Compact Equipment Helps Wisconsin Landscaper Expand His Business

The MT52 mini track loader (shown here with a cable plow attachment) has been a big time-saver for Steinie's Water Gardens Unlimited

Beautifying yards has become a successful business for Bruce Steinhauer of Steinie's Water Gardens Unlimited, thanks in part to his Bobcat® compact equipment. The Two Rivers, Wis., company relies on a Bobcat MT52, 325 compact excavator and assortment of attachments to create water gardens and perform irrigation installations.

Steinhauer, who has been building water gardens for nine years, depends on his 325 excavator to access tight jobsites and dig where larger equipment won’t fit. “We purchased the excavator and found we can do so much more with that machine than we could have with a loader and backhoe attachment,” Steinhauer says. “The narrow tracks allow us to get into places where we need to work, and the machine has all the power for what we need it to do. It has a great reach and dig depth, and the weight is exceptional for what we are doing.”

Minimal ground disturbance is critical to Steinhauer’s business as nearly all of his customers have established lawns. “We previously used plywood on a lot of jobs, but we put that to the side once we bought the compact excavator,” he says. “Customers don’t know we’ve been there when we’re done because of the excavator’s low ground disturbance.”

Expanding his business into irrigation installation, Steinhauer purchased a Bobcat MT52 mini track loader and several attachments from Miller implement. After evaluating several other brands of compact utility loaders, Steinhauer selected the MT52 because of its dependability and versatility. “The Bobcat MT52 felt more solid with less vibration than the others,” he says. “We didn’t like the design of other brands and how they were assembled, plus we get good sales and service from our local Bobcat dealer.”

Steinhauer and his crew utilize the MT52 with a vibratory plow and boring unit to place new underground systems for customers in Manitowoc and Sheboygan counties. “When we first started doing irrigation systems, we trenched everything because it went fast,” Steinhauer explains. “Laying the pipe went fast, but we’d spend a day or two filling trenches and compacting them. I can’t count the hours we save by using the MT52 with the plow or boring unit. After a day or two, you can hardly tell where we were.”

Steinhauer says his crew no longer hand digs under sidewalks and driveways because the Bobcat boring attachment can pull the pipe underneath those difficult obstacles. “We can place a pipe here or there and have it done in much less time with the MT52.”

Noticing how well his Bobcat equipment worked in tight areas, other contractors regularly ask Steinhauer to do work they can’t because their equipment is too large. This helps Steinhauer keep his machine use high and has him looking at growing his business and purchasing more equipment.

Teaming his Bobcat 325 and the MT52, Steinhauer has created a name for himself in the landscaping industry. He says he needs little advertising thanks to Bobcat equipment because so much of his business comes from customer referrals or repeat customers who want to add to their existing landscape.