Loaders Prove Their Mettle in Recycling Business
In a business that demands the best in rugged, dependable skid-steer loader performance, scrap metal processor Robert Applegarth has found what he wants in his Bobcat® loaders.“I’m a man of my word and when I find a product—good or bad—I tell people about it,” says Applegarth. “I’m truly pleased with our Bobcat loaders. They’re the world’s greatest invention. We couldn’t do what we do without them.”
What he and his employees do at Applegarth Recycling, Sulfur Springs, Ark., is process and ship 10 million tons of metal a year to foundries and smelters in the United States and abroad. The salvaged metal ranges from car bodies and appliances to engine blocks and water towers.
Faster Than Other Equipment
Applegarth, who’s been using Bobcat skid-steer loaders for two decades, currently owns a 753, equipped with solid rubber tires, a 773, and an 843, each running on pneumatic tires. They’re faster and easier to maneuver than cranes, forklifts and front end loaders, he says, and they go places these other machines can’t. For example, one time when salvaging steel from a seven-story building, Applegarth used a crane to lift a Bobcat loader and hydraulic breaker five floors up to tear out 80,000 lb. of concrete. Another time, a Bobcat loader traveled on custom-built steel ramps to reach and remove large pumps and motors from the 5th floor of a water treatment plant.
Once a Bobcat loader rode down a freight elevator to haul out machinery from a factory basement. “Without our Bobcat loader, we would have had to pass on that job,” Applegarth says.
Loaders Perform Well in Extreme Conditions
Durability is another big plus for the loaders. Each is used about 6-8 hours a day, six days a week, and are serviced and maintained regularly, Applegarth reports. The work includes lifting heavy loads and maneuvering in tight places in temperatures ranging from 110 degrees in the summer to below zero in the winter and in dust, rain, mud and snow.
“Bobcat loaders are tough,” he says. “They hold up wonderfully. We haven’t had any major problems with them. Also, we receive good service from our dealer, Williams Tractor, Inc., Fayetteville.”
Even when the recycling center closes for the weekend, the loaders may keep working elsewhere. “Once people know you have a Bobcat loader, they call you,” Applegarth says. “The after-hours work has included digging basements, excavating ponds and clearing snow from parking lots. One of the loaders even cleared a fire line to help stop a fastmoving wild fire. We were able to get there much faster and work more quickly than if someone had brought in a bulldozer.”
As Applegarth and his crew have discovered, whether they’re wrangling steel or fighting wildfires, Bobcat loaders have what it takes to stand up to very grueling work.