by Nick Drew | Tue 26 May 2015
On the grade with Bobcat
Pell Plant Hire Ltd, based near Skegness in Lincolnshire in the UK, has purchased the company’s first Bobcat compact loader, a new T650H tracked model, together with a range of new Bobcat attachments, including a laser grader system comprising a 274 cm (108 in) grader, a Laser Mounting Kit and two BLR2 Laser Receivers, as well as a set of Bobcat Pallet Forks.
Supplied by AMS Bobcat, the Authorised Bobcat Dealer based in Scunthorpe in Lincolnshire, the accuracy and speed of operation of the new Bobcat laser grader equipment provides substantial advantages over the previous systems Pell used to employ for laser flooring screed work.
Simon Pell, Managing Director of Pell Plant Hire, said: “When I went to see the Bobcat system demonstrated on a site in Yorkshire, I was amazed at how fast it graded and how accurate the finish was and I knew it would bring great efficiencies for our business.
“We are now doing jobs in half the time – projects that used to take two days are now being completed in just 6 hours with the new Bobcat grader. This saves on labour costs and as we are producing surfaces with a 5 mm accuracy across the whole surface, there is also a significant saving of 5-10% on material costs as less concrete needs to be laid to achieve the equivalent finish.”
Pell Plant Hire is a family run business formed by Simon’s father, Steve, in 1973, initially dealing mainly with the footings for small buildings and dyking for local farmers, two types of job that are still carried out today.
The company has been laying concrete for over 30 years for every type of application, from cattle and poultry sheds and vegetable and corn stores to industrial units and factory floors. Poultry unit bases and grain stores form a big part of the business and the company travels all over the UK completing these projects. Pell Plant Hire can offer any desired finish, from big blue to powerfloat and brush. All applications of concrete can be offered including dwarf walls, retaining wall raft foundations and road surfaces, all with a high quality finish and structural drawings if required.
Simon Pell added: “The compactness of the Bobcat loader is ideal for work on the poultry sheds where the height to the eaves can be as low as 8 ft, preventing the use of larger plant. We are also talking to a number of contractors and local authorities about using the Bobcat system for work on roads and car parks. We will also use the Bobcat system on horse ménages where the sand needs to be dead level. With the laser system we can also offer dual gradient work where it is required.”
Complementing its compact dimensions, the Bobcat T650H compact tracked loader is able to turn around in its own length and is equipped with precise controls that allow for high manoeuvrabilty even in the tightest of spaces, ensuring safe, efficient operation at all times in areas inaccessible to larger machines.
The 274 cm grader features a 6-way blade plus hydraulic side-shift of up to 33 cm left or right, both of which are fingertip controlled so that the operator can grade nearly any surface without needing to take their hands off the control levers. There are four two-way hydraulic functions including left side up/down; right side up/down; blade rotation left/right and blade side shift left/right.