Bobcat sweeper

[Rich]

Many years ago I told my son that I should buy a Bobcat and plow driveways in the winter. Now the son and daughter are adults and I have all this "free" time, and no dependants on my tax 1040. So I just purchased a new S160, sitting in my garage with 2.6 hours on it, and now wait for snow. Just to let you know, I live down the street from C.A. here in Fairbanks. Today I got contract to clean a local business parking lot and am picking up a sweeper from the dealer to try out this weekend. So help! Any Bobcat veterns out there that could give me some pointers on using this tool? Appreciate your advice. Thanks in advance from a rookie. Rich

 

[Tigerotor77W]

Usually the heavy attachment people here are 500K, 864wood, and geoffrey. They do a good job of describing how to use attachments. In the meantime... congrats on your purchase! You'll enjoy it. If you are in Fairbanks, you may find yourself needing a bit more than just a sweeper -- a snow bucket, V-plow, snowblower. Since you are getting a sweeper, make sure you test it out a few times... figure out what buttons control what aspects of the sweeper, etc. Generally, you should be able to put the arms down and let 'er rip.

 

[500K_773]

Usually the heavy attachment people here are 500K, 864wood, and geoffrey. They do a good job of describing how to use attachments. In the meantime... congrats on your purchase! You'll enjoy it. If you are in Fairbanks, you may find yourself needing a bit more than just a sweeper -- a snow bucket, V-plow, snowblower. Since you are getting a sweeper, make sure you test it out a few times... figure out what buttons control what aspects of the sweeper, etc. Generally, you should be able to put the arms down and let 'er rip.

Rich, Glad you found the forum. You should find tons of information here and many people to discuss ideas and problems with. Did you rent the pickup sweeper or the angle broom? I have utilized both and like each of them for different reasons. The pickup sweeper does well for parking lot cleanup, but is fairly narrow and may need the collection bucket dumped frequently. The angle broom does very good for parking lot cleanup as well, but needs an open area to sweep the debris to or you'll have an area to sweep up by hand. The angle broom is wider and can cover a larger area in a short period of time. At one time I had some figures of how much area I could cover in an hour and a figure to estimate price per square foot, but cannot find them now. Craig Taylor Equipment sometimes uses their angle broom for snow removal in their parking lot. I think it would do OK for fresh accumulation and does not risk damaging asphalt like a cutting edge on a blade or bucket could. With the light snow we have today, you may have an opportunity to try it on snow

 

[Rich]

Rich, Glad you found the forum. You should find tons of information here and many people to discuss ideas and problems with. Did you rent the pickup sweeper or the angle broom? I have utilized both and like each of them for different reasons. The pickup sweeper does well for parking lot cleanup, but is fairly narrow and may need the collection bucket dumped frequently. The angle broom does very good for parking lot cleanup as well, but needs an open area to sweep the debris to or you'll have an area to sweep up by hand. The angle broom is wider and can cover a larger area in a short period of time. At one time I had some figures of how much area I could cover in an hour and a figure to estimate price per square foot, but cannot find them now. Craig Taylor Equipment sometimes uses their angle broom for snow removal in their parking lot. I think it would do OK for fresh accumulation and does not risk damaging asphalt like a cutting edge on a blade or bucket could. With the light snow we have today, you may have an opportunity to try it on snow

Thanks for the imput. I have a pickup sweeper on hold for this weekend, but with today's snow and tomorrow's forecast, I may have to cancel the work. The job is a small parking lot but because of store hours it would have to be done Saturday evening or Sunday and we may have more snow accumulation by then. I don't want to do the job unless the pavement is accessable, especially since they've agreed to cover the cost of the rental and my hourly rate for the Bobcat. Yes this forum is a great place for enhancing the learning curve. Thanks again for the information. Rich

 

[Rich]

Usually the heavy attachment people here are 500K, 864wood, and geoffrey. They do a good job of describing how to use attachments. In the meantime... congrats on your purchase! You'll enjoy it. If you are in Fairbanks, you may find yourself needing a bit more than just a sweeper -- a snow bucket, V-plow, snowblower. Since you are getting a sweeper, make sure you test it out a few times... figure out what buttons control what aspects of the sweeper, etc. Generally, you should be able to put the arms down and let 'er rip.

