Two-in-One Loader Offers First-Class Delivery of Roofing Tiles
One of the eight A300 loaders owned by New Hope Trucking delivers roofing tiles.
When you’re delivering 40 semi-truck loads of roofing tiles to jobsites each day, you need a quick, easy way to unload the pallets of concrete and clay tiles and carry them to the house. That’s why Tommy Bohannon, owner of New Hope Trucking, Inc., depends on a fleet of eight Bobcat® A300 all-wheel steer loaders to get the job done.
Based in Lake Wales, Fla., the company transports tiles from the manufacturer to residential development projects throughout most of the state for Circle L Roofing, Florida’s largest roofer. They’ve found that the
versatile A300, which offers the smooth rolling efficiency of four wheel
steering and the quick, tight maneuverability of skid-steering, along with a 3,000-lb. rated operating capacity, is just the ticket for saving time and work.
The all-wheel steer loaders offer a number of advantages over the allterrain forklifts previously used by New Hope Trucking.
Saving money
In addition to reducing tire wear when turning on pavement, the A300’s all-wheel steering reduces ground disturbance when maneuvering on soft surfaces.
“In all-wheel steer mode, we don’t tear up the lawn or mark-up driveways
when turning like the all-terrain forklifts did,” Bohannon says. “We’ve never had one of our A300s get stuck in sand.”
Saving space
By flipping a switch, Bobcat A300 operators can also select skid-steering
to maneuver quickly and easily in cramped spaces. “Sometimes there’s little room to maneuver when unloading trailers,” he says. “The skid-steer mode gives us a really tight turning radius. The ability to choose either type of steering is a great advantage.”
Saving time
With its longer reach, the A300 can unload all the pallets from one side of the trailer. On the other hand, because of its short reach, an all-terrain
forklift had to unload pallets of tile from both sides. Working from just one side, the A300 can remove an entire trailer load of 12 to 14 pallets
in only about 15 minutes, Bohannon reports.
The A300’s two-speed transmission, with a top high-range speed of 12 mph., also saves time. “On some jobs we have to carry the pallets of tiles a long distance to a house,” he says. “The much faster A300 can reduce the travel time by two-thirds compared to an all-terrain forklift. You just hit the high-range button and go.”
The reliability of the A300 has also reduced time spent repairing equipment malfunctions. “Downtime with our A300s is virtually zero,” Bohannon says.
Great service from Bobcat of Tampa Bay has proven to be a valuable time-saver as well. “I don’t have time to wait for parts,” he says. “The fast availability of Bobcat parts is very helpful.”
Making extra money
The work-saving speed, power and versatility of his A300s also allows Bohannon to pick up extra jobs, whether it’s cleaning up after a hurricane or moving materials, such as pallets of metal roofing or kegs of tar for builders.
Little wonder that Bohannon is sold on the performance and value of his Bobcat all-wheel steer loaders.
“Other people have tried to cut me a better deal on other types of machines,” he says. “But nothing
else on the market suits my needs like the A300. Besides, why go second-
class when you can go first-class with this Bobcat loader?”