Laser-Guided Grader Makes Fast, Easy Work of Flatwork Jobs
Peska Construction relies on Bobcat loaders with the laser-guided grader attachment to produce accurate finish grading.
Peska Construction, Inc., Sioux Falls, S.D., has made a name for itself in the upper Midwest and northern Great Plains as a top concrete flatwork contractor for large commercial projects such as discount retail and home improvement mega-stores.
Within the company, the Bobcat® laser-guided grading system has made a name for itself as a smart alternative to the traditional stringand-stake approach for rough and finish grading.
Peska Construction currently operates a fleet of 11 Bobcat skidsteer loaders and a variety of attachments, including a pair of graders. Featuring an 84-in.-wide, hydraulically-operated blade, these graders are equipped with a laser control package which automatically moves the blade up or down to keep base material exactly on-grade.
The Bobcat laser-grader units replaced a non-laser equipped motorgrader in preparing flatwork sites up to 60,000 sq. ft. or larger. Also, unlike even a laser-guided motorgrader, the Bobcat unit allows crews to tackle a wide range of other jobs as well.
“Our Bobcat loaders provide the versatility to do multiple tasks, plus we can use the same dual-slope laser system for both our graders and our laser-guided screed,” says Wade Peska. He’s in charge of the company’s flatwork projects, while his father, Gene, who started the firm, handles the general contracting and development work.
As Wade points out, the laserguided Bobcat loader-grader equipment combination offers a number of advantages:
More accurate finish grading
Setting the unit to cut and fill on grade is as simple as setting the desired slope on the transmitter and adjusting the height of the receiver on the mast mounted to the blade. “One client’s specifications require the actual finished grade to be within one-fourth inch of the designed grade,” Wade says. “This equipment allows us to produce a consistent grade, with no high or low spots and get within one-eighth inch of grade.”
Less time and labor
At one time Peska Construction’s jobs required several people on the ground to set strings and stakes, check grades and finish off windrows behind the motorgrader with hand tools. The Bobcat grader and laser unit eliminates that expense. It also can work closer to walls, columns and other obstacles to reduce the amount of hand finish work even more.
“On a typical 40,000 sq. ft. job, our Bobcat equipment saves us about 25 man-hours of hand labor,” Wade says. “With one loader placing gravel in front of the grader, we can grade out a project of this size in one day or less.”
More efficient rough grading
The crew also uses the Bobcat grader to save time and labor when rough grading a site. It’s much easier to use this system instead of a large non-laser equipped front-end loader for the initial grading and spreading of base material, Wade notes.
“Using the front-end loader requires someone on the ground to check grade as the loader is working,” he says. “With our Bobcat equipment, one operator can do it all.”
Lower concrete costs
The Bobcat laser-equipped grader also reduces concrete overages while producing a better concrete product.
“The accuracy of the grading has increased our concrete yield dramatically,” Wade says. “Also, by eliminating high and low spot errors in the pour, you achieve a higher quality slab.
More production
The grader system has boosted annual production. “In a year we can do about 1 million sq. ft. of graded floor per machine,” Wade reports. “That’s about double what we could do with a non-laser guided motorgrader blade.”
More versatility
In addition to using the laserguided grader, Peska Construction’s skid-steer loaders can be equipped with other Bobcat attachments to save even more time and labor. They include an angle broom for cleaning up the site, an auger for drilling postholes, hydraulic breakers for demolishing old concrete and pallet forks for handling palleted materials.
Easier, less expensive transport
Transporting the motorgrader requires a large truck and trailer and an operator with a commercial driver’s license. The Bobcat loader, grader, a bucket and pallet forks, can be hauled on a trailer behind one of the company’s utility work trucks. “This eliminates the cost of a semitruck and allows our foremen to be more mobile,” according to Wade.
For more information about the Bobcat grader, visit www.bobcat.com/grader.
More Reasons to Stay with Bobcat Equipment
Peska Construction, Inc., has been using only the Bobcat® brand of skid-steer loaders ever since Gene Peska started the company more than 30 years ago. But top performance, reliable operation and tough, durable construction aren’t the only reasons for this loyalty to the Bobcat name, says Wade Peska.
He also credits the service and support provided by his dealer, Pfeiffer Implement Co.
“Beginning with our first Bobcat loader, they’ve always taken good care of us, from scheduling maintenance to providing a loader if one of ours was down for repairs,”Wade says.
He also likes the fact that his dealer specializes in Bobcat equipment.
“We have a lot more confidence in them than we do with dealers who handle multiple lines of equipment,” he says. “It’s rare that they can’t provide an immediate answer to any questions we have about our Bobcat machines.”