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Summer 2008

Unique Opportunity Reaps Big Rewards for Iowa Contractor

Bobcat Enthusiast Improves Grading Technique with Laser-Guided Equipment



Shane Schechinger

Shane Schechinger operates a variety of Bobcat machines and attachments for his booming construction business.


Cattle producers in western Iowa are keeping one up-and-coming entrepreneur and Bobcat enthusiast busy building new confinement buildings. Harlan, Iowa, resident Shane Schechinger is thankful he has reliable Bobcat® equipment to keep up with the growing demand for these new structures.

Schechinger is just 26 years old, yet he already has a considerable amount of experience operating Bobcat equipment. He started Hawkeye Contracting a year ago after previously performing landscaping tasks with a Bobcat MT52 mini track loader that he borrowed from his dad.

The positive experience he had with the Bobcat brand and his dealer —Bobcat of Omaha — led Schechinger to purchase more Bobcat equipment, including a VersaHandler® V723 telescopic tool carrier, an A300 all-wheel steer loader, a S220 skid-steer loader and a MT52. He and his operators use all of these machines to construct agriculture confinement buildings — what Schechinger refers to as “hoop structures” with a steel frame, concrete floor and canvas cover.

“We do everything — including excavating, grading, digging footings and pouring the concrete floor — with our Bobcat equipment,” Schechinger says. “We use the V723 to dig the footings with an auger attachment, as well as lift, carry and place beams. One skid-steer loader drills holes with an auger while a second one cleans the dirt and brings beams to the holes to install them. The MT52 gets into tight spaces and helps with cleanup efforts. The machines are constantly moving on our jobsites.”

Once the rough grade is finished, footings are poured and the posts are staked, Schechinger mounts a Bobcat laser-guided grader attachment to his skid-steer loader to get the soil ready for the concrete pour. While he previously did this job with laborers, he’s sold on the laser-guided attachment’s abilities — and savings.

“We previously used string lines to prepare the floor. It could take two or three days to get a big pad ready,” he explains. “Once we bought the laser-guided grader attachment, it took less than one day and it was absolutely perfect. We’re able to increase our accuracy to plus-or-minus one percent with the laser-guided attachment. Without the attachment, we’d have to add seven percent because we weren’t perfect. I’d say that on a 200-yard pour, we save up to $1,400 in material and labor because of the improved accuracy with the grader attachment. In less than a year I’ll have the attachment paid for.”

When given an opportunity to try something new and exciting, Schechinger made the most of his experience and equipment. Now, he’s capitalizing on his success in agriculture. “My business is booming and I like to think that it is because of my abilities with the Bobcat equipment,” Schechinger says.

If you would like to read more about Bobcat laser-guided attachments, click here, or contact your local Bobcat dealer for a copy of the Precision Grading System CD-ROM.



Precision Grading System CD-ROM

Precision Grading System CD-ROM


Precision Grading System

The Precision Grading System CD-ROM from Bobcat Company will teach you everything you need to know about operating a laser-guided grader or box blade attachment. Learn about jobsite benchmarking, laser set-up and transmitter features; get operating tips and watch videos of the loaders and attachments on the interactive CD-ROM.