There's No Business Like Snow Business

The Toolcat 5600 with snow V-blade and spreader is just one of many Bobcat snow removal options

When the flurries start blowing and the flakes start falling, owners of Bobcat® compact equipment know they can rely on their agile, versatile machines to make quick, easy work of clearing the snow away.

Whether you’re a contractor looking for extra income opportunities in the winter, or you need an efficient way to move snow at your business, on your farm or around your home, Bobcat equipment is the smart choice for keeping parking lots, driveways and sidewalks clear of snow and ice.

Bobcat offers the industry’s widest selection of snow fighting machines—from mini track, skid-steer and all-wheel steer loaders to compact loader backhoes. Add to that list the unique Toolcat™ 5600 utility work machine and the powerful VersaHandler® telescopic tool carrier.

Combining compact size, tight turning ability and ease of operation with plenty of power and speed, Bobcat machines are ideal for all types of snow removal work.

Standard features include reliable Kubota diesel engines on most models along with sturdy construction and easy serviceability that ensure your Bobcat machine will be ready to work throughout the season. Most models also offer optional enclosed, heated cabs to keep you warm even in a biting blizzard.

By last year, the growth of Joel Spethman’s snow removal business in Killdeer, N.D., had reached the point where his plow-equipped, four-wheel all-terrain vehicle (ATV) couldn’t keep up. That’s when he purchased a Bobcat® skid-steer loader along with a utility bucket and a snow bucket. This equipment has enabled him to take on more snow removal work while doing a better job. Plus, it’s expanded the range of services he can offer his residential and commercial customers that include banks, service stations and grain elevators.

“My Bobcat equipment has opened up a whole new avenue for me,” Spethman says. “It’s helped immensely to expand my business. After a good snowfall, I’m busy clearing snow for a solid three days.”

The Bobcat name played a role in his decision to purchase the 863 loader from Prairie Implement. “I talked to a lot of skid-steer loader owners and they recommended Bobcat machines,” he says. “I also like the way the loader is built. It’s more compact than another brand I looked at, which is important for working quickly in tight spots.”

Because the wind chill in his area can plummet to -60° F, the enclosed, heated cab was especially attractive. “After sitting in the open on the ATV all day in weather like that, I was wiped out at night,” Spethman says. “Now, with the heated cab, I feel a whole lot better when the day is over.”

In addition to clearing more snow in less time, the skid-steer loader gives him more flexibility in placing and storing the snow.

“You can’t pile snow with a plow,” he says. “There are many places where I need to pile snow to clear up more driving and parking space or to move piles to prevent ice problems when the snow melts and later freezes. Now I can do that.”

In the spring, Spethman uses his Bobcat equipment to clean manure from barns and corrals and do various dirt-moving jobs. As he points out, his loader offers him the opportunity to provide other services with Bobcat attachments, such as an auger for digging postholes and pallet forks for carrying materials on fencing jobs.

“I’m really pleased with my loader,” Spethman says. “When word gets around that you have a Bobcat skid-steer loader, people know that you can handle the job.”

By most measures a total season snowfall of 8 ft. represents a whole lot of snow. Last year, Charles Cordova and his neighbors in Parish, N.Y., were buried by that much snow in just three days. That’s an example of the kind of challenge he and his Bobcat® skid-steer loader and attachments tackle when it comes to clearing driveways and parking areas.

In this area of New York, he reports, the lake effect of Lake Erie can conspire to dump as much as 20 ft. of snow in one season. For the past 10 years, he’s relied on Bobcat skid-steer loaders to save time and labor in removing snow from the parking lot of his business, Four Seasons Carwash, and from the long driveway of his rural home.

He owns a Bobcat 753 loader, which replaced a 30-year-old Bobcat 610. His 753, which he purchased from Bobcat of Central New York in East Syracuse, is equipped with heated cab and radio.

“My 753 is reliable and has no problem starting in cold weather,” Cordova says. “The cab makes the job comfortable, especially after a real heavy snow when I may be clearing snow for the better part of a day.”

He removes the snow using two Bobcat attachments—a smooth edge bucket and a snowblower. He also has a Bobcat tooth bucket for landscaping work the rest of the year.

The snowblower attachment can throw snow up to 40 ft.

Cordova uses the bucket attachment to push back the snowbanks left by his pickup truck and plow when cleaning the parking lot at his carwash. Unlike the truck unit, his Bobcat loader allows him to pile the snow high to maximize the driving and parking areas for his customers. The bucket is also handy for clearing sand washed off cars in the wash bays. He stockpiles it and later dumps it into trucks for removal. “Last year, we hauled off more than 7 cu. yd. of sand from the cars,” he says.

The bucket saves time clearing smaller snowfalls and wet, heavy snow from the driveway at home. However, most of the time, Cordova keeps them open using the 753 with a snowblower.

“Many people in this area plow their driveways with a pickup truck,” Cordova says. “But that leaves banks on the side of the driveway, which soon build up. Then they’ll hire a contractor with a large front-end loader or tractor-loader-backhoe to push the snow back to allow room to store more snow later.”

As he points out, the snowblower eliminates that expense and it prevents ground damage next to the driveway caused by the trucks and heavy equipment. “The snowblower can throw the snow a long way back from the driveway,” Cordova explains. “That protects the lawn and saves repair costs in the spring.”