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Bob Horrell uses just two primary pieces of equipment for his dirt moving business in Acton, CA — a "skip" loader (utility tractor) and a skid-steer loader. But he's equipped them in such a fashion that they act more like four machines. He is able to use them for digging foundations and footings and finish grading for new homes, barns and horse arenas. He also uses them to dig pools and clear land, and is currently building a sled pull track for diesel pickup trucks at a local racetrack.

The skip loader uses backhoe, bucket and box scraper attachments, while the skid-steer loader utilizes Loegering's Versatile Track System (VTS), a complete rubber track undercarriage system that can be bolted onto virtually any skid-steer brand.

"I was trying to find ways to make my Bobcat more versatile," notes Horrell. "I was using my skip loader more than my skid steer, so I wanted to balance things out. This track system allows me to have a skid steer with wheels when I need it, and one with tracks when I need it. I've found it's helped me to use my skid-steer loader a lot more in my business."

Flexibility to operate in varying conditions
Horrell purchased the VTS last December for his two-year-old Bobcat S250. The purchase arrived just in time for California's 100-year rains.

"There were a lot of jobs during that rainy season that I just couldn't have done any other way," he says. "The tracks allowed me to work when I would have otherwise been sitting. There were weeks where I was out in the rain helping people who were getting flooded out."