Compact Track Loader Helps Keep Flatwork Crew on Schedule

Jason and Scott Klicko rely on their Bobcat compact track loader.

Klicko Concrete Construction is really making tracks when it comes to working efficiently and profitably. The Baraboo, Wis., company installs building and garage slabs, driveways, sidewalks, curbs and gutters on residential, municipal and commercial projects. Many of the jobs involve colored and stamped concrete.

A lot of the work of preparing sites for a pour is done in sandy or clay soils. As owner Scott Klicko can tell you, it’s no place for wheeled machines. Wheels can bog down in soft sand or spin uselessly on wet clay. And that can cause stomachs to churn when crews are scrambling to finish site preparation before the concrete truck arrives.

That’s why Klicko has been using a Bobcat® compact track loader, purchased from Sauk Prairie Equipment, for the past two years. His machine provides the traction and flotation, not to mention the power, for making the best use of limited time when backfilling, grading, hauling and loading.

At one time, he used a similar-size competitive skid-steer loader for this work. “When we got into loose sand or wet clay, the machine just couldn’t cut it,” Klicko says. “We were spending more time digging the loader out than working productively. Over-the-tire steel tracks didn’t fit our business either, because we often have to cross concrete or asphalt on our jobs. We didn’t want to spend a lot of time installing and removing the tracks to prevent damage to these surfaces.”

The dedicated rubber track system of the T200 solves both of those problems. “I’ve operated the machine on ground so soft that you’d sink in if you walked on it, but the T200 just floated right over it,” Klicko says. “It also has plenty of traction for climbing slopes.” Plus, it gives him the lift capacity and height to load his tri-axle dump truck.

Klicko has outfitted his machine for extra comfort and convenience with an enclosed, heated and air conditioned cab, deluxe instrumentation and AM/FM stereo radio. The Power Bob-Tach™ attachment mounting system allows him to switch between a bucket and other non-hydraulic attachments without leaving the cab. A horn and backup alarm improve on-the-job safety.

A variety of Bobcat attachments add to the loader’s productivity. A vibratory roller allows his crew to compact bases for slabs, sidewalks, curbs and gutters in 12-in. lifts. They previously used a hand-operated plate compactor to compact 4-in. lifts. “The vibratory roller is definitely a time-saver,” Klicko says.

Pallet forks save work hauling concrete forms around the jobsite. Klicko has found that using the hydraulic breaker attachment is more productive in demolishing old sidewalks and slabs than using his excavator to tear out the material.

Klicko and his crew also install rock retaining walls. That’s where a grapple fork combined with a Tilt-Tatch accessory makes it easy to lift and place boulders.

As Klicko has discovered, the Bobcat compact track loader is a great machine in more ways than one.