WorkSaver Spring 2003
David Gaddy, Sr., and David Gaddy, Jr., Ace Tree Surgery, Inc.
The new Bobcat® T300 compact track loader is quickly earning acclaim from owners who want a compact, light-footed machine that offers superior lifting, loading and pushing performance in a variety of ground conditions. These owners include three profit-minded contractors who demand equipment that provides the best in quality and value for tough applications.
Ace Tree Surgery, Inc., Marietta, Ga., is a family-owned, full-service tree maintenance company. They’ve been trimming and removing trees for residential and commercial customers for 60 years. To help them do that the company purchased a new T300, equipped with a Bobcat industrial bucket grapple.
“A big part of our success is having the right equipment to work quickly, efficiently and safely,” says David Gaddy, Jr., whose grandfather started the company.
The owners of G & G Hauling and Excavating like the amazing power of their T300.
“The work we do often involves clearing rights-of-way no wider than about 30 ft.,” says Gaddy. “I needed a machine to handle heavy loads in tight areas. I compared the T300 sideby-side to my skid-steer loader and the T300 was better.”
Brian Benford, who owns Evergreen Forest Products, Inc., Wilmington, N.C., tells a similar story. He specifically wanted the loading and flotation performance offered by the T300. Based on his favorable experience with his other Bobcat equipment, Benford purchased the T300 sight unseen. “I’d just been waiting for a Bobcat track loader with the high lift capability of this machine,” he says.
Among other jobs, Benford uses his T300 for loading landscaping materials such as topsoil, rock and mulch, and for debris cleanup jobs.
Rich Groninger and his brother Cary, own G & G Hauling and Excavating, a 42-year-old familyowned business located in Warsaw, Ind. They’ve operated Bobcat compact equipment (currently four compact track loaders, four skid-steer loaders and four excavators) for two decades. “We always compare other equipment to Bobcat products and have never found anything that matches it,” says Rich.
Cary (left) and Rich Groninger, G & G Hauling and Excavating.
He and his brother owned three Bobcat compact track loaders—two 864s and a T200—before buying a T300 last fall. It’s equipped with an enclosed heated and air conditioned cab.
“We’re huge fans of Bobcat track loaders and we were just waiting for a bigger machine,” he says. “We’re happy with everything Bobcat Company has done with the T300.”
These owners cite a number of ways the Bobcat T300 is meeting their job needs:
Big Power
“The power of the T300 is amazing,” says Rich Groninger. “We can easily push a pile of dirt that’s over the top of the bucket. We use the T300 in place of a dozer in limited access areas.”
That reflects Benford’s experience, too. “Our T300 is like a mini-bulldozer,” he says. Optional high-flow hydraulics provide the power we need to operate a Bobcat stump grinder attachment.
When clearing rights-of-way Gaddy uses his T300 to haul debris to a staging area several hundred feet to as far as a mile away.
“The T300 has the capacity to easily carry those heavy loads,” he says.
Adds Groninger: “Even when handling a bucket of heavy, wet clay, the machine doesn’t seem like it’s overloaded.”
Impressive Traction
Because of its low ground pressure, the T300 minimizes damage to lawns, Gaddy notes. “Construction sites are often in wet, swampy areas. The T300 has outstanding traction in mud and I’ve used it on slopes where I couldn’t work with the skid-steer loader.”
Brian Benford
Groninger concurs. The T300 is suited for a wide range of soils—from clay and sand to top soil, Groninger adds. “Even when the site is so muddy you have trouble standing up, you can still use the T300 to smooth it out and
make it look nice,” he explains.
Excellent Flotation
Based on the coast of North Carolina, Evergreen Forest Products’ T300 frequently works in challenging sites with a Bobcat industrial bucket grapple or a Bobcat industrial fork grapple to push, lift and carry materials.
“It seems like we’re working either on soft ground or in water,” Benford says. “Without our T300 we’d lose a lot of work days to rainy weather. Plus, it doesn’t leave ruts in the ground like a wheel loader.”
The T300’s tough, rubber tracks also come in handy for site clearing. “We don’t have to worry about flat tires,” he adds.
Long Reach
The T300 is the Groningers’ first vertical lift path loader. At maximum lift height it provides a longer reach than a radius path machine.
“We’re impressed with the T300’s extra lift height and reach,” says Groninger. “We can reach over the side of tri-axle trucks to dump in the center, which makes it easier to put a full load on the truck.”
As Benford points out, that also pays off when a truck can’t be loaded from both sides. For example, it might be parked on a city street. “We can fill the truck from one side without having to turn it around to finish loading
the other side,” he says.
Great Visibility
The low-profile lift arms of the T300 enhance the operator’s view of the work area. Groninger notes that’s especially handy when working in tight areas.
More Comfort and Convenience
“The T300 is a user-friendly machine,” adds Gaddy. “The controls make it easy to maneuver and the ride is better than a skid-steer loader with or without steel tracks.”
Groninger also likes the T300’s ride. “It’s phenomenal,” he says. “There’s
no vibration.”
His T300 is also equipped with the Power Bob-Tach system. “It’s the best thing since sliced bread,” says Groninger. “In addition to saving an amazing amount of time, it’s nice to be able to change attachments without leaving the cab when the weather is bad.”
Benford’s T300 has an enclosed cab with heat and air conditioning. The year-round temperature control isn’t the only benefit of the enclosed cab. “Not only does it keep us cool, especially when clearing brush on a hot summer day it also keeps out all the dust.”