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Bobcat mini-excavators for Black Cat

With rental business increasing because of the lockdown, Black Cat Plant Hire has expanded the company’s fleet with the purchase of new Bobcat E10z and E27z zero tail swing (ZTS) mini-excavators from AMS Bobcat, the local Authorised Bobcat Dealer. 

Jack Lycett (pictured), company owner of South Yorkshire-based Black Cat Plant Hire, said: “I started the rental business for the self-drive market, as a complement to our paving business, J L Paving and Driveways, which we’ve been running very successfully for over 35 years. But the rental side really began to take off as we went into lockdown in February to March of this year, to meet demand from people looking to do work on their own properties in the extra time they have during the lockdown.”

In addition to the increased domestic market triggered by the lockdown, Black Cat Plant Hire serves local contractors and other businesses in Barnsley, Sheffield and the wider South Yorkshire area as well as Wakefield in West Yorkshire. All of the Bobcat machines in the company‘s fleet are ideal for a variety of applications including construction, demolition, refurbishment, landscaping, trenching and drainage work.

Jack continued: “The first Bobcat excavator I bought was a 2013 second hand E26 model which really impressed me with its all-round performance and I have subsequently bought two more E26 models. The E26 is an easy-to-use, robust machine optimized for specific rental industry needs as well as those demanded by owner-operators. Again, my first E10 or E10z as it is now known was second hand - it is an exceptional machine, providing the productivity you would expect of a 1.5-tonne mini-excavator rather than a 1-tonne machine.”

Bobcat has sold 11,000 E10z units in the dozen years it’s been on sale. The E10z has a maximum digging depth of 1.82m and a transport weight without attachment of 1,077 kg. In addition to the access provided by its retractable undercarriage reducing its width to only 710mm, the integrated foldable TOPS (Tip Over Protective Structure) facilitates passage through openings with low headroom, for work inside buildings and in basements. Once the excavator is positioned and ready for work, the undercarriage on the E10z can be expanded to 1,100mm.

The new E27z 2.7 tonne excavator is one of five models in the award-winning R-Series 2- to 4-tonne mini-excavator range. The E27z model further enhances the excellent performance characteristics of the E26 machine, with the largest cab for this size of machine on the market. Like the E10z, the ZTS design of the E27z offers the highest flexibility of movements when working close to walls, coupled with best-in-class 360-degree stability and a low weight for easy transportation. 

Jack Lycett added: “The ZTS design is very useful for groundworks and accessing/working on confined sites. It is also a safety feature that means that a banksman is not required when working in these tight areas. We are still a small concern in rental terms, but with eight to nine machines going out every day, the new Bobcat machines have helped us to meet the increased demand we have seen during the lockdown.” 

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