How the Bobcat System Pays Off
Bobcat System
At age 44, veteran construction equipment operator Kirby Allen decided he could make more money working for himself. At about the same time Bobcat Company began promoting the Bobcat System, an innovative combination of a skidsteer loader and compact excavator productively working together.
How fortunate—for Allen and Bobcat Company.
During the past decade Allen owned and operated 11 Bobcat® loaders and excavators which, he says, have allowed him to do “real well financially.” He is one of thousands of owner/operators who have turned the Bobcat System into their own personal success story.
“After more than 25 years operating big dozers and backhoes for someone else I figured it was time to become my own boss,” says Allen, of Ooltewah, Tenn., who started working in construction as a teenager. “When evaluating business opportunities I noticed that jobsites—especially home sites—were becoming smaller and more restrictive. I thought the future was in smaller equipment.”
Bobcat Company was thinking the same way. Could a skid-steer loader and compact excavator combine to out-work and out-earn the traditional 12 to 14-ft. tractor-loader-backhoe (TLB)? “Yes sir,” says Allen.
He began with an 853 loader and 231 excavator. Today he has a 773, T190 and 334, along with a half dozen attachments.
“I’ve done hundreds of projects where, if you didn’t have the right compact equipment, you didn’t do the job or you did it by hand,” says Allen. “For a while I owned a 963, the biggest Bobcat loader. At times even that machine was too large.”
Kirby Allen
These days Allen takes his T190 and 334 on his 26-ft. flatbed truck to almost every job. “For my needs this is the best equipment combination of all,” he says.
The T190 is a 56 hp, vertical lift path compact track loader with a 1,900-lb. rated operating capacity. “For a few jobs it may be a little too small, but it really works well in areas where space is limited,” says Allen. “If I could have only one machine, the T190 would be my choice. It is a top-notch loader.”
The 334 is the long-arm version of the popular 331 compact excavator. The 40 hp unit has a reach of almost 17 ft. “I use it to dig footings,” says Allen. “It’s ideal for working on hillsides and other places where accessibility is difficult.”
Allen works as a sub-contractor for landscapers, asphalt contractors, plumbers and others. He specializes in building retaining walls, digging basements and backfilling. At times he takes on projects nobody else wants. “Those jobs pay more, so I’m willing to do them,” says Allen. “Besides, I’ve got the right equipment to handle tough assignments.”
That work-history has helped earn him the nickname of “Mr. Bobcat.” Early in his career a customer paid Allen with a check made out to “Mr. Bobcat.” He says “the name kind of stuck and, suprisingly, the bank cashed the check.”
And plenty more since then.
“You know,” concludes Allen. “I didn’t have much until I went into business with Bobcat equipment. These machines have made me a very good living.”