Loaders and Excavators Save Precious Time in Critical Situations
Jason Lewis (left) of EcoTech receives the keys to another Bobcat machine from Brian Lundborg of Bobcat Enterprises
On call around the clock, EcoTech of Kentucky, LLC, has to be able to quickly respond to a wide range of emergencies—from cleaning up fuel soaking
into roadsides from truck accidents to knocking down interior walls to gain access in fighting factory fires. When not doing that, crews may be cleaning up downed trees in the aftermath of a hurricane.
That’s why the company, based in London, Kty., depends on a wide range of Bobcat® loaders and excavators to get the job done. Equipped with a broad selection of Bobcat attachments, these rugged, dependable machines offer the versatility to handle just about any situation the company faces. The compact size of the equipment allows crews to work quickly and efficiently in limited access areas. Plus, they can mobilize quickly—a critical feature when time is of the essence.
“We have to be able to get on the scene quickly and get the site under control,” says Jason Lewis, one of the company’s owners. “With our Bobcat machines we can be on the job much faster than we could if we loaded, transported and unloaded big equipment. In the case of a fuel spill, within 30 minutes of arriving at the site we can block off the path of any fuel running down a road embankment before it can contaminate a stream. The ability to work quickly and then clean up the site also means traffic
can be flowing again that much faster.”
The company has four loaders—a 763, S185, 873 and T300. The three excavators—320, 337 and 442—provide the crews with a wide choice of digging and loading capabilities. The machines are equipped with enclosed, heated and air conditioned (when available) cabs. In certain situations, operators wear special, self-contained breathing apparatus suits. “ Those suits can
be extremely hot, especially when working in the middle of summer,” says
Lewis. “The air conditioned cabs make the work much more bearable.”
Agooseneck trailer with room for a loader, an excavator and several attachments is used to speed equipment to the site of an emergency. Depending on the situation and loader model, crews can outfit the loaders with a variety of Bobcat attachments: auger, dozer blade, smooth or tooth bucket, concrete mixer, grapple, snow blade and sweeper. Trenching and grading buckets are used with the excavators.
“We can do a lot with what we have,” Lewis says.
That includes using the loaders to clean up liquid absorbent at a crash site with a sweeper, bringing in and spreading topsoil with a bucket and clearing debris with a grapple. The excavators may be used with a trenching bucket to dig up and load soil contaminated with engineoil, a grading bucket to reshape roadside ditches prior to re-seeding or to reach over debris to salvage expensive tool dies in the aftermath of an industrial fire.
Lewis’ satisfaction with the performance of his Bobcat equipment includes the level of service provided by his dealer, Bobcat Enterprises, Lexington, Ky. “They bend over backwards for us,” he says. “When we need something, we need it right then because we’re in the middle of an emergency situation.”