Glewen’s New Bobcat T320 Is First In State
Published in: Western Builder
Date: 8/20/2007
By: Mike Larson
Waupun contractor finds that versatile new model packs horsepower and handles a variety of work for growing business.
Andy Glewen knows excavating equipment. He grew up around it, then spent eight years working for one of Wisconsin’s larger general contractors before starting his own operation five years ago.
His company, A Glewen & Sons Excavating, Inc., now employs seven people and generates about $1.5 million per year in sales. Its fleet of equipment includes a Caterpillar D5 dozer, two off-road hauling trucks, two dump trucks, two tractor-trailer trucks, three Caterpillar zero-tailswing track hoes, Bobcat T190 compact track loaders, and a brand new Bobcat T320 compact track loader – the first one purchased in Wisconsin.
At the time of this interview in late July, Glewen Excavating’s new T320 is just under four weeks old. “Although we’ve had the T320 less than a month,” Glewen said, “we’ve worked it every day on a variety of jobs. It has handled them all very well.”
So far, Glewen’s new Bobcat T320 has excavated, stripped topsoil, backfilled trenches, finish-graded for landscaping and concrete projects, precisely spread black dirt and other materials, cleaned up on job sites, handled decorative stone, and performed other common track-loader tasks.
To help with special applications, Glewen Excavating has purchased an array of attachments, including a bucket, broom, forks, trencher, power rake, and auger.
Although most of Glewen’s work comes from customers who are 90 minutes or less from its shop in Waupun, their crews also work at more distant locations, particularly helping construct ethanol stations and geothermal systems along the corridor from Green Bay to Milwaukee.
About 50 percent of its work consists of commercial projects such as site preparation, building excavation, digging retention ponds, excavating for underground utilities, and final grading.
Its other typical projects include work for single- and multi-unit senior-housing facilities, condominiums and apartment buildings; agricultural projects, such as manure pits and barns; excavating for underground utilities; and excavating for landscapers. In addition, Glewen will contract to conduct topographical surveys using its global positioning system (GPS). It also contracts to truck bulk flat rock and decorative stone from producers to dealers.
Two categories of work that have recently blossomed for Glewen Excavating are installing geothermal heating systems and helping construct retail filling stations for ethanol fuels.
Said Andy Glewen, “Our efficiency enables us to routinely excavate, install and backfill the in-ground portion of a 5-ton-capacity geothermal heating system in eight hours. That entails cutting a trench 300 feet long, 10 feet wide and 8 feet deep, then laying the pipe and backfilling the trench. An excavator digs the trench, and the compact track loader strips topsoil, handles spoil, backfills, and grades.”
Asked how he selected the Bobcat T320, Glewen says, “My dad had a Bobcat when I was growing up, so I’ve always been partial to them. But I did a lot of research and tried out the brands, too. I chose the T320 for its power, stability, versatility, and controls.”
Glewen says he had planned to purchase a Bobcat T300, but decided to wait for the T320 after he’d heard about its extra horsepower. “We use it a lot for backfilling, so I like its ability to push dirt. In my book, it’s the next thing to a dozer,” he says.
Glewen also prefers the stability provided by tracks, as opposed to the rubber tires of a skid-steer loader. “The rubber tracks work well on hard surfaces, and their flotation, traction and power really outshine tires on soft ground. They add versatility and provide more stability for working overhead, as when you’re loading trucks.”
Glewen likes the combination of hand and foot controls because it permits better coordination of multiple functions than systems that use just two multi-function joysticks. He also believes the system gives a better touch for grading. “If you start cutting too deep, you can actually feel it on the control sticks,” he says.
Transportability was another important factor. “One person with a dump truck, trailer and the T320 can get significant work done,” he says. “This morning, one of my crew members will finish the landscaping and cleanup at this filling station in Sheboygan Falls, then load the T320 on the trailer and be handling landscape rock an hour away in Waupun this afternoon.”
GPS Technology Helps Glewen Differentiate
A progressive company, Glewen & Sons has already embraced GPS technology. It has invested in a base station and hand-held rover that it uses to guide jobsite staking, check finished work, gather information for bids, and provide consultant service with topographical surveys.
Says Glewen, “GPS has been a great investment. It helps us finish jobs more quickly and precisely. It helps us bid more accurately. It even lets us help developers estimate – early on – how much work and cost their planned projects will require.”
Glewen explains how GPS accuracy creates an advantage in competitive bidding. “Because our GPS survey tells how much work a project will require, we don’t have to add the typical safety margin to our bids. We can bid more competitively and guarantee that the customer will not receive a post-project bill for unforeseen costs.”
Glewen believes that providing value to customers, thinking progressively and investing in new equipment like the T320 compact track loader and GPS system will help keep A Glewen & Sons Excavating vital and growing for decades to come.