Compact Track Loaders Pave the Way to Success

Jim Robinson

Keeping up with the explosive housing market in the growing suburbs around Washington, D.C., is keeping paving contractor Jim Robinson very busy. His 35-employee company installs asphalt driveways for 20 homebuilders in Northern Virginia.

"Ninety-nine percent is all new construction," Robinson says. "We usually knock out about 15 to 20 driveways a day." He says this high production is due in part to the reliability of his fleet of Bobcat® equipment. In addition to driveways, Robinson Paving, Chantilly, Va., installs outdoor basketball and tennis courts and trails.

Robinson supervises five crews in varying stages of the new driveway paving process. Each crew is assigned to a job with at least one Bobcat loader. Robinson has invested in Bobcat compact track loaders to do much of the site preparation before the asphalt pavers are brought on-site for the final overlay. His crews use a Bobcat T250 for big jobs that require a lot of site preparation before the stone base can be laid.

On a typical driveway job Robinson will use his Bobcat compact track loaders with a 74-in. bucket to cut dirt and prepare the soil for the 4-in. coarse sub-layer of stone. Then he'll compact the stone with his roller before the asphalt paver comes along and does the final overlay. There's little idle time for the loaders as they are used as much as eight to 12 hours a day. If they're not moving dirt or transporting stone, the machines are picking up excess material or spoon-feeding the paver if the truck can't get into certain areas.

Robinson's interest in Bobcat equipment began early in his career when he was considering an alternative to his tractor and drag box, which was his previous method for laying sub-grade and flattening the stone. The local Bobcat dealership brought a machine for a demo and it "worked circles around the drag box," Robinson says. "Since then, we parked that old thing and we've been strictly using Bobcat loaders."

But it's the compact track loaders that have really made Robinson appreciate his relationship with Bobcat of Northern Virginia. In addition to the T250, Robinson is impressed with the pushing and digging performance of the T180. "I like the idea that you can float on the sub-grade," he says. The machine features 5 psi of ground pressure and Robinson never has to worry about a flat tire and the downtime to repair it.

While weather conditions can get "nasty" during the winter and early spring months, Robinson says having the compact track loaders in his fleet has helped him extend the working season.

"You have to take something you can float across the soft terrain and put the stone down," he says. "We don't have holes and bumps in our product when we use our track loaders."

T250 New!

Bobcat T250 Loader

Tame soggy weather and mushy ground with the impressive pushing power and tractive effort of the new K-Series T250. With its 18-in.-wide rubber tracks (or available 12.6-in.-wide tracks), this machine delivers the performance you need to start work earlier and finish faster. New high-flow hydraulics power attachments like never before. Choose optional Selectable Joystick Controls for the ultimate in smooth, easy operation.

2,500-lb. (1135-kg) rated operating capacity
Radius lift path
10-ft., 2-in. (3.1-m) lift height
21.2 GPM auxiliary hydraulic flow
37 GPM high-flow option
81 hp (60.4 kW) turbo diesel engine
9,347-lb. (4240-kg) operating weight
4.1 PSI (wide tracks) ground pressure

T300 New!

Bobcat T300 Loader

Topping the Bobcat line of compact track loaders, the new K-Series T300 has it all. The power to handle the toughest tasks come rain or shine. The compact size to work quickly and efficiently when time and space are tight. Plus, unsurpassed operator comfort. Equipped with a bucket for moving and loading dirt or dozens of other Bobcat attachments, this rugged, value-packed machine out-performs everything else in its class.

3,000-lb. (1362-kg) rated operating capacity
Vertical lift path
10-ft., 9-in. (3.3-m) lift height
20.7 GPM auxiliary hydraulic flow
37 GPM high-flow option
81 hp (60.4 kW) turbo diesel engine
9,702-lb. (4401-kg) operating weight
4.1 PSI (wide tracks) ground pressure