Plumber Rebuilds Family Business with Bobcat Equipment

Kenneth Belknap

Kenneth Belknap has stood in the face of adversity, taken his share of bad luck, and has come out ahead. Following the premature death of his parents-owners of the family plumbing business-Belknap faced a life-altering decision. He had to decide whether to shut down the business or try and keep it going. Belknap's parents were killed in an automobile accident just four months after Kenneth joined the company and, after trying to keep the organization afloat, he was forced to close the business temporarily.

With determination, Belknap got his family's business running again and has since grown the company to new heights with nearly 70 employees, 45 service trucks, and a collection of construction equipment, including a Bobcat® 331 compact excavator.

Belknap says he was persuaded to buy his first Bobcat compact excavator after he experienced difficulty getting parts for his previous machine.

"Bobcat has been around for a long time, and I knew I could get parts and that it was a name I could trust," Belknap says. "The service (from Bobcat of Houston) is phenomenal. When we need something, we get it right away."

Belknap started his Bobcat experience with a used 328 compact excavator a little more than a year ago. After operating the machine for a few months, Belknap considered a step up to the 331 with nearly 10 additional inches of digging depth and a 40-hp, 4-cylinder engine. Belknap says the extra horsepower of the 331 compact excavator's engine means his crews don't have to run it at maximum throttle to get maximum results. "The 331 is very powerful and very strong, yet it's a quiet machine," Belknap says.

Belknap Plumbing relies on a Bobcat 331 excavator to do work better and faster.

Belknap's plumbing crews are busy installing new storm sewer pipe-digging trenches that are 2- to 3-ft.-wide and 2- to 3-ft.-deep-on new construction as well as renovation projects. Belknap says they were working on one job where they had to travel through a narrow 7-ft. opening and run a storm pipe through it. With the 331, Belknap's crews were able to travel through the doorway and complete the job that their larger backhoe loader couldn't do.

"We can get into pretty tight spots and even reach with different angles to get the job done," Belknap says. Since buying the Bobcat 331, the backhoe loader hasn't seen the same amount of work.

In May 2005, Belknap Plumbing was hired by Hager Labs in Houston to install new storm sewer pipe to connect to the sewer ditch. His crew had to install about 300 feet of concrete and plastic pipe to connect the building's storm sewer drain to the city's sewer system. The pro-ject required running the new pipe through an easement between two homes near the commercial building, and the only way to trench between the homes was with the Bobcat 331 because of its compact size and digging abilities.

In addition to accessing tight jobsites, Belknap says the excavator saves his company time and money because it doesn't tear up existing lawns with its rubber track undercarriage. He says he doesn't worry about flat tires with his Bobcat 331 compact excavator and knows he's protecting his customers' lawns with its rubber tracks and 4.6 psi ground pressure.

"I know the new excavator is going to help us to do our jobs better and faster ... it's a good match," Belknap says.