Gehl's compact equipment, with its reliability, has added a great new market potential for AAA Rentals. Marv Willard, shop foreman for AAA Rentals, likes the machines because they require minimal maintenance. "We have to have top-of-the-line machinery because of the quick turnaround time. The Gehl equipment is put to the test on a daily basis. With a little regular maintenance they just go right back on the lot to be rented again."

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Kimber Landscaping finds 101 uses for its JCB mini excavators

For 25 years Ted Kimber has been designing landscaping, hardscaping and fencing for his customers in the southeast corner of Pennsylvania. In the past few years, however, Kimber has found a new and innovative way to conduct business while cutting down on time, manpower and costs.

Kimber's innovation comes in the form of a JCB mini excavator and it has changed the way his business now takes on the day-to-day challenges in the landscape market. Originally, he had a crew of nearly 15 men performing tasks such as land clearing, post hole digging, moving and placing hardscape materials, and various other functions that a crew would need to perform in order to complete the job at hand.

Now Kimber has "seen the light." Both he and his partner, Jason Tisone, work their JCB 8015, 8017 and the newest member to their team — a JCB 8018.

Earthborne Equipment of Warrington, PA was able to provide this new machine to Kimber and Tisone in time for them to take it on their most recent job.

On the site Kimber and Tisone worked the 8017 and 8018 like extensions of their own bodies, where other landscapers would need to run a crew of about 10 men. The first stage of the job was to clear approximately three acres of brush and pine trees. To accomplish this, Kimber and Tisone worked on the 8017 and 8018 in tandem to push trees over and stack the logs in piles.

Later, the pair would attach an auger to drill and dig over 300 post holes to accommodate hundreds of feet of fence that would enclose the now cleared piece of land. This was done by simply placing the 8018 in one specific location which allowed the boom and dipper to be maneuvered to three different hole locations. All this was done in one day. Compared to the past, Kimber states, "It would have taken a crew with a couple of four-man augers to accomplish the same task over a longer period of time."

Kimber has also been able to accomplish retaining ponds, paver patios, decks, hundreds of feet of fence, relocation of large boulders and an assortment of other unique landscaping functions. Kimber attributes his company's success and the ability to take on larger or more complex jobs to his and his partner's abilities to create and innovate new ways to use a machine traditionally only used to dig holes.

Kimber also has the ability to use his JCB mini excavators in unique ways. Kimber states, "I have an assortment of 15 custom attachments that aid in our ability to quickly perform work on jobsites."

In his portfolio, Kimber shows pictures of boulders that have been relocated, fences that have been set and thousands of paver blocks that have been laid all with the aid of his JCBs and the custom attachments he keeps.

Kimber is currently in the midst of patenting these attachments and working on a program to sell a "landscaper package" which would include a JCB mini excavator, the patented "Kimber" attachments, and instructions on "how to be a one-man landscaping crew."