Thanks for the reply. I purchased a C & I and and snow bucket with the Bobcat. I stayed away from the plow 'cause of all the pickup truck plows in town. I wanted to be able to get down to the ice and also pick up and move the snow. The more I can offer, the more work I'll have. Right now the snowblower is out of my price range, plus I thought that with more "moving" parts, there would be more equipment maintenance costs. It snowed today, and there's more on the forecast so I may get some experience soon!

 

[500K_773]

Thanks for the reply. I purchased a C & I and and snow bucket with the Bobcat. I stayed away from the plow 'cause of all the pickup truck plows in town. I wanted to be able to get down to the ice and also pick up and move the snow. The more I can offer, the more work I'll have. Right now the snowblower is out of my price range, plus I thought that with more "moving" parts, there would be more equipment maintenance costs. It snowed today, and there's more on the forecast so I may get some experience soon!

Rich,
We got a little reprieve that weekend and the snow melted, did you get a chance to try the sweeper on that parking lot? If you did, please share your thoughts.
Now, I've heard that we have about 6-8" of snow (I'm out of town until the 1st). Have you been plowing much? BTW, did you get the reversible cutting edge for either of your buckets? I laid down the cash for the reversible cutting edge, but haven't even worn a quarter of one side off with nearly 500 hours on my machine. Granted I have been using my tooth bucket quite a bit this summer, I use the smooth edge bucket all winter for snow removal. I usually have the bucket tilted about 70o to break up hard pack snow and ice.

 

[Rich]

Rich,
We got a little reprieve that weekend and the snow melted, did you get a chance to try the sweeper on that parking lot? If you did, please share your thoughts.
Now, I've heard that we have about 6-8" of snow (I'm out of town until the 1st). Have you been plowing much? BTW, did you get the reversible cutting edge for either of your buckets? I laid down the cash for the reversible cutting edge, but haven't even worn a quarter of one side off with nearly 500 hours on my machine. Granted I have been using my tooth bucket quite a bit this summer, I use the smooth edge bucket all winter for snow removal. I usually have the bucket tilted about 70o to break up hard pack snow and ice.

I backed off on the sweeper job 'cause there was a lot of ice in the parking lot and a lot of debris was frozen in the ice. Of course, after I cancelled the rental, the sun came out and melted everything.....that's life! Yes, I bought the cutting edge for both buckets. I just took for granted that it was a necessary $$$. Finally enough snow to cause the phone to ring. I was out last night for four hours working on one large parking lot, and a driveway tonight, plus one job in Fox on Saturday. Slowly getting the business going. I haven't had a problem yet working without chaining the tires. We'll see how it goes. I'm still in the learning stages. Take care up North.

 

[500K_773]

I backed off on the sweeper job 'cause there was a lot of ice in the parking lot and a lot of debris was frozen in the ice. Of course, after I cancelled the rental, the sun came out and melted everything.....that's life! Yes, I bought the cutting edge for both buckets. I just took for granted that it was a necessary $$$. Finally enough snow to cause the phone to ring. I was out last night for four hours working on one large parking lot, and a driveway tonight, plus one job in Fox on Saturday. Slowly getting the business going. I haven't had a problem yet working without chaining the tires. We'll see how it goes. I'm still in the learning stages. Take care up North.

My wife called an told me she was using my loader to clear the driveway. She has not really ran the machine before so I have to worry a little bit. She probably would do more damage to the house or vehicles in the driveway than to the loader. I told her to be careful because I had not put on the tire chains yet. I would hate for her to slide off into a ditch and be stuck. If the rear end slides into the ditch and your front end is pointing toward the roadway, there is little you can do to free yourself. The bucket is pretty much worthless at that point, unless you can spin yourself around and push yourself out of the ditch with the bucket. I feel that tire chains, especially when plowing remote driveways in the hills, are invaluable insurance.
I heard this is an El Nino year and we should expect a warmer winter. Maybe the jetstream will bring more moisture with it and we'll have tons of snow. My friend works for the fire service and said historically when we have a bad fire year (like this past summer) we usually have a big snow year. Remeber the 149" of snow we received in 1990? 1989 was a bad fire year. In fact, my friend is gearing up for a big snow year and just bought a new plow for his truck.

