plus, with its capability to use more than 40 different Bobcat attachments, we can use it for many jobs. The 341 excavator gives us the power we need for excavating and handling materials and a long reach to do more work from one spot without repositioning.”
The all-wheel steer loader is used to bring materials such as pea gravel and sand mixtures right up to the work site. “It effortlessly handles a load of sod,” Soushek says. “I’m amazed at how well it’s balanced and how easily and smoothly the joystick controls operate. Also, the Power Bob-Tach™ system allows us to change attachments from the operator’s seat.
That’s a huge time-saver.”
Soushek has equipped his loader with an optional suspension seat and deluxe instrument panel with keyless start for increased comfort, convenience and security.
He also has plenty of praise for his 341 excavator, which he bought after renting it for several months. “There is nothing I can’t do with it,” Soushek says. “I've run large excavators and the 341 feels like a big machine. It has the power to rip out stumps and handle large rocks. With its long reach and independent boom swing, I can dig an irrigation trench around a green in just one hour.”
The 341 features the exclusive Bobcat X-Change® system for fast, easy attachment changes. Soushek uses it with trenching buckets, a 52-in. grading bucket, a plate compactor and a hydraulic clamp. The Power Tilt™ swing accessory, with its wrist-like action for changing the bucket position, is another handy tool. “It allows me to make level cuts, even if the excavator is not sitting level,” he says. “I use it a lot for sculpturing bunkers.”
As productive as the loader and excavator are by themselves, they’re even better when working together as a Bobcat System, says Soushek.
“Normally, they’re the first two machines on a job,” he says. “I can put both units and their attachments on one trailer.”
The compact size of the Bobcat equipment also pays off during the summer, when Soushek’s golf course work slows down and he switches to residential landscaping projects. The loader and excavator work easily and effectively in backyards and other small areas, he reports.
“I’m extremely satisfied with both Bobcat machines,” Soushek says. “When you have the right equipment, like we do, it makes everything that much easier.”