CONSTRUCTION
KRACHT LAND IMPROVEMENT PART-TIME SUCCESS STORY FIREMAN KEEPS HIS RELIABLE BOBCAT LOADERS BUSY ON HIS OFF DAYS
For 22 years, Gene Kracht has been a full-time member of the fi re department in Centralia, Ill. He’s had an even longer career operating a part-time business, a 27-year-old enterprise that is now called Kracht Land Improvement.
He’s been successful at both, and when he retires from the fi re department, his part-time job will become full-time. That’s not unusual, especially for the many thousands of hard-working, entrepreneurial individuals who have carved out a second career, built with help from durable and versatile Bobcat® compact equipment.
“The dual career has worked out well,” he says. “Financially it has been very worthwhile.”
THE IMPROVEMENT IN VISIBILITY TO ALL SIDES IS DRAMATIC, AND I HAVE NEVER BEEN IN A MORE COMFORTABLE CAB. — GENE KRACHT, KRACHT LAND IMPROVEMENT
During spring, summer and fall, Kracht’s part-time work is equally divided between concrete fl atwork, seeding, hydroseeding and excavating. In winter, he has about 75 commercial snow removal accounts. Most of his snow-plowing customers have been with him for 20 years or more.
“Snow removal is the most unpredictable part of my business,”
Kracht says. “At times scheduling becomes diffi cult, so I have a couple of guys at the fi re department I can trade shifts with, if necessary.”
With a full-time job, scheduling has always been a challenge for Kracht. “I know my fi re department schedule (24 hours on, followed by 48 hours off) in advance,” he says. “Working in conjunction with other contractors can be a problem. The biggest issue is that I cannot be on a job every day of the week.”
Gene Kracht’s T870 compact track loader is the ninth Bobcat loader he has owned.
MEETING DEADLINES An important factor in making his part-time work successful is reliable equipment. “If I show up for a two- day job, I have to complete it in that timeframe so I can go back to the fi re station,” he says. “When I plan for a two-day job, I know that I will not be there the third day.”
That’s why Kracht has relied on Bobcat equipment since he started his business. He purchased his fi rst loader in 1985, fi ve years before he joined the fi re department. Bobcat of St. Louis in Fairview Heights, Ill., recently delivered a new T870 compact track loader. He also owns two more Bobcat loaders, along with 28 attachments. Kracht has a 14-pin wiring harness so he can operate older attachments with his newest loader.
“They have always been very dependable machines,” he says. “I’m loyal to Bobcat and to the dealership, which has been consistently very good to me.”
He also likes the way Bobcat loaders continue to get better each time he buys a new one. “In the M-Series T870, the improvement in visibility to all sides is dramatic, and I have never been in a more comfortable cab,” he says. “The power of the 99-horsepower diesel engine is more than enough and the two-speed travel option is proving to be very valuable.” Kracht can drive up to 11.4 mph with the two-speed option, enabling him to get more work done in less time.
Kracht works regularly for two contractors and a paving company, plus he gets a lot of work on his own. “I’ve been fortunate to have a good backlog of work, even at times when the economy is struggling,” he says. “My second job has worked out real well.”
The mighty T870
24 WORKSAVER SPRING 2013
See the 99-horsepower, heavy-duty T870 compact track loader in action. Scan this code with your smartphone to watch a video.
If you don’t have a smartphone, visit
www.MyWorkSaver.com/T870_video to watch the video.
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