Bobcat compact tractors improve productivity, efficiency for town employees

Two departments are equally happy with their Bobcat tractors and implements

Kevin Deacon and Paul Robertson

Purchasing a compact tractor is something the staff at the Town of Jamestown, R.I., takes seriously. First, it doesn't happen very often. Second, they know the tractor they buy has to deliver dependable results for many years for the town of 6,000 residents, located on a one-mile-wide by nine-mile-long island.

After operating a 20-year-old riding lawn mower and other aging equipment, the Department of Public Works and the Recreation Department got the go-ahead from the town to evaluate compact tractors, and eventually purchased a Bobcat� CT122 (Public Works) and CT230 (Recreation) from J.J. Gregory & Son, the Bobcat dealer in East Providence.

"We found significant differences among the brands we looked at," says Kevin Deacon (pictured left), highway superintendent in the Department of Public Works. "Once we demoed all the machines and determined how each would work best in our circumstances, the Bobcat compact tractors clearly stood out."

Ease of use

Tractor operator Paul Robertson (pictured right) explains: "One machine had a standard shift transmission that meant a lot of stopping, turning and backing up when mowing grass. With the hydrostatic transmission on the Bobcat tractor, changing directions is smooth and easy.

"We have to mow a lot of short hills and several of the mowers we tested had difficulty climbing them. You would barely be moving, then would have to stop and shift to get going again. That's not an issue with the Bobcat tractor; in fact I don't even have to use four-wheel drive to climb hills. I can put it in low and leave it there."

Robertson, who operates the CT122 for Public Works, used the new tractor and the mid-mount mower every day last summer and fall (it will be used for snow removal in the winter).

Comfortable ride

"It's a fantastic machine," he says. "I can sit in it four to eight hours a day without any ill effects. Our old tractor was so uncomfortable that I could not operate it two consecutive days; I had to skip a day to rest my back.

"The CT122 allows me to sit up higher than other tractors," Robertson continues. "The view of the work area is so much better, allowing me to avoid potential problems and doing a better job of mowing."

Over at the Recreation Department, the CT230 was also used every day to rake the beach and mow the grass on baseball and soccer fields. During the winter it did sidewalk snow removal. The operators' evaluation: a very comfortable machine that enabled jobs to get completed faster than with the previous machines they used.

"Bobcat has an excellent lineup of compact tractors," Deacon says. "We've never had equipment this good."

For details about specific compact tractor models, attachments and implements, go to the compact tractor page. Use the options on the right side of the page to ask for a brochure or request a quote from the Build & Quote tool.

Bobcat Company reserves the right to make changes in engineering, design, and specifications; add improvements; or discontinue manufacturing at any time without notice or obligation.

Site Navigation

Equipment Navigation