430 Makes Fast, Easy Work of Digging in Cramped Spaces

Jeff Elder says his 430 excavator “does the job I want it to do.”

Even when the tracks of his Bobcat® 430 zero house swing (ZHS) excavator are within an inch or two of a building, contractor Jeff Elder has plenty of room for placing spoil. He can even slew completely around and dump the spoil behind him—quickly and easily without damaging either the building or the excavator.

That’s because with the new Bobcat excavator, both the tail and the right and left front corners of the house stay within the width of the tracks. After allowing for the boom swing, that gives him nearly a 320 degree range of zero radius slew.

“I don’t use that feature all the time, but when I need it, I need it,” says Elder. “Also, if I’m working between closely-spaced houses and the neighbors don’t want dirt on their property, I can turn and dump the dirt where I want to for hauling away or push it with the excavator’s blade.”

His excavating company, Jefco, in Lawrence, Kan., uses the 430 along with Bobcat 753 and 773 skid-steer loaders. The excavator gives him the digging depth, reach and breakout force to take on a variety of trenching and grading jobs.

The 430’s standard rubber tracks and revolutionary FastTrack™ system results in smooth turns, maximum torque control and fast ground speeds. Even in low-range, Elder can travel up to 2.6 mph.

“When using the blade for backfilling trenches, I can back up quickly and easily maneuver for the next push,” he says. “Also, long radius turns are smooth and easy when turning at a street corner.”

The roomy cab, with a wide door opening and a height of less than 8 ft., also gets Elder’s approval as does the overall performance of his 430. “I really like it,” he says. “It does the job I want it to do.”