Loader Backhoe Proves a Better Choice for Plumbing Contractor

Mike Gale

After reading about the features of Bobcat® loader backhoes, Mike Gale wasted no time ordering a model B300. Features that caught his eye: The machine’s size and power. It’s small enough for interior work during construction of commercial buildings and has more than enough power to meet his digging and loading needs.

At the time he became the first in Michigan to buy a Bobcat loader backhoe, he already owned a different brand of loader backhoe.

“I was unhappy with it and wanted to make a change,” says Gale, who also owns a Bobcat compact excavator. “I knew from experience that Bobcat Company makes a good product and that my dealer (Bobcat of Grand Rapids) would stand behind it.

“The B300 has been great,” says the owner of Gale Plumbing and Hydronics, Inc., Grand Rapids. “It has features that other brands don’t.”

• Agile all-wheel steering. The loader backhoe is often used to dig trenches on new construction and renovation work inside buildings ranging in size from restaurants and grocery stores to manufacturing facilities. “My B300 is about the same size as my previous loader backhoe, but it’s much more maneuverable,” says Gale. “The all-wheel steering makes working in tight areas a lot easier.”

• Easy-to-use hydrostatic transmission. “Unlike the other brand, I don’t have to shift with my B300,” he notes. “The transmission is very responsive and always provides sufficient power to handle what I want to do.”

• Convenient single-seat operation. To switch between operating the controls for the loader or backhoe, Gale simply swivels the operator’s seat 180 degrees. His previous two-seat machine required Gale to flip one seat forward and one seat down and climb in and out of the machine to change positions for either loader or backhoe operation. “It was awkward and time-consuming,” he says.

• Versatile swing-out stabilizers. His previous machine was equipped with vertical stabilizers. Gale prefers the extra stability of his B300’s swing-out stabilizers, which are wide enough to span open trenches.

• Spacious cab. The big cab on the Bobcat loader backhoe offers controls that are easy to reach and operate and great visibility when digging or loading, Gale says. “Our operators are different sizes and they’re all comfortable in the cab. There’s a lot of room for your feet and the floor is designed for easy cleaning.”