skip to content

Fall 2006

Landscaper Beats the Rain with Compact Track Loader

Lee Mann

Lee Mann

In the landscaping business there is nothing worse than losing a workday because of wet and muddy ground conditions. Lee Mann has learned how to improve his productivity in the traditionally wet seasons with a compact track loader.

"We are probably 75 or 80 percent more productive in the spring and fall with our Bobcat T190," says the owner of Lee Mann and Son Landscaping, Holbrook, Mass. Mann's company specializes in landscape construction, including drainage, transplanting trees and installing lawns. He says that his compact track loader has extended his working season later in the fall, right up until the snow flies. And although he's equipped his Bobcat skid-steer loaders with over-the-tire tracks in the past, Mann says nothing beats a dedicated compact track loader when you're working in the mud.

"It will crawl right through the mud without making a mess, and it has less of a chance of getting stuck," says Scott McDonald, an operator for Lee Mann. In addition to the excellent traction, Mann says he saves time and money with his T190 because he doesn't need to place plywood on jobsites where heavier equipment leaves a bigger footprint. The T190 features just 5 psi of ground pressure with 12.6-in. rubber tracks.

Mann's crew employed the T190 on a residential construction jobsite where the ground was sandy and required a machine with rubber tracks. Mann says his T190's compact size fit underneath a house where he was helping a colleague dig a new septic system. "They couldn't get any other machine underneath the house," Mann says. The T190's compact size and versatility made it a perfect solution for the project. "We were working in the sand and had good traction," he says.

When it comes to loading trucks, Mann says he prefers the lift arm style of his Bobcat T190 instead of his radius lift path skid-steer loaders. He says he can load his truck more efficiently because of the vertical lift path design of the T190, which can reach further in his truck's dump bed, conveniently placing material in the middle.

Comfort counts

Operator McDonald says that in addition to the benefits of the rubber track undercarriage, he appreciates the enclosed cab with air conditioning. He says the cab keeps him cool, comfortable and nearly dust-free as he often puts in eight-hour days using the soil conditioner attachment.

"Having the air conditioning helps me work longer and keeps me more comfortable," says McDonald. "It keeps the dust off me when it's dry. I feel better at the end of the day."

Mann's T190 is equipped with the Bobcat Gold Package, which includes the Power Bob-Tach attachment mounting system and deluxe instrument panel.

Operators can efficiently change attachments for their compact loader with less time and effort with the Power Bob-Tach system. Mann says he saves time when he switches from the pallet fork or landscape rake attachment to the bucket. He says he also appreciates that his employees don't often need to exit the cab to change the attachments when it's raining.