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Improvements in grading and excavating equipment mean increased versatility, dependability, and operator comfort. By Joseph Lynn Tilton
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When it comes to moving dirt, contractors have long known that horsepower is cheaper than manpower. Now - thanks to technology - loaders, interchangeable tool carriers, and other machines are even more economical to own and operate. They’re also more user-friendly, versatile, quiet, and safe to operate. "People tell me I won the job not because of my rates but because I have the equipment that makes it easy for them. They don’t need to put up the dog and take down the back fence," notes Dave Johnson, founder of The Outsider Landscape Design in Morrow, OH. He has had his machine since February. "It already has paid for itself in increased business." Johnson started his company in November 1999, and the Kanga Mini Loader is the first-ever machine he has owned. "I did landscape work part-time for 12 years. Then I rented skid loaders as I needed them." As he analyzed his work, he realized a full-size machine would be too bulky and too cumbersome to get into confined areas. "Then I came across a guy who had purchased a Toro mini-loader. He told me what he could do with the smaller machine." After demo’ing smaller machines, Johnson settled on the Australian-born Kanga. "I didn’t have an old machine I could trade in, and being new in the business I didn’t have the cash on hand, so the sales manager was willing to work with me on the financial side of things." The sales manager also gave Johnson some firsthand experience with the machine. "It took perhaps 90 minutes to show me all the different attachments and how to hook up and operate each of them. I felt confident right away." That confidence was crucial. Johnson’s first job was along the top of a 10-ft. retaining wall. "I operated along that wall, always within a foot of the edge. Had the machine not responded precisely to my touch, it could have been dangerous." The homeowner needed the drainage trench upgraded because water from the adjacent golf course kept flooding the basement. Johnson moved about 120 lin. ft. of soil in a 40-in. swath and trenched another 100 ft. to reach the sewer 40 ft. below. "Then I moved in 5 yards of 1-inch gravel and augured a drain under the wall." Actual site time was just 27 hours, but it was February, so Johnson had to work around the weather. "Fortunately it had been a mild winter, so frost was not a problem. But the 40-degree slope was very soggy." One advantage Johnson found was the ability to operate the machine standing up. "When you do that you can see all around you, which is a big help when working in tight places. There was just 50 inches between the house and the retaining wall, and there was a gas meter in that space. But the machine is 39 inches wide, so I was able to work past the meter without hitting it. "I once did everything with hand tools and wheelbarrows, and I knew how hard it was just doing small projects on weekends. As I prepared to go into business full-time, I felt it would be better to build horsepower than people power. This machine has saved me a tremendous amount of anguish while working in the landscape field on a daily basis. It’s a reliable machine. I’ve not had any issues with it at all, no warranty work. I bought the trailer so I can haul it and the tools to the site with my pickup. I use the trencher for digging in narrow areas where one would normally use a hand shovel. I do a lot of work with retaining walls, yet there is no need for a backhoe." In terms of what could be better, Johnson remarks, "There are lots of attachments, and I wish I could rent those tools from a local rental place. The broom would be a good addition, and even though I’m not big on taking down trees, I would like to have the stump grinder. I’m also looking at getting into irrigation, so a vibratory plow would make another good addition." In Tulsa, OK, Frank Coons, service manager for ABC Equipment Rental, reports that the company’s five loaders are in demand. "The main thing we look for when getting a new machine is durability and dependability. In the rental business you have so many different operators, and you need a machine that will stand up to amateur use as well as meet the demands of the professional. We also look for simplicity of operation and maintenance." This is why his oldest machine is just two years old. "Newer versions tend to be easier and simpler to operate. We usually trade out between 1,500 and 2,000 hours, when the machine still is healthy. It is better to go with a new machine than try to keep up an older machine." Employees are trained in the use of the machines so they can pass that knowledge on to first-time users. "When I started in the rental business 25 years ago, it