Fast, Productive S250s Out-Perform Pickup Trucks

Bobcat snow pusher attachment

When it comes to clearing snow, a pickup truck is no match for a Bobcat S250 skid-steer loader, says Paul Gruttadauria, owner of Services for All Seasons, a trucking and snow removal company in Solon, Ohio.

The company uses plow-equipped dump trucks and pickup trucks to clear snow from industrial and commercial sites. However, the job of removing snow from a large shopping mall and several apartment complexes falls to four S250 loaders. The rest of the year, the Bobcat loaders are used to load the company's fleet of dump trucks with soil and mulch.

"Dollar for dollar, the Bobcat S250 is the best year-round investment we can make," says Gruttadauria. "Our Bobcat loaders do more work in less time than other equipment we've used. I'm very satisfied with them."

For example, at one time his crews used four pickup trucks with plows to remove snow from the parking lot at a shopping plaza. Now, one S250 and a snow pusher do the job in less time. In another case, clearing snow from a 32-building apartment complex once required six hours and four pickup trucks to complete. Now, two of the S250s finish this work in four hours.

Last winter, Gruttadauria tried the new Bobcat snow pusher attachment. With wings on each end, the 10-ft.-wide blade allows snow to be pushed straight ahead, reducing the amount of snow that spills away at the ends of the blade. As he discovered, the oscillating blade improves snow removal on uneven surfaces. "Because it can scrape the highest and lowest areas of asphalt, the attachment cleans the surface much better (than another brand of snow pusher)," Gruttadauria says. Also, unlike a plow, the Bobcat snow pusher can be used to push snow up into a pile to minimize snow storage space.

The two-speed transmission gives his S250 loaders a productive edge, too. Top speed is nearly 7 mph in standard range and 12 mph in high range. "The high range speed makes a huge savings in time when clearing a big parking lot," Gruttadauria says.

He's also equipped his S250 skid-steer loaders with the deluxe instrument panel, which includes a keyless start among other features. It helps prevent unauthorized use of the machine and allows him to track operating hours by operator and job.

During the winter, the S250 loaders are based at their individual jobsites. "I pay the operators to drive to the site using their own vehicles instead of coming to the shop and taking one of our trucks to the site," Gruttadauria says. "That way my trucks can be out doing something else."

In addition to the reliable operation of his Bobcat loaders, he's also been impressed by the service provided by his dealer, Bobcat of Cleveland.

"You can buy anyone's equipment. But you don't always get this kind of service. That means a lot to me."