skip to content
Spring 2005

Compact Track Loaders Enable Landscapers to Outwit the Weather



T190

A T190—one of three compact track loaders owned by D.B. Harris & Sons Landscaping—helps keep jobs moving forward.


Landscaping contractors Dan Harris and his sons, Steve and Mike, know what it’s like to race the clock to install lawns, shrubs and trees for new homes.

“Homebuilders want to close the house sale on time,” says Harris. “They don’t take wet weather as an excuse for delays.”

That’s why D.B. Harris & Sons Landscaping, Inc., Franklinton, N.C., owns three Bobcat® compact track loaders —a pair of T190 models and a T300—and an MT52 mini track loader. All feature dedicated rubber track systems.

“The machines really help reduce our stress,” says Harris.

He’s been using only Bobcat equipment ever since he started the company 22 years ago. He purchased a T190, his first compact track loader, a few years ago from Triangle Equipment, Morrisville, N.C. Similar in size to the 773 (he also owns two 773s), it’s small enough to work quickly and efficiently in tight areas and light enough to reduce the threat of cracking new concrete when driving across driveways and sidewalks.

“The two biggest reasons we have the track machines are for improved performance in wet soil conditions and for the smooth ride,” he says. “The tracks help us tremendously in mud. If it rains today, we can be back on the job tomorrow. The extra flotation and traction of our track loaders allows us to work at least 25 percent more in a year than we used to. We keep our three track loaders busy all the time.”



Mike, Dan and Steve

Left to right: Mike, Dan and Steve Harris are sold on their Bobcat track loaders.


The work includes grading and backfilling foundations and trenches. The tracks also mean a smoother ride for operators and a smoother finish grade, he adds.

The T300 provides additional power for clearing land and rough grading. “It’s a tip-top machine with plenty of power and is very good at moving large amounts of dirt,” reports Harris.

A variety of Bobcat attachments add to the versatility and productivity of all the loaders:

  • The combination bucket is used as a grading and digging tool or as a clamshell to pick up trash.
  • An auger makes fast, easy work of digging holes for planting shrubs and trees.
  • The scarifier prepares hard-pack ground for landscaping.
  • Two landscape rakes make perfect finishing tools, collecting rocks and debris as they smooth and level the soil.
  • The trencher provides a cost-effective way to dig irrigation line trenches.
“We’re sold on our Bobcat track loaders,” says Harris. “Without them we’d be less productive and less profitable.”

For more information about Bobcat landscaping products, visit www.bobcat.com/landscape.