took between 45 minutes to an hour for a new customer to feel comfortable operating a backhoe or skid-steer. Now these machines with simplified controls take 15 minutes max." In addition, the short learning curve has helped reduce machine abuse. Even better, between-rental maintenance used to take 30-45 minutes. "Ten minutes is all it takes now for checking, washing, and prepping the machine for the next rental. "Today’s machines have a lot of tools," Coons observes. "Many people use them for moving dirt into backyards and leveling lawns and yards. We’ve even rented the Kanga for barn cleaning. The Bobcats tend to concentrate on bigger yards and construction sites. Some use them for digging ponds for irrigation systems." Add in the post hole digger, stump grinder, and bucket-either toothed or smoothed–and rental frequency increases. "One of our customers used it to dig holes for setting piers under a foundation for a new home he was building from scratch. There is a lot of sandy-loam soil in this area, and if it’s not piered the 2-8 feet to bedrock, subsidence can be a real problem," Coons emphasizes. Stump grinders are popular. "It’s hydraulically operated, and customers like it because they get to stand on the machine, pull a couple of levers, and grind their stump away. One customer used the machine on a 4-foot-diameter oak stump and got it done in a couple of hours." This rental operator would like to see simpler hydraulics. "Today’s hydraulics are 100% better than 20 years ago and a lot more reliable, but further simplification could reduce amateur-user error." In Torrington, WY, Kyle Long, owner of Long’s Excavation & Construction, currently owns a one-third-yd. Case 1840 loader. "My next machine will be a JCB, a mini-articulating loader with a three-quarters—yard bucket. I’ve had the big articulating loaders, and now I have branched into small equipment. The smaller machines are ideal for utility work. Best of all, it takes just one to three minutes to switch from an auger to a broom or to a breaker. Now the longest part of any tool changing is finding a place to park." Long’s specializes in oil-field compressor-station rebuilds and electrical contracts for underground electrical work. Such work not only involves tight quarters but also quite a bit of cement breaking. "With our loaders we can work where it’s too hard for hands and too tight for bigger equipment," Long notes. Safety is a major need. He recalls one station that handled a 20-in. oil line with 100,000 barrels of oil a day passing through the system. "You can’t bump anything between the oil and the electricity. We sometimes have to work through existing lines, which requires hauling away a lot of material to get an open ditch. We can’t shut down the site, so it’s 100% blow and go." This includes working in temperatures that drop to -20º or -30ºF. "You’ve got to be careful. Pressure lines are imbedded in the frost, and the concrete that keeps pipes from sinking in warm weather also has chunks bonded to the lines. It’s like a toothpick in a piece of ice. We have to know the depth of the line so we know when to quit and go by hand." The strategy is to dig down, excavate, and then break the concrete into small pieces. "In one place we had to put in a substation replacement upgrade, including fencing, so we used an auger." Two of his four employees spent three 10-hour days breaking up and removing chunks of a 512-ft.3 concrete pad reinforced with rebar. Their 6-yd. dump hauled the pieces 5 mi. where they were recycled as riprap for an erosion washout. "Before they were through, they used the auger and the breaker. On a pavement job, they would have used the broom too. We like to keep things cleaned up because mud on pavement can plug storm sewers." Long says his present machine has been with him five years. "I got it after searching the market. I was looking for a piece of equipment with a short turning radius so I could get around without banging up things. "I’m going to keep that particular skid loader, because you can’t beat them for moving dirt and stockpiling. Larger machines get in the way, tear up more ground, and create more work because you have to clean up the area that gets torn up." As with other users contacted, Long likes the quicker learning curve with the newer machines. He remarks that today’s machines require less from an operator because they just about run themselves. "There are no pony motors or cables anymore, and they’re easy to use regardless of temperatures. All you have to do is keep them parked out of the wind." He also enjoys the improved operator comfort. "Right now we have a trencher, John Deere 755 and 310D backhoes, a Kobelco SK035 compact excavator, PowrMole PD-4 and PD-6 horizontal boring equipment, and several trailers. We’re ready to roll when the job comes in because we can haul our biggest piece of equipment with our