 

[Tigerotor77W]

My wife called an told me she was using my loader to clear the driveway. She has not really ran the machine before so I have to worry a little bit. She probably would do more damage to the house or vehicles in the driveway than to the loader. I told her to be careful because I had not put on the tire chains yet. I would hate for her to slide off into a ditch and be stuck. If the rear end slides into the ditch and your front end is pointing toward the roadway, there is little you can do to free yourself. The bucket is pretty much worthless at that point, unless you can spin yourself around and push yourself out of the ditch with the bucket. I feel that tire chains, especially when plowing remote driveways in the hills, are invaluable insurance.
I heard this is an El Nino year and we should expect a warmer winter. Maybe the jetstream will bring more moisture with it and we'll have tons of snow. My friend works for the fire service and said historically when we have a bad fire year (like this past summer) we usually have a big snow year. Remeber the 149" of snow we received in 1990? 1989 was a bad fire year. In fact, my friend is gearing up for a big snow year and just bought a new plow for his truck.

I'm sure she will do fine. I ran a 236 last Friday and I got damned near tipping the machine a few times... kinda scary. But I idled down the engine and things turned out all right. Skid steers are fortunately pretty to get used to. Have fun this winter -- we don't hardly get any snow here in Illinois no more...

 

[500K_773]

I'm sure she will do fine. I ran a 236 last Friday and I got damned near tipping the machine a few times... kinda scary. But I idled down the engine and things turned out all right. Skid steers are fortunately pretty to get used to. Have fun this winter -- we don't hardly get any snow here in Illinois no more...

I told my wife if she did well enough, she could run the machine next year and I could have the summer off

Just sit back and count the money.

I wish it could be that easy.

 

[Tigerotor77W]

I told my wife if she did well enough, she could run the machine next year and I could have the summer off Just sit back and count the money. I wish it could be that easy.

Hehe... count the money then buy more toys? :grins:

 

[Rich]

My wife called an told me she was using my loader to clear the driveway. She has not really ran the machine before so I have to worry a little bit. She probably would do more damage to the house or vehicles in the driveway than to the loader. I told her to be careful because I had not put on the tire chains yet. I would hate for her to slide off into a ditch and be stuck. If the rear end slides into the ditch and your front end is pointing toward the roadway, there is little you can do to free yourself. The bucket is pretty much worthless at that point, unless you can spin yourself around and push yourself out of the ditch with the bucket. I feel that tire chains, especially when plowing remote driveways in the hills, are invaluable insurance.
I heard this is an El Nino year and we should expect a warmer winter. Maybe the jetstream will bring more moisture with it and we'll have tons of snow. My friend works for the fire service and said historically when we have a bad fire year (like this past summer) we usually have a big snow year. Remeber the 149" of snow we received in 1990? 1989 was a bad fire year. In fact, my friend is gearing up for a big snow year and just bought a new plow for his truck.

Have your wife call me. I'll be happy to plow your driveway while you're up North. Tell her to leave the key in your machine. You did get new glass in your door didn't you? As far as getting stuck, I learned that I wasn't very good at backing my 18 foot trailer down my driveway. Slid sidways with the back end of my truck over in my yard. Lucky, I only had my new snow bucket on the trailer and my bobcat in the garage. Used the bobcat to remove the bucket, and slide the trailer back on to the driveway, then backed the truck across our snow covered lawn. We'll see how the grass looks next spring. So now I'm unloading the trailer on the road, like you did before, and pulling the trailer down the driveway. Learning the hard way! What fun! Take care!

 

[destro]

I have a angle broom and a enclosed sweeper ; I,ve not used them for snow removel. But use them from spring to fall. They paid for them selfs the first season I had them. I sweep most of the parking lots in my home town.