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Bobcatalog 2012

Orange in his veins where Bobcat equipment reigns

Kerry Young was just 18 years old when he officially entered the construction business and got acquainted with Bobcat equipment. Now, more than two decades later, orange reigns supreme … and Young remains a diehard fan of Bobcat equipment.

Kerry Young

Kerry Young, founder and owner of Dirt Works, has been a loyal customer and diehard Bobcat equipment enthusiast since becoming involved in construction more than 20 years ago.

At first glance, one could easily mistake the office of Dirt Works Ltd., based in Edson, Alberta, for a Bobcat dealership. It’s no wonder that stepping inside Young’s orange-and-black-painted office has made many competing equipment sales representatives feel intimidated ― and leaving discouraged.

“With the recession last year, the other dealers would show up to pitch me their equipment,” Young says. “I always got a kick out of seeing their reaction once they walked into our office. They could tell immediately what they were up against.”

At age 18, Young started working for a local construction company that was very loyal to Bobcat® equipment. After 12 years of operating primarily Bobcat machines, Young was “bleeding” orange, and there was little doubt when he started Dirt Works in 2002 which equipment brand would comprise his fleet. Today, Young has six Bobcat loaders: two S300 skid-steer loaders, a T650 and two T190 compact track loaders, along with two newly added M-Series loaders — S770 and T770.

Tread lightly
The ground pressure of a Bobcat T650 loader outfitted with narrow tracks, for example, is a mere 5.8 psi. The same model with wide tracks operates at only 4.1 psi ― an important feature for Young’s crew as ground disturbance is a concern around gas and oil pipelines.

“We do a lot of work in the oil fields,” Young says. “After oil wells are installed, we go in and complete the finish work, and the track machines are able to maneuver in these areas with no problem. And, tracked Bobcat loader models leave minimal footprints.”

Tread Seeing things more clearly
Visibility is also another important feature. The Bobcat M-Series skid-steer and compact track loaders offer better visibility in all directions. The rear window is 14 percent larger while the size of the top window is now 43 percent larger.

“We often work in some tight areas near live oil and gas pipelines,” Young says, “so visibility is important. We definitely wouldn’t want to rupture a line or cause any damage to oil pipeline facilities.”

To extend the versatility of his fleet of Bobcat loaders, Young has added an impressive collection of attachments, including a sod layer, root and industrial grapples, landscape rake, several forks and buckets, a hydraulic breaker, an auger with multiple-size bits, and a sweeper. During winter, Dirt Works’ workload shifts to snow removal with help from several different attachments.

“Bobcat equipment is so comfortable to operate, especially during the cold winters,” Young says. “We spent all 31 days last January ― both day and night ― clearing all the snow we received. Operator comfort goes a long way when you’re sitting in the machines for so long in subzero conditions.”

And what is Young’s advice for other contractors looking to add a Bobcat loader to their equipment lineup?

“I’d tell them to buy it, for sure,” Young says. “Not only are the machines well built, but it’s also the service end of things that really helps a guy out. We can’t afford downtime, and our dealer, Bobcat of Edmonton, gets us back on the job quickly when we have service issues we can’t handle ourselves. All equipment will break down eventually, but it’s how quickly you can get back up and running again that counts.”

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