Ford F800 dump with a 16-ton tilt trailer. The rest is hauled with a gooseneck trailer and a Dodge pickup." In Dawsonville, GA, Jim Carr of J and S Grading has a Takeuchi TL 26 rubber-track loader with a 66-in. bucket with teeth and a 72-in. smooth-edge bucket. "I backfill residential construction, cut driveways and sidewalks, then do the final grading of the lot, and I do it all with one machine. "Twice in the past week we’ve had storms with several inches of rain. I’ve been called out where a wheeled machine was on the site but could not backfill because of wet conditions. It was another two to three days before the area was dry enough for a wheel machine." Although he’s been in business just two years, Carr is ready to take on a bigger model. "I borrowed a TL150, which is a 10,000-pound machine versus my 7,000-pound one, and every job I did with that bigger machine took just half the time. I plan to have it in the fleet by late spring." One job involved cutting down 18 pine, oak, and maple trees with 4- to 16-in. boles, standing 8-25 ft. tall. The cut trees then were pushed into a pile for the contractor to handle. "The job took seven hours. Those trees too big to just push over we dug around the root ball and then pushed. It was a two-to-one slope on a quarter acre, and the rubber tracks were why I got the job." Another advantage is no flat tires. "I once counted 12 nails sticking in my tracks after pushing construction debris to a collection point. "Come spring, I expect to hire my first helper. I’ll keep this machine and buy the bigger one, and then we’ll have two of us taking on jobs here in the Atlanta area." Jeff Woloshen, general manager of Green Hill Nursery in Troy, MI, specializes in estate landscaping. "We use integrated tool carriers, including an Allmand Bros. loader-backhoe, a Ford tractor, and a JD 310 loader-backhoe, as well as a number of compact tractors from John Deere with attachments. Our Allmand TL20 is a compact that can dig down 7.5 feet."
One recent job included landscaping a 5-ac. estate that included an orchard of Macintosh and Red Delicious apples. "The owner had pruned the trees so there were no branches growing lower than 7 feet from the ground. He didn’t want any branches damaged, and other machines just couldn’t get in there and work, yet he wanted us to build a walking path through the orchard and place 1,000- to 1,200-pound landscape boulders under several trees." Woloshen found what he needed at the ConExpo trade show in Las Vegas, NV, last February. "I walked the floors, looking for the latest. I needed something that was really designed as an industrial unit rather than as a hang-on farm-tractor attachment. I grew up on a nursery farm in Michigan, so the Allmand machine caught my eye. When I found out the one-third-yard bucket had a 2,500-pound breakout and a 1,700-pound full height lift, I knew I’d found what I needed." He got his new model delivered in June and immediately put it to work on the apple-tree estate. "We put in water and electrical lines, planted trees with the backhoe, and moved all of the topsoil, landscape stone, mulch, gravel, slag sand, and patio block." Woloshen is so impressed with the performance of the machine that he plans to buy another one next year. Bigger, older operators, such as A. Crano Excavating Company in Akron, OH, have also found success with the latest in larger loaders and tool carriers. This company does a lot of sewer, water, and site excavation. Ray Ritter, owner and president of this $8-million-a-year operation, says they have five loaders. The company also has 12 excavators, all with quick-disconnect couplers, of which ACS couplers are the favorite. "We can change a bucket in about two minutes. It used to take up to 45 minutes on our larger machines, yet we’ll sometimes change our buckets a dozen times in a day." Bucket pulling is essential when the machine also doubles for lifting. "Buckets weigh a ton and a half, so pulling the bucket makes for a more economical operation. Being able to drop the bucket gives us more lift capacity, which beats bringing in another machine." Excavating for sewers requires using a sewer box to protect workers. The ability to excavate trenches to accommodate for the sewer box, then quickly change from a large bucket to a smaller bucket, saves a lot of time. So what are Ritter’s next plans? "My future is to slow down! I have four sons working with me, and the business has grown tremendously in the last 10 years. We’re continuously upgrading our fleet and have the best-looking fleet in the area." Kevin Zimmer, marketing manager of heavy range products for Case Construction Equipment in Racine, WI, notes that almost all tool carriers are sold with coupling systems to interchange forks, buckets, brooms, and a multitude of other tools. "Versatility is the first consideration in today’s machine development. Tool