Based in Doncaster, Rother Valley Tree Services recently purchased a new top-of-the-range Bobcat T86 compact track loader and several Bobcat attachments including the new Bobcat FRC200XT high-flow forestry mulcher from local authorised dealer AMS Bobcat. So what difference has it made to the business?    

ROTHER Valley Tree Services is a family-run business that as well as Doncaster also covers Rotherham, Barnsley, Sheffield, Leeds, Wakefield and all the surrounding areas. The company offers high-quality work in every aspect of arboriculture, from small private clients to large commercial and local authority contracts.

Customers also include prison services, waterways, railways, utility companies, private estates/woodlands and many private homes and landowners. Utility arboriculture alone represents an estimated £150 million of arboricultural work in the UK each year, adjacent to electricity supplies, plus work close to rail, waterways and telecommunications networks.

Delivering a higher engine and hydraulic output, the Bobcat T86 is the most powerful compact track loader the company has ever built. The T86 uses a well-proven Stage V compliant 3.4 l Bobcat engine, producing 78 kW (105 hp) at 2600 rpm. Just like all of Bobcat’s R-Series loaders, the engine is mounted in-line with direct drive, which improves the cooling capacity of the engine and hydraulic components. This change increases reliability in high-intensity applications such as the forestry work carried out by Rother Valley Tree Services.

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One of the most exciting aspects of the T86 is that for the first time there is a choice of three different auxiliary flow outputs. There is a standard flow configuration providing 87 l/min for applications such as load and carry, or where low hydraulic flow attachments are used. Bobcat also offers two additional hydraulic performance functions using the new Electronic Displacement Control (EDC) Pump on the T86: a high flow function giving 138 l/min and a new, optional, industry-unique super flow function taking auxiliary flow to 159 l/min. 

As well as the super flow, the T86 purchased by Rother Valley Tree Services features an enclosed cab with HVAC, an air-suspension seat, 7-inch touch panel display, two speed, Power Bob-Tach attachment system, a reversing dan, premium LED lights, keyless ignition and joystick controls.

AMS Bobcat has equipped the T86 with a forestry application kit, which is required when using the machine with a forestry mulcher. As part of the order, Rother Valley Tree Services also purchased Bobcat 82-inch root grapple and pallet fork attachments.

Steve Smith, managing director of Rother Valley Tree Services, said: “I was intending to purchase the T770 model from Bobcat, but AMS Bobcat introduced us to the idea of the new T86 and its super flow output and the more powerful attachments it can power, such as the new FRC200XT forestry cutter. Now part of our fleet, the T86 has more than matched what we were promised.” 

Steve Smith and Carl Chadburn of Rother Valley Tree Services with the new T86.Steve Smith and Carl Chadburn of Rother Valley Tree Services with the new T86. (Image: Supplied)

Rother Valley Tree Services plant manager Carl Chadburn added: “The many jobs we are able to do are specialist, with only a few companies being able to offer these services in the UK. The T86, the new forestry cutter and the other Bobcat attachments we’ve purchased from AMS complement the rest of the vehicles and machinery in our fleet, giving us access to an even larger array of solutions to help complete even the most difficult of jobs. Rother Valley Tree Services cares for all our customers, large and small, on a personal and individual basis.”

In a host of applications in construction, landscaping, forestry, agriculture, disaster relief and many other areas, it would be hard to find another machine to offer the combination of versatility and productivity that can be provided by compact track loaders such as the T86. This is due to their unique characteristics as tool carriers and the wide array of attachments they can work with, from trenchers, augers, graders, soil conditioners, scarifiers and dozer blades to more specialist attachments such as forestry cutters and stump grinders. 

As tool carriers, compact track loaders offer many advantages over the comparable wheeled machines. They can provide increased productivity in many conditions with a lifting capacity approximately 25 per cent more than the equivalently sized wheeled loaders. 

Carl continued: “Combined with the low centre of gravity of the T86, the traction delivered by the tracked undercarriage gives us advantages for climbing and working on steep slopes in diverse applications such as scrub clearance on motorway verges, which would be difficult to carry out with the other machines in our fleet. 

“Approximately three times less than a wheeled machine, the low ground disturbance of the T86 allows it to work on delicate surfaces, such as established lawns or asphalt, minimising damage and reducing the need for tidying up after the job is complete. As well as being perfectly suited for working anywhere on uneven terrain, the T86 can also work well on snow-extending work into the winter due to its superior traction and flotation.”

Established in 1992, Scunthorpe-based AMS Bobcat is the authorised dealer for Bobcat for Lincolnshire and South and East Yorkshire. The company is one of the longest standing Bobcat dealers in Europe and has been in partnership with Bobcat in the UK for over 30 years. Over the intervening years, AMS has sold over 4,000 new Bobcat units into a wide range of industries, including construction, agriculture, shipping, plant hire, mining, landscaping and demolition.

With this level of experience, it is not surprising that AMS has an excellent level of expertise and knowledge of the Bobcat range and the other products it offers, whether it be new and used equipment sales, parts supply, service repairs or long- and short-term rental.

AMS also offers a full selection of genuine Bobcat accessories and parts to support both new and existing Bobcat customers in its area. Customers benefit from AMS’s well-established on-site service network, covering everything from emergency repairs to routine maintenance. The company offers flexible service agreements including 24 hours a day coverage, depending on requirements.

In the last three years, Bobcat has entered the European wheel loader market for compact wheel loaders and small articulated loaders, as well as launching the company’s new generation R-Series telehandlers and compact loaders. The product portfolio has now been further extended with a new range of compact tractors from 25 to 58 hp, together with new lines of mowers and turf renovation equipment. Other additions include a new family of forklifts and warehouse equipment as well as a market-leading range of portable power equipment.

The Bobcat R-Series telehandler range for agriculture and construction provides a choice of 21 models with Stage V engines. There are eight machines aimed at agriculture covering maximum lifting capacities between 2.5 and 4.3 tonnes with lifting heights from 6 to 8 m, complemented by 13 more for construction covering maximum lifting capacities between 2.5 and 4.1 tonnes and lifting heights from 6 to 18 m. The Bobcat range also includes a brand new selection of nine rotary telehandler models.

The Bobcat range offers 10 skid-steer loaders including the brand new R-Series S86 model, complementing these wheeled machines with a selection of five compact track loaders, including the T86 top-of-the-range model. Bobcat also offers an extensive portfolio of mini-excavators from 1.0 to 9.4 tonnes, including two electric models and a full range of light compaction machinery.