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Bobcatalog 2009

Contractor sold on Bobcat loaders for 35 years

Compact equipment stands up to demanding demolition applications

Gary Andrews

Dependability is why Wilmar Contracting owner Gary Andrews has stuck with Bobcat loaders for three decades.

Loyalty to Bobcat® skid-steer loaders has been easy for Gary Andrews. "When you find something that works as well as Bobcat equipment, there is no need to try anything else," he says.

He has used Bobcat loaders for 35 years, the last 15 at Wilmar Contracting in Las Vegas. For the past two years he's owned the company, which specializes in commercial concrete and asphalt demolition, cutting and installation.

"I've always been satisfied with Bobcat machines," Andrews says. "We work them very hard; they have never let me down."

He currently owns eight skid-steer loaders: S220s, S185s and 863s, purchased from Bobcat of Las Vegas. The 863 loaders all have been operated for more than 5,000 hours. "The fact that these older machines don't cost me anything and keep on working is a real bonus, and a testimony to Bobcat durability," Andrews says.

With so much of his work involving demolition, Andrews says his model choices are based on machine size. "The S185 allows us to work in limited-access areas, using a wide range of attachments. They have sufficient power, yet are highly maneuverable. The larger S220s and 863s are used for outside work where we do not have size limitations."

Resort projects demonstrate the value of Bobcat loaders

During a two-month project at the Venetian Resort Hotel, Wilmar Contracting removed a 4-foot-thick concrete wall that was about 200 feet long. A new tower was being added to the complex, so the outside wall had to come down to open up the property.

"The S185 allows us to work in limited-access areas, using a wide range of attachments." — Gary Andrews

"We used four of our Bobcat loaders — the only equipment that would fit the narrow work space — and a rented Bobcat compact excavator to complete the job," Andrews says. "The loaders did the demolition and the excavator moved the material so we could carry it off-site."

At the demolition of the swimming pool at the Palms Resort, Wilmar Contracting used its Bobcat loaders to move debris from the second floor pool area to the side of the two-story parking garage and dumped it over the edge to be hauled away.

"On both of these jobs we had tight schedules to meet," Andrews says. "By using our reliable Bobcat loaders we were able to keep up with our part of the projects."

He notes that the only skid-steer loaders his employees have ever used are Bobcat machines. "They have been able to learn how to operate them quickly and to become productive. I've been sold on these machines for a long time because, in my opinion, Bobcat has produced some of the best equipment ever."

To learn more about Bobcat loaders visit the loader page.

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