carriers give operators exceptional visibility all around the machine, especially when working with forks and jib booms." Steve Kabay, president of Coyote Loader Sales in Hudson, OH, has been selling loaders for 20 years. He sees operator comfort as one of the major changes. "Today’s machines have better suspended seats, more elbow room in the cabin, better visibility, better air conditioning, and reduced noise level inside the cab. It’s easier to monitor vehicle functions thanks to instrument panel improvements, and service intervals are getting further apart. "Manufacturers are getting more out of each horsepower, plus reduced emissions. Now the tool-carrier concept can be used just as effectively as a skid-steer loader because of the many attachments." Rick Veenstra, product manager for Allmand Bros. in Holdrege, NE, points out the advantage of an operator being able to determine that his loader bucket is level. "With level indicators there is no need to get out of the seat to find the cutting edge of the loader bucket. That saves repositioning time and makes for a more productive day." Savings can also be found in today’s steering-system technology. "Basically the newer, load-sensing orbitrols require no hydraulic flow unless you are actually turning the steering wheel. Machines that use the older, direct-flow orbitrols require constant hydraulic flow to run them. To supply this constant flow requires additional engine horsepower. That’s horsepower you’re not able to transfer to the drive wheels for tractive effort or into the loader’s hydraulic loop for lifting and grading. It’s just wasted energy." Veenstra adds that another newer technology is the small-frame, servo-controlled hydrostatic transmission. "These units are much more user-friendly than the direct-controlled hydrostats are. They offer built-in horsepower control that effectively de-strokes the swash plate under heavy working loads. This in turn keeps the engine from stalling every time you drive the machine into a pile." These units also are smoother, quieter, and easier to modulate when using the tractor for other functions, thus making them more productive. All in all, when you look at these newer technologies combined, today’s tractors can comfortably outperform the older machines by 20-30%. In Carol Stream, IL, Sam Wyant, product manager for wheel loaders for New Holland Construction, particularly likes the adaptation of supplemental transmission control. "Now the operator can use a supplemental forward/reverse switch positioned comfortably with the implement controls so that the steering wheel does not have to be released to change directions." Another feature of these machines is the ease of control with the hydraulics. Wyant states, "Fingertip controls have also come into play to allow low-effort actuation of the controls. This allows the operator to accomplish multiple functions with one hand." In addition, Wyant says, "Detents on control levers also allow for easier operation. ‘Return to dig,’ for instance, levels the bucket so that it is parallel to the ground. Lift kickout is another feature that will stop the lift arms when they have reached dump height. "Versatility is the name of the game with tool carriers. They use a parallel-type linkage instead of the common Z-bar-type linkage. Parallel linkage offers an even lift throughout the lifting range. For instance, when lifting a pallet load with forks, the load will remain even and not tip forward throughout the lift range. In addition, tool carriers utilize quick couplers. This allows the operator to quickly change attachments, switching from bucket to forks to broom to whatever needs to be used." Another important wheel-loader issue is the ability to transfer torque throughout the power train to the ground. Torque proportioning is a way to enhance that tractive effort. A torque-proportioning differential will transfer torque from the wheel spinning to the wheel with tractive effort. "When you are spinning wheels you are losing productivity. In addition, when you spin a tire, you are tearing it up. This means that the tire will have to be replaced sooner, which will add to the operating cost of the machine," Wyant warns. Another advantage of the newer machines is that they are less expensive to purchase than the earlier models were. The dollars are higher, thanks chiefly to long-term inflation, but the actual payback period can be much shorter because an owner can broaden his base, taking on projects he used to bypass. Increased operator comfort means lower employee turnover and fewer disability claims, and more work gets done in less time. All in all, operators are making profits instead of headlines, thanks to the improvements in grading and excavation machines. Guest author Joseph Lynn Tilton frequently writes on construction issues.
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