FIRST IMPRESSIONS: 700 FRAME-SIZE LOADERS Bud Maas, Bud Maas Concrete
It might be surprising to know that when Maas started working in the concrete industry, much of the work that’s done today with Bobcat compact equipment was done by hand with shovels.
“I started doing concrete work in 1964, and we dug every driveway, sidewalk and approach by hand,” Maas says.
Bud Maas, pictured left, with one of his long-time operators.
Owning and operating Bobcat loaders is second nature for Iowa concrete contractor
During 47 years of working in the concrete business, Bud Maas has seen a lot of changes, most notably equipment usage and improvements. Maas is the owner of Bud Maas Concrete in Iowa City, Iowa, where he has successfully overseen his concrete company for nearly four decades. What’s his secret? He says it’s his Bobcat® compact loaders, attachments and a good relationship with his dealer.
It wasn’t until 1974, when he started his company, that Maas purchased his fi rst Bobcat loader — a 610. “We were able to dig twice as fast after we purchased our 610.”
Since that fi rst machine, Maas has purchased many Bobcat loaders to sustain his company’s growth. He says the Bobcat loaders are used in all facets of his concrete fl atwork, both residential and commercial.
“We do driveways, parking lots, basement fl oors, stoops and sidewalks,” he says. “As soon as the rough grade is done, we’ll take over with our Bobcat equipment.”
The longer he owned Bobcat loaders, the more he learned what they were capable of doing.
“We noticed our productivity increasing each time we ordered a new Bobcat loader, and we learned we could do more work with them,” Maas says. “For example, we do a lot of tear-out and replacing concrete, and the Bobcat loaders are excellent for that task. We’d load right in the back of our dump truck.
“Then we really saw our productivity rise when we purchased our fi rst compact track loader — the 864 — especially when we were excavating and grading. The compact track loaders are really aggressive, and we get more for our money.”
Upgrade to M-Series loaders
Maas recently took possession of four M-Series loaders, including three of the new 700 frame-size machines. His new Bobcat lineup includes four vertical-lift- path machines: one T650 compact track loader, two T770 compact track loaders and one S770 skid-steer loader. All were purchased from Bobcat of Iowa City.
Maas immediately noticed some signifi cant differences between his new Bobcat loaders and his older models.
“The new loaders have better visibility from the cab, more lift height and more power than the models we previously owned,” he says.
Maas is correct on all points. M-Series loaders feature the cab-forward design for better visibility to the attachment and work area. The 700 frame-size loaders have an additional 3.2 inches of lift height — ideal for truck-loading applications like Maas’s concrete business. And lastly, the loaders’ hydraulic horsepower also increased by about 16 percent (standard fl ow) from their predecessors.
6 WorkSaver | SUMMER 2011
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