Screening program
On average, Hunt says the landfi ll receives about 1,300 tons of waste every day. Operators regularly sort through random loads, which is where the Bobcat excavator comes into play. It’s equipped with a bucket and clamp attachment.
“We purchased the Bobcat compact excavator for our screening program,” Hunt says. “It’s a federal regulation, and it’s also in our operating plan that we will screen loads. We’re looking for specifi c containers, placarding or labeling of hazardous waste. Thankfully, we haven’t found anything hazardous. We occasionally fi nd tires, which we don’t let go into our landfi ll. We’ll pull them out, as well as cathode ray tubes (CRTs), televisions, computer monitors, and we’ll make sure that they are disposed of properly.
“The Bobcat E45 is just the right size. It’s great on fuel effi ciency, too. We use the auto-idle feature regularly, because sometimes we’re waiting between loads. We’ll sort through one, let the engine idle down without shutting off the machine, and then we’re ready to go again to sort the next load.
“We do some excavating on the property, which is 2,600 acres, and the E45 is easy to transport on our trailers with the trucks we have on site. I’ve always been a Bobcat fan because I’ve operated Bobcat machines. That’s how I got my start in the mid ’90s. Knowing the dealer and the kind of service we get from H & E Equipment is important to us. Having reliable service to support the machines is a huge advantage over other equipment.”
To help keep operators refreshed throughout the day, Hunt purchased the E45 with an enclosed cab with heat and air conditioning. He says it is a very comfortable machine to sit in and operate all day long. “The visibility in the E45 is great, and the controls are smooth,” Hunt says.
Maintaining the facility
While the Bobcat compact excavator is sorting, Hunt keeps the T650 compact track loader busy, too, helping with a variety of maintenance projects. He mounts the Brushcat™ rotary cutter to the T650 to mow around the facility.
“We mow a big loop for fi re protection,” Hunt says. “There are some residents who live west of our property. We mow behind their houses to create a nice fi re line for them, and we have some ridge roads where we’ll mow the material that grows in the center. Much of what we mow is really rough terrain and the Brushcat rotary cutter works great.”
In addition to the rotary cutter, Hunt purchased a Bobcat six-way dozer blade, pallet forks and a bucket. “We purchased the dozer blade and we clear ditches for erosion control and other projects,” he says. “We unload pipe with the Bobcat loader and pallet fork for a lot of our piping projects. As far as the bucket, we use it to put up berms for traffi c control. We have a dump trailer and we’ll load cobble for some of our storm water ditches; we mix it and patch holes in the roads.
“The rubber track undercarriage works very well here because much of the soil is sand. It’s a smooth ride with good traction. Additionally, the cab-forward design of the loader gives us a better view of the material we’re getting in the bucket. We can see right on the edge, or when we’re operating the dozer blade, we can get a good look at the angle and see where we’re cutting material.”
Speed Management
One of the T650 features that stands out to Hunt and his operators is Speed Management, which is available on Bobcat Selectable Joystick Controls. “It comes in handy when we’re using the Brushcat rotary cutter or the dozer blade,” he says. “We can put it in snail mode and operate the machine at 30 percent, so we can run it at full throttle and maintain our forward motion. We can hold the joystick all the way forward yet maintain a constant speed. It helps because we have time to adjust the six- way blade to keep a nice smooth pass.”
A facility that operates more than 300 days a year needs reliable and versatile equipment, and that’s what the Ada County landfi ll has found with a compact excavator, compact track loader and attachments from Bobcat Company.
Visit
www.MyWorkSaver.com/M-Series to learn more about the many features and benefi ts of Bobcat M-Series compact excavators and compact track loaders.
HAZARDOUS
WASTE COLLECTION In an effort to keep hazardous waste out of the landfi ll, Ada County opened a permanent household hazardous material collection facility at the landfi ll in 1998. The 5,000-square-foot facility is open to the public on Fridays and Saturdays, and collects hazardous material for proper disposal or re-use.
Paints Wood stain Paint thinner
Brake and transmission fl uids Automotive products Pesticides/insecticides Herbicides Fertilizers
Cleaning supplies Solvents Lubricants Tires
Cathode ray tubes (CRTs) Televisions
Computer monitors
“Having reliable service to support the machines is a huge advantage over other equipment.” — Kurt Hunt, Ada County landfill
BrushcatTM
The landfi ll’s Bobcat T650 compact track loader and rotary
cutter create fi re
breaks around the facility’s perimeter.
SUMMER 2012 | WorkSaver 19
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