Lots to Choose From
When landscape contractors need to install irrigation for residential and commercial properties, more of them are turning to compact utility loaders and mini track loaders, which provide several attachments for completing the job.Over the years, the irrigation installation market has evolved to require less manual labor. The increased use of attachment carriers like mini track loaders is the one reason behind the shift, says Justin Odegaard, Bobcat Company attachment product representative. With a mini track loader, contractors do more than one task because of the number of attachments it can utilize. Odegaard says it's also ideal for landscapers because it enables them to cost effectively offer other customer services such as irrigation installation. Instead of buying several dedicated pieces of equipment, landscapers can spend thousands less by purchasing attachments for their mini track loader.
Why Tracks?
A compact utility loader’s size is another obvious benefit of the machine. For contractors working in established areas where they need to get in tight spaces, a compact utility loader allows them to go where larger machines can't. But Odegaard says compact utility loaders with tracks, or mini track loaders, provide additional benefits, including improved traction, increased productivity, better flotation and reduced ground disturbance.
Since most landscapers work on soft surfaces when performing irrigation installation, tracks are a definite plus. Because tracks distribute the machine's weight over a greater area, it reduces ground pressure to about 4 or 5 psi, thus reducing ground disturbance. So for landscapers installing irrigation systems on established lawns, this means less worries about performing repair work after the job's done, Odegaard says. A mini track loader also allows landscapers to work in ground conditions that might prove difficult for wheeled loaders. Mini track loaders' improved traction and flotation enable contractors to work more effectively in wet and muddy ground conditions.
Bobcat Company manufactures two mini track loader models — the MT52 with a 36-inch width and the MT55 with a 44-inch width. Both machines can be equipped with 15 or more attachments, including several that can be specifically used for irrigation installation.
Today, Odegaard says landscapers have numerous attachments that they can choose from to install irrigation systems. Of the more than 75 attachments Bobcat manufactures, he says the trencher, vibratory plow, boring attachment, auger, combination bucket, digger, backhoe, angle broom, pallet forks and hydraulic breaker can all be used to help with irrigation installation.
Trencher
The trencher attachment is likely the most recognizable irrigation installation attachment used with mini track loaders. For years, landscapers have turned to the trencher attachment because of its strength, ease of use and versatility. Because many landscapers already have trencher attachments in their equipment fleet for performing other tasks, branching out into irrigation installation is often a natural progression, Odegaard says. "They'll use the trencher attachment and the same machine for other applications for their business," he says. Another reason why the trencher is commonly seen on irrigation installation jobs is because it's usually readily available for rent at most dealerships or rental stores, and it's relatively inexpensive when compared to other attachments.
Odegaard says there are also several advantages to using a trencher attachment. While the trencher works well in all soil conditions, he says it also has the power and strength to dig through extremely rocky soil. Contractors can equip their trencher attachment with several different teeth and chain configurations in order to correctly match it to the soil conditions they'll be digging in. The Bobcat® trencher attachment has dig depths from 2 to 3 feet and allows landscapers to trench close to buildings, fences and other object with the removal of its auger.
Because the trencher cuts through the ground and displaces a strip of soil, Odegaard says it's better used in nonestablished areas where there isn’t any sod or seed and where ground disturbance isn’t a worry.
Vibratory Plow
Industry watchers are seeing more landscapers using vibratory plows mainly because of increased awareness about the attachment's primary benefit — minimal ground disturbance to lawns, Odegaard says. This efficient Bobcat attachment places irrigation and utility lines up to a maximum depth of 18 inches below ground level by slicing a thin blade into the ground and placing the line directly into the trench with a single pass. The vibratory plow saves time because unlike the trencher where landscapers must dig the trench first before installing the line, they can do both at the same time with the vibratory plow.
"Less ground disturbance is huge because you don't have to go back, put the pipe in or level out the ground you dug up," Odegaard says. "You're installing as you go."
Boring Attachment
Another mini track loader attachment that can be used for installing irrigation lines is the boring attachment. When landscapers are faced with placing irrigation lines in areas where they're unable trench or plow, many of them turn to the boring attachment. This attachment enables landscapers to place irrigation and utility lines under sidewalks, driveways and other structures. The Bobcat boring attachment can install pipe as large as 3 inches in diameter up to a maximum distance of about 25 feet.
So how does this unique attachment work? Well, Odegaard says a screw-type boring bit is driven through the ground as the machine is driven forward. As this happens, the ground is compacted outward to create a tunnel under the obstacle. Once the boring bit reaches the other side, a reaming bit is then installed and the irrigation line is connected to the swivel on the reaming bit. The machine is then backed up, and the rotating reamer bit further compacts the soil as it pulls the irrigation line through the enlarged tunnel.
Attachments from Start to Finish
Besides the trencher, vibratory plow and boring unit, landscapers can utilize several other attachments with their mini track loader to help complete irrigation jobs from start to finish.
For example, Odegaard says a combination bucket can be used to carry or move dirt and rocks and to backfill trenches. And once the irrigation lines are installed, landscapers can either attach an auger, digger or backhoe to their mini track loader in order to dig holes for the irrigation system’s valve boxes. In heavy soil conditions, he says landscapers might use the auger attachment to dig deeper holes so that they can then fill the valve boxes with rock or gravel to allow for drainage. He says the backhoe attachment comes in handy when needing to reach and dig holes for valve boxes in extremely sensitive areas where the mini track loader can't travel across.
Once an irrigation installation job is complete, landscapers want to leave the site looking just as good or better than when they arrived. Attaching an angle broom to a mini track loader enables landscapers to sweep dirt, rock and other debris from sidewalks, driveways and parking lots. Other accessory-type attachments that landscapers might use during a project are pallet forks for hauling materials, a hydraulic breaker for breaking through rock in extremely difficult soil conditions, or a stump grinder for cutting and removing tree roots that are in the way of irrigation lines.
There's no question that landscapers have several choices when it comes to irrigation attachments for their mini track loaders. But before deciding whether to purchase a trencher, vibratory plow or boring attachment for irrigation installation, Odegaard recommends that they demo each attachment. As with any application, he says landscapers should make sure they match the right tool to the job by considering possible obstacles or challenges and whether they'll be working in mostly new construction or established areas. "A landscaper will also want to consider what type of soil conditions are found in the region they'll be working in before choosing an irrigation attachment," Odegaard says.