the O’Connor brothers looked for ways to lower prices and, at the same time, become more profi table.


“We decided having a big brush chipper and a nimble Bobcat loader with a grapple attachment gave us a huge leg up on the competition,” John says. “That equipment allowed us to become incredibly productive immediately and provided us with the results we were looking for — the ability to charge our customers less and elevate our profi tability at the same time.”


LAND-CLEARING PROJECTS PAY OFF For long-time tree care professional Dan Dietrich, a change in strategy that took him out of one phase of the business and into another is paying off in three ways. That’s three as in receiving income three times for the same work.


The owner of Dan Dietrich Tree Service LLC began his career 38 years ago trimming trees in the Pittsburgh area. A veteran climber, he eventually found his niche — clearing land for developers. Less climbing and more income is a combination that Dietrich fi nds hard to beat.


“Instead of getting paid one time by a homeowner for trimming or removing a tree, the land-clearing part of the business offers a much greater fi nancial opportunity,” he says.


Dietrich is paid per acre for clearing the property, plus he sells the logs to sawmills


Turning trees into useable lumber For John and Patrick O’Connor, owners of The Lumberjacks Tree Service, the value of a Bobcat®


skid-steer loader


extends to another of their enterprises. The brothers are partners in the Urbanwood Project, a cooperative that markets completely reclaimed hardwood lumber.


“When we take down a tree that can be turned into furniture-grade lumber, we are able to lower our price to the customer because there is likely to be a good market for the wood,” Patrick says. “We use the S185 with the grapple attachment to move logs and with pallet forks to handle the lumber as we work with our partners to create a wide variety of green products.”


FALL 2012 | WorkSaver 27


and fi rewood to homeowners. “Income from wood chips is not signifi cant,” he says.


His business has really picked up during the last year due to increased drilling throughout the Marcellus Shale natural gas geologic formation, which extends throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia and southern New York.


“We have been hired to clear land for pipeline rights-of-way and for drill pads,” he says. “This is a high-pressure project because of its size and tight schedules. We have to complete our work before others can begin. It seems like we are always in someone’s way.”


Among the equipment Dietrich relies on to stay ahead of deadlines is a pair of Bobcat skid-steer loaders — an S770 and an S220, both purchased from Bobcat of Pittsburgh.


“I previously operated another brand of loader,” he recalls. “It was constantly breaking down. One day I called someone to come out and push the machine up onto my trailer. He did it with his Bobcat loader. A week later I had my own Bobcat loader. I’ve been a loyal Bobcat owner ever since.”


Dietrich put 6,000 hours on his fi rst machine and now has a similar amount of hours on the S220. Hours are piling up on the S770 as well. He says the industry-leading visibility and spacious and comfortable cab of the M-Series loader provide a superior work environment for someone who often spends eight hours a day in the driver’s seat.


ABOVE: Dan Dietrich, owner of Dan Dietrich Tree Service, recently purchased a new S770 skid- steer loader. BELOW: With his Bobcat S770 skid- steer loader and industrial grapple, Dan easily lifts and carries this massive chunk of wood.


“I’ve had many people ask what we are going to do with a Bobcat loader on a land-clearing job,” he says. “When we are fi nished, they have a lot more respect for what a small machine can do. Our loaders are very productive in many phases of the job, including helping the larger tree equipment.”


He uses his skid-steer loaders for pre- mowing the site, removing brush with a Bobcat forestry cutter attachment (using the S770), prepping piles of logs for the grapple skidder machine, hauling smaller limbs and branches to the brush chipper with a grapple attachment and cleaning up.


“The more work we can do without handling the wood by hand, the greater our effi ciency,” Dietrich says. “That’s why I need all my equipment to be reliable. The reliability score for my Bobcat loaders has been very high.”


Visit www.MyWorkSaver/M-Series to fi nd the latest product specifi cations, pictures and videos about M-Series loaders from Bobcat.


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